Leonardo DiCaprio is one of those rare people who managed to go from child star to grown up star with more grace than anyone thought possible. No crazy drug binge or drinking phase for Leo, even after making money and getting famous at a very young age. From day one, Leonardo DiCaprio has seemed like a really stand up guy, and an extremely talented one at that.
He went from doing random day-player roles as a young teen (yes, that was a 16-year-old Leo on Roseanne for an un-credited student role), to a starring role on Growing Pains, before being picked by De Niro to star in This Boy's Life. Not long after that, Leo snagged an Oscar nod for Gilbert Grape. Then came Basketball Diaries, Romeo + Juliet, and Titanic. Suddenly he was the teen hearth throb, but instead of choosing the easy path, he kept taking challenging roles. The Beach, Gangs of New York, Catch Me if You Can, The Aviator, The Departed, Blood Diamond, etc. all followed. The man can pick a script!
But who is Leonardo DiCaprio? How would his biography outside of movie roles read? Where does that iconic name comes from? Who are his decades-long friendships with? What causes does he believe in and does how he back them? And what about his love of dinosaur skeletons?
We've poured through the history of the man, through interview after interview, fact after fact, quote after quote, in order to bring you the best stories about who Leo really is. There is so much to learn about the man. Consider this your own personal DiCaprio wiki page. These are fun facts and trivia you didn't know about Leonardo DiCaprio!
http://www.ranker.com/list/leonardo-dicaprio-facts/coy-jandreau,
James Cameron Wanted Him for Spider-Man
Not only did James Cameron write a Spider-Man script with the intent to direct it as well, he wanted his Titanic star to play Peter Parker! The James Cameron Spider-Man obviously never came to pass, but around the same time, Leonardo DiCaprio was locked into playing another now iconic role, Patrick Bateman in American Psycho.
Eventually scheduling conflicts forced him to leave the role, and a fairly unknown Christian Bale took over. It was Bale's performance in Psycho that gave comic fans faith that he could pull off the Dark Knight!
Source: Observer.com
He's Named After Leonardo DaVinci
Yup, just like your favorite Ninja Turtle. Apparently DiCaprio's parents were visiting the Uffizi Gallery in Florence and stopped to look at a DaVinci painting. It was at that exact moment that little Leo kicked for the first time. They decided it was an omen and named him Leonardo.
Source: Wall Street Journal
His Haircut from Titanic Was Outlawed by the Taliban
This is going to sound like an Onion article, but it is actually completely true. Leonardo DiCaprio became crazy famous after the record-shattering success of Titanic. But his celeb status wasn't just in America, it was worldwide. Soon rebellious teenagers in Afghanistan were looking to get Leo's haircut. Seen by the government as a symbol of pride in Western Culture, it was quickly outlawed. Teenagers and barbers across Afghanistan were even being imprisoned for the trendy 'do!
Source: BBC News
He Is Building an Eco-Friendly Resort
Back in 2005, Leonardo DiCaprio bought a 104-acre island in Belize! He plans to open a small, eco-friendly, resort on the awesomely-named Blackadore Caye. The goal is to show firsthand how easy it is to build an eco-friendly sustainable home/property anywhere.
Source: Private Island Magazine.com
He Suffered from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder as a Child
Leonardo DiCaprio had long suffered from OCD and relished to explore that side of himself by playing the iconic Howard Hughes. Howard Hughes famously suffered from all manner of mental ticks and aversions, and though Leo's were never that serious, he says playing Hughes was a good outlet for him. He admits it did continue for a while after filming, but that he was able to mentally squash the habit again.
"I'm able to say at some point, 'OK, you're being ridiculous, stop stepping on every gum stain you see. You don't need to do walk 20 feet back and put your foot on that thing."
Source: Contact Music
He Turned Down a Role in Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds
Imagine a world where anyone but Christoph Waltz played Nazi Colonel Hans Landa? That performance got the man an Oscar, and completely jump started his career. But it almost didn't come to pass because Tarantino wanted Leonardo DiCaprio for that role. Leo ended up passing on that brand of Tarantino evil, but then vivaciously agreed to the next. He had an incredible performance in Quentin's Django Unchained as ruthless slave owner Calvin Candie.
Source: Slashfilm
He Credits Robert De Niro for All of His Success
Fellow Martin Scorcese golden boy Robert De Niro is the one who plucked a young Leonardo DiCaprio from obscurity. Hundreds of actors were auditioning for the same part in This Boys Life in 1992. It was De Niro who singled him out from the others, and they began working together very quickly.
Source: LA Times
People Tried to Convince Him to Change his Name
When Leonardo was 11 and was just trying to break into acting, an agent flat out told him he wouldn't get work with the name Leonardo DiCaprio. They said it was "too ethnic" and turned him down when he refused to change it.
The name they wanted him to change it to? Lenny Williams. Lenny! Williams! Two years later, at 13, he met with an agent that liked his name just fine. It wasn't long before he was working. And now Leonardo DiCaprio is a household name.
Source: NowMagazine.Co.Uk
He's Been BFFs with Tobey Maguire and David Blaine Since They Were Kids
It's important to have close friends in any business, but it's especially important in a business as lonely and nerve wracking as the entertainment industry. It's good to know who your friends are before you get famous so you don't need to second guess it later. Leo knew this growing up in the craziness of Hollywood, and formed what he called (at the time, we assume he doesn't anymore...) the "Pussy Posse."
This close group of friends consisted of Tobey Maguire, Lucas Haas, Q-Tip, David Blaine and Harmony Korrine. They're all still friends to this day, decades later. Quite the entourage.
Source: NNDB
He Is a Huge Advocate for Climate Change Policy
Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the loudest voices for attention to climate change in the world. He's a huge environmentalist who flies commercial instead of private (or when he has to fly private, he pays for the carbon offset). He drives a Tesla, a Fisker Hybrid, a Prius, or another of his armada of low impact vehicles. He spoke at the 2007 Academy Awards alongside Al Gore about climate awareness. He's donated millions of dollars to a myriad of environmental non-profits. He even donated $1 million to the Wildlife Conservation Society in 2010.
He's also spoken directly to the U.N. about the need for climate change, and was named an official Messenger of Peace.
Source: UN.Org