Leonardo DiCaprio
DiCaprio in 2011, Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com
Birth Name: Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio
Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California, United States
Date of Birth: November 11, 1974
Ethnicity: German, one quarter Italian, Russian, likely small amount of Polish
Leonardo DiCaprio is an American actor, film producer, and environmentalist. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for The Revenant (2015). He has also starred in the films Critters 3, This Boy’s Life, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, The Basketball Diaries, The Quick and the Dead, Total Eclipse, William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet, Marvin’s Room, Titanic, The Man in the Iron Mask, Celebrity, The Beach, Gangs of New York, Catch Me If You Can, The Aviator (2004), The Departed, Blood Diamond, Body of Lies, Revolutionary Road, Shutter Island, Inception, J. Edgar, Django Unchained, The Great Gatsby (2013), The Wolf of Wall Street, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, Don’t Look Up, and Killers of the Flower Moon, and on television’s Growing Pains and Parenthood (1990). He founded production company Appian Way Productions. He has also created the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, for the environment, and is a United Nations Messenger of Peace.
He is the son of Irmelin (Indenbirken), a legal secretary, and George DiCaprio, a comic book writer and distributor. His paternal grandfather was of Italian descent, and his paternal grandmother was of German, and some Polish, ancestry. Leonardo’s mother is a German immigrant, and is of German and Russian descent. A picture of Leonardo with his mother and maternal grandmother can be seen here.
He is said to have been named Leonardo because, he first started kicking inside his mother’s womb when she was viewing a Leonardo da Vinci painting in a museum.
Leonardo’s paternal grandfather was George Leon DiCaprio (the son of Salvatore D. DiCaprio and Rosina Cassella). George was born in New York, to Italian parents, from Alife, Province of Caserta, Campania. Salvatore was the son of Biase/Biagio Di Caprio/DiCaprio and Maria Emanuela/Emanuele Incagnoli. Rosina was the daughter of Cipriano Cassella and Camilla Conzales.
Leonardo’s paternal grandmother was Olga Anne Jakubowsky, later Jacobs (the daughter of Paul Jakubowsky/Jacobs/Jacub/Jackes and Bertha Minna Ludwig). Leonardo’s grandmother Olga was from Braunschweig, Germany. Paul was born in Liebau, Schlessin, Germany, now Lubawka, Poland, the son of Paul Jakubowsky and Olga Breuer. Bertha was born in Zerbst, Germany, the daughter of Ludwig Christian and Minna Muller.
Leonardo’s maternal grandfather was Wilhelm Heinrich Indenbirken (the son of Wilhelm Indenbirken and Adelheid Grachowski). Leonardo’s grandfather Wilhelm was born in Herne, Arnsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Leonardo’s great-grandfather Wilhelm was the son of August Indenbirken.
Leonardo’s maternal grandmother was named Yelena/Helene Lisbeth Smirnova/Smirnow (the daughter of Stefan/Stepan Petrovich Smirnov and Irene/Irina). Yelena was of Russian origin, possibly with roots in Mishkinsky District, Bashkortostan. Leonardo’s great-grandfather Stefan was the son of Pyotr/Petr Smirnov.
Sources: People Magazine mention of Leonardo’s Russian ancestry – http://www.people.com
Genealogies of Leonardo DiCaprio – http://www.geni.com
http://www.wikitree.com
Notes on Leonardo’s paternal grandfather, George Leon DiCaprio’s, ancestry – http://blogs.ancestry.com
Birth record of Leonardo’s paternal grandfather, George Leon DiCaprio – https://familysearch.org
Leonardo’s paternal grandfather, George Leon DiCaprio, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
U.S. Naturalization record of Leonardo’s paternal grandmother, Olga Anne Jakubowsky/Jacobs – https://www.familysearch.org
U.S. Naturalization record of Leonardo’s paternal great-grandfather, Paul Jakubowsky/Jacobs/Jacub/Jackes – https://www.familysearch.org
Death record of Leonardo’s paternal great-grandmother, Bertha Minna Ludwig – https://www.familysearch.org
leo’s name is well rooted in his father and grandfather’s name—Italian men are known to have wondering eye,yet, german men are known to be warm and faithfull, russian men are known to be very steady and long hard working—-as far as how he got his name Leonardo,i would believe that—-I wonder if it is the painting mona lisa—-
Geez, stereotype much? Lol. I’m an Italian guy and I’ve never once cheated on a girl, and from what I’m told I’m good looking. The chances were there.
I have to say I agree with Frank, my husband is also Italian and he’s completely faithful, hard working and overall the most amazing man I’ve ever met!!!
LOL & Frank, his name is also Frank : ) What a coincidence!!!
Lenin look-alike
https://www.google.com/search?q=di+caprio+lenin&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=odiNUq6yMKK57AapxYCYDg&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1236&bih=640
Lenin grandmother’s last name was also Smirnova. Coincidence or not? :D
Yes, very much so. He should play him.
he is one of the few Russian non-Jewish Americans
That is because his Russian side comes from Germany.
Ethnic Russians did not come to the U.S. in any real amounts until the Russian Revolution, and most of the immigrants who left because of the Revolution were upper-class or middle-class to some degree, so they were exceptions. “Typical”, ethnic Russian, Russian Orthodox people, for whatever reason, did not come to the U.S. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that many of them were not emancipated from serfdom until the 1860s.
BTW, Leonardo has said that his maternal grandmother was of Russian descent, but something about the names on that side is… weird. They sound a little Germanic-influenced. Maybe just a translation.
Interesting
“Emancipated from serfdom.” I like that.
Inspiration for Abraham Lincoln? (The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emancipation_reform_of_1861
Smirnow is the most common surname in Russia, so she is almost without a doubt of the Russian origin. Most likely her family emigrated to Germany after 1917 Revolution, when she was 2, because i heard that she was born in Siberia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smirnov_(surname)
similar to Smirnoff, perhaps the most known Vodka brand
Yes, this is the same name. I think that can be added to article
Another proof. On a monument at the grave of his maternal grandmother shows Russian Orthodox Cross, so… http://www.buddytv.com/leonardo-dicaprio/photos/leonardo-dicaprio-s-grandmother-helene-indenbirken-s-grave-at-t-87762.aspx
Leonardo-Wilhelm really told several times, that his maternal
grandparents were german. It’s the same to me, which heritage
he is. I just mean, the whole cirkus is pathetic. No doubt,
russian people are ashamed, especially of the thing with
Gerard Depardiue
where did u get the 3%?