With the number of award shows Irmelin Indenbirken has attended in her life, you’d easily assume she is an entertainer of some sort. All thanks to her son, Leonardo DiCaprio, she is even as famous as he.
Irmelin Indenbirken is the dotting mother of the famous American actor, Leonardo DiCaprio. She sacrificed a lot for him while he was growing up and she has been credited with being the most supportive woman in his life.
The 81–year-old woman is still very involved in her son’s life to date. There seems to be nothing going on in the life of the 49–year-old actor that she doesn’t know about.
Here are 10 Interesting Things about Irmelin Indenbirken That Would Fascinate You
1. She was born in an Air Raid Shelter During the Second World War
Irmelin Indenbirken was born in February 1943 in a German village called Oer-Erkenschwick. She was born during the heat of the Second World War and her parents are known to be Wilhelm Idenbirken and Helene Smirnov.
Her exact birth place was an air raid shelter in the village and from her birth, she and her family suffered. There was a lot of chaos and bombing going on around them at the time.
While barely 12 years old, her family immigrated to America in the year 1955. Upon their arrival in the United States, Irmelin and her family stayed in a local German settlement. After spending 30 years in America, Helene and her husband, Indenbirken’s father returned to Germany.
Her mother, unfortunately, died in August 2008 at a very old age. She however got to see her grandson become famous and celebrated. Helene even attended the filming of Titanic with her daughter and grandson.
2. Young Irmelin Indenbirken Spent Her first Two Years on Earth in the Hospital
Apart from being born during the war, Leonardo’s mother suffered greatly as a child. Her mother revealed that she first got admitted for breaking her leg. Afterward, she got bad infections that caused her to suffer from severe malnutrition.
Leonardo even admitted that his mother was very skinny as he saw in old pictures. Irmelin reportedly had worms filled in her stomach during this period. All these illnesses contributed to her spending about 2 years in the hospital.
3. Leonardo DiCaprio’s Mother met His Father while Working as a Secretary
Former miss Indenbirken, at a young age, got a job at a legal firm working as a secretary. In fact, a report has it that she met her husband, George in City College while studying to be a secretary in 1963. George DiCaprio was a comic book distributor but that’s not all his resume states.
Irmelin’s then-husband is also known as an American writer, editor, publisher, and former performance artist. He was also close friends with Allen Ginsberg and members of The Velvet Underground.
The couple soon became an item and two years after meeting, they got married. Their marriage lasted for about a decade but they only welcomed their son a year before the marriage crashed.
4. Irmelin Indenbirken and Dicaprio’s Marriage Crashed in About a Decade
The exact reason why Irmelin Indenbirken and DiCaprio George’s marriage did not last was not given. However, up until the birth of their son, they seemed to have been in a good place.
The couple, while expecting Leonardo DiCaprio, went on a trip and visited Florence in 1974. While there, they visited the Uffizi Gallery and this was where they got the inspiration for the name of their son.
Leonardo’s mother said that while she gazed upon a painting by Leonardo da Vinci, the baby in her womb kicked. This was a sign, both parents believed, and so decided to name their son Leonardo. He however still has a German name as he was named after his maternal grandfather Wilhelm.
The marriage ended in 1975 when their son was just about a year old. They however never made him feel like he was from a broken home.
5. Leonardo is Irmelin Indenbirken DiCaprio’s Only Child
The 49–year-old Oscar award-winning actor is the only child of his mother. This is no surprise because if you’ve followed Leo’s life closely, you’ll notice a very close bond. Mother and son seem almost joined to the hips most times and seeing the relationship they share are heartwarming.
Growing up, both parents dedicated their lives to caring for their only son. Even with their split, George and his ex-wife still got houses adjacent to each other and shared a backyard. This was because they did not want their son to grow up without either of them.
After him, there has been no record of any other child for either of his parents. Leonardo himself has confirmed that he was an only child. He stated that though that was an advantage and he was a spoilt brat, he was well-grounded and never rebellious.
6. Leonardo’s Mother, Irmelin Indenbirken’s Got into a Relationship with David Ward
David Ward is the father-in-law of Patrick Carney, the Black Keys band drummer. He and Irmelin were set on a blind date by their kids, Emily Ward and Leo. Since the summer of 2012, the couple has been together. There have been several photos of them enjoying their time together in the public even.
George DiCaprio has also been in a long-term relationship with his second wife Peggy Ann Farrar. He and Peggy got married in 1995 and have been together ever since. He is even stepfather to her son, Adam who she had from a relationship before him.
7. While Talking about Leonardo’s Successes, Her Name always Pops Up
With all the sacrifices Irmelin DiCaprio made for her son, Leonardo, it is no surprise that he brags about her a lot. He has been seen having her as his date to a lot of his award shows and gala shows.
The reason for his numerous praises of his mother dates back to his childhood. Going down memory lane, it is imperative to know that Irmelin supported and encouraged her son’s decisions always.
She is credited for doing amazing stuff for her son like applying for a scholarship at Seeds Elementary School. The school was located on the university campus of UCLA. From elementary school, her son got to enroll at the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies.
While Leo studied at this school, his mother would drive 3 hours daily to take him to school and back. Although they lived in a rough neighborhood, she made sure her son enjoyed the good things of life.
From when he was 12 and decided he wanted to become an actor, Irmelin had been solidly behind him. She guided and protected her son even when he was already a big shot. Indenbirken even served as his manager while he was starting out and has also been seen protecting him from paparazzi at red carpet events.
8. Rumor has it that She is the Reason her Son Remained Unmarried for Years
With how close the Titanic actor is to his mother, he is easily referred to as a mummy’s boy. This title certainly doesn’t bother the Romeo and Juliet actor but you can’t say the same for his girlfriends.
It has been carried around that she is a huge determinant when it comes to Leo’s girlfriends. Although the Revenant actor denies this, certain reports have stated that she has had more than a thing to say about the women he has been with.
Leonardo DiCaprio has dated other celebrities such as actress Blake Lively, singer and songwriter Rihanna, and Israeli model Bar Refaeli. Off all the aforementioned, his mother had a rapport with the last of the three.
Irmelin Indenbirken has even stated that she is tired of her son hooking up with ‘bimbos’ in her words. She wants him to find and settle down with a girl who is befitting of his status.
With her high standard and hopes for her future daughter-in-law, it is sure she won’t allow her son to settle with just any woman.
9. Has DiCaprio’s Mother Been Part of any Movie?
Irmelin Indenbirken has been part of her son’s movies in the past. She not only serves as a guide and manager, she has also featured in a couple of movies with her son. According to her IMDB page, she is even a producer who has the movie The 11th Hour credited to her.
Indenbirken has been in Total Eclipse as the Nun, The Beach as Woman in Bar, and Blood Diamond as Woman at the airport.
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10. Irmelin Indenbirken’s Net Worth
Leonardo DiCaprio’s mother’s net worth has not been specified yet. However, seeing that she has had a couple of movie credits to her name, she should be worth about $500,000 to $1 million.
Her son on the other hand has been in a couple of notable movies that have surely increased his wealth. He is said to have a net worth of $29 million which he has amassed from his active years of being in the entertainment industry.
From his wealth, he bought his mother a house worth $7.1 million. The house once belonged to the Jesse Ferguson of Modern Family and his husband Justin Mitika. Former Mrs. DiCaprio’s son is also into philanthropy and a clear example is him recently sending a huge amount of money to Ukraine.
Being a devoted, loving, dotting, and sacrificial mother has gotten Irmelin Indenbirken a lot of accolades. She has been part of her son’s success stories and enjoys the benefits of it.
Just like a lot of celebrity parents, she is well known and celebrated today for being instrumental to the fame of her son, Leonardo.
