Joaquin Phoenix is an actor, producer and activist known for Gladiator.
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Joaquin Phoenix
Actor, Producer & Activist Known for "Gladiator" and "Walk the Line"
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Joaquin Phoenix is an actor, producer and activist known for Gladiator and playing Johnny Cash in Walk the Line alongside Reese Witherspoon. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he first became known as a child television actor, though at that time he was referred to as “Leaf,” because he desired to have a nature-inspired name like his siblings. His siblings, who include Summer Phoenix and the late River Phoenix, were also young actors.
His parents were members of the Children of God cult, which encouraged sex with children and women being forced to have sex with outsiders to convert people into the cult. Eventually, though, his parents left the cult in 1978 and returned to the mainland United States, settling in Los Angeles. At that time, the family legally changed their last name from “Bottom” to “Phoenix” to symbolize a new beginning, as the mythical phoenix rises from its ashes.
After appearing as a child actor in films and TV shows such as “Murder, She Wrote,” SpaceCamp and “Backwards: The Ridde of Dyslexia,” Phoenix landed his first starring role in 1987’s Russkies. He went on to play the withdrawn nephew of Steve Martin’s character in 1989’s Parenthood, a performance that was critically acclaimed and earned him a nomination for the Young Artist Award for Best Leading Young Actor in a Feature Film.
On October 31, 1993, Phoenix’s older brother River died of a tragic drug overdose, after which Phoenix retreated from public life for about a year.
Phoenix’s most well-known films include Gladiator, Walk the Line, Hotel Rwanda, You Were Never Really Here, Earthlings, The Immigrant and Brother Bear.
In addition to acting, Phoenix is known for his animal activism, campaigning for PETA and In Defense of Animals. Phoenix has been vegan since age 3. He is also on the board of directors for The Lunchbox Fund, which provides meals to students in Soweto, South Africa.
He has won two Golden Globe Awards for his roles in Walk the Line and Joker. He won a Grammy Award for Walk the Line. He won an Oscar Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for his role in Joker.
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An Evening With Joaquin Phoenix
Videos
Videos
Joaquin Phoenix on Playing Joker + Exclusive Outtake
Joaquin Phoenix wins Best Actor | 92nd Oscars (2020)
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