
Biography
Joaquin Rafael Phoenix (; né Bottom; born October 28, 1974) is an American actor. Known for playing dark and unconventional characters in independent films, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Grammy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards. In 2020, he was ranked 12th on the list of the 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century by The New York Times.Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Los Angeles and Florida, Phoenix began his career by appearing in television series in the early 1980s with his brother River. His first major film roles were in SpaceCamp (1986) and Parenthood (1989). During this period, he was credited as Leaf Phoenix, a name he gave himself. He took back his birth first name in the early 1990s and received critical acclaim for his supporting roles in the comedy-drama film To Die For (1995) and the period film Quills (2000). Phoenix received further critical acclaim and nominations for the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the evil emperor Commodus in the historical drama film Gladiator (2000). He had success with the horror films Signs (2002) and The Village (2004), the historical drama Hotel Rwanda (2004), and won a Grammy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of musician Johnny Cash in the biopic Walk the Line (2005). He continued to receive acclaim in two features with his frequent director James Gray; the action thriller We Own the Night (2007) and the romantic drama Two Lovers (2008), before taking a break from acting.In the 2010s, Phoenix returned to acting to critical acclaim. He starred in the psychological drama The Master (2012), winning the Volpi Cup for Best Actor and earning his third Academy Award nomination. He received Golden Globe Award nominations for his roles in the romantic drama Her (2013) and the crime satire Inherent Vice (2014), and won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for his performance in the psychological thriller You Were Never Really Here (2017). Phoenix achieved international stardom and won an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a second Golden Globe Award for his portrayal of the title character in Joker (2019).Phoenix is an animal rights activist. He has been vegan since the age of three and regularly supports charitable causes and has produced several documentaries on global meat consumption and its impact on the environment. He is in a relationship with actress Rooney Mara, with whom he has a son.
Early Life
Joaquin Rafael Bottom was born on October 28, 1974, in the Río Piedras district of San Juan, Puerto Rico, to John Lee Bottom, the founder of a landscape gardening company, and Arlyn "Heart" Bottom (née Dunetz), who was an executive secretary at NBC and whose connection to an agent provided her children with acting work. He is the third of five children, following River (1970–1993) and Rain (born 1972), and preceding Liberty (born 1976) and Summer (born 1978), all of whom have been involved in acting. He also has a half-sister named Jodean (born 1964) from his father's previous relationship. His father was a Catholic from Fontana, California and was of English, German and French ancestry. His maternal grandfather, Meyer Dunetz, was Russian Jewish and his maternal grandmother, Margit Lefkowitz, was Hungarian Jewish; they were both Ashkenazi Jews who resided in New York City. His parents met when his mother was hitchhiking in California and got married less than a year after meeting.Soon after the second child was born, they joined the religious cult called Children of God and started traveling throughout South America and Puerto Rico in the Caribbean as Christian missionaries, where the next two children were born. They eventually grew disillusioned with Children of God and left in 1977, being opposed to the cult's increasingly distorted rules, particularly the practice of flirty fishing. The fifth child was born in Florida where the family settled for a while. It was also around this time they legally adopted the surname Phoenix, inspired by the mythical bird that rises from its own ashes, symbolizing a new beginning. When Phoenix was three, he and his older siblings witnessed fish being killed as the fishermen threw them violently against nails into the wall. This act made the whole family convert to veganism. He also began calling himself "Leaf", having been inspired by spending time outdoors raking leaves and desiring to have a nature-related name like his siblings. Leaf became the name he used before changing it back to his birth name Joaquin at the age of fifteen.In 1979, after Phoenix's father had to stop working because of an old spinal injury, the whole family moved to Los Angeles where the mother met a high-profile child agent named Iris Burton, who got the children into commercials and bit parts on TV. He made his acting debut alongside his brother in the television series Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in the 1982 episode "Christmas Song". He has said of his first time acting:Instantaneous joy. The most enjoyable thing. For some kids, it's the first time they crack a ball or score a goal. For me, it was this. I was eight years old, and I remember the first scene on the TV set so vividly. And I knew that I loved it – the physical sensation; how powerful it was. That's the feeling I've been chasing ever since.In 1984, Phoenix starred opposite River in the ABC Afterschool Special entitled Backwards: The Riddle of Dyslexia, for which they shared a nomination for Best Young Actor in a Family Film Made for Television at the 6th Youth in Film Awards. He also made guest appearances in the Murder, She Wrote episode "We're Off to Kill the Wizard" and individual episodes of The Fall Guy and Hill Street Blues. A year later, Phoenix appeared in the television film Kids Don't Tell. To supplement their income, the kids sang their original songs like "Gonna Make It," written by River, and busked for money in matching yellow shirts and shorts. They also studied dance; Phoenix became an avid break dancer. Phoenix dropped out of high school when he was sent a dead frog in the mail to dissect for his biology studies, which prompted him to discontinue his studies. Dissatisfied with life in Los Angeles, the Phoenixes moved back to Florida, settling in Gainesville.
Filmography
All 78
Movies 63
TV shows 15
Self 14
Producer 6
Narrator 2
Johnny

C'mon C'mon (2021)
Movie
Executive Producer

Gunda (2021)
Movie
Self

Joker: Put on a Happy Face (2020)
Movie
Self

My Darling Vivian (2020)
Movie

Guardians of Life (2020)
Movie
Arthur Fleck

Joker (2019)
Movie
6.37
Charlie Sisters

The Sisters Brothers (2018)
Movie
6.14
Karl

Lou (2018)
Movie
John Callahan

Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot (2018)
Movie
6
Narrator

Dominion (2018)
Movie
Jesus

Mary Magdalene (2018)
Movie
8
Joe

You Were Never Really Here (2017)
Movie
4.33
Executive Producer

The End of Medicine (2017)
Movie
Executive Producer

Across My Land (2017)
Movie
Executive Producer

What the Health (2017)
Movie
5
Himself - Narrator (voice)

Unity (2015)
Movie
Abe Lucas

Irrational Man (2015)
Movie
4.6
Self

Chryskylodon Blues (2015)
Movie
Executive Producer

I Am Dying (2015)
Movie
Larry "Doc" Sportello

Inherent Vice (2014)
Movie
6.23
Actor

Blow Up (2014)
TV show

The Untitled Rick Howard Project (2014)
Movie
Jimmy Emmett

Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart (2014)
Movie
Theodore

Her (2013)
Movie
6.88
Bruno Weiss

The Immigrant (2013)
Movie
6
Freddie Quell

The Master (2012)
Movie
5.67
Joaquin Phoenix

I'm Still Here (2010)
Movie
Leonard Kraditor

Two Lovers (2008)
Movie
6
Bobby Green

We Own the Night (2007)
Movie
6
Ethan Learner

Reservation Road (2007)
Movie
Narrator

Earthlings (2005)
Movie
John R. Cash

Walk the Line (2005)
Movie
5.57
Self

Strength and Honor: Creating the World of 'Gladiator' (2005)
Movie
Self

Deconstructing 'The Village' (2005)
Movie
Jack Morrison

Ladder 49 (2004)
Movie
5.6
Lucius Hunt

The Village (2004)
Movie
5.94
Jack Daglish

Hotel Rwanda (2004)
Movie
3.75
Kenai

Brother Bear (2003)
Movie
7.25
John

It's All About Love (2003)
Movie
Himself / Merrill Hess

Making 'Signs' (2003)
Movie
Ray Elwood

Buffalo Soldiers (2002)
Movie
2
Merrill Hess

Signs (2002)
Movie
7.4
Commodus (Gladiator) (archive footage)

Ultimate Fights from the Movies (2002)
Movie
Self

Good Day Live (2001)
TV show
Coulmier

Quills (2000)
Movie
3.5
Self

Gladiator Games: The Roman Bloodsport (2000)
Movie
Willie Gutierrez

The Yards (2000)
Movie
Commodus

Gladiator (2000)
Movie
6.32
Max California

8MM (1999)
Movie
5.18
Clay

Clay Pigeons (1998)
Movie
Lewis

Return to Paradise (1998)
Movie
Toby N. Tucker

U Turn (1997)
Movie
6
Doug Holt

Inventing the Abbotts (1997)
Movie
Jimmy Emmett

To Die For (1995)
Movie
1
Self - Guest

Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993)
TV show
6

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992)
TV show
5.75
Garry Buckman-Lampkin

Parenthood (1989)
Movie
6.04
Drew Blackburn

Secret Witness (1988)
Movie

LIVE with Kelly and Ryan (1988)
TV show
Danny

Russkies (1987)
Movie
Max

SpaceCamp (1986)
Movie
5.56
Max (as Leaf Phoenix)

Space Camp (1986)
Movie
Doug Roberts

Morningstar/Eveningstar (1986)
TV show
Pagey Fisher

The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1985)
TV show
6.33
Kyle Cleaver

The New Leave It to Beaver (1984)
TV show
Billy Donovan

Murder, She Wrote (1984)
TV show
7
Robby Ellsworth

Backwards: The Riddle of Dyslexia (1984)
Movie
Travis

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1982)
TV show

Hill Street Blues (1981)
TV show
6
Self

60 Minutes (1968)
TV show
6
Self

The Oscars (1953)
TV show

Today (1952)
TV show
Self

4Real
TV show
Arthur Fleck

Joker 2
Movie
Executive Producer

The End of Medicine
Movie
Actor

Polaris
Movie
Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon
Movie
Actor

Disappointment Blvd.
Movie
10
Gallery


















Information
Known for Acting
Gender Male
Birthday 1974-10-28 (47 years old)
Birth name Joaquín Rafael Bottom
Place of birth San Juan, Puerto Rico
Lifestyle Veganism
Religion atheism
Height 1.73-metre, 1.73-meter
Relationships Rooney Mara
Father John Lee Phoenix
Mother Arlyn Phoenix
Siblings Summer Phoenix, Rain Phoenix, Liberty Phoenix, River Phoenix
Relatives Casey Affleck
Citizenships Puerto Rico, United States of America
Residences Hollywood Hills, United States of America
Also known as Leaf Phoenix, Joaquin Rafael Bottom, 華堅·馮力士, Хоакин Феникс, วาคีน ฟินิกซ์, خواكين فينيكس, 호아킨 피닉스, ホアキン・フェニックス, Хоакін Фенікс, Χοακίν Φίνιξ, 杰昆·菲尼克斯, Joaquin Rafael Phoenix , חואקין פיניקס, 华金·菲尼克斯
Awards Screen Actors Guild Award, Grammy Award, BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor, Academy Award for Best Actor, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Golden Globe Award, Volpi Cup for Best Actor

Joaquin Phoenix
Filmography
Information
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