Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix, born Joaquin Rafael Bottom in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on October 28, 1974, is an American actor known for intense, psychologically detailed performances in both independent films and major studio releases. He grew up in a performing family with siblings River, Rain, Liberty, and Summer Phoenix. As a child actor he appeared on television and in films under the name Leaf Phoenix before returning to his birth name as an adult. His early film work included SpaceCamp and Parenthood, and his mature career began to take shape through acclaimed supporting performances in To Die For and Quills.

Phoenix became a major international actor with Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, playing Commodus opposite Russell Crowe. The role earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and established his gift for portraying volatile, wounded, and morally unstable characters without reducing them to caricature. He followed with work in Signs, The Village, Hotel Rwanda, and other films before taking on Johnny Cash in Walk the Line. His performance required extensive musical preparation and brought him a Golden Globe, a Grammy for the soundtrack, and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

After a period of public experimentation around the mockumentary I’m Still Here, Phoenix returned with one of the defining performances of his career in Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master. He won the Volpi Cup at Venice and earned another Oscar nomination. Roles in Her, Inherent Vice, The Immigrant, You Were Never Really Here, C’mon C’mon, Beau Is Afraid, Napoleon, and Eddington continued to show his preference for risky, internally complex characters. In 2019 he starred as Arthur Fleck in Joker, a performance that won the Academy Award for Best Actor, BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award. He later reprised the role in Joker: Folie à Deux.