Leo's father, George, a former street performer, was once into underground comics and now manages the young actor's career. His stepmother — George's wife, Peggy — is an aerobics instructor and bodybuilder. And his stepbrother, Adam Ferrar, a former soldier who served during Operation Desert Storm, is a one-time child actor and a budding celluloid celebrity himself.

Ferrar described the DiCaprio family when he and Leonardo were growing up as a "California arrangement." The two boys were raised in a poor neighborhood by a clutch of loving, if unconventional, parents.

"When George and I met, we were already divorced," explained Peggy. "So there were no hard feelings. Since George and I live close to Irmaline [DiCaprio's mother], we raised the two kids together. We would split the responsibilities — like 'You pick up the children from school today,' and so on. . . . The kids lived between two homes."

"Leonardo and I spent a lot of time, between his mother and mine, together," said Ferrar, who is three years older than his famous brother, who is 24.

While Ferrar and DiCaprio both had successful careers as child actors, their parents worked hard and put their money in the bank. The family lived what Ferrar calls a "low-income" life.

"Irmaline was a secretary, my mother was an aerobics instructor, and George was involved in underground comics," Ferrar said.

	Leonardo DiCaprio (l.) and Adam Ferrar: the early years.

Ferrar, who just completed his first feature film, says his parents were hardly the pushy, backstage types.

"In our case, it's not true at all," he said. "Our parents invested so much time into us. Not so much material things — not spoiling us with money, but with love."

Peggy DiCaprio says the boys' showbiz careers started by chance. "A neighbor recommended that I take Adam to an agent. And . . . it just took off. The way George and I look at it is that we don't live inside Hollywood, but nearby. So at least we made the best of it."

Ferrar was signed by an agency first. DiCaprio, his brother recalled, "saw what I was doing. He was 2 years old. It took him a while. He saw all the attention I was getting. And obviously we were aware about the money factor. So . . . he followed."

Ferrar saysDiCaprio's fame following "Titanic" has brought them closer together. "It just made me more protective, aware and appreciative of having someone you really care about," he said.

As for reports of heavy partying by the brothers and their pals, Ferrar says the reports are blown out of proportion.

"The only thing they print about us are these drunken, crazy nights in hotels," he said. "That's maybe one night in six months or a year.

"There are a lot of misconceptions," he said. "We — Leonardo and I — going to nightclubs, riding limousines . . . so many misconceptions that I can't think of one."