Leonardo DiCaprio is a WORLD FAMOUS actor. He got famous after being hand-picked to star in a film by slightly older WORLD FAMOUS actor Robert DeNiro! When he’s not starring in films being made all over the world, he lives in Hollywood, USA. We bet you didn’t know any of these Leonardo DiCaprio facts!

1. His mother named him Leonardo after looking at a Da Vinci painting!

When she was pregnant and browsing an art gallery in Florence, Italy, she felt the unborn Leonardo kicking! She just happened to be looking at a painting by the world’s greatest artist, Leonardo DaVinci. And so Leo got his name!

2. Leonardo DiCaprio didn’t make it overnight!

Leonardo DiCaprio has always taken his acting seriously. He didn’t even give up after failing to land a role in his first 107 auditions!

3. Young Leonardo DiCaprio did get some acting work though!

Leonardo DiCaprio did get some acting work in commercials. He’s advertised a lot of different brands including Bubble Gum and Matchbox Toy Cars! Do kid actors get paid in toys?

4. Leonardo DiCaprio was the Ultimate Romeo!

One of Leonardo’s most famous roles was opposite Clare Danes in the film Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeares tale of Star-crossed lovers. That year, Leonardo was said to be responsible for huge uptake in ticket sales for the Globe Theatre in London, famous for producing Shakespeare plays. EVEN THOUGH HE WASN’T STARRING IN ANY OF THEM!! That’s what we call Star Power!

5. Leonardo DiCaprio says he can’t sing!

When the Director of Romeo and Juliet offered Leonardo DiCaprio a role in his next film, the musical Moulin Rouge, he decline. Apparently Leonardo DiCaprio can’t sing. We don’t believe him though… There’s nothing Leonardo DiCaprio can’t do!

6. His first Oscar nomination was for What's Eating Gilbert Grape!

He didn’t win but it promised great things because he was only 19 at the time!

7. Sadly, until 2016 Leonardo DiCaprio became famous for NOT winning Oscars. 

Until then he had been nominated for 5 oscars and not won a single one! Poor old Leonardo! I suppose being a well-regarded, millionaire, Hollywood actor was some compensation though!

8. Leonardo finally won his first Oscar for the film “Revenant.”

It’s a film in which his character is mauled by a bear, climbed inside the guts of a dead horse, swum an icy lake, and shot numerous times! Who said acting was easy? 

9. Leonardo DiCaprio’s first film role was in Critters 3!

Critters 3 is a horror film about some little critters causing problems. We haven’t had time to watch it but we bet Leonardo DiCaprio was AWESOME!

10. Leonardo DiCaprio’s mum is from Germany!

And his Dad is half Bavarian and half Italian. Actually, German is Leonardo DiCaprio’s second language so he will definitely be able to answer the all important question from most German DiCaprio fans: ”Wo ist das kino, Herr DiCaprio?“

11. Leonardo DiCaprio’s haircut was banned in Afghanistan!

After the film Titanic was such a massive SMASH, Leonardo’s DiCaprio’s hairstyle was banned by the ultra-strict rulers of Afghanistan in case it corrupted the nations youth!

12. Leonardo DiCaprio once got an award for "Worst Actor."

It was for the film The Beach. When you think about it, it’s not a very nice thing to do, but Leonardo DiCaprio doesn’t give up and later went on to win an Oscar so what does that tell you?

13. 7% of teenage girls in the USA had watched Leonardo DiCaprio’s film Titantic twice within a week of it being released! 

Leonardo was so popular with teenage girls that over 7% of them had watched the film Titanic at least twice, within a week of it being released. Actually it wasn’t just Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet also put in an amazing performance as Rose. Billy Zane was also quite good.

14. Leonardo DiCaprio is an anagram for…

If you shift the letters around in Leonardo DiCaprio’s name you can make the sentence “Ocean Idol or a drip?”. Considering he starred in the film Titanic, we think he must be an Ocean Idol!

15. Leonardo DiCaprio actually swam in an icy lake filming Revenant!

Leonardo DiCaprio is such a good actor he decided to genuinely swim into an icy lake whilst filming so the scene would be perfect. He didn’t take it quite as far filming Titanic but the results were still pretty guess.