Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix
File:800px-Joaquin Cannes 20002.jpg Joaquin Phoenix
Born	Joaquín Rafael Bottom
Height	5ft 8½in

Joaquín Rafael Phoenix (pronounced IPA: [hwakiːn / ra.fa.ˈe̞l / fiːnɪks]) (born October 28, 1974), formerly credited as 'Leaf Phoenix', is a two-time Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe and Grammy Award-winning Puerto Rican actor and econut. He is from a family of performers, most notably his brother, the late actor River Phoenix.

Phoenix is best known for his Oscar-nominated portrayals of Commodus in Gladiator, and of Johnny Cash in Walk the Line. He has recently ventured behind the camera, directing music videos as well as producing movies and television shows. Additionally, he has also sang and recorded an album, the Grammy-winning soundtrack Walk The Line . He has long been a social activist, particularly as an advocate for animal welfare.

Biography

Early life

Phoenix was born in Rio Piedras, located in the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico, to American parents. He is the third of five children, including the late River (1970 – 1993), Rain (1972), Liberty (1976), and Summer (1978). He also has a half-sister named Jodean (1964), from his father's first marriage.

His father, John Lee Bottom, came from a Catholic family from Fontana, California, and is of Irish and Spanish descent. His mother, Arlyn Sharon Dunetz, was born in Bronx, New York to Jewish parents from Hungary and Russia. In 1968, Arlyn left her family and moved to California, later meeting Phoenix's father while hitch-hiking. They married in 1969, then later joined the religious cult, the Children of God. They began traveling throughout South America as Christian missionaries.

Phoenix lived in Puerto Rico until his family moved to Venezuela where his sister, Liberty, was born in July, 1976. His parents eventually became disillusioned with the Children of God; they made the decision to leave the cult and returned to the U.S. in 1978. Once there, they adopted the surname "Phoenix" to signify the new beginning their lives had taken. This was also around the time Joaquin had begun calling himself "Leaf," desiring to have a similar nature-related name like his siblings (he was inspired by spending time outdoors raking leaves with his dad). This is the name he would use as a child actor; at fifteen, he changed it back to 'Joaquin'.

In order to provide food and financial support for the family, the Phoenix children performed on the streets and at various talent contests, singing and playing instruments. After receiving an offer for an audition from Paramount Studios, the family once again packed their bags and headed west, settling in Los Angeles. There, his mother started working as a secretary for NBC, and his father worked as a landscaper. His parents hired an agent, Iris Burton, who eventually got the five children acting work.

Film career

Early on in his career, Phoenix had often played supporting roles as conflicted, insecure characters with a darker side. Phoenix's first acting jobs were guest appearances on two television shows with his brother River: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1982) and Backwards: The Riddle of Dyslexia (1984). He made his big-screen debut in Space Camp (1986), playing the role of Max, and his first starring role was in Russkies (1987). He went on to establish himself as a child actor in Ron Howard's Parenthood (1989), before deciding to withdraw from acting for a while and travel to Mexico and South America with his father.

Phoenix came back into public view under tragic circumstances — on October 31, 1993, his brother River suffered a fatal drug overdose, outside the famed Hollywood nightclub, The Viper Room. Joaquin's call to 911 to save his brother was recorded and repeatedly played over the airwaves and on television. The sudden media intrusion into his and his family's lives proved to be too overwhelming; once again he retreated from the public eye. A year later, at the insistence of his friends, Joaquin reluctantly re-entered the world of acting.

He has earned positive reviews for his portrayals of various characters: a troubled teen in Gus Van Sant's To Die For (1995) co-starring with Nicole Kidman, a small-town troublemaker in Oliver Stone's U-Turn, the cruel Roman emperor Commodus in Ridley Scott's Gladiator (2000) (for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor), a conflicted priest in Quills (2000), a washed-up baseball player in M. Night Shyamalan's Signs (2002), a lovestruck farmer in Shyamalan's The Village (2004), a disillusioned cameraman in Terry George's Hotel Rwanda (2004), and a heroic firefighter in Ladder 49 (2004).

Upon being cast as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line after Cash himself approved, Joaquin responded by buying a guitar and learning how to play. He spent several years practicing in-character as Johnny Cash before principal photography, including voice and guitar lessons, and mimicking Cash's persona. Reese Witherspoon, who portrayed June Carter Cash in the film and won a Best Actress Oscar for her performance, stated during an interview that when they first performed in-character before a live audience, she was so impressed with his impersonation that she knew she "had to step it up a notch." Indeed, all of the vocal tracks in the movie and on the accompanying soundtrack are played and sung by Phoenix and Witherspoon. In 2006, he was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar, won a Golden Globe in the same category, and won a Grammy Award at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards for his work on the Walk the Line soundtrack..

In 2006, Phoenix was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Joaquin and River became the first brothers in Hollywood history to be nominated for an Academy Award in the acting category.

He has directed music videos for the following bands: Ringside, She Wants Revenge, People in Planes, Silversun Pickups Arckid, and Albert Hammond Jr.

Social activism

Phoenix has long been a social activist, lending his support to a number of charities and humanitarian organizations, notably Amnesty International, The Art of Elysium,HEART . and The Peace Alliance, an organization which campaigns for a United States Department of Peace. Additionally, he serves on the board of directors of The Lunchbox Fund, a charity that provides lunches for poverty-stricken school children in South Africa.

Having been a dedicated vegan since the age of three, one of the primary causes that Phoenix is closely associated with is animal welfare. He is a member of PETA and the organization In Defense of Animals, and has actively campaigned on their behalves. He narrated the film Earthlings for 'Nation Earth' -- a video about the investigation of animal abuse in factory farms, pet mills, in industry and research. He was awarded the "Humanitarian Award" at the San Diego Film Festival in 2005 for his work and contribution to Earthlings.

Phoenix serves as one of the executive producers of a television show called 4Real, a half-hour series which showcase celebrity guests on global adventures "in order to connect with young leaders who are creating social and economic change."

In 2005, he participated in the documentary I'm Still Here: Real Diaries of Young People Who Lived During the Holocaust.

Personal life

Phoenix's parents are now divorced; his father lives in Costa Rica and his mother is now re-married to Jeffrey Weisberg, treasurer and member of the Board of Directors of The Peace Alliance Foundation.

The scar above his lip is a microform, almost taking the form of a cleft, as the tissues just reached far enough to join up; since the bone and muscle tissues joined correctly no surgery or cleft repair was required. Once during his mother's pregnancy, she felt a sharp pain and believes the two events are connected.

Phoenix has stated on numerous occasions that he does not watch his performances on screen.

He has dated, among others, actress Liv Tyler, Inger Ebeltoft (Miss Norway 1995/96), and Topaz Page-Green, founder of the charity The Lunchbox Fund.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Awards & Nominations
1986	Space Camp	Max	Under the name Leaf Phoenix
1987	Russkies	Danny	Under the name Leaf Phoenix
1989	Parenthood	Garry Buckman-Lampkin	Under the name Leaf Phoenix, Young Artist Award - Nomination
1995	To Die For	Jimmy Emmett	Chlotrudis Award - Nomination
1997	U-Turn	Toby N. Tucker a.k.a. TNT
	Inventing the Abbotts	Doug Holt
1998	8mm	Max California
	Clay Pigeons	Clay Bidwell
	Return to Paradise	Lewis McBride	Csapnivalo Awards - Nomination
2000	The Yards	Willie Gutierrez	(Best Supporting Actor) BFCA Award - Won, SDFCS Award - Won
	Quills	The Abbe de Coulmier	(Best Supporting Actor) BFCA Award - Won, SDFCS Award - Won
	Gladiator	Commodus	BFCA - Won, BAFTA nomination, Golden Globe nomination, Oscars nomination
2001	Buffalo Soldiers	Ray Elwood	British Independent Film Award - Nomination
2002	Signs	Merrill Hess
2003	Brother Bear	Kenai	Voice Only
	It's All About Love	John
2004	Ladder 49	Jack Morrison	Movie Guide Award - Nomination, Teen Choice Award - Nomination, The Grace Award - Nomination
	The Village	Lucius Hunt
	Hotel Rwanda	Jack Daglish	Screen Actors Guild Award - Nomination
2005	Walk the Line	Johnny Cash	Golden Globe - Won, BAFTA nomination, Oscars nomination, Grammy- won, Screen Actors Guild Award - Nomination
2006	Earthlings	Narrator	San Diego Film Festival "Humanitarian Award" - Won
2007	We Own the Night	Bobby Green	Producer
	Reservation Road	Ethan Learner

See also

• List of famous Puerto Ricans
• List of vegans

External links

• Joaquin Phoenix at IMDb
• Template:Ymovies name
• Joaquin Phoenix interview for Walk the Line