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Josie Maran
Born	Johanna Selhorst Maran (1978-05-08) May 8, 1978 (age 34) Menlo Park, California, U.S.
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)[1]
Hair color	Brown
Eye color	Brown
Measurements	(US) 34C-23-34 ; (EU) 86.5-58.5-86.5
Dress size	(US) 4 ; (EU) 34

Johanna Selhorst "Josie" Maran (born May 8, 1978) is an American model, actress, and entrepreneur.^[2]

Early life[link]

Maran was born in Menlo Park, California. She is of Russian Jewish descent on her paternal side.^[3] Maran attended Castilleja School, an all-girls' school in Palo Alto, California from grades 6 to 12.^[4]

Career[link]

While she was still in high school, Maran was approached by a woman who asked her for a modeling performance^{[clarification needed]} in San Francisco, and a scouting agent encouraged her to pursue modeling professionally.^{[citation needed]} Her first cover was Glamour in 1998. In 1990, an appendectomy left Maran with a noticeable scar that is typically edited out of photos.

Signed at age 17 with the Elite modeling agency of Los Angeles, Maran appeared on her first cover with Glamour magazine in 1998; she was then the featured Guess? Girl in their summer 1998 and fall 1998 campaigns. After building a résumé of over 25 commercials and advertisements, including playing Howie D's companion in the music video of Backstreet Boys hit Everybody (Backstreet's Back), in which she was bitten on the neck by Count Dracula (played by Howie D), Maran moved cross-country to join with Elite in New York City. In 1999, she landed a multi-year deal with Maybelline. Maran appeared in the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue for two consecutive years; from 2001 to 2002. Maran is also signed with London agency Storm Model Management, and 1/One Management in New York City.

Maran's interest in music led her to play casually in two bands: Darling, with socialite Nicole Richie, and Hollywood 2000, where she sang and played violin.^{[citation needed]}

In 2001, Maran appeared in an independent film, as title character Mallory in The Mallory Effect. Maran followed this by appearing as Susan in Swatters in 2002. In 2004, she appeared in three films - as a French model in Little Black Book, as one of Dracula's brides, Marishka, in Van Helsing, and briefly as a cigarette girl in The Aviator. Maran appeared in a short film "The Confession" alongside Wentworth Miller in 2005, and as Kira Hayden in The Gravedancers in 2006.

She was recruited in 2005 by EA Games to appear as a main character in the street-racing computer and video game, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, which was released on November 17, 2005. She plays the game's second lead Mia Townsend, who guides the lead character through the game.^[5]

In June 2007, Maran launched her own natural cosmetics product line, named Josie Maran Cosmetics.^[6] Beyond her business activities she commits herself to the protection and improvement of nature and the environment.^[7]

Maran competed in the 2007 season of Dancing with the Stars, but she and dance partner Alec Mazo were the first couple eliminated.

Personal life[link]

Maran and her husband^[8], Iranian American photographer Ali Alborzi, have one daughter, Rumi Joon.^[9] They are currently expecting their second child.^[10]

Filmography[link]

• Swatters (2002): Susan
• The Mallory Effect (2002): Mallory
• The Aviator (2004): Thelma
• Little Black Book (2004): Lulu Fritz
• Van Helsing (2004): Marishka
• The Confession (2005): Wife
• The Gravedancers (2005): Kira Hastings
• Need For Speed: Most Wanted (VG) (2005): Mia Townsend

Television and radio appearances[link]

• The Howard Stern Show (2000)
• The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn (2004) (2002)
• Van Helsing: Behind the Screams (2004)
• Late Night with Conan O'Brien (2004)
• Jimmy Kimmel Live (2007) (2005) (2004) (2003)
• Dancing with the Stars (2007) (Voted off after 1 episode)
• Karma Air (2008)
• Music video for "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" by Backstreet Boys (1997)
• Music video for "Morning Light" by Truman (2004)
• America's Next Top Model, Cycle 13 Guest Judge, episode "Dance With Me" (October 7, 2009)

References[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Josie Maran

External links[link]

• Josie Maran at the Internet Movie Database
• Josie Maran at the Fashion Model Directory

Leonardo DiCaprio
DiCaprio at the Shutter Island premiere at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival.
Born	Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (1974-11-11) November 11, 1974 (age 37) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, film producer
Years active	1989–present
Website
www.leonardodicaprio.com

Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (/dɨˈkæpri.oʊ/; born November 11, 1974)^[1] is an American actor and film producer. He has been nominated for the Golden Globe Award eight times as an actor, and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator (2004). He has also been nominated by the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild, Satellite Awards, and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, DiCaprio started his career by appearing in television commercials prior to landing recurring roles in TV series such as the soap opera Santa Barbara and the sitcom Growing Pains in the early 1990s. He made his film debut in the comedic sci-fi horror film Critters 3 (1991) and received first notable critical praise for his performance in This Boy's Life (1993). DiCaprio obtained recognition for his subsequent work in supporting roles in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) and Marvin's Room (1996), as well as leading roles in The Basketball Diaries (1995) and Romeo + Juliet (1996), before achieving international fame in James Cameron's Titanic (1997).

Since the 2000s, DiCaprio has been nominated for awards for his work in such films as Catch Me If You Can (2002), Gangs of New York (2002), The Aviator (2004), Blood Diamond (2006), The Departed (2006), and Revolutionary Road (2008). His latest films Shutter Island (2010) and Inception (2010) rank among the biggest commercial successes of his career.^[2] DiCaprio owns a production company named Appian Way Productions, whose productions include the films Gardener of Eden (2007) and Orphan (2009). A committed environmentalist, DiCaprio has received praise from environmental groups for his activism.^[3]

Early life and family[link]

DiCaprio, an only child, was born in Los Angeles, California. His mother, Irmelin (née Indenbirken), is a German-born former legal secretary, and his father, George DiCaprio, is an underground comic artist and producer/distributor of comic books.^[4] DiCaprio's mother moved from Oer-Erkenschwick at the Ruhr, Germany, to the U.S. during the 1950s. DiCaprio's father is of half Italian (from the Naples area) and half German descent (from Bavaria), and is a fourth-generation American.^[1][5][6] DiCaprio's maternal grandmother, Helene Indenbirken (1915–2008),^[7] who was born Yelena Smirnova, was a Russian immigrant to Germany.^[8]

DiCaprio's parents met while attending college and subsequently moved to Los Angeles.^[1] He was named Leonardo because his pregnant mother was looking at a Leonardo da Vinci painting in a museum in Italy when DiCaprio first kicked.^[9] DiCaprio was raised Catholic.^[10][11]

His parents divorced when he was a year old and he lived mostly with his mother. The two lived in several Los Angeles neighborhoods, such as Echo Park, and at 1874 Hillhurst Avenue, Los Feliz district (which was later converted into a local public library), while his mother worked several jobs to support them.^[1] He attended Seeds Elementary School and graduated from John Marshall High School a few blocks away, after attending the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies for four years.

Career[link]

Early career[link]

DiCaprio's career began with his appearance in several commercials and educational films. After being booted off the set of children's television series Romper Room for being disruptive at the age of five,^[12] DiCaprio followed his older stepbrother Adam Farrar into television commercials, landing an ad for Matchbox cars at 14.^[12] In 1990, he got his break on television when he was cast in the short-lived series based on the movie Parenthood. After Parenthood, DiCaprio had bit parts on several shows, including The New Lassie and Roseanne, as well as a brief stint on the soap opera Santa Barbara, playing the young Mason Capwell. His involvement in Parenthood and the daily soap earned him a nomination for the Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor each.

1991–95[link]

His debut film role was in the comedic sci-fi horror film Critters 3, in which he played the stepson of an evil landlord, a role that DiCaprio described as "your average, no-depth, standard kid with blond hair."^[13] Released in 1991, the movie went direct-to-video.^[13] Soon after, he became a recurring cast member on the ABC sitcom Growing Pains, playing Luke Brower, a homeless boy who is taken in by the Seaver family. DiCaprio made his big screen breakthrough in 1992, when he was handpicked by Robert De Niro out of 400 young actors to play the lead role in This Boy's Life, co-starring Ellen Barkin and De Niro himself.^[12]

Later in 1993, DiCaprio co-starred as the mentally handicapped brother to Johnny Depp in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, a comic-tragic odyssey of a dysfunctional Iowa family. Director Lasse Hallström admitted he was initially looking for a less good-looking actor but finally settled on DiCaprio as he had emerged as "the most observant [actor]" among all auditioners.^[13] Budgeted at US$11.0 million,^[14] the film became a financial and critical success, resulting in a domestic box office total of US$9.1 million and various accolades for DiCaprio, who was awarded the National Board of Review Award and nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his portrayal. New York Times critic Janet Maslin praised DiCaprio's performance, writing "the film's real show-stopping turn comes from Mr. DiCaprio, who makes Arnie's many tics so startling and vivid that at first he is difficult to watch. The performance has a sharp, desperate intensity from beginning to end."^[15]

DiCaprio's first effort of 1995 was Sam Raimi's The Quick and the Dead, a western film in which he appeared alongside Gene Hackman, Sharon Stone, and Russell Crowe, playing the role of Hackman's alleged son named Kid. Sony Pictures was dubious over DiCaprio's casting, and as a result, Stone decided to pay for the actor's salary herself.^[16] The film was released to a dismal box office performance, barely grossing US$18.5 million in the United States, and received mixed reviews from critics.^[17] Jonathan Rosenbaum from the Chicago Reader observed that "Raimi tries to do a Sergio Leone, and though The Quick and the Dead is highly enjoyable in spots, it doesn't come across as very convincing."^[18] Afterwards DiCaprio starred in Total Eclipse, a fictionalized account of the homosexual relationship between Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine, played by David Thewlis. He replaced River Phoenix in the role of Rimbaud, who had died during pre-production on the project.^[19] A minor arthouse success, the film grossed US$0.34 million throughout its domestic theatrical run.^[20]

DiCaprio appeared alongside friends Kevin Connolly and Tobey Maguire in the mostly improvised short film called Don's Plum as a favor to aspiring director R.D. Robb.^[12] When Robb decided to expand the black-and-white film to feature length however, DiCaprio and Maguire obtained its blocking, arguing that they never intended to make it a theatrical release as it would have commercial value thanks to their stardom.^[12] Nevertheless, the film eventually premiered at the 2001 Berlin International Film Festival, where it was well-received by critics, with Time Out New York writer Mike D'Angelo calling it "the best film [I saw] in Berlin." DiCaprio's last film of the year 1995 was The Basketball Diaries, a biopic about Jim Carroll.

1996–2001[link]

In 1996, DiCaprio appeared opposite Claire Danes in Baz Luhrmann's film Romeo + Juliet, an abridged modernization of William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy of the same name which retained the original Shakespearean dialogue. The project was one of the first films to cash in on DiCaprio's future star-status, with a worldwide box office take of $147 million.^[21]

Later that year, he starred in Jerry Zaks' family drama Marvin's Room, reuniting with Robert De Niro. Based on Scott McPherson's screenplay adaptation of his own 1991 stage play of the same name, the film revolves around two sisters, played by Meryl Streep and Diane Keaton, who are reunited through tragedy after 17 years of estrangement.^[22] DiCaprio portrayed the character of Hank, Streep's troubled son, who has been committed to a mental asylum for setting fire to his mother's house.^[23] On his Chlotrudis Award-winning performance, Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly commented: "The deeply gifted DiCaprio [..] keeps right up with these older pros [Keaton and Streep]. The three are so full-bodied and so powerfully affecting that you're carried along on the pleasure of being in the presence of their extraordinary talent."^[23]

DiCaprio at a press conference for The Beach in February 2000

In 1997, DiCaprio starred in James Cameron's Titanic (1997), alongside Kate Winslet. Cast as twenty-year-old Jack Dawson, a penniless Wisconsin man who wins two tickets for the third-class on the ill-fated RMS Titanic, DiCaprio initially refused to portray the character but was eventually encouraged to pursue the role by Cameron who strongly believed in his acting ability.^[24] Against expectations, the film went on to become the highest-grossing film to date (it was surpassed in 2010 by Cameron's directorial follow-up, Avatar), grossing more than US$1.843 billion in box-office receipts worldwide,^[25] and transformed DiCaprio into a commercial movie superstar, resulting in fan worship among teenage girls and young women in general that became known as "Leo-Mania."^[26] He was nominated for most of the high-profile awards, including a second Golden Globe nomination. Upon the success of Titanic, DiCaprio stated in 2000: "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."^[27]

The following year, DiCaprio made a self-mocking cameo appearance in Woody Allen's caustic satire of the fame industry, Celebrity (1998). That year, he also starred in the dual roles of the villainous King Louis XIV and his secret, sympathetic twin brother Philippe in Randall Wallace's The Man in the Iron Mask, based on the same-titled 1939 film. Despite receiving a rather mixed to negative response,^[28] the film became a box office success, grossing US$180 million internationally.^[29] Though DiCaprio's performance was generally well-received, with Entertainment Weekly critic Owen Gleiberman writing that "the shockingly androgynous DiCaprio looks barely old enough to be playing anyone with hormones, but he's a fluid and instinctive actor, with the face of a mischievous angel,"^[30] he was awarded a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screen Couple for both incarnations the following year.

DiCaprio's next project was the drama film The Beach (2000), an adaption of Alex Garland's same-titled 1996 novel. Starring alongside Tilda Swinton and Virginie Ledoyen, he played an American backpacking tourist looking for the perfect way of life in a secret island commune in the Gulf of Thailand. Budgeted at $US50 million, the film became a financial success, grossing $US144 million worldwide,^[31] but as with DiCaprio's previous project, the film was largely panned by critics.^[32] Todd McCarthy of Variety noted that "Richard [DiCaprio's role] is too much the American Everyman and not enough of a well-defined individual to entirely capture one's interest and imagination, and DiCaprio, while perfectly watchable, does not endow him with the quirks or distinguishing marks to make this man from nowhere a dimensional character."^[33] The next year, he was nominated for another Razzie Award for his work on the film.

2002–07[link]

DiCaprio's first film of 2002 was the crime-comedy Catch Me If You Can, based on the life of Frank Abagnale Jr., who, before his 19th birthday, used his charm, confidence, and several different personas, to make millions in the 1960s writing bad checks. Directed by Steven Spielberg and co-starring Tom Hanks and Christopher Walken, the film was shot in 147 different locations in only 52 days, making it "the most adventurous, super-charged movie-making" DiCaprio had experienced yet.^[34] Catch Me If You Can received favourable reviews and proved to be an international success, becoming Dicaprio's highest-grossing film since Titanic with a total of US$351.1 million worldwide.^[35] Roger Ebert praised his performance, and noted that while "DiCaprio, who in recent films [...] has played dark and troubled characters, is breezy and charming here, playing a boy who discovers what he is good at, and does it."^[36] The following year, DiCaprio received his third Golden Globe nomination for his work on the film.

DiCaprio at the pre-premiere of Gangs of New York at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.

Also in 2002, DiCaprio appeared in Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York, a historical film set in the mid-19th century in the Five Points district of New York City. Director Scorsese initially struggled selling his idea of realizing the film until DiCaprio became interested in playing protagonist Amsterdam Vallon, a young leader of the Irish faction, and thus, Miramax Films got involved with financing the project.^[37] Nonetheless production on the film was plagued by blown-out budgets and producer-director squabbles, resulting in a marathon eight-month shoot and, at US$103 million, the most expensive film Scorsese had ever made.^[37] Upon its release, Gangs of New York became a financial and critical success however.^[38] DiCaprio's acting was well-received but remained overshadowed by Daniel Day-Lewis' performance among most critics.^[37][39]

Forging a collaboration with Scorsese, the two paired again for a biopic of the eccentric and obsessive American film director and aviation pioneer Howard Hughes in The Aviator (2004). Centering on Hughes' life from the late 1920s to 1947, DiCaprio initially developed the project with Michael Mann, who decided against directing it after back-to-back film biographies in Ali and The Insider.^[39] The actor eventually pitched John Logan's script to Scorsese, who quickly signed on to direct. Altogether, DiCaprio reportedly spent more than a year and a half in preparation for the film which was not necessarily shot in continuity because of actors and locations schedules.^[39] The Aviator became a critical and financial success.^[40] DiCaprio received rave reviews for his performance and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor, also receiving another Academy Award nomination.

In 2006, DiCaprio starred in both Blood Diamond and The Departed. In Edward Zwick's war film Blood Diamond, he co-starred alongside Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou as a diamond smuggler from Rhodesia who is involved in the Sierra Leone Civil War. The film itself received generally favorable reviews,^[41] and DiCaprio was praised for the authenticity of his South African Afrikaner accent, known as a difficult accent to imitate.^[42] In Scorsese's The Departed he played the role of Billy Costigan, a state trooper working undercover in an Irish Mob in Boston. Highly anticipated, the film was released to overwhelmingly positive reviews and became one of the highest-rated wide release films of 2006.^[43] Budgeted at US$90 million, it also emerged as DiCaprio and Scorsese's highest-grossing collaboration to date, easily beating The Aviator´s previous record of US$213.7 million.^[44] DiCaprio's performance in The Departed was applauded by critics and earned him a Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor. The same year, both the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild nominated DiCaprio twice in the Best Actor category for both of his 2006 features, and in addition, DiCaprio earned his third Academy Award nomination for Blood Diamond.

2008–present[link]

In 2008, DiCaprio starred in Body of Lies, a spy film based on the novel of the same name by David Ignatius, set in context of the Middle East and the War on Terror, unfolding the story of three men battling a terrorist organization, and each other.^[45] Directed by Ridley Scott and co-starring Russell Crowe and Vince Colosimo, DiCaprio dyed his hair brown and wore brown contacts for the role, which he chose to pursue because he considered it a throwback to political films in the 1970s such as The Parallax View (1974) and Three Days of the Condor (1975).^[45] The film received mixed reviews from critics,^[46] and at a budget of US$67.5 million, became a moderate box office success, grossing US$115 million worldwide.^[47]

DiCaprio at a charity event in March 2009.

The same year, DiCaprio reunited with Kate Winslet to film the drama Revolutionary Road (2008), directed by Winslet's then-husband Sam Mendes. As both actors had been reluctant to make romantic films similar to Titanic, it was Winslet who suggested that both should work with her on a film adaptation of the 1961 novel of the same name by Richard Yates after reading the script by Justin Haythe, knowing that plot had little in common with the 1997 blockbuster.^[48] Once DiCaprio agreed to do the film, it went almost immediately into production.^[49] He noted that he saw his character as "unheroic" and "slightly cowardly" and that he was "willing to be just a product of his environment."^[50] Portraying a couple in a failing marriage in the 1950s, DiCaprio and Winslet watched period videos promoting life in the suburbs to prepare themselves for Revolutionary Road, which earned them favorable reviews.^[51] For his portrayal DiCaprio garnered his seventh nomination from the Golden Globes.

DiCaprio continued his run with Scorsese in the 2010 psychological thriller film Shutter Island (2010), based on the 2003 novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane. Co-starring Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo and Michelle Williams in supporting roles, the actor played U.S. Marshal Edward "Teddy" Daniels, who is investigating a psychiatric facility located on an island and comes to question his own sanity. With US$41 million, the film opened at number-one at the box office, giving both DiCaprio and Scorsese their best box office opening yet.^[52]

Also in 2010, DiCaprio starred in director Christopher Nolan's science-fiction film Inception. Inspired by the experience of lucid dreaming and dream incubation,^[53] DiCaprio portrays the character of Dom Cobb, an "extractor" who enters the dreams of others to obtain information that is otherwise inaccessible.^[54] Cobb is promised a chance to regain his old life in exchange for planting an idea in a corporate target's mind.^[55] DiCaprio, the first actor to be cast in the film,^[56] was "intrigued by this concept — this dream-heist notion and how this character's gonna unlock his dreamworld and ultimately affect his real life."^[57] Released to critical acclaim, the film grossed over US$21 million on its opening day, with an opening weekend gross of US$62.7 million.^[58]

In 2011, DiCaprio starred in Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar, a biopic about J. Edgar Hoover, the controversial first director of the FBI. He was also cast in the title role in Oliver Stone's film Travis McGee, in which he is expected to play a salvage consultant who helps his clients to recover lost property, and is attached to star as a father who kidnaps and tortures the man who kidnapped his daughter in the thriller Prisoners.^[59] In addition, DiCaprio is said to be involved in the pre-production of Ridley Scott's projects The Wolf of Wall Street and Brave New World, Marc Forster's The Chancellor Manuscript and the biopic Sinatra, a film about Frank Sinatra to be directed by Martin Scorsese.^[59] In July 2010, it was announced that DiCaprio had pulled out of a Viking movie to be directed by Mel Gibson amid controversy over Gibson's rage-fueled rant tapes and domestic violence probe.^[60] On November 1, 2010, it was announced that DiCaprio's production company had acquired the rights to the Erik Larson novel, The Devil in the White City.^[61] The novel tells the true story of Dr. H. H. Holmes, a serial killer responsible for the death of hundreds of women during the Chicago World's Fair.^[62] It has also been announced that DiCaprio will star in the film, playing the role of serial killer H. H. Holmes.^[63] He was also cast in the role of Jay Gatsby in Baz Luhrmann's upcoming adaptation of the novel The Great Gatsby.^[64]

On November 19, 2010, it was announced that DiCaprio will produce and star in the upcoming 2013 movie based on the book Legacy of Secrecy by Lamar Waldron and Thom Hartmann. The storyline examines how, in the early 1960s, the combined forces of the Central Intelligence Agency and the Mafia conspired to initiate and execute the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.^[65] DiCaprio is expected to play FBI informant Jack Van Laningham. The book asserts that Mafia godfather Carlos Marcello confessed to Van Laningham that he had ordered JFK's assassination, while the CIA and the Mafia were conspiring together to try to assassinate Fidel Castro. After the assassination, as part of a dangerous and long-secret undercover operation, the FBI positioned Van Laningham to become a confidant to Marcello, who ruled organized crime in Louisiana and most of Texas for decades.

DiCaprio will star as villainous Calvin Candie in the upcoming Quentin Tarantino film, Django Unchained.^[66] Principal photography started in California, Wyoming, and Louisiana in the first few months of 2012.^[67][68][69] He will reunite with Scorsese for the fifth time in The Wolf of Wall Street, a true story based on the life of stockbroker Jordan Belfort, who was arrested in the late 1990s for security fraud and money laundering.^[70][71]

Personal life[link]

DiCaprio is a close friend of actor Tobey Maguire, whom he met while auditioning for the Parenthood series in 1990, and is a longtime friend of both fellow actors Kevin Connolly and Lukas Haas,^[72] and Titanic and Revolutionary Road co-star Kate Winslet. He was a childhood friend of Christopher Pettiet.^[73]

DiCaprio at the red carpet at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.

His romantic relationships have been widely covered in the media.^[74] DiCaprio dated model Kristen Zang on-and-off for several years, and British model and socialite Emma Miller.^[75] In 2001, he met Brazilian model Gisele Bündchen with whom he had an on-and-off relationship until their separation in 2005. DiCaprio began a relationship with model Bar Refaeli in November 2005 after meeting her at a Las Vegas party thrown for members of U2.^[76] In the course of their trip to Israel in March 2007, the couple met with Israeli president Shimon Peres and visited Refaeli's hometown of Hod HaSharon.^[77] The relationship was on hold for a period of six months starting in June 2009; in early 2010, the romance was rekindled.^[78][79] In May 2011, it was reported that the couple had ended their romantic relationship, although still remaining friends.^[80] In August 2011, it was reported that he was in a relationship with actress Blake Lively since mid-May.^[81][82] They ended their relationship in October 2011.^[83]

DiCaprio owns a home in Los Angeles and an apartment in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan. In 2009, he bought an island in Belize on which he is planning to create an eco-friendly resort. He also owns an apartment in Riverhouse, an eco-friendly building overlooking the Hudson River in Manhattan.^[84]

In 2005 DiCaprio's face was seriously injured when Aretha Wilson, a model, hit him over the head with a broken bottle at a Hollywood party. After pleading guilty in 2010, Wilson was sentenced to prison for two years.^[85]

Environmental activism and philanthropy[link]

A committed environmentalist, DiCaprio has received praise from environmental groups for his activism.^[3] In the past,^[86] he has opted to fly on commercial flights instead of chartering private jets, he owns an electric Tesla Roadster,^[87] Fisker Karma plug in hybrid,^[88][89] and a Toyota Prius.^[90] He has also installed solar panels on his house.^[3] In an interview with Ukula about his film the 11th Hour, DiCaprio cited global warming as "the number-one environmental challenge."^[91]

At the 2007 Oscar ceremony, DiCaprio and former Vice President Al Gore appeared to announce that the Academy Awards had incorporated environmentally intelligent practices throughout the planning and production processes, thus affirming their commitment to the environment, and on July 7, 2007, DiCaprio presented at the American leg of Live Earth. In 2010, his environmental work earned DiCaprio a nomination for the VH1 Do Something Award. The awards show, produced by VH1, is dedicated to honoring people who do good and is powered by Do Something, an organization that aims to empower and inspire young people.^[92]

In 1998, DiCaprio and his mother donated $35,000 for a "Leonardo DiCaprio Computer Center" at the Los Feliz branch of the Los Angeles Public Library, the site of his childhood home. It was rebuilt after the 1994 Northridge earthquake and opened in early 1999.^[93] During the filming of Blood Diamond, DiCaprio worked with 24 orphaned children from the SOS Children's Village in Maputo, Mozambique, and was said to be extremely touched by his interactions with the children.^[94] In 2010, he donated $1,000,000 to relief efforts in Haiti after the earthquake.^[95]

During the 2004 Presidential election, DiCaprio campaigned and donated to John Kerry's presidential bid. FEC showed DiCaprio gave $2300 to Barack Obama's presidential campaign in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, the maximum contribution an individual can give in an election cycle.^[96]

In November 2010, DiCaprio donated $1,000,000 to the Wildlife Conservation Society at Russia's tiger summit. DiCaprio arrived late after two near-miss flights, causing Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to describe him as a "muzhik" or "real man".^[97][98] In 2011, DiCaprio joined the Animal Legal Defense Fund's campaign to free Tony, a tiger who has spent the last decade at the Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete, Louisiana.^[99]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Leonardo DiCaprio

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Leonardo DiCaprio

• Official website
• Leonardo DiCaprio at the Internet Movie Database
• Leonardo DiCaprio at People.com

Alec Mazo (born April 5, 1978) is a Russian-born American professional ballroom dancer based in San Francisco. He became known for his participation in the American edition of the reality television series Dancing with the Stars, the first season of which he won with partner Kelly Monaco.

Early life and education[link]

Mazo, who is of Russian Jewish descent, has been dancing since he was five years old, and at age twelve, moved from Russia to San Antonio, Texas, and later to San Francisco, where his former engineer mother, Natasha, began a dance school. Mazo began studying dancing there at 16 in order to improve his socialization skills with girls, and to ease his back problems. He later studied computer science, and then cognitive science at the University of California at Berkeley, in the hopes of one day becoming a dance teacher.^[1]

Mazo worked as the CFO of the Genesis Dance Sport studio in San Francisco. Expanding the studio into Los Angeles has been one of his goals.^[1] He has one brother, Genya, who's also a ballroom dancer and has performed on the Dancing with the Stars tour. Alec Mazo is married to Dancing With The Stars costar and professional dancer Edyta Sliwinska.

Career[link]

Mazo appeared in the 1998 movie Dance With Me. Mazo turned professional shortly before producers of Dancing with the Stars began their search for dancers to star on the show.^[1]

Mazo won the first season of Dancing with the Stars with his partner, Kelly Monaco.

Mazo returned to the ballroom on March 19 for Season 4, this time partnered with former supermodel Paulina Porizkova, but were the first couple eliminated.^[2] Despite being eliminated first, Paulina along with Shandi Finnessey (Who was eliminated the very next week). Both hold a higher average than celebrities who lasted longer than them.

Mazo appeared on the fifth season of Dancing with the Stars. Mazo and his partner, supermodel Josie Maran, were eliminated on September 26, 2007, after the first week of competition, making it the second time in a row he was eliminated first.

Mazo competed for the title with partner, Grammy Award-winning singer, Toni Braxton in Season 7 of Dancing with the Stars.^[3] After six dances, Braxton and Mazo became the fifth couple to be eliminated from the season.

In Season 9, Mazo was paired with Olympic swimmer, Natalie Coughlin. They were the fifth couple to be eliminated despite relatively good scores and received a standing ovation from the crowd and judges.

[edit] Dancing with the Stars performances

With celebrity partner Kelly Monaco: 23.0

With celebrity partner Paulina Porizkova: 20.0

With celebrity partner Josie Maran: 16.0

With celebrity partner Toni Braxton: 22.6

With celebrity partner Natalie Coughlin: 22.5

References[link]

External links[link]

• Alec Mazo.com Official Website
• Alec Mazo - Alec's Myspace
• Group site for Dancing with the Stars Contestants Alec Mazo & Josie Maran
• Alec Mazo at the Internet Movie Database

Petra Němcová
Němcová in 2007
Born	Petra Němcová (1979-06-24) 24 June 1979 (age 32) Karviná, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic)[1]
Height	1.78 metres (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Hair color	Brown[1]
Eye color	Hazel[1]
Measurements	33B-24-34 (US) 84-61-86.5 (EU)[1]
Weight	117 pounds (53 kg)
Manager	Next Model Management: New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Paris, and Milan; Unique One, Mikas, View Management
Website
http://www.petranemcova.org

Petra Němcová (Czech pronunciation: [ˈpɛtra ˈɲɛmtsovaː]; born 24 June 1979 in Karviná, Czechoslovakia, now Czech Republic) is a Czech model, television host, author, and philanthropist. She is the founder and chair of the Happy Hearts Fund. In December 2004, she was injured in Thailand by a tsunami resulting from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake; her fiancé, photographer Simon Atlee, was killed in the tsunami.

Early life[link]

Petra Němcová was born June 24, 1979 in Communist Czechoslovakia. She grew up in Karvina with her sister Olga. As a child she was teased at school for sharing her name with the famous Czech author Bozena Němcová. She was scouted on the streets of Prague by "Next Model Management". Upon signing with the renowned agency Němcová moved to Milan.

Career[link]

Modeling[link]

Petra Němcová was scouted walking through the streets in Prague. In 1995 she won the Czech Elite Model Look. Upon signing with Next Models, Němcová moved to Milan where her career flourished. She was featured in campaigns for Benetton, Bulgari Sunglasses, Cartier, Clarins, Cortefiel, Dirk Bikkembergs, Fortunoff, Graff, HP Intel Personal Computer, HS, Intimissimi, John Lewis, Lancaster, La Perla, La Senza, Maidenform, Max Factor, Pantene Pro-V, Passport, Playtex, Rampage, Schwarzkopf, Victoria's Secret, and Wild Orchid. Additionally, she has appeared on the covers of Madame Figaro, Elle, Shape, Cosmopolitan, Flare, Vegas, Glamour, FHM, and Sports Illustrated. From 2000 to 2004, she has walked for designers Lolita Lempicka, Gai Mattiolo Erreuno, Matthew Williamson, Custo Barceloa, Blunauta, Dirk Bikkembergs, Gugliemo Cappone, Luciano soprani, Marina Babini,Yumi Katsura, Akadius, and Michino Koshino.^[2]

Němcová was featured on the cover of the 2003 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and appeared in the 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 editions.^[1] In addition to working with world class photographers on her Sports Illustrated shoots, she was the object/subject of Joanne Gair's body painting work.^[3]

Petra is currently signed to Mikas in Stockholm, View Management in Barcelona, Unique One in Prague, and "Next Model Management" in London, Paris, Milan, New York, Miami, and Los Angeles.

Television[link]

In 2001, the up-and-coming model appeared on British television series Absolutely Fabulous.^[4] On 3 June 2004, she was one of the telecast judges during the 53rd annual Miss Universe competition in Quito, Ecuador. In 2007, she was the host of TLC's A Model Life. On 7 July 2007 she was a presenter at the American leg of Live Earth and appeared in the music video "Misfit" by American indie group Elefant.^[1] She is currently working with HP computers to produce a multi-million dollar TV and web campaign.^[5]

She was a contestant on season 12 of Dancing with the Stars and her professional dance partner was Dmitry Chaplin.^[6][7] She was voted off in the 5th week of the competition and came in 8th place. Dancing with the Stars performances:

Other Ventures[link]

In 2005, Němcová released her autobiography Love Always, Petra (ISBN 0446579130) published December 2005, which tells of her early life under Communist rule in Czechoslovakia, her entrance into the field of fashion and modeling, and her breakthrough into Sports Illustrated, which was her springboard to becoming a supermodel. She also tells of her life with Simon Atlee and how they fell in love and became engaged to marry.

In 2008, Němcová partnered with New York agency Aglow Properties to sell two apartments around the $25 million mark.^[8]

Personal life[link]

Němcová speaks Czech, Slovak, Polish, English, French and Italian. In December 2010, she became engaged to English actor Jamie Belman.^[9] In April 2012, it was announced that Němcová and Belman had ended their engagement.^[10]

In February 2007, Němcová became a vegan and gave up meat and dairy in order to 'help save ocean life.'^[11]

2004 Tsunami[link]

During the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, Němcová was at the Khao Lak resort in Thailand with her main photographer and fiancé, Simon Atlee, when the tsunami struck where they were staying. Initially, Atlee was presumed missing, but his body was found and identified on March 3, 2005, on the shores of Sumatra (near the epicenter of the earthquake that caused the tsunami).^{[citation needed]}

Atlee had drowned, and Němcová suffered a broken pelvis and serious internal injuries, but she managed to hold onto the top of a palm tree, reportedly for eight hours, until she was rescued by Thai civilians and airlifted to an inland hospital nearby.^[12] Němcová spent three weeks in a Thai hospital, and then flew home to the Czech Republic, where she spent an additional three weeks in the hospital. Němcová's first interview after her near-death experience was with Diane Sawyer on ABC's Primetime Live, on March 9, 2005. She has also spoken of her experiences on the Larry King Live program on CNN.

Philanthropy[link]

In 2005, Němcová created the Happy Hearts Fund (HHF), a charitable organization and campaign formed after her survival and recovery from the Tsunami of 2004. When Němcová returned to Thailand a few months after the tsunami, she witnessed families without homes, children without parents and entire communities swept away. She was most affected by the children and sought to figure out a way to help them rebuild their lives and bring back hope and opportunity. Unsatisfied with the response of organizations that were unable to specify which children, or even which country, would benefit, Němcová set out to create her own entity and structured it so that all administrative costs would be underwritten, thereby ensuring that 100% of all donations received would be directed to children's programming.^[13] She also helped in the recovery efforts of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 with HHF.

On 12 November 2007 Němcová visited Haiti alongside Haitian-born musician Wyclef Jean as part of a charity-sponsored event. The inauguration of a computer lab and an eatery in the slums of Port-au-Prince were funded and sponsored by Jean's Yéle Haïti Foundation and Němcová's Happy Hearts Fund.^[14]

On December 15, 2009, Němcová and HHF Executive Director Phillip Caputo launched the "Bring Happiness Back!" campaign at the United Nations to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami. That same day, Němcová and Caputo also participated in the closing bell ceremonies at NASDAQ where the "Bring Happiness Back!" Campaign was also highlighted.^[15]

In 2008 she went with Happy Hearts Fund to Peru to help children who were affected by the 2007 Peru earthquake.

Glamour magazine awarded Němcová a "Survivor Award" in 2005 for her charity work following her tsunami ordeal.

In November 2011, Petra was appointed as Honorary Consul from the Czech Republic to Haiti by the government of Haiti.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Petra Němcová

• Official website
• Happy Hearts Fund
• Petra Nemcova at the Fashion Model Directory
• Petra Němcová at the Internet Movie Database

Angela Lindvall
Angela Lindvall Planting Bamboo Seedlings in Bali, Indonesia
Born	Angela Lindvall (1979-01-14) January 14, 1979 (age 33) Midwest City, Oklahoma
Ethnicity	Caucasian
Height	5'11" (180 cm)
Hair color	dark blonde
Eye color	blue
Measurements	34-24.5-35 (86-62-89cm)
Spouse	William Edwards (2002?-June 2006, divorced)

Angela Lindvall (born January 14, 1979) is an American model and occasional actress.

Biography[link]

Career[link]

Lindvall was born in Midwest City, Oklahoma to Randall Lindvall, a pharmacist, and Laura Rasdall, a medical technologist and massage therapist. She was raised in Lee's Summit, Missouri and attended Lee's Summit High School. She grew 3 inches from the ages of 13 to 14, and her friends suggested that she try modeling, although it was her sister, Michelle, who wanted to be a model. While doing a local Kansas City fashion show, at age 14, a talent scout spotted her and she signed with IMG.

Lindvall has appeared on the covers of many notable magazines, such as ELLE^[1][2], Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, Numero, Vogue, I-D and W. She walked in the Victoria's Secret fashion shows in 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008,^[3] and has also appeared in the Fendi, Calvin Klein, Christian Dior, Tommy Hilfiger, Jil Sander, Chanel, Versace, Prada, Gap, Jimmy Choo, Iceberg, DKNY, Chloe, Hermes, Valentino, Louis Vuitton, and H&M^[4] campaigns. Off the runway, Lindvall has appeared in commercials for H&M, The Gap, and Victoria's Secret.^[5] She was the face of the Spanish "high-street" store Zara, and was featured in their spring/summer 2007 campaign.^[6] Lindvall has also made appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue^[7].

Lindvall is an ardent environmentalist and is the founder and president of the Collage Foundation,^[8] an organization promoting sustainability and environmentally conscious choices among young people. She was named Best Dressed Environmentalist in 2004 and 2005 by the Sustainable Style Foundation.

Combining her experience in the fashion industry and her passion for the environment, in 2009 she teamed up with Edun Live and "Yoox.xom" to design a line of eco-friendly clothing where all proceeds will be donated to Green Cross International.^[9]

In 2007, during a scouting trip for Alter Eco in Bali,^[10] she visited the John Hardy compound and was inspired by the company's value of environmental sustainability.^[11]

Through a collaboration with John Hardy's Head Designer and Creative Director, Guy Bedarida, she helped to design the Hijau collection.^[12] Of the collaboration, Bedarida comments "She is a mother, she works. She is very real."^[13] All net proceeds from the sale of the Hijau Charity bracelet were donated to Forest Ethics.^[14]

In 2010, she left IMG and signed on with modeling agency, Women Management. Following this, she also renewed her contract with Jimmy Choo^[15][16] and signed a contract to become the face of John Hardy,^[17] appearing in all of the company's advertising campaigns between Fall 2010 and Fall 2011. Lindvall partnered with Bedarida again in early 2011 to create the Hijau Dua collection. A continuation of the Hijau collection, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Hijau Dua pieces were donated to the planting of bamboo seedlings in Bali. In October 2011 Lindvall started her own line with John Hardy called Angela by John Hardy. Currently sold on QVC, the collection is inspired by Lindvall’s travels and interest in ancient cultures.

Film[link]

As an actress, Lindvall has appeared in CQ (2001), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) and the horror film, Murder World (2009) where she starred alongside Scout Taylor-Compton. She can also be seen in the DKNY promotional films New York Stories (2003) and DKNY Road Stories (2004).

Television[link]

In 2011 she appeared in the TV series Hawaii Five-O. In August 2011 Lifetime Television announced that Lindvall was the host of the new fashion reality series “Project Runway: All Stars”, an extension of the popular series “Project Runway.”

Personal life[link]

In 2001, Lindvall went on vacation to Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands. There she met South African diver, William Edwards. She gave birth in February 2002 to her son William Dakota and married Edwards that year. Edwards and Lindvall had a son together in May 2005 named Sebastian. The couple divorced in June 2006.

Lindvall is the older sister of the late model Audrey Lindvall. On August 2, 2006, Audrey, an IMG model, who had appeared with Lindvall in an Ann Taylor magazine advertisement, was killed by a fuel tanker while riding her bicycle. ^[18]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Angela Lindvall at the Fashion Model Directory
• Angela Lindvall at the Internet Movie Database