Leonardo DiCaprio went from competent actor to superstar with his portrayal of Jack Dawson, the third-class passenger who sails on the Titanic, in the 1997 blockbuster that broke box office records. Since his days as a teen idol, he has teamed up with the director Martin Scorsese in four films. A committed environmentalist, he campaigns against global warming through his own foundation. Leonardo DiCaprio is 35 today. RGT
Birthdays today
Harry Bramma, director, Royal School of Church Music, 1989-1998, 73; Lord Carr of Hadley, Home Secretary, 1972-74, 93; Rear-Admiral Sir Nigel Cecil, Lieutenant- Governor, Isle of Man, 1980-85, 84; Jonathan Fenby, Editor, The Observer, 1993-95, 67; Demi Moore, actress, 47; Cristina Odone, deputy editor, The New Statesman, 1998-2004, 49; James Roose-Evans, theatre director and writer, 82; Richard Rowe, racehorse trainer, 50; June Whitfield, actress, 84; Lord Wolfson, chairman, Great Universal Stores, 1981-96, 82.