Happy Birthday!

Hollywood heavyweight Leonardo DiCaprio is 50

Leonardo DiCaprio started his career at the age of just 19. In his private life, he indulges his passion for young models.

(Bild: APA/AFP/VALERIE MACON)

Leonardo DiCaprio was just 19 years old when he made his Hollywood debut with two films: "This Boy's Life" and "Gilbert Grape - Somewhere in Iowa". He picked up his first Oscar nomination straight away. But it was the role of the penniless, amorous Jack Dawson on the "Titanic" that suddenly made him a star in 1997 at the age of 23. On Monday, the actor celebrates his 50th birthday.

Director James Cameron's ship drama made cinema history. "Titanic" won eleven Oscars and, with box office takings of over 2.2 billion US dollars, it remains one of the most commercially successful films of all time. The iconic image of the young couple Rose (Kate Winslet) and Jack (DiCaprio) with outstretched arms on the bow of the ship is unforgettable.

Reluctant to talk about his private life
Since then, DiCaprio has unintentionally been in the spotlight. He prefers to keep his private life private and rarely gives interviews. He was unusually talkative last January in the British newspaper "The Guardian", when he was promoting Martin Scorsese's film "Killers of The Flower Moon" with co-star Lily Gladstone.

Thanks to "Titanic", Leonardo DiCaprio became a superstar overnight.

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Would he be bothered by the media interest in his person? The "complete loss" of his private life is one of the by-products of his acting career, says DiCaprio. But he felt called to be an actor from an early age. Since then, it has felt like winning the lottery. He doesn't want to complain at all, you just have to accept it and get used to it.

Preference for young models
The paparazzi are constantly on the heels of Hollywood's most sought-after bachelor, especially when there is a woman by his side. His preference for young models is well known. His girlfriends once included Gisele Bündchen, Bar Refaeli and German top model Toni Garrn.

He met his current girlfriend, Italian model Vittoria Ceretti (26), at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023, according to US media reports.

Italian model Vittoria Ceretti is Leonardo DiCaprio's current girlfriend.

(Bild: APA Pool/Getty Images via AFP/GETTY IMAGES/Dimitrios Kambouris)

With mom on the red carpet
However, DiCaprio usually relies on his family to accompany him to award ceremonies and festivals. Mother Irmelin Indenbirken, who comes from Oer-Erkenschwick in North Rhine-Westphalia, gave birth to her only child in Los Angeles.

In February 2016, when the actor won the leading actor award for his role in "The Revenant" at the BAFTA Awards in London, he made a declaration of love to her on Valentine's Day: "I grew up in a very rough neighborhood in East Los Angeles. This woman drove me three hours a day to another school to give me another opportunity," the Hollywood star explained at the awards gala. "It's her birthday today. So, mom, happy birthday. I love you very much."

Leonardo DiCaprio loves to bring his mom Irmelin with him on the red carpet.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Frederic J. BROWN)

The American actor's 81-year-old mother moved to the USA in the 1950s, where she met George DiCaprio, who was of Italian descent. A year later, his parents separated and DiCaprio grew up mainly with his mother. "I grew up very poor," the Hollywood star told the Los Angeles Times in January 2014. As a child, he saw drug addicts and prostitutes on the street.

Oscar only at the sixth attempt
After the "Titanic" breakthrough, the actor had a steady stream of roles and further Oscar opportunities. The next nomination for Hollywood's highest prize came with the Martin Scorsese film "Aviator" (2005), in which DiCaprio shone as eccentric millionaire and aviation pioneer Howard Hughes. In 2007, he impressed as a diamond smuggler in the thriller "Blood Diamond", and in 2014 as a slick and arrogant financial juggler in "The Wolf of Wall Street". This Scorsese film earned the star two Oscar nominations as lead actor and producer.

Good things take time: Leonardo DiCaprio only managed to pick up an Oscar on his sixth attempt in 2016.

(Bild: APA/ADRIAN SANCHEZ-GONZALEZ / AFP)

But it was only on his sixth attempt - at the age of 41 - that the almost silent role as the bearded adventurer directed by Mexican Alejandro González Iñárritu brought him gold. It was the toughest shoot of his life, he said at the time about the survival and revenge thriller "The Revenant". In it, he played the fur trapper Hugh Glass, who is torn apart by a grizzly bear and left half dead by other trappers in the snowy wilderness. The film was shot in fierce snowstorms and icy rivers, and DiCaprio had to eat raw bison liver in front of the camera.

Warning about climate change
DiCaprio received a standing ovation on the Oscar stage. With the trophy in his hand, the actor warned against climate change. "It is our greatest threat. Let's not take this planet for granted."

It is our greatest threat. Let's not take this planet for granted.

Leonardo DiCaprio 2016 in seiner Oscar-Rede über den Klimawandel

DiCaprio plays the role of the environmental activist as passionately as he does in front of the film camera. As early as 1998, he set up the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, which worked with other associations primarily in the areas of global warming, renewable energies, clean drinking water and the protection of ecosystems. His foundation passed on millions in donations.

As a producer, DiCaprio has released documentaries such as "The 11th Hour" about global warming, "Virunga" and "Before the Flood". In 2014, he was appointed UN Messenger of Peace. With his latest organization "Re:wild" he supports indigenous peoples worldwide.

Voted for Harris
With regard to climate policy, he also backed Democrat Kamala Harris in a video message on the US presidential election at the end of October. His Instagram account, on which more than 61 million people follow him, is mainly about nature conservation projects.

Meanwhile, he continues to do his job in Hollywood. DiCaprio has agreed to numerous projects, including two more with star director Scorsese. Together they want to film the story of a historical survival drama off the coast of South America. The duo are also working on the film "Roosevelt" about the life of the former US president.