Leonardo DiCaprio's career has been a diverse and varied one, spanning from humble beginnings in television and low-budget films to major Hollywood blockbusters. Born in Los Angeles, California, DiCaprio was the only child of Irmelin DiCaprio and George DiCaprio, a former comic book artist. His parents, of Italian, German, Ukrainian, and Russian descent, encouraged his early interest in acting, and he began appearing in television commercials and educational programs.
DiCaprio's early roles in television series such as Roseanne and The New Lassie led to his film debut in the low-budget horror movie Critters 3. Although this film did not showcase his acting abilities, it helped him develop his show-reel and attract the attention of producers. He then landed a role in the sitcom Growing Pains, where he played a young homeless boy who moves in with the Seavers.
The early 1990s saw DiCaprio take on a diverse range of roles, including a mentally challenged youth in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, a young gunslinger in The Quick and the Dead, and a drug addict in The Basketball Diaries. These roles helped establish DiCaprio's reputation as an actor, and he became a household name with his role as Romeo Montague in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet.
DiCaprio's success in Romeo + Juliet led to his starring role in the film Titanic, which became the highest-grossing movie of all time and cemented his reputation as a teen heartthrob. Following his work on Titanic, DiCaprio kept a low profile for several years, with roles in The Man in the Iron Mask and The Beach being some of his few notable roles during this period.
In 2002, DiCaprio burst back onto the scene with leading roles in Catch Me If You Can and Gangs of New York, his first collaboration with director Martin Scorsese. With a current salary of $20 million a movie, DiCaprio is now one of the biggest movie stars in the world.
