12 Facts you didn't know about Leonardo DaCaprio

Leonardo Di Caprio is arguably one of the most famous men in Hollywood. He’s been a fixture in TV and movies since he was just a child, he started movies when he was only 15years old, and over time he has developed a truly favorable reputation amongst male and female fans alike. Let’s call it like it is: men want to be him; women want to be with him.

Leo was the lead actor  in movies like Titantic, The Great Gatsby, Romeo & Juliet, Shutter Island, The Wolf of Wall Street,and many more. He starred in the then-popular Growing Pains TV series.  

Leo is constantly in the spotlight, so many who follow his career might feel as though they know almost everything there is to know about him. But, there are many surprising facts about Leo that even the biggest fan might not be aware of.

For instance, when thinking of bilingual actors and actresses, a name that might immediately come to mind is someone like Sofia Vergara. But, many don’t realize that Leonardo is bilingual, too. He is fluent in German, thanks to his mother, who was born in the country.

And also, He’s never won an Oscar.

Here are 12 things you didn’t know about Leonardo DiCaprio.

12. He’s Never Done Drugs

For his role inThe Wolf of Wall Street, which involved his character doing quite a bit of drugs, Leo said he and co-star Jonah Hill consulted an on-set drug expert. They also spent a lot of time studying the YouTube video, “ The Drunkest Guy in  the World.”

11. He Has A Daughter

He “adopted” a girl in Mozambique , according to reports. However, Leo didn’t actually raise her or live with her. Regardless, he sends her money each month for living expenses and food, and is said to call her regularly to stay in touch.

10. He Used To Be Really Cheap

During his younger and wild drinking days, Leo was apparently known across the bar scene for being very cheap.

While he’s certainly not cheap by those standards these days, he is definitely frugal with his spending (in a smart way).

He doesn't own expensive cars, he owns one vehicle: a Toyota Prius, he flies commercial instead of having a private jet.

9. He Has His Own Line of Fair Trade Coffee

Leo collaborated with the national coffee roaster, La Colombre Torrefaction, in a charitable alliance. Together, they created a “high-end” fair trade coffee line called LYON. The profits of the product is donated to the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation

8. He and Mark Wahlberg Used To Hate Each Other

"The Basketball Diaries" he and Mark Wahlberg acted together and he revealed that the two actors hated each other at the time they were both cast in the movie in 1995.

Mark also admitted he wasn’t really fond of Leo either. But, it didn’t take long before they started working really well together for the film.

7. Near Death Experience With A Shark

In 2006, Leo was on a diving expedition in Cape Town, South Africa, and ended up coming face-to-face with the worst nightmare imaginable – a Great White shark.

Though the shark took a few chomps at him, Leo was able to keep enough distance, and made it out without a scratch.

Leo also almost died once while skydiving. His parachute wouldn’t open and luckily an instructor was close enough to save him.

6. He Speaks Fluent German

Leo’s mother was born in Germany, and her heritage has always been extremely important to him. For that reason, she taught her son to speak her native German language early on in life. His parents were divorced when he was very young, so he grew up mostly with his mother and German grandmother.

Leo and his mother are very close. In fact, she’s often seen on the red carpet alongside him. Their ongoing closeness combined with his upbringing have made the language an important part of who he is.

5. He Almost Changed His Named To Lenny Williams

At age 10, Leonardo’s agent advised him to change his name to Lenny Williams in a move to improve his appeal for getting roles. The agent thought his name sounded too ethnic. In fact, the agent refused to sign Leo until he went along with the name change idea.

His mother named him Leonardo because she was pregnant and looking at a Da Vinci painting in a museum when he first kicked.

4. He has never won an Oscar

After missing on the Oscar for Best Actor in Scorsese’s The Wolf Of Wall Street, a flood of parodies went around the web. But does anybody know how Leo felt about Matthew McConaughey’s Oscar?

3. He Is Extremely Charitable

In 2013 alone, Leo gave and raised millions for various causes. He held an auction selling important pieces of artwork that raised $31.7 million for global charity initiatives. He continuously donates to the tiger cause, has given $3 million in support of saving ocean wildlife, and – together with Kate Winslet– even helped pay nursing home fees for the last living survivor of the Titanic. And, these are just a few of the things he’s done.

2. He Can’t Sing

He can't be a Jamie Foxx, Ryan Gosling or Robert Downey Jr. Well, you can’t be good at everything. So even if Leonardo DiCaprio has found success in Hollywood, in business, as a

Philanthropist, and as a purveyor – and seducer – of attractive women, he still lacks one defining skill that oh so many folk in the entertainment business seem to have at least a minor grasp on: he can’t sing to save his life.

1. He Has Never Been Married

Leo has dated so many beautiful women throughout his career, but has never once married. Leo has dated everyone from Demi Mooreand Blake Lively, to Naomi Campbell and Miranda Kerr (allegedly). He really is quite the ladies man!

Perhaps one day Leo will be able to lock down the only two things he’s seemingly been missing in his life to date – a wife and a well-deserved Oscar.

Compiled by Adekunle Adewale