Leonardo DiCaprio’s Sweet Words for His Mom as He Wins Best Actor Award

Leonardo DiCaprio gave a shout-out to his mom Irmelin Indenbirkin as he accepted the Best Actor Award for “One Battle After Another” at the National Board of Review in NYC.

Wrapping up his speech, he thanked his mom, who was in the audience.

Leo said, “She believed in me long before there was absolutely any reason to. Driving me to auditions every single day after school. Supporting the dream that started in the movie theaters… This moment only exists because of you. Thank you.”

Earlier in his speech, Leonardo also mentioned how his dad George DiCaprio influenced his career path.

He explained that George took him to the Vista cinema in L.A. when he was just 4 years old to watch the original “King Kong” from 1933.

Leo said, “I remember gazing up at that massive screen completely in awe… As I kept on watching, something shifted in me. Film became an escape from the limits of my surroundings. It wasn’t just entertainment, it was a place to escape my neighborhood. A place where something larger than my own life seemed possible. I would walk out of that theater absolutely buzzing, knowing there was something beyond this world that I was born into, that I had to find a way to be part of it."