91 Facts About Joaquin Phoenix

1.

Joaquin Phoenix took back his birth name in the early 1990s and received critical acclaim for his supporting roles in the comedy-drama To Die For and the period film Quills.

2.

Joaquin 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.

3.

Joaquin Phoenix had success with the horror films Signs and The Village, the historical drama Hotel Rwanda, 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.

4.

Joaquin Phoenix gained praise for his roles in the romantic drama Her and the crime satire Inherent Vice, and won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for the psychological thriller You Were Never Really Here.

5.

Joaquin Phoenix has since starred in the independent films C'mon C'mon and Beau Is Afraid.

6.

Joaquin Phoenix has been vegan since the age of three and regularly supports charitable causes and has produced several documentaries on global meat consumption and its impact on the environment.

7.

Joaquin Phoenix is in a relationship with actress Rooney Mara, with whom he has a son.

8.

Joaquin Phoenix Rafael Bottom was born on October 28,1974, in the Rio Piedras district of San Juan, Puerto Rico, to John Lee Bottom, the founder of a landscape gardening company, and Arlyn "Heart" Bottom, who was an executive secretary at NBC and whose connection to an agent provided her children with acting work.

9.

Joaquin Phoenix has a paternal half-sister, Jodean was born on 1964 and His father was a Catholic from Fontana, California, and was of English, German and French ancestry.

10.

Joaquin Phoenix's parents met when his mother was hitchhiking in California and got married less than a year after meeting.

11.

Joaquin Phoenix began calling himself "Leaf", having been inspired by spending time outdoors raking leaves and desiring to have a nature-related name like his siblings.

12.

In 1979, after Joaquin Phoenix's father had to stop working because of an old spinal injury, the whole family moved to Los Angeles where the mother met a high-profile child agent named Iris Burton, who got the children into commercials and bit parts on TV.

13.

Joaquin Phoenix made his acting debut alongside his brother in the television series Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in the 1982 episode "Christmas Song".

14.

In 1984, Joaquin Phoenix starred opposite his brother River in the ABC Afterschool Special entitled Backwards: The Riddle of Dyslexia, for which they shared a nomination for Best Young Actor in a Family Film Made for Television at the 6th Youth in Film Awards.

15.

Joaquin Phoenix made guest appearances in the Murder, She Wrote episode "We're Off to Kill the Wizard" and individual episodes of The Fall Guy and Hill Street Blues.

16.

Joaquin Phoenix dropped out of high school when he was sent a dead frog in the mail to dissect for his biology studies, which prompted him to discontinue his studies.

17.

Joaquin Phoenix made his feature film debut in the adventure film SpaceCamp as a young boy who goes to Kennedy Space Center to learn about the NASA space program and undergoes amateur astronaut training.

18.

Joaquin Phoenix guest starred in the anthology series Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode "A Very Happy Ending" in the same year, playing a child who blackmails a hitman into killing his father.

19.

Joaquin Phoenix's first starring role was in the film Russkies, about a group of friends who unknowingly befriend a Russian soldier during the Cold War.

20.

In 1989, Joaquin Phoenix co-starred as Garry, the withdrawn teenage nephew of Steve Martin's character in Ron Howard's comedy-drama Parenthood.

21.

When he returned to the States, his brother River Phoenix suggested that Phoenix changed his name back to Joaquin and encouraged him to start acting again.

22.

Joaquin Phoenix, who had accompanied his brother and older sister Rain to the club, called 911 to seek help for his dying brother.

23.

Joaquin Phoenix returned to acting in Gus Van Sant's 1995 black comedy To Die For, based on the novel of the same name by Joyce Maynard, which in turn was inspired by the Pamela Smart murder case.

24.

Joaquin Phoenix starred as Jimmy Emmett, a disturbed young man who is seduced by a woman to commit murder.

25.

In 1997, Joaquin Phoenix played a small-town troublemaker in Oliver Stone's U Turn, and a poor man in love with a rich woman in Inventing the Abbotts.

26.

Joaquin Phoenix portrayed the conflicted priest Abbe de Coulmier opposite Kate Winslet.

27.

Winslet and Joaquin Phoenix generate real fire, notably when Abbe dreams of ravishing Madeleine on the altar.

28.

BBC's Nev Pierce wrote that "Joaquin Phoenix is excellent as a Gen X Sergeant Bilko, ensuring his cheerfully amoral character never loses heart - showcasing tenderness, love, grief and fear as his games get out of control" and Joaquin Phoenix received a nomination for the British Independent Film Award for Best Actor.

29.

In 2003, Joaquin Phoenix played the irresolute husband of a superstar-skater in Thomas Vinterberg's romance-drama It's All About Love, and voiced Kenai in the Disney animated film Brother Bear.

30.

Joaquin Phoenix was replaced by Patrick Dempsey in the sequel Brother Bear 2.

31.

Joaquin Phoenix reunited with Shyamalan in the period thriller The Village.

32.

Joaquin Phoenix played farmer Lucius Hunt, a role which Christopher Orr of The Atlantic found "underdeveloped".

33.

In preparation for the role, Joaquin Phoenix trained for two months with the Baltimore Fire Department, putting out actual fires.

34.

In 2005, Joaquin Phoenix co-starred alongside Reese Witherspoon in the James Mangold directed film Walk the Line, a Johnny Cash biopic, after Cash himself approved of Joaquin Phoenix.

35.

Joaquin Phoenix received a second Academy Award nomination, his first in the Best Actor category as well as a second BAFTA nomination.

36.

Joaquin Phoenix was awarded the Humanitarian Award at the San Diego Film Festival in 2005, for his work and contribution to Earthlings.

37.

In 2008, Joaquin Phoenix starred as a suicidal bachelor torn between the family friend his parents wish he would marry and his beautiful but volatile new neighbor in Gray's Two Lovers.

38.

Reviews for the film and Joaquin Phoenix's performance were positive; New York Magazine's chief critic called it his best performance to date and Ray Bennett of The Hollywood Reporter felt that Joaquin Phoenix led the film with "great intelligence and enormous charm, making his character's conflict utterly believable".

39.

Fellow actor Daniel Day-Lewis publicly lauded the "remarkable" Joaquin Phoenix while accepting the Screen Actors Guild Award, apologizing for the fact that Joaquin Phoenix hadn't been nominated for the same award.

40.

Joaquin Phoenix played Theodore Twombly, a man who develops a relationship with Samantha, an intelligent computer operating system personified through a female voice.

41.

Joaquin Phoenix's earned more than double of its production budget, and Phoenix received his fourth nomination at the Golden Globes.

42.

Joaquin Phoenix earned his fifth Golden Globe nomination for the film.

43.

Joaquin Phoenix played Abe Lucas, a philosophy professor experiencing an existential crisis.

44.

Joaquin Phoenix was Ramsay's first and only choice to play the veteran, with Ramsay calling him "my soulmate in making movies".

45.

In 2018, Joaquin Phoenix portrayed Jesus in the biblical drama Mary Magdalene, written by Helen Edmundson and directed by Garth Davis.

46.

The film, and his performance, received mixed reviews; a reviewer for Entertainment Weekly thought that Joaquin Phoenix lacked the quiet compassion and grace that was required for the role, while Nick Allen of Roger Ebert's website described his performance as "a human being who is visibly tormented by the power and wisdom that works through him", deeming it one of the best portrayals of Jesus ever.

47.

In 2019, Joaquin Phoenix starred as the DC Comics character Joker in Todd Phillips's psychological thriller Joker; an alternative origin story for the character.

48.

In 2020, Joaquin Phoenix served as an executive producer on Gunda, directed by Viktor Kossakovsky.

49.

That same year, Joaquin Phoenix was named on the list of the 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century by The New York Times.

50.

Scott and Joaquin Phoenix's paragraph was written by his frequent collaborator, director James Gray.

51.

Joaquin Phoenix starred as Beau Wassermann, the title character in Ari Aster's surrealist black tragicomedy Beau Is Afraid, which was released on April 14,2023, before a wide release the following week.

52.

Joaquin Phoenix is set to portray Napoleon Bonaparte in Napoleon, his second collaboration with director Ridley Scott.

53.

Joaquin Phoenix is set to reunite with director Lynne Ramsay for an upcoming feature called Polaris, co-starring Rooney Mara.

54.

Joaquin Phoenix was often asked about the day River died, and still is to this date.

55.

Joaquin Phoenix has described these interviews as "insincere" and has felt that they impeded on the mourning process.

56.

Joaquin Phoenix has been described as one of the finest actors of his generation.

57.

Justin Chang, analyzing his career in Los Angeles Times in 2020, remarked that filmmakers immediately seemed to recognize that Joaquin Phoenix was more than a heartthrob, and that there was "something more tortured, more vulnerable and infinitely more interesting at play beneath the surface".

58.

Joaquin Phoenix noted that through his work, Phoenix is challenging and redefining cinematic manhood and that this quality sets him apart from most of his contemporaries.

59.

Joaquin Phoenix is particularly known for his ability to heavily commit to each role he plays and his intense preparations, deeply immersing himself in the characters, often blurring the lines between fiction and reality.

60.

That immersion was particularly evident during the filming of the mockumentary I'm Still Here, when Joaquin Phoenix announced to the world that he was retiring from acting to become a rapper.

61.

Media outlets worldwide believed that Joaquin Phoenix was having a mental breakdown after his infamous appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman.

62.

Confusion from the media turned to concern as the seemingly drug-addled Joaquin Phoenix continued his attempts to convince crowds he was serious about a rap career.

63.

Joaquin Phoenix has credited the making of I'm Still Here for allowing him to make bolder choices in acting.

64.

Joaquin Phoenix contends there's no real methodology to the roles he chooses, but has said that he is drawn to complex characters.

65.

Joaquin Phoenix maintains that the director creates the character's arc and that the best directors adjust to what is happening with the actor in the moment.

66.

Joaquin Phoenix has cited Robert De Niro as one of his favorite actors and strongest acting influences.

67.

Joaquin Phoenix has directed music videos for Ringside, She Wants Revenge, People in Planes, Arckid, Albert Hammond Jr.

68.

Joaquin Phoenix was said to have produced the opening track for Pusha T's My Name Is My Name album alongside Kanye West.

69.

Joaquin Phoenix is identified as one of the most active celebrities in the animal rights movement.

70.

Joaquin Phoenix has said that animal rights are one of the most important pillars in his life, and maintains that "climate change is imminent if we do not adopt a plant-based lifestyle".

71.

Joaquin Phoenix has helped raise awareness of the correlation between animal rights, climate change and health issues.

72.

Joaquin Phoenix has received praise and accolades from animal rights groups, with PETA naming him "Person of the Year" in 2019.

73.

Joaquin Phoenix has been an active supporter of numerous animal rights organizations, including PETA.

74.

On January 10,2020, Joaquin Phoenix was arrested with actress Jane Fonda at a climate change protest outside the United States Capitol in Washington, DC At the protest, Joaquin Phoenix spoke about the link between animal agriculture and climate change.

75.

Joaquin Phoenix contacted the presidents of the award ceremonies, accompanied by signatures from the likes of fellow nominees Leonardo DiCaprio and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

76.

Joaquin Phoenix's pitch was that meat agriculture is a leading cause of climate change and that the televised spectacles should use their platforms to address pressing societal issues.

77.

Joaquin Phoenix knows he's in a good position to push.

78.

Joaquin Phoenix can have influence in Hollywood and it influences the rest of the world.

79.

Joaquin Phoenix is known for his disdain of celebrity culture, rarely granting interviews, and being reticent about discussing his private life.

80.

Joaquin Phoenix has claimed that his mother believed in Jesus, though his parents were not religious.

81.

In early April 2005, Joaquin Phoenix checked himself into rehab to be treated for alcoholism.

82.

On January 26,2006, while driving down a winding canyon road in Hollywood, Joaquin Phoenix veered off the road and flipped his car.

83.

Joaquin Phoenix realized that the man was German filmmaker Werner Herzog.

84.

Joaquin Phoenix later gave an interview apologizing for his comments, and acknowledged that the awards provide an important platform for many deserving filmmakers.

85.

From 1995 to 1998, Joaquin Phoenix dated his Inventing the Abbotts co-star Liv Tyler.

86.

Joaquin Phoenix was romantically involved with South African model Topaz Page-Green from 2001 to 2005.

87.

Joaquin Phoenix is currently on the board of directors for The Lunchbox Fund, a non-profit organization which provides daily meals to students of township schools in Soweto, South Africa, founded by Page-Green.

88.

Joaquin Phoenix enjoys meditating, watching documentaries, reading scripts and taking karate classes.

89.

Joaquin Phoenix has been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the following performances:.

90.

Joaquin Phoenix was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media for the Walk The Line soundtrack.

91.

Joaquin Phoenix has won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the 69th Venice International Film Festival for The Master and the Best Actor Award at the 70th Cannes Film Festival for You Were Never Really Here.