Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix

Born 1974-10-28 (age 51) San Juan, Puerto Rico
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Biography

Joaquin Rafael Phoenix (/hwɑːˈkiːn/ whah-KEEN; né Bottom; October 28, 1974) is an American actor. Widely described as one of the preeminent actors of his generation and known for his roles as dark, unconventional and eccentric characters in independent film, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, an Actor Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Grammy Award, a Volpi Cup, and two Golden Globes.

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 name in the early 1990s and received critical acclaim for his supporting roles in To Die For (1995) and Quills (2000). Phoenix received further critical acclaim and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Commodus in the historical drama 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).

Following a brief sabbatical, Phoenix starred in the psychological drama The Master (2012), winning the Volpi Cup for Best Actor and earning his third Academy Award nomination. He gained praise 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 the psychological thriller You Were Never Really Here (2017). For his performance as the titular character of Joker (2019), Phoenix won the Academy Award for Best Actor. He reprised his role in the 2024 sequel Joker: Folie à Deux. He has since starred in the independent films C'mon C'mon (2021), Beau Is Afraid (2023) and Eddington (2025), and portrayed the title role in the historical drama Napoleon (2023).

Outside acting, Phoenix is an animal rights activist. A vegan, he regularly supports charitable causes and has produced several documentaries on global meat consumption and its impact on the environment.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Joaquin Phoenix, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Photos

Known For

Gladiator
Gladiator

2000

as Commodus

Joker
Joker

2019

as Arthur Fleck

Signs
Signs

2002

as Merrill Hess

Her
Her

2013

as Theodore

Joker: Folie à Deux
Joker: Folie à Deux

2024

as Arthur Fleck

Brother Bear
Brother Bear

2003

as Kenai (voice)

Napoleon
Napoleon

2023

as Napoleon Bonaparte

The Village
The Village

2004

as Lucius Hunt

Walk the Line
Walk the Line

2005

as John R. Cash

The Master
The Master

2012

as Freddie Quell

8MM
8MM

1999

as Max California

Eddington
Eddington

2025

as Joe Cross

Beau Is Afraid
Beau Is Afraid

2023

as Beau Wassermann

U Turn
U Turn

1997

as Toby N. Tucker

Inherent Vice
Inherent Vice

2014

as Larry "Doc" Sportello

Hotel Rwanda
Hotel Rwanda

2004

as Jack Daglish

The Yards
The Yards

2000

as Willie Gutierrez

Quills
Quills

2000

as Abbe du Coulmier

To Die For
To Die For

1995

as Jimmy Emmett

You Were Never Really Here