From his earliest television roles to his name's origins, here are 10 rare details about the beloved actor in honor of his 47th birthday.

Arguably one of the greatest actors in Hollywood history, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/leonardo-dicaprio-best-90s-moments-young-heartthrob" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Leonardo DiCaprio</a> has been in the industry since the early '90s, starring in some of the most influential films of all time. From his lead role in Martin Scorsese's revolutionary biopic The Wolf of Wall Street to his Academy Award-winning performance in The Revenant, there isn't a single role that doesn't suit.&nbsp;
DiCaprio's upcoming roles include Adam McKay's star-studded black comedy <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/dont-look-up-movie-cast-timothee-chalamet-ariana-grande-netflix" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Don't Look Up</a>&nbsp;alongside <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/jennifer-lawrence-cooke-maroney-pregnant-first-child-baby" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jennifer Lawrence</a>, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/inside-ariana-grande-dalton-gomez-honeymoon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ariana Grande</a>, and <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/timothee-chalamet-dune-french-dispatch-release" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Timoth&eacute;e Chalamet</a>, as well as a rumored&nbsp;Titanic&nbsp;reunion next year in celebration of the film's 25th anniversary.&nbsp;
Outside of acting, DiCaprio is especially devoted to environmentalism, as he has founded a nonprofit organization that regularly supports charities and has even produced several documentaries about the environment. He is one of the most active celebrities dedicated to the climate change movement.
In celebration of the beloved actor's 47th birthday,&nbsp;L'OFFICIEL&nbsp;gathers some lesser-known facts that provide some insight about who he is, and how he's become such a phenomenon today.&nbsp;

His mother named him Leonardo after looking at a Da Vinci painting.

DiCaprio's name origins are especially interesting, as he is named after the famous Renaissance painter <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/art/world-art-day-leonardo-da-vinci-artwork" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Leonardo Da Vinci</a>. During a trip to Italy, his mother felt her baby kick for the first time while looking at a Da Vinci painting at the Uffizi Museum in Florence, which led her to name him after this magical encounter.&nbsp;

His name caused some difficulties in landing roles.

Despite his name's touching origins, DiCaprio was actually advised to change his name as it caused him some difficulties in landing roles. Apparently, the actor did 100 auditions without booking a single job, which almost led him to quit acting in the '80s. An agent even advised him to change his "foreign-sounding" name into a more American one to appeal more to American audiences. We're so thankful that he didn't quit or change his name, as he was eventually able to book an endless variety of iconic roles.&nbsp;

He started off in television commercials.

DiCaprio is one of the few child actors who have been able to maintain a solid career trajectory from the beginning. During the beginning of his acting career, he started off in television commercials. His mother took him to auditions throughout his young teens, and his first role was at the age of 14 for a matchbox cars commercial.&nbsp;

He has a self-described atrocious singing voice.

One of DiCaprio's most iconic roles includes Baz Luhrmann's&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/claire-danes-young-photos-movies-husband-age" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Romeo and Juliet</a>, which introduced us to one of the most iconic Halloween couples costume ideas of all time. Interestingly enough, DiCaprio also wanted to take part in Luhrmann's&nbsp;Moulin Rouge&nbsp;but decided that his singing voice was "atrocious" and unacceptable for the film.&nbsp;

His first Academy Award nomination was for&nbsp;What's Eating Gilbert Grape.

Up until his 2016 Oscar win for The Revenant, it was a running joke on the Internet that DiCaprio was a continuous Academy Award loser, as he had been nominated for five awards and lost every single one. His first nomination was for his critically acclaimed role in What's Eating Gilbert Grape&nbsp;in 1993, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination as well.&nbsp;

His haircut was banned in certain countries.

Following the outstanding success of&nbsp;Titanic, "Leo-mania" made its way across the entire globe. It got to a point where his iconic hairstyle was banned from countries like Afghanistan, as they didn't want to be associated with the movie at all.&nbsp;

While he does smoke e-cigarettes, the actor has actually never done drugs. Despite having been around drugs since the age of three or four, DiCaprio explained that his Hollywood experience has never consisted of drugs. In fact, during the filming of The Wolf of Wall Street, he consulted with an on-set drug expert, and he and Jonah Hill watched Youtube videos to get inspiration for the drunken scenes.&nbsp;

He and a group of Hollywood men had an entourage that partied through the '90s.

Despite never having done drugs, DiCaprio has admitted to being an avid party man during the '90s. He and a group of Hollywood guys, including names such as Tobey Maguire, David Blaine, and Harmony Korine were all part of what they called "The Pussy Posse" and partied their way through the decade.&nbsp;

He once got the award for "Worst Actor."

We all know Leo as one of the greatest actors of all time, but that wasn't always the case. In fact, he once received the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor in 2001 following his role in&nbsp;The Beach, which received countless negative reviews.&nbsp;

Kate Winslet flashed him to "break the ice."

During the filming of&nbsp;Titanic, his romantic co-star <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/kate-winslet-titanic-weight-body-shaming" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kate Winslet</a> decided to break the ice and flash him, as she knew that she would have to be fully naked in front of him at some point. This tactic ended up working wonderfully, as the duo has had a long and beautiful friendship since.&nbsp;

10 Lesser-Known Facts About Leonardo DiCaprio

Tags

Related Articles

Pop culture

Look Back at Young Leonardo DiCaprio's Best '90s Moments

Politics & Culture

Leonardo DiCaprio Helps the Amazon

Film & TV

Everything We Know About Timothée Chalamet in 'Don’t Look Up' with Ariana Grande and More

Recommended posts for you

Beauty

6 Natural Ways to Speed Up Hair Growth

Film & TV

All Four Seasons of the Thriller 'Killing Eve' Are Returning to Netflix

Fashion

Zendaya's Best Tenniscore Looks From The 'Challengers' Press Tour

Film & TV

Mia Goth returns in the Highly Anticipated 'MaXXXine' trailer

Fashion

Women Dressing Women: A New Era of Design

Shopping

Scent-sational Picks: The Ultimate Roundup of the Best Perfumes for Women

Fashion

Gigi Hadid Celebrates Photographer Yevonde For Miu Miu

Politics & Culture

Who Is Naomi Biden?