Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio was born November 11, 1974, in Los Angeles. Although his parents separated shortly after his birth, his mother Irmelin and father George remain an important part of his life and career. Irmelin handles DiCaprio's finances, while George screens his son's scripts upon receiving them.

DiCaprio's acting career began on the small screen at an early age, with roles in several commercials and an appearance on Romper Room. He felt discouraged early on in his career when an agent rejected him for having a name that sounded too foreign. Leonardo DiCaprio could very well have become Lenny Williams, as the agent suggested he change his name, but DiCaprio refused.

He chose to stick to the origin of his name; while his mother was standing before a Leonardo DaVinci painting, she felt her unborn son kicking, and his mother named him after this moment.

Not allowing rejections to prevent him from following his passion, DiCaprio found another agent, and he was on his way to becoming an actor.

By the time he landed his short-lived role on the sitcom Growing Pains, DiCaprio already had more than 20 commercials, and roles on the soap opera Santa Barbara, the TV series Parenthood and The New Lassie, as well as the feature film Critters 3 on his resume.

While on Growing Pains, DiCaprio beat out 400 other budding actors for his role in This Boy's Life in 1992. Co-starring legendary actor Robert De Niro, DiCaprio's portrayal of Tobias Wolff caught the eye and attention of movie critics. His next film outing was in What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, as the autistic brother of Johnny Depp's character.

In order to prepare for the role, DiCaprio studied the mannerisms and thought processes of autistic children while visiting homes for the autistic. Despite the fact that he was almost refused the role because he was deemed too handsome for the part, the role garnered him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Not bad for a guy who never even studied acting.

After DiCaprio's next film roles, The Quick and the Dead, The Basketball Diaries and Total Eclipse, were box-office disappointments, he decided to take the more commercial, mainstream route. And that he did with the MTV-ish adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, co-starring Claire Danes. DiCaprio was now the leading man, and the love of every teenybopper's life.

When DiCaprio starred in the 1996 tearjerker Marvin's Room, no one could have predicted the colossal success that was coming the actor's way. In 1997, he co-starred with Kate Winsletin the huge hit, Titanic, which has become the most successful movie of all time.

After his lead role in the mega-blockbuster, DiCaprio stepped down from the handsome lead, to appear in Woody Allen's Celebrity, and in a dual role in the disappointing The Man in the Iron Mask.

Water being no unchartered territory for DiCaprio, he was last seen in the film The Beach, as a traveler who finds himself after having discovered a secret island. Co-starring French actress Viginie Ledoyen, the film reveals a different side to the young actor, probably one that is closest to his true self -- and must have had women flocking to theatres all the same.

Active in social awareness causes, DiCaprio starred in two educational films, Micky's Safety Club and How To Deal With A Parent Who Takes Drugs, earlier in his career. Extremely involved in environmental causes (DiCaprio was this year's chair of EarthFair 2000 on the National Mall), he interviewed President Clinton this past April in an Earth Day Special.

Leonardo DiCaprio has been romantically linked to models Bridget Hall and Amber Valetta, and is currently tight with model Gisele Bundchen.