Leonardo DiCaprio
(1974)
Biography from Baseline

Occupation: Actor
Born as:Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio
BornNovember 11, 1974, Los Angeles, CA
Education: Center for Enriched Studies, Los Angeles, CA
This tall, slender, boyishly handsome young actor proved engaging in TV family sitcoms ("Parenthood," "Growing Pains") and endured a cheapie horror sequel film (CRITTERS 3, 1992) before triumphing over 400 other actors in a four-month casting search to win the role of Tobias Wolff in THIS BOY'S LIFE (1993). Based on Wolff's award-winning autobiographical novel, the story dealt with a boy's coming-of-age in the 1950s in an explosive domestic situation. The film also starred Robert De Niro and Ellen Barkin, but young DiCaprio received the strongest notices. While the film fizzled at the box office, this boy's career was off and running.
DiCaprio was next cast alongside Johnny Depp in WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE (1993), Lasse Hallström's beautifully recorded version of Peter Hedges coming of age novel. The good looks of the green-eyed blond nearly lost him the part of the sloppy-looking Arnie, Gilbert's mentally challenged but cheerful younger brother. The 19-year-old actor again walked away with the best reviews and an Oscar nomination for his performance.
DiCaprio lost out to Christian Slater in his effort to land the small but essential role of the boy reporter in INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE: THE VAMPIRE CHRONICLES (1994). He tried his hand at another exceedingly stylish genre film with a supporting role opposite Sharon Stone in Sam Raimi's delirious meta-Western THE QUICK AND THE DEAD (1995). DiCaprio embodied the role of the Kid, the son of baddie Gene Hackman, with the appropriate verve and cynicism. He headed back to the margins to star in the long awaited (and profoundly disappointing) adaptation of THE BASKETBALL DIARIES (1995), Jim Carroll's gritty memoirs of a youth that incorporated good grades, local basketball stardom and heroin addiction. DiCaprio next starred as the young French poet Arthur Rimbaud in the film version of Christopher Hampton's play Total Eclipse (1995). This psychological drama traced the complex and sensual relationship between the youthful Rimbaud and his older mentor, Paul Verlaine (David Thewlis).

Award:

What's Eating Gilbert Grape
US (1993): Drama/Comedy
Leonard Maltin Review: 2.0 stars out of 4

117 min, Rated PG-13, Color, Available on videocassette and laserdisc



Middling slice-of-life about a young man in a dead-end town saddled with the responsibility of caring for his retarded younger brother, and depressed by his obese mother, who hasn't left the house in seven years. You keep thinking something significant is going to happen, but nothing ever does; still, there are some poignant vignettes and first-rate performances (especially by newcomer Cates, as the mom).

Film:

1992 CRITTERS 3 performer
1992 POISON IVY performer
1993 THIS BOY'S LIFE performer
1993 WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE performer
1995 THE BASKETBALL DIARIES performer
1995 A HUNDRED AND ONE NIGHTS performer
1995THE QUICK AND THE DEAD performer
1995 TOTAL ECLIPS performer


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