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Joaquin Phoenix

ACTOR · BORN 1974

Joaquin Phoenix

Born
28 October 1974, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Known for
Joker (2019), Joker: Folie à Deux (2024), Irrational Man (2015), Eddington (2025)

24 archived facts 7 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026

Joaquin Phoenix (born 28 October 1974) is an actor best known for Joker, Joker: Folie à Deux and Irrational Man.

Joaquin Phoenix over the years

Joaquin Phoenix in 2005 (age 31)
2005 · age 31Tony Shek, CC BY 2.0
Joaquin Phoenix in 2014 (age 40)
2014 · age 40aphrodite-in-nyc from new york city, CC BY 2.0
Joaquin Phoenix in 2024 (age 50)
2024 · age 50Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 4.0

24 Interesting Facts About Joaquin Phoenix

Interesting Facts (2)

  1. #001

    His looks inspired the design of Bill the Cat in The Freak Next Door (2012), especially the dark circles under his eyes.

    Joaquin Phoenix — Abbe Du Coulmier
    Joaquin Phoenix: Abbe Du CoulmierImage: Wikimedia Commons · Diana Ringo, CC BY-SA 4.0

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  2. #002

    Joaquin Phoenix says he has watched the comedy 'Step Brothers' (2008) more than any other film, a surprising glimpse of the sense of humor behind an actor known for intense dramatic roles.

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Production Story (3)

  1. #003

    He turned down Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights (1997), which went to Mark Wahlberg, but later worked twice with its director, Paul Thomas Anderson, starring in The Master (2012) and Inherent Vice (2014).

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  2. #004

    Before playing the Joker in Joker (2019), he'd been Darren Aronofsky's choice for Batman in a Batman: Year One adaptation that was never made.

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  3. #005

    He was considered for the role of Norman Bates in the remake Psycho (1998), before Vince Vaughn was cast.

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Behind the Scenes (2)

  1. #006

    Phoenix sang his own vocals on the Walk the Line (2005) soundtrack.

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  2. #007

    He's a strict vegan who won't wear costumes made from animal skin; for Gladiator (2000), Quills (2000) and Walk the Line (2005), among others, he asked for his "leather" and "silk" costumes to be made from synthetics.

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Characters & Cast (1)

  1. #008

    Phoenix is half a foot shorter than the real Johnny Cash was, although he plays him in Walk the Line (2005).

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Easter Eggs & References (1)

  1. #009

    In his diner scene with Sean Penn in U Turn (1997), Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" starts playing, and years later Joaquin played Cash in Walk the Line (2005).

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Career & Awards (5)

  1. #010

    In October 2008 he announced he was retiring from acting to pursue a career as a rapper, followed by a string of bizarre appearances and musical performances that left the public wondering whether it was all an act or for real; the retirement and rap "career" turned out to be a hoax, part of his film I'm Still Here (2010).

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  2. #011

    He and River Phoenix are the first brothers to be nominated for acting Academy Awards.

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  3. #012

    Joaquin Phoenix and Heath Ledger won an Academy Award for their performances as the Joker, becoming the second pair of actors to win Academy Awards for playing the same character - the other pair being Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro, who won Best Actor and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor respectively, for their portrayals of Vito Corleone.

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  4. #013

    In April 2005, he checked himself into rehab to be treated for alcoholism.

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  5. #014

    He is the fourth actor to receive an Academy Award nomination for his performance in a comic book adaptation, after Paul Newman for Road to Perdition (2002), William Hurt in A History of Violence (2005) and Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight (2008). All four actors were nominated for DC Comics adaptations.

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Life & Family (10)

  1. #015

    On January 26, 2006, Phoenix's car flipped over on a winding canyon road. Shaken and confused, he heard a tap on the window and a voice saying, "Just relax." Unable to see the man, Phoenix replied, "I'm fine. I am relaxed," then realized it was the famously eccentric German auteur Werner Herzog, who answered, "No, you're not." After helping Phoenix out of the wreck, Herzog called an ambulance and vanished. The crash was reportedly caused by brake failure.

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  2. #016

    He doesn't watch his own films and says he has only seen two: The Master (2012) and Her (2013).

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  3. #017

    He called himself Leaf because nobody could pronounce Joaquin, not even him. He had more or less retired from acting until his brother River showed him Raging Bull (1980) and told him that was why he should keep going, and he came back in 1995 with Gus Van Sant's To Die For, returning to his birth name, Joaquin.

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  4. #018

    Two days after his 19th birthday, in the early hours of October 31, 1993, he was at The Viper Room in Hollywood, California, with his brother River Phoenix, his sister Rain Phoenix and River's girlfriend Samantha Mathis when River overdosed on heroin and cocaine. Joaquin called 911 from a pay phone across the street from the club (co-owned by Johnny Depp, who was on stage with his band at the time), telling the operator in distress that his brother was "laying on the cement," had "taken a Valium" and was "having seizures," adding, "Please, [get here] because he's dying." River was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre at 1:51am, aged 23, and Joaquin went straight home to Florida with his sister and mother, who had flown out to collect him. It was a high-profile celebrity death, and Joaquin's recorded 911 call was released to the media and played over and over in news coverage for weeks.

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  5. #019

    His son is named River Mara Phoenix, in memory of his late brother.

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  6. #020

    He once refused to wear shoes at a Prada photo shoot because they were leather.

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  7. #021

    Brother of River Phoenix, Rain Phoenix, Liberty Phoenix, & Summer Phoenix.

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  8. #022

    Joaquin and his brother River both played the son of Richard Harris: Joaquin in Gladiator (2000), and River in Silent Tongue (1993).

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  9. #023

    Announced his engagement to actress Rooney Mara on July 21, 2019.

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  10. #024

    Joaquin Phoenix was born with a microform cleft between his lip and nose, a mild form of cleft lip and palate, and the scar on his upper lip comes from surgery to repair it when he was a baby.

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Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

  • Wikipedia English Wikipedia article
  • IMDb IMDb name page (biography and trivia)

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