12 Amazing Facts About Leonardo DiCaprio
The actor has been continuously working since he was 17 years old. From the child actor in ‘What’s Eating Gilbert Grape’ to his phenomenal performance in the recent ‘Inception,’ the trajectory Leonardo DiCaprio has followed is something that has made him the heartthrob of millions and an actor to reckon with. Listed below are 12 amazing facts about Leonardo DiCaprio – the actor who made women go weak in the knees with his performance in the classic ‘Titanic’.
1. When Leonardo DiCaprio was 5 years old, he appeared in the TV show ‘Romper Room and Friends’ where he misbehaved so much that he was almost thrown out of the sets.
2. The similarity in their names is not a coincident! DiCaprio was indeed named after the famous Italian Renaissance polymath, Leonardo da Vinci. When his mother was pregnant, she visited Uffizi Gallery in Florence where she felt a kick in her tummy when she stood in front of a painting of da Vinci. It prompted her and DiCaprio’s father to name him after the great artist.
3. He was brought up in Echo Park of Los Angeles which is a sordid and drug dominated area.
4. At the age of 3 or so, DiCaprio went to a hippie concert with his father, but the band did not turn up. Eventually, it was the kid DiCaprio who went on stage and tap-danced for an audience of hundreds.
5. He appeared in the hit TV show ‘Growing Pains’ when he was only 10 years old. His then agent advised him to change his name to Lenny Williams – which he did not pay heed to.
6. He was nominated in the Supporting Actor category at the Academy Awards for his role in ‘What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.’ He was later nominated in the Best Actor category for his movies ‘The Aviator’ and ‘Blood Diamond.’
