George Paul DiCaprio (born October 2, 1943) is an American writer, editor, publisher, distributor, and former

performance artist Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

, known for his work in the realm of

underground comix Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books that are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, ...

. DiCaprio has collaborated with

Timothy Leary Timothy Francis Leary (October 22, 1920 – May 31, 1996) was an American psychologist and author known for his strong advocacy of psychedelic drugs. Evaluations of Leary are polarized, ranging from bold oracle to publicity hound. He was "a her ...

and

Laurie Anderson Laurel Philips Anderson (born June 5, 1947), known as Laurie Anderson, is an American avant-garde artist, composer, musician, and film director whose work spans performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and ...

. He is the father of actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

Biography

DiCaprio was born to George Leon DiCaprio and Olga Anne Jacobs. His father was the son of Italian immigrants, Salvatore Di Caprio and Rosina Cassella, and his mother was of German descent. DiCaprio was active in underground comix throughout the 1970s, as a writer, editor, publisher, and distributor.Agard, Chancellor
"Five Things You Need to Know About Leonardo DiCaprio's Dad George,"
''People'' magazine website (Feb. 8, 2016). He is known for such titles as ''Greaser Comics'', ''Forbidden Knowledge'', and ''Cocaine Comix'', collaborating with artists such as

, Pete von Sholly, and Rich Chidlaw. (His own self-publishing imprint was known as Half-Ass Press.) As a distributor in the 1970s and 1980s, he supplied West Coast retailers with underground and independent comics. He was also a

. Comics writer

Harvey Pekar Harvey Lawrence Pekar (; October 8, 1939 – July 12, 2010) was an American underground comic book writer, music critic, and media personality, best known for his autobiographical ''American Splendor'' comic series. In 2003, the series inspired a ...

details a DiCaprio performance in Los Angeles in February 1988 where DiCaprio claimed that he did, "a light show using brine shrimp and worms. I'd hit 'em with cold water and they'd move around and I'd project 'em on a wall magnified. It blew people's minds." DiCaprio played an important role in his son's early career as an actor. He used to screen scripts for him, and was instrumental in getting Leo to portray

Arthur Rimbaud Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (, ; 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism. Born in Charleville, he start ...

in the 1995 film ''

Total Eclipse An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three ce ...

''. Since 2008, DiCaprio works as an executive producer in the film industry, mainly for documentaries and short films; one of his first assignments was as a co-executive producer of the TV series Greensburg, initiated by his son Leonardo. In 2021, he gave his screen debut as Mr. Jack in

Paul Thomas Anderson Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970), also known by his initials PTA, is an American filmmaker. He made his feature-film debut with '' Hard Eight'' (1996). He found critical and commercial success with ''Boogie Nights'' (1997) and received ...

's film ''

Licorice Pizza ''Licorice Pizza'' is a 2021 American comedy drama, comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. It stars Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman in their film debuts, alongside an ensemble supporting cast including Sean Penn, Tom Wait ...

''.

Personal life

DiCaprio met Irmelin Indenbirken (born 1945), a German immigrant, in college; the two later married and moved to Los Angeles. The couple had one son, Leonardo DiCaprio, and divorced shortly after, when Leonardo was a year old. While Leonardo lived mostly with his mother, his parents agreed to live next door to each other so as not to deprive him of his father's presence in his life.

Written works

*''Baloney Moccasins'' (Half-Ass Press, 1970) – features artwork by

* '' Greaser Comics'' #1 (Half-Ass Press, 1971) – stories illustrated by Richard Jaccoma *''Greaser Comics'' #2 (

Rip Off Press Rip Off Press Inc. is a comic book mail order retailer and distributor, better known as the former publisher of adult-themed series like '' The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'' and ''Rip Off Comix'', as well as many other seminal publications from ...

, July 1972) – stories illustrated by Jim Janes * ''Forbidden Knowledge'' #1–2 (

Last Gasp Last Gasp or The Last Gasp may refer to * Last Gasp (publisher) * ''Last Gasp'' (''Inside No. 9''), a TV episode * '' The Last Gasp'', a 2007 album by Impaled * ''The Last Gasp'' (novel) * "Last Gasp" (song) {{dab ...

, 1975, 1978) – edited by DiCaprio & Pete von Sholly, with contributions from Robert Williams, Rich Chidlaw, Matt Golden,

Brent Boates Brent Boates is an American storyboard and visual effects artist. He was nominated at the 61st Academy Awards in the category Best Visual Effects for his work on the film ''Die Hard''. His nomination was shared with Al DiSarro, Richard Edl ...

, Art Vitello, Milt Gray, Jean Paul Laurens, Jim Himes, Icelandic Codpiece Comics Studio, Dennis Ellis, Chris Lane, Warren Greenwood, Doug Hansen, Pete Von X (a.k.a. Pete von Sholly), and Johnny Edgar *'' Arcade: The Comics Revue'' #5 (

Print Mint The Print Mint, Inc. was a major publisher and distributor of underground comix based in the San Francisco Bay Area during the genre's late 1960s-early 1970s heyday. Starting as a retailer of psychedelic posters, the Print Mint soon evolved into ...

, Spring 1976) – "Anthony and the Temptations," illustrated by Justin Green *''Cocaine Comix'' #1-4 (Last Gasp, 1976–1982) – co-edited with Rich Chidlaw; multiple stories written by DiCaprio and illustrated by Chidlaw *''Neurocomics'' (Last Gasp, 1979) – with

, Tim Kummero, and Pete von Sholly * ''Yama Yama/The Ugly Head'' (self-published, 1981) – flip book made in response to

Gary Panter Gary Panter (born December 1, 1950) is an American cartoonist, illustrator, painter, designer and part-time musician. Panter's work is representative of the post- underground, new wave comics movement that began with the end of '' Arcade: The Com ...

and burgeoning punk art scene; Robert Williams illustrated "Yama Yama" while S. Clay Wilson illustrated "The Ugly Head"''Yama Yama / The Ugly Head'' entry
Grand Comics Database. Accessed Oct. 11, 2016. *''Hoo-Bee-Boo'' #1 (1982)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dicaprio, George Leonardo DiCaprio Timothy Leary 1943 births American cartoonists American male writers American people of German descent American performance artists American writers of Italian descent Living people Underground cartoonists 20th-century American artists