Where does grandma dicaprio live? Russian grandmother DiCaprio: the hard life of Elena Stepanovna Smirnova

He reminded me of the famous Perm grandmother.

The picture shows Elena Stepanovna Smirnova with her famous grandson Leonardo DiCaprio.

The picture shows Leonardo DiCaprio with his mother Irmelin DiCaprio, nee Indenbirken and grandmother Elena Indenbirken, nee Smirnova.

The picture shows Leonardo DiCaprio with his grandmother

In one of his interviews, DiCaprio expresses pride in his Russian roots. “I know that if you are considered a“ real man ”in Russia, this is a serious compliment. My grandmother was Russian - Smirnova - and for me she is the embodiment of inner strength and integrity. She went through poverty, war and emigration. Grandmother, grandfather and the rest of their relatives are real strong Russians with a difficult fate that did not break them. I cannot comment on how much I myself am a "real man", but if there is something like that in me, it is from them. And the more I meet people in my life, the more I understand that my Russian grandparents were the most "real". Even during periods of deep lack of money and despair, they had a core and self-esteem, which I now see few in anyone, ”he said in one of his interviews.

The picture shows Leonardo DiCaprio with Vladimir Putin (2010)

In 2010, within the framework of the Tiger Forum, the famous actor met with Vladimir Putin (in those years, the prime minister).

Vladimir Putin and DiCaprio also talked about the actor's Russian roots. “Yes, the name of my ancestors was Smirnov,” said DiCaprio. "Famous surname," Putin said with a smile.
He asked DiCaprio if he spoke Russian. “No, but if my grandmother was here, she would have talked to you in Russian,” the actor said. “I always wanted to bring my grandmother to St. she passed away two years ago. "

The revolution in Russia has scattered many good people around the world. And today it is slowly becoming clear that some Western celebrities have Russian roots. So it happened with the fate of Elena Smirnova. When she left the borders of the Russian Empire, the 3-year-old girl did not even suspect that she would take part in the upbringing of her such famous grandson.

From the Bolsheviks to Europe

Leonardo DiCaprio's grandmother was born as a simple girl - Elena Stepanovna Smirnova - in Odessa. After the revolution, her parents emigrated to Germany. There she married and became Helena Indenbirken. The Second World War found a woman with her husband in Germany too.

The family narrowly escaped reprisals, since the woman's origins at any time could attract the attention of anti-Semites to her. Elena Stepanovna herself recalled these times as the most difficult in her life. Immediately after the war, they moved to live in the United States. And then in 1974 the story of another celebrity began.

Grandmother and grandson bond

It was in this year that her grandson Leonardo was born. She was engaged in his upbringing from the first days. His grandmother always supported him. And for this, Leo is grateful to her even now, many years later.

As DiCaprio himself recalls, Elena Stepanovna was a woman with a strong character. She raised her grandson in healthy severity and stubbornly sought obedience from him. It's just that there are no more difficulties in life that are beyond her power after the Second World War.

Leonardo never forgot about Elena Stepanovna. Even when world fame fell on his shoulders, he regularly visited her or called a woman on the phone. He fully understands that he owes everything he could achieve to his beloved grandmother and the strictness of her upbringing.

Elena Stepanovna died in 2008, when she was 93 years old. Her life was full of sorrows and happiness. But she left behind her grandson, who even now, having worldwide fame, sometimes remembers her with gratitude in an interview.

Did you know about the Russian roots of this great actor?

Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the most famous and talented actors of our time. His filmography includes melodramas, serious films, fantastic action films, and TV shows. The actor was born and raised in the United States, but has repeatedly emphasized that he is proud of his Russian roots.

What was the name of Leonardo DiCaprio's grandmother?

Russian blood in Leonardo came from the maternal side, namely from his grandmother. The name of Leonardo DiCaprio's grandmother is Elena Stepanovna Smirnova. It was under this name that she was born in pre-revolutionary Russia and lived here the first years of her life. By the way, exact information is not known where the Smirnov family was from. There is evidence that Leonardo DiCaprio's Russian grandmother was from Perm. Other sources call the city of Odessa or the Kherson region. However, Leo himself never specified the exact place of her birth, he usually says simply - "from Russia." And although both Odessa and Kherson now belong to Ukraine, his grandmother left the country during the revolution, when these areas were part of the Russian Empire.

After the revolution, Elena's parents immigrated to Germany, where the girl grew up. Here her name was changed in German, and she began to call herself Helen.

When Helen grew up, she married grandfather Leonardo DiCaprio and took her husband's surname - Indenbirken. A girl was born in their family, who was named Imerlin.

The Russian grandmother and grandfather of Leonardo DiCaprio spent the entire Second World War in Nazi Germany. Leaving the country, let alone emigration, was impossible at that time. Helen herself in an interview said that her daughter Imerlin was born in 1943 in a bomb shelter during an air raid. The family miraculously was not subjected to repression by the fascist authorities, because it seems that grandfather Leonardo DiCaprio also had Russian roots. The actor has stated this more than once, saying that he is "not a quarter, but half Russian."

Immigration to the United States and relationship with a grandson

After the end of the war in the early 50s, the family moved to the United States. Here the Indenbirken lived in a community among other German immigrants. According to some sources, Elena Smirnova arrived in America not with her husband, but with a new lover from Italy, but this information is refuted by an interview with Helen herself. She states that she lived with her husband, and in 1985 they decided to return to Germany.

In 1974, a grandson was born in Helen Indenbirken, who was given the name Leonardo. The grandmother took an active part in raising the child and was a very close person to him. Leonardo DiCaprio always speaks with love of his grandmother, as well as the fact that Russian blood flows in his veins. He especially emphasizes that his grandfather was also Russian, that is, he is not a quarter, but a half Russian.

About his grandmother Leonardo DiCaprio also says that he was the most powerful and internally whole person whom he had to meet in his life. Even in difficult times, she could maintain her dignity and inner core, the trials did not frighten her.

Despite the fact that Elena left Russia as a child, he retained the knowledge. Leonardo DiCaprio met with Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin in 2010, during his trip to St. Petersburg. Then, when asked if he spoke Russian, Leo replied that he did not, but his grandmother would gladly chat with the Prime Minister.

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Elena Stepnovna Smirnova, also known as Helen Indenbirken, died in 2008 at the age of 93. However, the memory of her is alive. Leonardo DiCaprio in many interviews notes the grandmother's contribution to the formation of character and, as well as how truthful and honest this man was, what a loving woman she was.

Today they are all world famous actors, directors and producers, but these stars would never have been lit if not for their ancestors - immigrants from Odessa. Most Hollywood actors are proud of their roots, but some choose not to mention their relatives ...

Leonardo DiCaprio never hid the fact that his grandmother, Helen Indenbirken, was known as Elena Stepanovna Smirnova in her girlhood. Most sources call her homeland Odessa, but some indicate the Kherson region of Ukraine. After the revolution, his grandmother and her family emigrated to Germany, where she remained during the Second World War. The mother of the future Hollywood star was born in a bomb shelter during an air raid. Leo inherited his surname from his father with Italian-German roots.

After the end of the war, Elena Stepanovna and her husband moved to the United States. When she had a grandson in 1974, she became the closest person to him and was constantly with him. Leonardo DiCaprio always spoke of his grandmother with great love and respect and often appeared in front of the cameras with her. The actor admired her willpower and was sure that her character was tempered by the trials she experienced in her youth: “ For me, grandmother is the embodiment of inner strength and integrity. She went through poverty, war and emigration. Grandmother, grandfather and other relatives on their part are people with a difficult fate that did not break them". In an interview, DiCaprio has repeatedly stated that it was her upbringing that largely shaped him as a person. He greatly grieved when, in 2008, his beloved grandmother passed away at the age of 93.

Actor, director and producer Sidney Pollack, who won an Oscar for Out of Africa and a nomination for the comedy Tootsie, was also born into an émigré family - both his grandparents and parents were Odessa Jews. But Sydney Pollack himself was born in Indiana and considered himself one hundred percent American. " For me, the long-term emigration of parents from Odessa is exclusively from the field of family traditions", - he said.

It is difficult to suspect Odessa roots from Whoopi Goldberg, but this is really so. Her maternal great-grandmother was also from Odessa, where she lived half of her life. After emigrating to the United States, she settled in New York. The actress has always emphasized that she owes her character to her ancestors: “ All women in my family were strong personalities. They never called themselves feminists, did not utter loud words, but everything that happened within the family happened on their initiative. From them I have inherited the habit of treating all troubles with humor.».

Hollywood star Steven Spielberg, director of Schindler's List, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, does not like to talk about his ancestors and their homeland - due to the dramatic circumstances that forced them to emigrate. The director's maternal grandmother is from Odessa. She and her family left the country during the Holocaust. Although Spielberg does not like to remember these tragic events, he does not deny his roots and admits that borscht was the favorite dish in their family for many years.

The actor Sylvester Stallone is a Sicilian by his father, but his mother was of Franco-Jewish origin with Odessa roots. The family of his grandmother Rosa owned a jewelry store in Odessa. After the revolution, they emigrated first to France and then to the United States. In the mid-1980s. Stallone's mother, with the help of Mikhail Gorbachev, found her relatives in Odessa and visited her homeland. The actor admitted: “ I suddenly felt that I have much more maternal genes than Italian paternal genes.».

There are many immigrant families in Hollywood. ...

Today they are all world famous actors, directors and producers, but these stars would never have been lit if not for their ancestors - immigrants from Odessa.

Most Hollywood actors are proud of their roots, but some choose not to mention their relatives ...

Leonardo DiCaprio with his grandmother

Leonardo DiCaprio with his grandparents


Leonardo DiCaprio with his mother and grandmother
Leonardo DiCaprio never hid the fact that his grandmother, Helen Indenbirken, was known as Elena Stepanovna Smirnova in her girlhood. Most sources call her homeland Odessa, but some indicate the Kherson region of Ukraine. After the revolution, his grandmother and her family emigrated to Germany, where she remained during the Second World War. The mother of the future Hollywood star was born in a bomb shelter during an air raid. Leo inherited his surname from his father with Italian-German roots.





Hollywood star with grandmother

Actor with his Odessa grandmother
After the end of the war, Elena Stepanovna and her husband moved to the United States. When she had a grandson in 1974, she became the closest person to him and was constantly with him. Leonardo DiCaprio always spoke of his grandmother with great love and respect and often appeared in front of the cameras with her. The actor admired her willpower and was sure that her character was tempered by the trials she experienced in her youth: “For me, grandmother is the embodiment of inner strength and integrity. She went through poverty, war and emigration. Grandmother, grandfather and other relatives from their side are people with a difficult fate that did not break them. " In an interview, DiCaprio has repeatedly stated that it was her upbringing that largely shaped him as a person. He greatly grieved when, in 2008, his beloved grandmother passed away at the age of 93.



Actor, director and producer Sidney Pollack, who won an Oscar for Out of Africa and a nomination for the comedy Tootsie, was also born into an émigré family - both his grandparents and parents were Odessa Jews. But Sydney Pollack himself was born in Indiana and considered himself one hundred percent American. “For me, the long-standing emigration of parents from Odessa is exclusively from the field of family traditions,” he said.


Actor, director, producer Sydney Pollack


Hollywood star Whoopi Goldberg
It is difficult to suspect Odessa roots from Whoopi Goldberg, but this is really so. Her maternal great-grandmother was also from Odessa, where she lived half of her life. After emigrating to the United States, she settled in New York. The actress always emphasized that she owes her character to her ancestors: “All women in my family were strong personalities. They never called themselves feminists, did not utter loud words, but everything that happened within the family happened on their initiative. From them I have inherited the habit of treating all troubles with humor. "


Legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg
Hollywood star Steven Spielberg, director of Schindler's List, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, does not like to talk about his ancestors and their homeland - due to the dramatic circumstances that forced them to emigrate. The director's maternal grandmother is from Odessa. She and her family left the country during the Holocaust. Although Spielberg does not like to remember these tragic events, he does not deny his roots and admits that borscht was the favorite dish in their family for many years.


Sylvester Stallone
The actor Sylvester Stallone is a Sicilian by his father, but his mother was of Franco-Jewish origin with Odessa roots. The family of his grandmother Rosa owned a jewelry store in Odessa. After the revolution, they emigrated first to France and then to the United States. In the mid-1980s. Stallone's mother, with the help of Mikhail Gorbachev, found her relatives in Odessa and visited her homeland. The actor confessed: "I suddenly felt that there are much more maternal genes in me than Italian paternal genes."