It’s no secret that anything Joaquin Phoenix touches turns to gold! Owing to his unrivalled acting chops, mysterious personality and talent to portray every character he takes on with the sincerest honesty, he will forever be one of those actors who live on in the hearts of movie goers long after the credits roll.
But let’s not talk about the dark days when Joaquin Phoenix will not grace the silver screen. For his moment is now. Everything he has worked for culminates in this moment – the release of ‘Joker’. The movie has had hosts of cinema-fans, and the who’s-who of the industry raving, and critics standing tall in long ovations. Everyone’s talking about his goose-bump inducing performance as the hysterical clown roaming Gotham’s streets. And with good reason…
He was born Joaquin Rafael Bottom, in San Juan, Puerto Rico on 28 October 1974. At a very early age, he followed in the footsteps of his older brother, late River Phoenix, and began his career in commercials. When his family moved to Los Angeles, his mother found an agent who would represent all five children. With a desire to have an earthy name like his siblings River and Rain, at this time, Joaquin took the name Leaf Phoenix.
Joaquin made a guest appearance on the 1982 show ‘Seven Brides for Seven Brothers’ that his brother River played a role on, and there was no turning back. Soon he was raking in small television roles in shows such as ‘Murder, She Wrote’ and ‘The Fall Guy’. He made his big screen debut in the 1986 romp ‘SpaceCamp’.
In the late 80’s the Phoenix family moved to Florida, and there Joaquin was cast in Universal Pictures’ ‘Parenthood’. Following this, he took a break from cinema. In 1993 tragedy struck the family – River Phoenix passed away in West Hollywood. The loss of his older brother struck Joaquin hard, and for over a year he struggled.
Back at work, he was seen in a plethora of flicks such as ‘To Die For’, ‘U-Turn’ and ‘Return To Paradise’. But it was his role as Commodus in ‘Gladiator’ that made him a household name; a role that won him his first Oscar nomination. A few years later, he played Johnny Cash in the biopic ‘Walk the Line’, a performance for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and the film’s soundtrack, which featured his vocals, brought home the Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.
Contrasting his often sinister, villain-sort onscreen person, off-screen, Joaquin takes time to exercise his clout to benefit many charities and activism initiatives such as HEART, Peace Alliance and Amnesty International. He also serves on the board of directors of The Lunchbox Fund, a non-profit which provides healthy daily meals to students in Soweto, South Africa. A lifelong vegan, he is a member of PETA and has participated in several campaigns against animal cruelty.
Even with a career studded with several golden performances, his star is still on the rise. There’s only one way Joaquin Phoenix can go, and it’s up!