Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (born November 11, 1974)
is an American actor and
film producer whose career rose with his role in the television
sit-com Growing Pains.
His critically acclaimed breakthrough film performance came in
This Boy's Life, and was quickly followed by
What's Eating Gilbert Grape. His performance as the
mentally handicapped brother of Gilbert (
Johnny Depp), in the title role, brought him nominations for the
Golden Globe and
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
He gained fame for his role as
Jack Dawson in
Titanic, and has starred in many other successful films including
Romeo + Juliet,
Catch Me If You Can, and
Blood Diamond, for which he was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Actor. Another
Academy Award nomination came for his role as
Howard Hughes in
The Aviator, directed by
Martin Scorsese. He has also worked with Scorsese in films such as
Gangs of New York and
The Departed. This working partnership brought comparison to the earlier working relationship between Scorsese and actor
Robert De Niro, who also benefited from roles in Scorsese films early in his career.
