Aphoto showing Leonardo DiCaprio as a young boy posing with his parents has gone viral on social media.
The Oscar-winning star of The Revenant, 49, has become known over the years for keeping his private life largely under wraps, only usually hitting red carpets and sitting for interviews when he has work to promote or it is awards season.
However, the actor became a talking point for his life well before becoming a celebrity over the weekend, when a photo was shared of him as a toddler. In the image, a young DiCaprio was seen being held aloft by his mom, Irmelin, and dad, George.
Wearing a striped top and diaper, the Los Angeles-born future star was placed front and center as his smiling parents proudly posed for the camera.
“Baby Leonardo DiCaprio with his mom and dad, 1976,” read a caption from the popular @fasc1nate account that shared the photo on X, formerly Twitter.
As of press time, the heartwarming photo has garnered more than 13 million views.
Newsweek has not been able to verify the veracity of the photo and has contacted a representative of DiCaprio via email for comment.
In a 20/20 interview with Barbara Walters back in 2002, DiCaprio spoke about how his dad, who was an underground comic book distributor, and his mom, a legal secretary, were “Bohemian in every sense of the word.”
They eventually allowed him to drop out of school to pursue his acting dreams. According to a 1995 New York Times profile, his parents worked for his production company at the time.
Speaking with Parade for a profile published in January 2016, DiCaprio spoke of how his dad had instilled a go-getter approach to life in him.
“My dad always told me, ‘Go out there, son, and whatever you do, I don’t care if you’re successful or not, just have an interesting life,'” the actor recalled.
During the 2016 awards season, where DiCaprio picked up his first ever Best Actor Oscar for his efforts in The Revenant, the screen star spoke glowingly of his parents.
As he picked up his Screen Actors Guild Award that year for his role in the Alejandro G. Iñárritu-directed film, DiCaprio said: “To my parents, thank you for listening to an overly ambitious, slightly annoying 13-year-old kid who wanted to go on auditions every day after school.”
Months earlier, in November 2015, he also paid tribute to his parents while accepting the Actors Inspiration Award at the SAG Foundation 30th-anniversary celebration.
“I was blessed with two incredibly supportive parents who listened to the harassment of their overly assertive son and drove him to auditions after school even though they had very little time for it,” the Don’t Look Up star said.
“And I’m going to take one moment here because this isn’t nationally televised to embarrass both of them, but they’re sitting here tonight,” he added. “Mom, Irmelin, George—I would not be receiving this award and I would not be the actor that I am or be able to do any of the philanthropy that this job has given me the opportunity to have, and I wouldn’t be the person I am without the both of you, so thank you.”
