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A Look Back At Young Leo’s Early Years As An Actor

How did young Leo make it in Hollywood? - by Rhys McKay
  • 15 Jul 2019
A Look Back At Young Leo’s Early Years As An Actor
Getty

Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the biggest names in Hollywood; he’s starred in over 30 movies over a career spanning decades. There’s no one that can deny that Leonardo hasn’t earned his place, as he’s been working on his career ever since he was a kid.

Young Leo started out as a child actor and landed a few decent roles as a teen before being launched into international stardom. In this article, we’ll highlight young Leo’s humble beginnings, from his first TV ad to his breakout role as Jack in Titanic.

RELATED: Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio ‘Never Fancied Each Other’

Who Is Leonardo DiCaprio?

If you’re a regular moviegoer, you’ve probably seen him at least once. He’s starred in the biggest films of the last three decades and has remained in the limelight ever since his breakout role. 

Leo DiCaprio is probably most famous for his role as Jack in Titanic starring himself and Kate Winslet. Kate grew to be Leo’s longtime friend, and the pair eventually collaborated once more on a film called Revolutionary Road. 

Though rumours of a romance between the two have always been around, Leo and Kate have always maintained that they are just good friends.

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Leo’s Famous Roles

Leo DiCaprio has been working in the industry since he was five-years-old and hasn’t stopped working since! 

Outside of his breakout role in the Titanic movie, Leo is most famous for his roles as disabled teen Arnie Grape in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?, Romeo in Baz Luhrmann’s highly stylised adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, conman Frank Abagnale in Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me if You Can, the titular character in Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator, and more recently, scammer Jordan Belfort in another Scorsese film, The Wolf of Wall Street.

Leonardo DiCaprio Fast Facts

How Old Is Leonardo Dicaprio? 

Leo DiCaprio’s date of birth is November 11, 1974, making him 44 years old. 

How Tall Is Leonardo Dicaprio? 

Leo stands at a height of 1.83m, or about 6 feet tall.

Where Leonardo Dicaprio From?

Leo was born in and grew up in LA as an only child. His parents are Irmelin and George DiCaprio. George DiCaprio is of Italian and German descent, while Irmelin Indenbirken, Leo’s mother, is of German and Russian descent.

Does Leo Have Any Tattoos?

None that we know of!

How Old Was Leo In Titanic? 

He was 23 years old at the time of shooting.

Who Is Leo Dating Now?

Leo’s dating life has always been a subject of curiosity ever since he was a fresh-faced teen actor. He has a history of dating models like Camilla Morrone, Toni Garrn, Nina Agdal, Anne Vyalitsyna, Bar Refaeli, and even Gisele Bundchen. 

Leo has received some flak, especially in the online sphere, for seemingly choosing not to date women who are over 25 years old.

Leo The Child Actor

It’s not uncommon for children in LA to grow up acting in commercials and TV shows, and young Leo was no stranger to this experience. Leo’s childhood was spent on set and in studios. He grew up in an environment that honed his acting skills from a young age.

A portrait of young Leo DiCaprio in a collared button-up shirt
Getty

When Leo was just 5-years-old, he was made to leave the set of kids’ TV show because he was being “disruptive”. Despite this, young Leo continued acting and struck a Matchbox cars ad at 14. This is what Leo considers his first real acting role. 

Parenthood Cast featuring Young Leonardo DiCaprio
Getty

Leo began acting seriously in 1990 at the age of 16, starring in TV roles on shows like Parenthood, Growing Pains, as well as the pilot episode for The Outsiders and the soap Santa Barbara.

Young Leo in classroom for TV series, Growing Pains
Getty

Leonardo DiCaprio, Young Teen Star

Young Leo’s first movie role was on the sci-fi film Critters 3. It wasn’t until 1992 that he was getting noticed by big names in Hollywood like Robert De Niro, who handpicked him to play the lead in This Boy’s Life. 

The first role that really challenged his acting chops was 1993’s What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, where he played a mentally challenged teen alongside Johnny Depp. 

Young Leo on set of 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape?'
Getty

After Gilbert Grape, Leonardo DiCaprio’s film acting career started taking off, and he soon starred as a troubled teen in Basketball Diaries and then opposite Claire Danes as Romeo in Romeo + Juliet. He received accolades for both films.

Young Leonardo starring in the film, Basketball Diaries
Getty

Leo DiCaprio’s Breakout Role

Titanic was Leo’s breakout role. The 1997 film launched him to superstardom and teen heartthrob status almost overnight. The whole world was gripped with ‘Leo-Mania’; he appeared on the cover of every teen girl magazine, and his poster was plastered up on bedroom walls everywhere. Leo’s ‘90s style curtain haircut even became a trending hairstyle among teen boys wanting to exude that classic Leo charm.

Leo The Superstar

After his Titanic movie fame, Leo kept on working and working, starring in dual roles in The Man in the Iron Mask, as Richard in Alex Garland’s The Beach, and in Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York.

Young Leonardo DiCaprio starring in the film, Titanic
Getty

Leo has received countless awards for numerous films throughout his career. In fact, he has won 54 awards and has been nominated 161 times. A few years back, there was a lot of talk online about the need to give Leo an Oscar already, having been nominated and lost six times. Finally, Leo won Best Actor at the Oscars for his role in The Revenant in 2016.

Conclusion

Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the hardest working actors in Hollywood. His early career as a teen actor is a testament to the adage that hard work and perseverance pays off. Today, the actor has amassed an estimated net worth of about USD$245 million.

In 2019, Leo is showing no signs of slowing down with a few upcoming movies lined up, most notably Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

RELATED: Brad Pitt And Leonardo Dicaprio Were Completely Starstruck By Luke Perry

Rhys McKay

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