Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Rafael Phoenix (born Joaquin Rafael Bottom on October 28, 1974) is an American actor known for playing dark, unconventional, and eccentric characters in independent films. Widely described as one of the preeminent actors of his generation, he has earned numerous accolades throughout his career, including an Academy Award, an Actor Award, a BAFTA Award, a Grammy Award, a Volpi Cup, and two Golden Globes.

Phoenix was born in the Río Piedras district of San Juan, Puerto Rico, to John Lee Bottom and Arlyn "Heart" Bottom. He is the middle child of five siblings—River, Rain, Liberty, and Summer—who all engaged in acting. During his early childhood, his family traveled throughout the Caribbean and South America as missionaries for the Children of God cult before leaving the group in 1977 and changing their surname to Phoenix. At age three, after witnessing fish being stunned against a boat, Phoenix and his family converted to veganism.

Beginning his acting career in television series in the early 1980s alongside his brother River, Phoenix initially performed under the name Leaf Phoenix. He made his feature film debut in SpaceCamp (1986), followed by roles in Russkies (1987) and Ron Howard's Parenthood (1989). After taking a hiatus to travel in Mexico, he reverted to his birth name. Following the death of his brother River in 1993, Phoenix returned to screen acting, earning critical acclaim in To Die For (1995) before appearing in U Turn (1997), Inventing the Abbotts (1997), Clay Pigeons (1998), and 8mm (1999).

Phoenix gained widespread global recognition in 2000 for portraying Roman Emperor Commodus in Ridley Scott's historical epic Gladiator, earning his first Academy Award, Golden Globe, and BAFTA nominations for Best Supporting Actor. That same year, he starred in The Yards and Philip Kaufman's Quills, winning the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award and National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor for his combined work. His subsequent roles included Buffalo Soldiers (2001), M. Night Shyamalan's Signs (2002) and The Village (2004), the animated feature Brother Bear (2003), and Hotel Rwanda (2004).

In 2005, Phoenix portrayed musician Johnny Cash in the biographical drama Walk the Line, winning a Grammy Award and a Golden Globe Award, while securing an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Following a sabbatical, he starred in The Master (2012), earning the Volpi Cup for Best Actor and his third Academy Award nomination. He received further acclaim for his performances in Her (2013) and Inherent Vice (2014), and won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for You Were Never Really Here (2017).

Phoenix won the Academy Award for Best Actor for starring as the titular character in Joker (2019), a role he reprised in the 2024 sequel Joker: Folie à Deux. He has also starred in independent and historical works including C'mon C'mon (2021), Beau Is Afraid (2023), Napoleon (2023), and Eddington (2025). Beyond acting, Phoenix is an active animal rights advocate and vegan who supports charitable causes and has produced documentaries focusing on global meat consumption and its environmental impact.