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.
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 the year. 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 starred in "The Man in the Iron Mask" which shot in France with Gerard Depardieu, Gabriel Byrne, Jeremy Irons and John Malkovich. Owning the #1 position on the top ten box office list for the better part of the first half of 1998 with "Titanic," he virtually knocked himself out of the top spot with "The Man in the Iron Mask."
Legendary director Woody Allen cast Leonardo in his typically untitled "Fall Project," ultimately titled "Celebrity," in which he received highly favorable reviews for his satirical work as a young, out of control movie star.
Growing up on the eastside of Los Angeles, Leonardo wanted to give back to his community, and he donated a room full of computers and equipment to the new Los Feliz Library, built on the site of his childhood home. There are commemorative placards and curious fans are welcome at the library.
In late 1996, Leonardo signed on to star in James Cameron's "Titanic." He was hesitant at first. This wasn't the kind of film he had told himself he wanted to make. These initial misgivings ultimately gave way to Cameron's relentlessness and the story's thematic elements
1995 found Leonardo playing opposite Sharon Stone and Gene Hackman in "The Quick and the Dead", Sam Raimi's deliriously stylish meditation on the Old West. Later that same year, he starred in the adaptation of Jim Carroll's gritty autobiographical memoir, "The Basketball Diaries." He then went on to portray the doomed and deeply troubled pansexual poet, Arthur Rimbaud in Agnieszka Holland's film version of Christopher Hampton's play "Total Eclipse."
As one half of the star struck lovers in Australian director Baz Luhrmann's screen-adaptation of William Shakespeare's ultimate love story "Romeo and Juliet," Leonardo was paired with rising star Claire Danes in this strangely anachronistic, contemporary updating of the story, set in a neo-modern Verona Beach. He was also featured that same year as Meryl Streep's delinquent-to-the-point-of- criminal son in "Marvin's Room," another adaptation of a play. Sandwiched between the brilliant performances of Streep and Diane Keaton, Leonardo also had the opportunity to work again with Robert DeNiro, whose TriBeca Films produced the movie
Swedish director Lasse Hallstrom cast Leonardo in the role of Arnie for the critically acclaimed film "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" His performance was extraordinary and earned him an Academy Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 1994 at the age of nineteen
By this time, our young actor had run the gamut of T.V and commercial acting and wanted to pursue film acting. The break came in 1992 when Michael Caton-Jones cast Leonardo in the much sought after role of Tobias Wolff in his big-screen adaptation of Wolff's best selling novel "This Boy's Life." Co-staring alongside Robert DeNiro and Ellen Barkin, "This Boy's Life," continues to be one of Leo's favorite acting experiences.
Realizing any actor needs a film credit under his belt for future big screen work, Leonardo was cast in the B-grade feature, "Critters III." Before the year was out, he was invited to join the cast of the hit ABC sitcom, "Growing Pains" playing the role of Luke, a troubled homeless boy taken in by the Seavers.
Always drawn towards performing, Leonardo started auditioning for parts in 1988, at the age of fourteen and appeared in a series of commercials and educational films. From that point he navigated a gradual hill up the acting chain. From bit parts on soap operas, to bubble gum commercials, the first "regular" gig was on the series "Parenthood," (which lasted all of three episodes).
Leonardo was born in Hollywood, California on November 11, 1974. He attended Seeds University Elementary School at UCLA where he also took summer courses in performance art before moving on to the Center for Enriched Studies in Los Angeles. After CES, the next step was to enroll at John Marshall High School in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles. Having been exposed to the world of underground art from an early age, Leonardo was instilled with a sense that creativity was a hugely important thing. Early on, he thought of becoming an actor
