George DiCaprio

Last updated
George DiCaprio
Born
George Paul DiCaprio

(1943-10-02) October 2, 1943 (age 81)
New York City, U.S.
Occupation(s)Writer, editor, publisher, distributor; performance artist (former)
Spouses
  • Irmelin Indenbirken
    (m. 1964;div. 1975)
  • Peggy Farrar
    (m. 1995)
Children Leonardo DiCaprio

George Paul DiCaprio (born October 2, 1943) is an American writer, editor, publisher, distributor, and former performance artist, known for his work in the realm of underground comix. DiCaprio has collaborated with Timothy Leary and Laurie Anderson. He is the father of actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

Contents

Biography

DiCaprio was born in New York City 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. [1] [2] [3]

DiCaprio was active in underground comix throughout the 1970s, as a writer, editor, publisher, and distributor. [4] He is known for such titles as Greaser Comics, Forbidden Knowledge, and Cocaine Comix, collaborating with artists such as Laurie Anderson, Pete von Sholly, and Rich Chidlaw.

DiCaprio's first foray into comix came in 1970 with Baloney Moccasins Comics: A Magazine for the Medieval Mind, a politically themed one-shot densely illustrated by Laurie Anderson. [5] The book was released by DiCaprio's short-lived self-publishing imprint (in partnership with R. Jaccoma), Half-Ass Press. [6] (DiCaprio and Jaccoma had been part of a New York City-based firm known as Cloud Studios.) [7]

As a distributor in the 1970s and 1980s, DiCaprio supplied West Coast retailers with underground and independent comics. [8] [9] [10]

DiCaprio was also a performance artist. Comics writer Harvey Pekar details a 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." [11]

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 in the 1995 film Total Eclipse . [4]

Since 2008, DiCaprio has worked 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 , [12]

In 2021, he made his film acting debut, portraying Mr. Jack in Paul Thomas Anderson's film Licorice Pizza . [13]

Personal life

DiCaprio met Irmelin Indenbirken (born 1945), a German immigrant, in college; the two later married and moved to Los Angeles. [2] 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. [14] [4]

Comics

Editor

Writer

As writer unless otherwise indicated [15]

References

  1. "Leonardo DiCaprio's family tree surprise: ancestry like Great Gatsby". The Daily Telegraph. 2013-05-22. Archived from the original on 24 April 2015. Retrieved 2015-01-18.
  2. 1 2 Catalano, Grace (February 1997). Leonardo DiCaprio: Modern-Day Romeo . New York, New York: Dell Publishing Group. pp.  7–15. ISBN   0-440-22701-1.
  3. "Ancestry 1706 (Pedigree Pages)". Hodank Family History Archives. Retrieved 2014-01-08.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Agard, Chancellor (Feb 8, 2016). "Five Things You Need to Know About Leonardo DiCaprio's Dad George". People.
  5. Kennedy, Jay (1982). Official Underground and Newave Comix Price Guide. Boatner Norton. ISBN   978-0960665433.
  6. "Publisher: George DiCaprio". Grand Comics Database. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  7. Estren, Mark James (1977). A History of Underground Comics. San Francisco: Straight Arrow Books. p. 315.
  8. 1 2 "WILLIAM STOUT: It's a Wonderful Life". The Comics Journal, Special Edition. Vol. 3. Interviewed by John Arcudi. Fantagraphics Books. 2003. Stout: 'Yes, Leonardo DiCaprio's father used to distribute all of the underground comix in Los Angeles.'
  9. "Robert Williams Interview". The Comics Journal . No. 161. Interviewed by Steve Ringgenberg. August 1993. p. 54. Williams: 'Now there's a fellow down here in Los Angeles named George DiCaprio, who's the underground distributor for Southern California....'
  10. Ferrer, Adam (February 25, 2020). "Leonardo DiCaprio's Dad Had a Weird Job That Prepared His Son for Success". Showbiz CheatSheet.
  11. Harvey Pekar ( w ), Paul Mavrides  ( a )."The L.A. Performance Scene (as Described by George DiCaprio)" American Splendor ,no. 14(1989).
  12. Lowry, Brian (Jun 11, 2008). "Greensburg". Variety.
  13. "Full Cast and Crew". Licorice Pizza. IMdB.
  14. Green, Jesse (February 12, 1995). "Fresh Blood; Leonardo DiCaprio". The New York Times . Archived from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  15. "Issue Checklist for Creator George Dicaprio". Grand Comics Database. Retrieved Feb 3, 2025.
  16. "Yama Yama / The Ugly Head". Grand Comics Database. Retrieved Oct 11, 2016.