While vacationing in the Caribbean with friends and his girlfriend, DiCaprio’s yacht received a Mayday call: a 24-year-old French crew member had fallen off a cruise ship near St. Martin and was drifting in the water.

The man had been treading water for 11 hours, was severely dehydrated, and the weather was deteriorating.

DiCaprio and his boat crew diverted to search, located him near Saba Island, hauled him aboard, gave him food, clothing, and water, and then turned him over to the coast guard.

DiCaprio was walking his dog along the Hudson River when he came across an elderly couple who seemed lost. He pulled out his phone, showed them directions, pointed the way, and helped them get where they were going.

In the story of Gemma Nuttall, a young mum diagnosed with cancer: Kate Winslet and DiCaprio helped raise funds via a special event / fundraiser. A dinner with “Jack and Rose” (referencing their Titanic characters) was auctioned off, among other efforts, to help Gemma get treatment. This kind of act is more personal as it directly helps one person in need.

While filming Blood Diamond in Africa, Leonardo DiCaprio quietly donated money to build a well in a village, intending to leave the location “better than they found it.” This was done with an intention to help that local community in a tangible way, not just as a large distant contribution.

In 1998, he founded the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, which has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to protect endangered species, marine conservation, and combating climate change. For example, he donated $3 million to save tigers in Nepal and $7 million for ocean conservation.

In 2004, after the Indian Ocean tsunami, he personally gave $1 million to the relief fund. Later, in 2010, he also donated $1 million to earthquake relief in Haiti.