Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Rafael Phoenix (Joaquin Rafael Bottom; born October 28, 1974) is an American actor and producer, who has received several accolades, including a Grammy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and nominations for three Academy Awards. Phoenix started acting in television with his brother River and sister Summer. His first major film role was in SpaceCamp (1986). During this period, he was credited as Leaf Phoenix, his self-given name. He later went back to his birth name and received positive reviews for his supporting work in the comedy-drama To Die For (1995) and the period film Quills (2000). He received wider attention for his portrayal of Commodus in the 2000 historical epic Gladiator, which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He subsequently earned Best Actor nominations for portraying musician Johnny Cash in the biopic Walk the Line (2005) and an alcoholic war veteran in the drama The Master (2012), which also won him the Volpi Cup for Best Actor. Phoenix's other films include the horror films Signs (2002) and The Village (2004), the historical drama Hotel Rwanda (2004), the romantic drama Her (2013), and the crime satire Inherent Vice (2014). He gained further acclaim for playing an assassin in You Were Never Really Here (2017), for which he won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor, and the titular character in Joker (2019). Phoenix has also ventured into directing music videos, as well as producing films and television shows. For recording the soundtrack to Walk the Line, he won the Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media. Phoenix is a social activist, lending his support to several charities and humanitarian organizations. He is on the board of directors for The Lunchbox Fund, a non-profit organization which provides daily meals to students of township schools in Soweto of South Africa. Phoenix is also known for his animal rights advocacy. He has been a vegan since the age of three and campaigns for PETA and In Defense of Animals.