Titanic "Never Let Go" - Leo and Kate

Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio was destined from the beginning to be a wild and spirited boy. He received his first name after swiftly kicking his mother from her womb as she admired a Leonardo DaVinci painting in the Uffizi. He was born in Los Angeles, CA on the eleventh of November of 1974 to George and Irmalin DiCaprio. Leo was an only child (though he does have a stepbrother named Adam), and his parents divorced each other within a year after his birth.

His mother is German and his father is Italian, and their backgrounds had a major influence on his upbringing. His father produces underground comic books and comic arts out of his garage. His mother was a legal secretary (before she began managing Leo's affairs.) They might be best described as liberal, pot-smoking hippies: "Whatever I did would be something they'd already done. I mean, my dad would welcome it if I got a nose ring." He remembers such household guests as comic-book artist Robert Crumb, writer Charles Bukowski, and novelist Hubert Selby, Jr. visiting as a child. "We're not the hippie family who only eats organic and the children meditate and go to a school of the arts. But we're not apple-pie and Republican, either."

Leo was educated at the Center for Enriched Studies and John Marshall High School, both in LA. He often cheated in school (especially in math), and seemed more interested in entertaining his classmates than in doing his homework. "School, I never truly got the knack of. I could never focus on things I didn't want to learn. I used to, like, take half of the school and do break-dancing skits with my friend in front of them at lunchtime."

But his troubles concentrating in school didn't stifle his acting dreams. Leo's acting debut was on the television show Romper Room, at age five. Booted from the set because of his uncontrollable behavior, it would be eleven years until he would land a big-screen role. At age ten, on the way home from a casting call where he had just been callously rejected, he cried to his father, "Dad, I really want to become an actor, but if this is what it's all about I don't want to do it." Leo recalls his father put his arm around him and said, "Someday, Leonardo, it will happen for you. Remember these words. Just relax."

When searching for an agent Leo was further discouraged by the commercialism of the industry, exemplified by an attempt from one agent to alter his "wrong" haircut and change his ethnic-sounding name to Lenny Williams. He was finally signed at the age of fourteen, and struggled to break into the movie industry through obscure commercials and educational films such as "How to Deal With a Parent Who Takes Drugs" and "Mickey's Safety Club." He took part in over thirty commercials in all, and eventually procured guest appearances on such television shows as Lassie, The Outsiders, Roseanne, and Parenthood. Though he was cast in his first movie in 1991, Leo would rather forget his minor and embarrassing contribution to Critters III altogether. At sixteen, he finally landed a successful, regular role as a homeless boy in the teen sitcom Growing Pains that lasted for a year. Though only a small part, Leo's performance proved he had great potential; he easily outshined the rest of the cast.

His big break was undoubtedly his leading role as Tobias Wolff in This Boy's Life. Though Leo's natural, brilliant performance in this "coming of age" movie didn't hit home at the box office, he gained instant recognition as a talented rising actor. Leo received a few prestigious awards for his performance (see below) and herein began his rise to fame.

Now given the opportunity to be picky about his roles, Leo chooses them carefully. He welcomes help from his father in sifting through the facile, mainstream roles most actors gleefully accept. Leo has turned down such commercially popular roles as Robin in Batman Forever, and continues to look for the more challenging "dark roles such as Arnie Grape, the mentally handicapped teenager in What's eating Gilbert Grape, the drug-troubled Jim Carrol in Basketball Diaries, and the homosexual French poet Arthur Rimbaud in Total Eclipse. "I want to take my time with each role and that's how you plan a long career rather than doing it all at once in a big explosion. I turned down a lot of movies about death and a few cheesy little comedies as well."

With the electrifying and modern-day adaptation of Romeo and Juliet by Baz Luhrman, DiCaprio finally began to reach out to a larger audience. He also worked again with Robert de Niro as the rowdy son of Meryl Streep, an unstable and insolent teenager. However, his career didn't truly explode until Titanic, the blockbuster movie that landed no fewer than eleven Oscars. His good looks and outstanding acting skills made this romantic lover of the third class an instant idol around the world. Though Leo wasn't among the Oscar nominees for Titanic, he remained busy with promotional tours and starring in his new movie, The Man in the Iron Mask. After a short role in Woody Allen's Celebrity, Leo played the role of an American backpacker searching for a secret island in The Beach.

He just finished the shooting of Martin Scorsese "Gangs of New-York", with Cameron Diaz and Daniel Day-Lewis and he is signed to star in "Catch me if you Can" next year, as the youngest criminal to ever land on the F.B.I.'s 10-most-wanted list. He now has his own Los Angeles-based production company, Appian Way and with Initial Entertainment Group, he will develop projects in which he will serve as producer and/or star. The first one could be "Alexander", directed by Martin Scorsese.

Leo is a favorite of many professional and amateur critics because of his unique ability to play the "boy/man" border with such ease and natural spontaneity. Though 27, Leo's boyish looks allow him to apply his learned experience and charm to younger roles that many of his competitors cannot handle. "The best thing about acting is that I get to lose myself in another character and actually get paid for it. It's a great outlet. As for myself, I'm not sure who I am. It seems that I change every day."
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The Nineties saw the rise of some big, big stars. At different points Brad Pitt, Nicolas Cage, Jim Carrey, Will Smith and Adam Sandler stormed the Hollywood firmament, each other them carrying a string of massive hits. But none of them enjoyed (endured?) the kind of enormo-fame achieved by Leonardo DiCaprio. Beginning the decade as a heavily tipped newcomer, he ended it with Titanic, the biggest hit in cinema history, and a worldwide army of teenage fans so crazed and committed to their idol they had critics recalling the manic days of Beatlemania.
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Turning down the part of Dirk Diggler in PT Anderson's Boogie Nights (a part for which it seemed Leo would not have needed prosthetic enhancement), he instead took the lead as Jack Dawson in James Cameron's Titanic. This was Cameron's doing, the director having battled hard against the studio who preferred Matthew McConaughey. Everyone knows the story, how poor Irish emigrant Dawson creeps up from the cheap seats to woo, sketch and seduce hoity-toity Kate Winslet, before dying in his successful attempt to save her in the freezing water after the ship goes down.

Costing $200 million, Titanic was a huge financial risk that paid off in grand fashion. Scooping 11 Oscars to equal Ben-Hur's record, it took a fantastic $1.8 billion worldwide, more than 3 times the take of Star Wars (including its re-release). And, of course, the movie sparked Leomania, a phenomenon so widespread that as late as 2001, 28 Kabul barbers were arrested by the Taliban for giving kids DiCaprio haircuts.

In the US, Titanic spent an incredible 15 weeks at Number One, with the first real challenge to its supremacy coming from Leo's next picture, The Man In The Iron Mask. Here he played dual roles, as the decadent and cruel young king, Louis XIV and his twin Philippe - a nice guy that musketeers Jeremy Irons, Gerard Depardieu and John Malkovich attempt to sneak onto the throne. The movie was fine fun, but not sturdy enough to dislodge Titanic. That honour would fall to the critically derided Lost In Space.

Leo, Golden Globe-nominated for Titanic, was now the biggest star in the world, and was shocked to find himself on magazine covers even when he hadn't done an interview. He was especially shocked to discover that Playgirl was planning to run a photo-spread, including a full-frontal nude shot. He immediately sued to stop it. But he couldn't stop everything.

In 1999, Leonardo filmed Danny Boyle's screen adaptation of the best selling novel "The Beach" by Alex Garland. The film was shot entirely on location in Thailand and marked Leonardo's first starring role since Titanic.

Aside from film acting, Leo's lifelong passion for environmental awareness began to play a big role in his life. Finally in an influential position to make a difference in the name of the planet, he was invited to chair Earth Day 2000. In a special on the deterioration of the ozone level, he also interviewed President Bill Clinton. LeonardoDiCaprio.org is now devoted to helping the environment on a worldwide level.

Leonardo had leading roles in "Gangs Of New York", directed by Martin Scorsese, and "Catch Me If You Can", directed by Steven Spielberg. Both films were released concurrently towards the end of 2002. For his performance as con-man Frank Abagnale, Jr., he received his third Golden Globe nomination from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. His Foundation received the Martin Litton Environmental Warrior Award from Environment Now. In August, he joined Global Green USA, in urging our leaders to attend the Earth Summit in South Africa.

Leonardo completed principal photography on "The Aviator", a biopic about Howard Hughes, directed by Martin Scorsese, which opened in 2004. The Russian International Film Festival honored Leonardo with the Tower Award for Contributions to International Cinema. Leonardo's environmental work continued with a spoken word piece entitled "Global Warning". He received the Environmental Leadership Award from Global Green USA. The Natural Resources Defense Council opened a new green building, featuring the Leonardo DiCaprio e-Activism Computer Zone.

In order to offer visitors more information and resources, Leonardo's Eco-site was re-designed and launched early this year. Leonardo joined the boards of both NRDC and Global Green USA in 2004. Like most Americans in 2004, Leonardo concentrated on one of the most important presidential elections in our history. Along with Norman Lear's campaign "Declare Yourself", he criss-crossed the U.S.A., visited college campuses and encouraged young people to register to vote.

He then criss-crossed half the world to attend the premieres of his film "The Aviator", in which he not only starred but also served as an executive producer.

On October 18th the Hollywood Film Festival honored Annette Bening and Leonardo with the Actor of the Year Award respectively. Then, on December 9th, Global Green USA and Leonardo organized a private screening of "The Aviator" at the world famous Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. More than a thousand fans and friends attended the event.

(Some information came from his official site, www.leonardodicaprio.com)

Leo's Filmography

Parenthood (1990 TV Series) - Garry Buckman	The Man in the Iron Mask (1998) - King Louis XIV/Philippe
The New Lassie (1990, 1 episode, Livewire)	Celebrity (1998) - Brandon Darrow
Santa Barbara (1984 TV Series) - Young Mason Capwell	The Beach (2000) - Richard
Critters 3 (1991) - Josh	Don's Plum (2001) - Derek
Roseanne (1991, 1 episode, Home-Ec)	Gangs of New York (2002) - Amsterdam Vallon
Growing Pains (1991-1992) - Luke Brower	Catch Me If You Can (2002) - Frank Abagnale Jr.
Poison Ivy (1992) - as himself	The Aviator (2004) - Howard Hughes
This Boy's Life (1993) - Tobias "Toby" Wolff	The Departed (2006) - Billy Costigan
What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) - Arnie Grape	Blood Diamond (2006) - Danny Archer
The Foot Shooting Party (1994)	Body of Lies (2008) - Roger Ferris
The Quick and the Dead (1995) - Fee Herod "The Kid"	*Revolutionary Road (2008) - Frank Wheeler
The Basketball Diaries (1995) - Jim Carroll	Shutter Island (2009) (post-production) - Teddy Daniels
Total Eclipse (1995) - Arthur Rimbaud	The Beautiful and the Damned (2010) (pre-production) (rumored) .... F. Scott Fitzgerald
Romeo + Juliet (1996) - Romeo	The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (2010) (announced) - Theodore Roosevelt
Marvin's Room (1996) - Hank	The Chancellor Manuscript (2011) (announced) - Peter Chancellor
Titanic (1997) - Jack Dawson

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Kate

The English-born actress grew up in a family of actors, and began performing for U.K. television when she was 13. At age 17, she attracted international attention for her starring role in Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures. Then, her performance opposite Emma Thompson in Sense and Sensibility brought her BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Ms. Winslet next starred opposite Christopher Eccleston in Michael Winterbottom's Jude, and as Ophelia in Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet. She then took the lead female role in the epic Titanic (opposite Leonardo DiCaprio), which brought her a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. Kate Winslet has thrice been nominated for Academy Awards (becoming the youngest actress ever to be nominated multiple times) and also Golden Globe Awards. These nominations were for her performances in Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility, Richard Eyre's Iris, and James Cameron's Titanic. The latter continues to hold the world record as the highest-grossing film of all time.

After the swell of unexpected attention surrounding Titanic (1997), Winslet was eager to retreat into independent projects. Rumor has it that she turned down the lead roles in both Shakespeare in Love (1998) and Anna and the King (1999) in order to play adventurous soul searchers in Hideous Kinky (1998) and Holy Smoke (1999). The former cast her as a young single mother traveling through 1960s Morocco with her daughters in tow; the latter, as a zealous follower of a guru tricked into a "deprogramming" session in the Australian outback. The next year found her back in period dress as the Marquis de Sade's chambermaid and accomplice in Quills (2000). Kate holds the distinction of being the youngest actor ever honored with four Academy Award nominations (she received her fourth at age 29.)

Her subsequent films have included Gillies Mackinnon's Hideous Kinky, Jane Campion's Holy Smoke, Philip Kaufman's Quills (for which she received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination), Michael Apted's Enigma, Alan Parker's The Life of David Gale. For her performance as the young Iris Murdoch in Iris, she was honored by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.

In 2004, Winslet would find herself in yet another defining role, starring opposite Jim Carrey in Michelle Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The humorous and poignant mindbender was a hit, as was Winslet's performance, earning her Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations, as well as heaps of praise from critics. She quickly followed the success with a return to period film in Finding Neverland (2005), a movie about Victorian author James Barrie, played by Johnny Depp. Playing the inspiration for the character of Wendy in the beloved novel -Peter Pan seemed only natural for the charming actress, who'd long since proved to be a charismatic force on screen. It wouldn't be long before she was back in the present, however, with a role opposite Sean Penn in the political drama All the King's Men (2006).

Off camera, Winslet is known for her mischievous pranks and familial devotion. She has two sisters, Anna Winslet and Beth Winslet (both actresses), and a brother, Joss. In 1998 she married James Threapleton, whom she met on the set of Hideous Kinky (1998); the pair had a daughter, Mia, in October of 2000. They divorced in 2001. She later married director Sam Mendes in 2003 and has since given birth to their son Joe.

Kate's Filmography

Shrinks (1990 TV)	Enigma (2001) - Hester Wallace
Dark Season (1991 TV Series) - Reet	Christmas Carol: The Movie (2001) - Voice of Belle
Get Back (1992 TV Series) - Eleanor Sweet	Iris (2001) - Young Iris Murdoch
Anglo Saxon Attitudes (1992 TV) - Caroline Jenington	Plunge: The Movie (2003) - Clare
Family Matters (1993, 1 episode) - Suzanne	The Life of David Gale (2003) - Bitsey Bloom
Heavenly Creatures (1994) - Juliet Hulme	Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) - Clementine Kruczynski
A Kid in King Arthur's Court (1995) - Princess Sarah	Pride (2004 TV) - Voice of Suki
Sense and Sensibility (1995) - Marianne Dashwood	Finding Neverland (2004) - Sylvia Llewelyn Davies
Jude (1996) - Sue Bridehead	Romance & Cigarettes (2005) - Tula
Hamlet (1996) - Ophelia	Little Children (2006) - Sarah Pierce
Titanic (1997) - Rose DeWitt Bukater	All the King's Men (2006) - Anne Stanton
Hideous Kinky (1998) - Julia	Flushed Away (2006) - Voice of Rita
Faeries (1999) - Voice of Brigid	The Holiday (2006) - Iris Simpkins
Holy Smoke (1999) - Ruth Barron	*Revolutionary Road (2008) - April Wheeler
Quills (2000) - Madeleine 'Maddy' LeClerc	The Reader (2008) (post-production) .... Hanna Schmitz
War Game (2001) - Voice of Mum/Annie