Jump directly to the content

HE was just 16 years old when he first shot to fame - and we've been watching Leonardo DiCaprio grow up on our screens ever since.

The Oscar-winning actor, who turns 50 today, has been in countless movies, amassed a personal fortune of £230million and won a dizzying collection of awards.

a man in a blue suit stands in front of a yellow sign
22
Leonardo DiCaprio turns 50 years old todayCredit: Getty

Thanks to his Hollywood handsome looks, Leo has also dated some of the world’s most beautiful women.

The current girl in his life is Italian supermodel Vittoria Ceretti, who at 26 is almost half his age. And, unbelievably, she is one of the oldest women he has ever dated.

a man and woman walking down a street with a dog
22
He's currently dating Vittoria Ceretti, 26Credit: BackGrid

As he celebrates the big 5-0, we look at how Leo has changed over the years...

Leo's first role was in 1991, as homeless teen Luke Brower in sitcom Growing Pains - in which he looked adorable.

READ MORE SHOWBIZ FEATURES

a young man with his hands on his hips wearing a black polo shirt
22
He was 16 years old when he got his first role in Growing PainsCredit: Getty
Leonardo DiCaprio’s supermodel girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti, 26, strips down to tiny bikini with actor, 49, on yacht

In 1992, Leo was handpicked by Robert De Niro from a shortlist of 400 young actors to co-star with him in This Boy's Life.

It became his first movie to gain him recognition.

a young man wearing a lanyard that says vip guest
22
Leo was handpicked by Robert DeNiro to star in This Boy's LifeCredit: Getty

The following year, Leo played the developmentally disabled brother of Johnny Depp's character in What's Eating Gilbert Grape. 

The role earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor at just 19 years old, proving he wasn't just a pretty face.

a young man leaning against a barbed wire fence with cows in the background
22
His role in What's Eating Gilbert Grape bagged him his first Oscar nominationCredit: Rex
a man in a tuxedo with a red ribbon on his chest
22
Leo at the 1994 OscarsCredit: Getty

Leo's good looks then bagged him the lead in Romeo + Juliet with Clare Danes in 1996.

The modern take on Shakespeare’s famous play helped establish him as a Hollywood hunk, with fans swooning over his boyband-style floppy blonde hair (and his convincingly sweet devotion to Claire Danes' Juliet).

a picture of a man looking at fish with the words image.net at the bottom
22
Leo starred in Romeo + Juliet in 1996Credit: Other20th Century Fox

But it was Titanic that catapulted him to a different level of fame, as he took on the role of Jack Dawson opposite Kate Winslet’s Rose, in 1997.

James Cameron’s blockbuster became the highest-grossing film ever at the time, eventually earning more than $2.1 billion at the box office and it won 11 Academy Awards - the most for any film.

Teenage girls and young women became so obsessed with Leo and his wind-swept locks that the phenomenon was dubbed “Leo-mania”.

a man and a woman standing next to each other on a boat
22
Leo in Titanic with Kate WinsletCredit: Alamy
a man with his hands in his pockets stands on a pier
22
Teen girls became so obsessed with Leo it was dubbed 'Leo-mania'Credit: Alamy

And in 2000, Leo admitted to Time magazine: "I have no connection with me during that whole Titanic phenomenon and what my face became around the world.

“I'll never reach that state of popularity again, and I don't expect to.

“It's not something I'm going to try to achieve either."

His reputation was soon attracting some of the most beautiful women in the world, including supermodel Gisele Bundchen - who he dated on and off from 1999 until 2005.

leonardo di caprio and gisele bundchen on the beach in malibu
22
Leo started dating Gisele Bundchen in 1999Credit: Getty - Contributor

He would show off his toned body in any film he could, including in The Beach in 2000.

a shirtless man is holding a pole in the water
22
Leo in The Beach, released in 2000Credit: Alamy

In 2002, Leo starred in Catch Me If You Can, sporting a more grown-up look with slicked back hair.

The critically-acclaimed film was based on Frank Abagnale Jr.'s semi-autobiographical book, in which he claims that prior to his 19th birthday, he successfully performed cons worth millions of dollars by posing as a Pan American World Airways pilot, a Georgia doctor, and a Louisiana parish prosecutor.

a man wearing sunglasses and a blue plaid shirt
22
Leo starred in Catch Me If You Can in 2002Credit: © Dreamworks

That same year, he changed it up again and went for long, wild tussles in Gangs of New York.

a man with long hair has his fist in the air
22
He also was in Gangs of New York that same yearCredit: Miramax Films
a man without a shirt is talking to a woman on the beach
22
Leo and Kate reunited to star in Revolutionary Road in 2007Credit: Handout

In 2010, Leo starred in Inception.

It won four Oscars, and grossed over $837 million worldwide, becoming the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2010.

a man in a blue shirt stands next to a woman in an orange jacket
22
Inception, released in 2010, was one of his most famous filmsCredit: © 2010 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Leo was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor for his 2013 role in The Wolf of Wall Street - ditching his famous blonde hair for a brunette look.

a man in a suit and tie stands in front of a white board
22
He was nominated for an Oscar again for Wolf of Wall StreetCredit: Rex

Leo is an active celebrity in the climate change movement, and is the UN Messenger of Peace.

He spoke at the Climate Change Summit at the United Nations in New York in 2014 - debuting a bushy beard and long hair, which was tied in a man-bun.

a man in a suit and tie is giving a speech at the un
22
Leo speaks at the Climate Change Summit in 2014Credit: AFP

He also often charters a multi-million dollar superyacht whenever he travels.

And he continued to show off what some dubbed his 'Viking-era' look as he enjoyed time on a boat in Miami.

a shirtless man standing on a beach holding a hat
22
Leo sporting a new look with long hair and beard, shirtless in a beach in MiamiCredit: Splash News

It was later revealed the look was for his movie, The Revenant - in which he played 19th century frontiersman Hugh Glass, who is mauled by a bear and left for dead.

a man with a beard is holding a stick in front of a mountain
22
Leo in The RevenantCredit: Alamy

He explained he and his co-stars were often mistaken for drifters by other homeless people while filming in the Rockies.

“When we came into town, there was a lot of like, homeless people that would recognise us as their friends and offer us beer and things like that and we’d have conversations with them,” Leo told Ellen DeGeneres.

“But a lot of the times, we were very unrecognisable to most of the people we knew!”

Leo finally won the Oscar for Best Actor in 2015, for the film - and got rid of the bushy beard.

a man in a tuxedo is holding an oscar statue
22
Leo finally won an Oscar in 2015 for The RevenantCredit: Getty - Contributor

Taking some well-earned time off from work, he spent his 2020 winter holidays in St Barts with his then-girlfriend Camila Morrone - and became the unexpected face of the 'dad bod' movement.

Showing off his rounder frame in swim shorts, it was a far cry from the washboard abs he displayed in Titanic, but many hailed him for 'owning' the more normal figure.

a shirtless man walking on the beach holding a camera
22
He sported his dad bod in St Barts in 2020Credit: BackGrid

By 2023, a source told that Leo was determined to shed the extra pounds as his fling with supermodel Gigi Hadid heated up.

The source claimed he didn't “want another summer where he’s laughed at for his paunchy waistline”.

Read More on The Sun

He certainly appears to have slimmed down since, even if his romance with Gigi didn't last, and was most recently seen on holiday with Vittoria in Cannes.

Maybe he's trying to keep up with her in the gym?

a shirtless man in blue shorts is standing on a boat
22
Most recently, he was seen on holiday in CannesCredit: BackGrid
Topics