Editing Leonardo DiCaprio (section)

==Early life and acting background==
DiCaprio was born on November 11, 1974, in [[Los Angeles]], California.<ref>{{cite web |title=Happy Birthday, Leonardo DiCaprio: Must-watch Movies of the Oscar-winning Actor |url=https://www.news18.com/news/movies/happy-birthday-leonardo-dicaprio-must-watch-movies-of-the-oscar-winning-actor-4428221.html |publisher=[[Network18 Group|News18]] |access-date=August 2, 2023 |date=November 11, 2021 |archive-date=August 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230802204836/https://www.news18.com/news/movies/happy-birthday-leonardo-dicaprio-must-watch-movies-of-the-oscar-winning-actor-4428221.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He is the only child of Irmelin Indenbirken, a legal secretary, and [[George DiCaprio]], an [[underground comix]] artist and distributor. They met while attending college and moved to Los Angeles after graduating.{{sfn|Wight|2012|p=11}}<ref>{{cite news |last1=Letran |first1=Vivan |title=DiCaprio Boosts Artist's Show |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-aug-19-ca-6884-story.html |access-date=July 29, 2015 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=August 19, 2000 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151013173738/http://articles.latimes.com/2000/aug/19/entertainment/ca-6884 |archive-date=October 13, 2015}}</ref> Irmelin is German, and George is of Italian and German descent.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Michalski |first1=Jennifer |title=14 Celebrities Who Speak Multiple Languages |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/celebrities-who-speak-more-than-one-language-2013-10#german-is-leonardo-dicaprios-second-language-8 |access-date=January 10, 2022 |website=[[Business Insider]] |date=October 24, 2013 |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220110202647/https://www.businessinsider.com/celebrities-who-speak-more-than-one-language-2013-10#german-is-leonardo-dicaprios-second-language-8 |url-status=live}}</ref> Irmelin's father, Wilhelm Indenbirken, was German,{{sfn|Wight|2012|pp=10, 16}} and her mother, Helene Indenbirken, was a Russian immigrant living in Germany.{{sfn|Wight|2012|p=10}} Sources have falsely claimed that DiCaprio's maternal grandmother was born in [[Odesa]], Ukraine; there is no evidence that he has any relatives of Ukrainian birth or heritage.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/12/politics/fact-check-dicaprio-donation-10-million-ukraine/index.html|title=Fact Check: How a False Story About Leonardo DiCaprio Donating $10 Million to Ukraine Spread Around the World|agency=[[CNN]]|date=March 12, 2022|last=Dale|first=Daniel|quote=DiCaprio [...] does not have a family member from Odessa or anywhere else in Ukraine, a source close to the actor told CNN on Wednesday.|access-date=August 30, 2022|archive-date=August 30, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220830220147/https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/12/politics/fact-check-dicaprio-donation-10-million-ukraine/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

DiCaprio's parents named him Leonardo because his pregnant mother first felt him kick while she was looking at a [[Leonardo da Vinci]] painting in the [[Uffizi]] museum in [[Florence]], Italy.{{sfn|Wight|2012|p=15}} When he was one year old, DiCaprio's parents divorced after George fell in love with another woman and moved out.<ref name="blood" /><ref>{{Cite magazine|first=Charlotte|last=Chilton|url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/g29637849/rare-photos-leonardo-dicaprio/|title=50 Photos That Display the Eternal Cool of Leonardo DiCaprio|date=November 11, 2019|magazine=[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]|access-date=July 30, 2023|archive-date=July 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230713010005/https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/g29637849/rare-photos-leonardo-dicaprio/|url-status=live}}</ref> To raise him together, DiCaprio's parents moved into twin cottages with a shared garden in [[Echo Park, Los Angeles]].<ref name="blood">{{cite news |last1=Green |first1=Jesse |title=Fresh Blood; Leonardo DiCaprio |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/12/magazine/fresh-blood-leonardo-dicaprio.html |access-date=June 14, 2016 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=February 12, 1995 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809231748/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/12/magazine/fresh-blood-leonardo-dicaprio.html |archive-date=August 9, 2016|url-access=limited}}</ref>{{sfn|Wight|2012|p=13}} George lived with his girlfriend and her son, Adam Farrar, with whom DiCaprio developed a close bond.{{sfn|Wight|2012|pp=16–17, 29–30}} DiCaprio and his mother later moved to other neighborhoods, such as [[Los Feliz, Los Angeles|Los Feliz]].{{sfn|Wight|2012|p=28}} He has described his parents as "[[Bohemianism|bohemian]] in every sense of the word" and as "the people I trust the most in the world".<ref>{{Cite magazine|author=Lindig, Sarah|url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a14083/leonardo-dicaprio-bohemian-parents/|title=Leonardo DiCaprio Opens Up About His Very 'Bohemian' Upbringing|date=February 7, 2016|access-date=July 29, 2023|magazine=[[Harper's Bazaar]]|archive-date=July 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230713003255/https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a14083/leonardo-dicaprio-bohemian-parents/|url-status=live}}</ref> DiCaprio has mentioned growing up poor in a neighborhood plagued with prostitution, crime and violence.<ref name="ti2014"/> He was raised [[Catholic]].<ref>{{Cite news|author=Saad, Nardine|date=January 28, 2016|title=Leonardo DiCaprio and Pope Francis Meet to Discuss Climate Change Goals|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-leonardo-dicaprio-pope-francis-20160128-story.html|access-date=November 12, 2020|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|archive-date=November 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108100644/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-leonardo-dicaprio-pope-francis-20160128-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Attending the [[Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies]] for four years and later the Seeds Elementary School, he later enrolled at the [[John Marshall High School (Los Angeles)|John Marshall High School]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Los Angeles Center For Enriched Studies: Facts about LACES |url=http://www.lacesmagnetschool.org/ourpages/class2012/info.html |publisher=[[Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies]] |access-date=May 15, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140115091108/http://www.lacesmagnetschool.org/ourpages/class2012/info.html |archive-date=January 15, 2014}}</ref>{{sfn|Wight|2012|page=13, 23}} DiCaprio disliked public school and wanted to audition for acting jobs instead.<ref name="ti2014">{{cite news |last1=Molloy |first1=Antonia |title=Leonardo DiCaprio Reveals His Childhood Surrounded by Drugs as He Defends ''The Wolf of Wall Street'' Role |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/leonardo-dicaprio-reveals-his-childhood-surrounded-by-drugs-as-he-defends-the-wolf-of-wall-street-9102356.html |access-date=October 11, 2019 |newspaper=[[The Independent]]|url-access=limited |date=February 2, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191011164310/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/leonardo-dicaprio-reveals-his-childhood-surrounded-by-drugs-as-he-defends-the-wolf-of-wall-street-9102356.html |archive-date=October 11, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> He dropped out of high school later, eventually earning a [[General Educational Development|general equivalency diploma]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mathieson |first1=Craig |title=40 for 40: Leonardo DiCaprio Edition |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/whats-on/article/40-for-40-leonardo-dicaprio-edition/8x4krty1l |publisher=[[Special Broadcasting Service]] |access-date=July 29, 2023 |date=November 11, 2014 |archive-date=July 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230730105708/https://www.sbs.com.au/whats-on/article/40-for-40-leonardo-dicaprio-edition/8x4krty1l |url-status=live }}</ref>

As a child, DiCaprio wanted to become either a [[marine biologist]] or an actor. He eventually favored the latter; he liked impersonating characters and imitating people, and enjoyed seeing their reactions to his acting.<ref name="parade1">{{cite magazine |last1=Rader |first1=Dotson |title=Leonardo DiCaprio: Man of the World |url=https://parade.com/448240/dotsonrader/leonardo-dicaprio-man-of-the-world/3/ |access-date=October 12, 2019 |magazine=[[Parade (magazine)|Parade]] |date=January 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919040122/http://parade.com/448240/dotsonrader/leonardo-dicaprio-man-of-the-world/3/ |archive-date=September 19, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> According to DiCaprio, his interest in performing began at the age of two when he went onto the stage at a performance festival and danced spontaneously to a positive response from the crowd.{{sfn|Wight|2012|p=14}} He was also motivated to learn acting when Farrar's appearance in a television commercial earned him $50,000.{{sfn|Wight|2012|pp=17–18}} DiCaprio has said in interviews that his first television appearance was in the children's series ''[[Romper Room]]'', and that he was dismissed from the show for being disruptive. The show's host has denied that any children were removed from the show in this way.<ref name="pp1">{{cite web |url=https://people.com/archive/cover-story-riding-the-wave-vol-49-no-3/|title=Riding the Wave |last=O'Neill |first=Anne-Marie |date=January 26, 2001 |work=[[People (magazine)|People]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110109152809/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0%2C%2C20124329%2C00.html |archive-date=January 9, 2011|url-status=live |access-date=February 27, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Cronin |first1=Brian |title=Did Leonardo DiCaprio Get Kicked Off the Set of ''Romper Room'' as a Kid? |url=https://www.cbr.com/leonardo-dicaprio-romper-room-fired/ |work=[[Comic Book Resources]] |access-date=October 11, 2019 |date=February 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191011165427/https://www.cbr.com/leonardo-dicaprio-romper-room-fired/ |archive-date=October 11, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> When he was 11, he almost quit acting in order to pursue [[breakdancing]], having gotten second place in a competition in his mother's native Germany.<ref>{{cite web |title=That Time Leonardo DiCaprio Almost Became a Professional Breakdancer |url=https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/that-time-leonardo-dicaprio-almost-became-a-professional-break-dancer |website=Interview Magazine |access-date=December 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240525014522/https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/that-time-leonardo-dicaprio-almost-became-a-professional-break-dancer |archive-date=May 25, 2024 |date=July 31, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> At 14, he began appearing in several commercials for [[Matchbox (brand)|Matchbox]] cars, which he calls his first role.<ref name="pp1" /> DiCaprio later appeared in commercials for [[Kraft Singles]], [[Bubble Yum]] and [[Apple Jacks]].<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Borge |first1=Jonathan |url=https://www.instyle.com/news/leonardo-dicaprio-early-tv-commercials |title=An Adorable Look Back at 8 of Leonardo DiCaprio's Early TV Commercials |work=[[InStyle]]|access-date=July 23, 2018 |date=February 25, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723064006/https://www.instyle.com/news/leonardo-dicaprio-early-tv-commercials|archive-date=July 23, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1989, he played the role of Glen in two episodes of the television show ''[[The New Lassie]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Booth |first1=Jessica |title=Leonardo DiCaprio's Look Has Evolved Since His Days on ''Growing Pains'' |url=https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/leonardo-dicaprios-hollywood-evolution-163930904.html |publisher=[[Yahoo!]] |access-date=March 2, 2023 |date=October 30, 2018 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302101207/https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/leonardo-dicaprios-hollywood-evolution-163930904.html|magazine=[[Harper's Bazaar]] |url-status=live}}</ref>

At the beginning of his career, DiCaprio had difficulty finding an agent. When he found one, the agent suggested DiCaprio change his name to Lenny Williams to appeal to American audiences, which he declined to do.{{sfn|Wight|2012|pp=28–29}} DiCaprio remained jobless for a year and a half, although he had 100{{nbsp}}auditions. Following this lack of success, DiCaprio was going to give up acting but his father persuaded him to persevere. Motivated by his father and by the prospect of financial security, he continued to audition. After a talent agent, who knew his mother's friend, recommended him to casting directors, DiCaprio secured roles in about 20{{nbsp}}commercials.{{sfn|Wight|2012|pp=21–22}}

By the early{{nbsp}}1990s, DiCaprio began acting regularly on television, starting with a role in the pilot of ''[[The Outsiders (American TV series)|The Outsiders]]'' (1990) and one episode of the soap opera ''[[Santa Barbara (TV series)|Santa Barbara]]'' (1990), in which he played a teenage alcoholic.{{sfn|Wight|2012|p=23}} DiCaprio's career prospects improved when he was cast in ''[[Parenthood (1990 TV series)|Parenthood]]'', a series based on the [[Parenthood (1989 film)|1989 comedy film of the same name]]. To prepare for the role of Garry Buckman, a troubled teenager, he analyzed [[Joaquin Phoenix]]'s performance in the original film.{{sfn|Wight|2012|pp=23–24}} His work that year earned him two nominations at the [[12th Youth in Film Awards]]—Best Young Actor in a Daytime Series for ''Santa Barbara'' and Best Young Actor Starring in a New Television Series for ''Parenthood''.<ref>{{cite web |title=12th Annual Awards |url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms12.htm |publisher=[[Young Artist Award]]s |access-date=October 11, 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716012652/http://youngartistawards.org/pastnoms12.htm |archive-date=July 16, 2015}}</ref> Around this time, he was a contestant on the children's game show ''[[Fun House (American game show)|Fun House]]'', on which he performed several stunts, including catching the fish inside a small pool using only his teeth.{{sfn|Schwartz|Ryan|Wostbrock|1999|p=80}}<ref>{{cite web |last1=Boone |first1=John |title=Flashback Friday: Leonardo DiCaprio Competes on Game Show at 15 |url=https://www.eonline.com/news/430064/leonardo-dicaprio-s-flashback-friday-15-year-old-leo-appears-on-game-show-fun-house |publisher=[[E!]] |access-date=October 11, 2019 |date=June 14, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191011165425/https://www.eonline.com/news/430064/leonardo-dicaprio-s-flashback-friday-15-year-old-leo-appears-on-game-show-fun-house |archive-date=October 11, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>