Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Rafael Phoenix, born October 28, 1974, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is one of the most daring, unpredictable, and psychologically penetrating actors in contemporary cinema, a performer whose absolute commitment to character transformation has produced a body of work as distinctive and unsettling as any in modern film. Born into a remarkable family of performers — siblings River, Rain, Liberty, and Summer also pursued entertainment careers, and River Phoenix was a major star before his tragic 1993 death — Joaquin made his film debut as a child under the name Leaf Phoenix. His first major breakthrough came with Gladiator (2000), where his portrayal of the poisonous Emperor Commodus — a role radiating coiled contempt and wounded vanity — earned his first Oscar nomination and nearly stole the film from Russell Crowe. His second nomination came for Walk the Line (2005), in which he committed entirely to learning guitar and performing Johnny Cash's iconic baritone style with uncanny precision that earned him the Golden Globe and lavish praise from the Cash family. Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master (2012) brought his third nomination in a performance of raw, animal intensity as the traumatized, volatile Freddie Quell. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for Joker (2019), Todd Phillips's revisionist origin story in which his portrayal of the failed comedian Arthur Fleck descending into violent madness became one of the most discussed and divisive performances in recent Hollywood memory — a physical and psychological transformation of extraordinary commitment that ran the film to a billion-dollar gross. Off-screen, Phoenix is a committed vegan and animal rights activist who has used every major award platform, including his Oscar acceptance speech, to draw urgent attention to industrial animal agriculture and climate destruction.