Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is of halfItalian and half German descent. His parents met while attending college together and subsequently moved to Los Angeles. He was named after artist Leonardo da vinci , as his pregnant mother was standing in front of a Leonardo painting at a museum initaly when DiCaprio first kicked.

His parents divorced when he was one. He lived mostly with his mother, although his father was around intermittently. During his childhood, he attended Canterbury Elementary School. He was interested in baseball cards, comic books and frequently visited museumes with his father and  also spent part of his childhood in Germany, where his maternal grandparents, Wilhelm and Helene, still lived. DiCaprio and his mother lived in several neighborhoods, such asEcho Park.

During his teen years, he lived at 1874 Hillhurst Avenue, Los Feliz district of Los Angeles, California (which was later converted into a local public library) and his mother worked several jobs to support them. He attended John Marshall High School. a few blocks away, before attending theLos Angeles Center for Enriched Studies.

He was inspired to become an actor after Adam Starr, a stepbrother from his father's re-marriage, began appearing in commercials,  DiCaprio began looking for an agent at the age of twelve, but was initially turned down several times; one agent suggested that he angelicize