.png)
Who Is Leonardo DiCaprio's Mom? What to Know About Irmelin Indenbirken
Key Takeaways
Irmelin Indenbirken is Leonardo DiCaprio's mother and his father George DiCaprio's ex-wife.
She was born in Germany in the 1940s, moved to the United States as a child and worked as a legal secretary.
Leo says she drove him to auditions and to a school with better opportunities, and he has thanked her publicly many times.
She and George separated when Leo was about one, but raised him together as neighbours in Los Angeles.
She is a regular on his red carpets, and he is often photographed with her.
She has been by Leonardo DiCaprio's side since long before the Oscars, the Titanic fame and the red carpets. Irmelin Indenbirken, the German-born mother of one of Hollywood's biggest stars, rarely gives interviews, but she is a constant presence in her son's life and one of the few people he regularly thanks in public. With Leo back in the headlines after a star-studded Hawaii wedding weekend, here is what to know about the woman who raised him.
Who Is Irmelin Indenbirken?
Irmelin Indenbirken was born in Oer-Erkenschwick, Germany, during the Second World War. Her family emigrated to the United States in 1955. “Those were hard times,” she told the German magazine Hellweger Anzeiger in 1998. “We emigrated to America in 1955 – not in 1943, as some newspapers have reported,” she added.
How Did Irmelin Indenbirken Meet George DiCaprio?
The two met at college. They married and moved to Los Angeles, where they had their only child, Leonardo, on November 11, 1974. According to a well-known family story, the couple named him after she felt him kick while looking at a Leonardo da Vinci painting in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
Why Did Irmelin Indenbirken and George DiCaprio Split?
They separated when Leo was about one year old. The pair stayed on good terms. They moved into twin cottages with a shared garden in Echo Park so they could raise their son together, and Leo has described his parents as "bohemian". His father later lived with his partner Peggy Farrar and her son, Adam Farrar, whom Leo grew close to.
How Irmelin Indenbirken Supported Leonardo DiCaprio's Career
Irmelin was a hands-on mother. Leo has said that when he told her at 12 that he wanted to be an actor, she drove him to auditions. Accepting his BAFTA in 2015, he credited her with driving him around three hours a day so he could attend a school with better opportunities. He also thanked both of his parents when he accepted the SAG Foundation Actors Inspiration Award that year.
She has also been a visible supporter on the red carpet. He took her to the Golden Globes in 1994, and she attended the premiere of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in 2019. More recently, he has been photographed celebrating Mother's Day with her in Los Angeles and has reportedly spent time with her in Milan alongside his girlfriend, model Vittoria Ceretti.
Is Irmelin Indenbirken Still Close With Leonardo DiCaprio?
Yes, by every public sign. She regularly appears at his side at events, and he has repeatedly credited her for his work ethic.
FAQs
Who is Leonardo DiCaprio's mom? Leonardo DiCaprio's mother is Irmelin Indenbirken, a German-born former legal secretary.
How old is Irmelin Indenbirken? Reports vary between 1943 and 1945 as her birth year, which would put her in her early 80s. No exact birth date has been published.
Is Leonardo DiCaprio's mom German? Yes. She was born in Germany and moved to the United States in 1955.
Are Leonardo DiCaprio's parents still together? No. His parents separated when he was about one year old, but they raised him together as neighbours.
Does Leonardo DiCaprio have siblings? He is his parents' only child. He grew up close to his stepbrother, Adam Farrar, through his father's partner.
Who is Leonardo DiCaprio's dad? His father is George DiCaprio, a comic book writer, publisher and producer.
Comments