Leonardo DiCaprio Facts: Celebrities Who Started On Soaps

Leonardo DiCaprio is a wildly successful actor who has been in everything from The Revenant to Titanic to The Wolf of Wall Street. But DiCaprio got his start in television when he was a kid, and even appeared in an episode of a beloved daytime soap.

Though he’s currently one of the biggest stars in the world and an Oscar-winning actor, we can never forget DiCaprio’s early days. From where he was born and raised to his passion for saving the environment, here are five fast facts about the successful actor.

Who Is Leonardo DiCaprio?

DiCaprio was born on November 11 in Los Angeles California. His parents split when he was just 1-year-old, so he was mostly raised by his mother. He began his career appearing in several commercials and by the early ’90s, he was already working in television.

Soap Beginnings
When first starting out as an actor, DiCaprio appeared on the NBC soap Santa Barbara, playing a young Mason Capwell in flashbacks that were used to cast light on a current storyline. He also appeared on the show Parenthood, but his big break came when he was cast on Growing Pains as Luke Brower.

Environmentalist
This comes as no surprise to fans of DiCaprio, but he has been very involved in environmental activism for years. In fact, he created the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization devoted to raising awareness on environmental issues. He has even produced a documentary called Before the Flood, which examines the effects of global warming.

In The Buff

In March 1998, DiCaprio brought a lawsuit against Playgirl magazine when he learned that they planned to publish pictures of him — including full frontal nudity. He wanted to know the source but they wouldn’t tell him, nor would they let him look at the photos. The two parties eventually settled, though terms of the deal weren’t released.

Getting Personal With Leonardo DiCaprio
The film star’s personal life has been widely publicized, but he is best known for dating a slew of high-profile models. He dated Gisele Bundchen for five years before moving on to Israeli model Bar Refaeli. He has also previously dated models Toni Garrn, Kelly Rohrbach, and Nina Agdal, as well as actress Blake Lively.