THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT LEONARDO DICAPRIO
Added on: 2nd Aug 2016
LEONARDO WAS BORN IN CALIFORNIA AS AN
AMERICAN BUT HIS ORIGIN IS FAR MORE COMPLEX.
HIS MOTHER IRMELIN WAS BORN IN GERMANY,
HIS FATHER GEORGE IS HALF-ITALIAN AND
HALF-GERMAN AND ONE OF HIS GRANDMOTHERS
WAS RUSSIAN. IN AN INTERVIEW IN RUSSIA,
DICAPRIO EVEN REFERRED TO HIMSELF AS
"HALF RUSSIAN".
A DEDICATED ENVIRONMENTALIST, LEONARDO GAVE
$3 MILLION TO HELP SAVE THE TIGERS IN NEPAL IN
2013, AND ANOTHER $3 MILLION TO OCEAN
CONSERVATION THE FOLLOWING YEAR. IN 2010, HE
ALSO DONATED $1 MILLION TO RELIEF EFFORTS IN
HAITI AFTER THE DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE.
LEONARDO WAS NAMED AFTER LEONARDO DA VINCI
(FAMOUS ITALIAN POLYMATH AND UNIVERSAL
GENIUS) BECAUSE HE FIRST KICKED IN HIS
MOTHER'S WOMB WHEN SHE SAW LEONARDO DA
VINCI'S ARTWORK AT THE UFFIZI GALLERY IN
FLORENCE AND HIS ARTIST FATHER FELT IT WAS APT.
WHEN LEONARDO STARTED HIS ACTING CAREER, HIS
AGENT ADVISED HIM TO CHANGE HIS NAME TO A MORE
AMERICAN-FRIENDLY LENNY WILLIAMS. NEEDLESS
TO SAY, HE DID NOT FOLLOW THAT ADVICE.
LEO HAS AN ADOPTED DAUGHTER. WHILE FILMING
THE MOVIE “BLOOD DIAMOND”, HE WORKED WITH
24 ORPHANED CHILDREN FROM THE SOS CHILDREN’S
VILLAGE IN MOZAMBIQUE. THERE WAS ONE LITTLE
GIRL HE MADE A CLOSE CONNECTION WITH AND
HE DECIDED TO ADOPT HER. HE SENDS HER MONEY
EACH MONTH FOR LIVING EXPENSES AND FOOD
AND IS SAID TO CALL HER REGULARLY TO
STAY IN TOUCH.
IN 2009, LEO AND KATE WINSLET HELPED PAY NURSING
HOME FEES FOR THE LAST LIVING TITANIC SURVIVOR
SO SHE WOULD NOT HAVE TO SELL HER MEMENTOS.
LEO WAS OFFERED THE ROLE OF PATRICK BATEMAN
IN “AMERICAN PSYCHO” BUT HE DIDN’T TAKE IT
BECAUSE ALL OF HIS FANS WERE TEENAGE
GIRLS AT THE TIME.
IN 1997, DICAPRIO WAS OFFERED THE ROLE OF THE
PORN STAR DIRK DIGGLER IN “BOOGIE NIGHTS”
BUT AROUND THE SAME TIME, HE WAS ALSO
OFFERED HIS ROLE IN “TITANIC”. THE DIRK DIGGLER
ROLE EVENTUALLY WENT TO HIS FRIEND
MARK WAHLBERG.
RATHER THAN SPLURGING ON EXPENSIVE CARS,
LEONARDO OWNS JUST ONE VEHICLE – THE ECO-FRIENDLY
TOYOTA PRIUS. ALSO, UNLIKE OTHERS OF HIS
LEVEL OF FAME AND WEALTH, HE CONSISTENTLY
CHOOSES TO FLY COMMERCIAL INSTEAD OF
HAVING A PRIVATE JET, TO BOTH SAVE MONEY
AND PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT FROM
UNNECESSARY EMISSIONS.
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