Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Rafael Phoenix born October 28 1974 is an American actor producer and animal rights activist Known for playing dark and unconventional characters in independent film he is the recipient of various accolades including an Academy Award a British Academy Film Award a Grammy Award and two Golden Globe Awards In 2020 he was ranked 12th on the list of the 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century by The New York Times Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Los Angeles and Florida Phoenix began his career by appearing in television series in the early 1980s with his brother River His first major film roles were in SpaceCamp 1986 and Parenthood 1989 During this period he was credited as Leaf Phoenix a name he gave himself He took back his birth first name in the early 1990s and received critical acclaim for his supporting roles in the comedydrama film To Die For 1995 and the period film Quills 2000 Phoenix received further critical acclaim and first Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his portrayal of the evil emperor Commodus in the historical drama film Gladiator 2000 He had success with the horror films Signs 2002 and The Village 2004 the historical drama Hotel Rwanda 2004 and won a Grammy a Golden Globe and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of musician Johnny Cash in the biopic Walk the Line 2005 He continued to receive acclaim in two features with his frequent director James Gray the action thriller We Own the Night 2007 and the romantic drama Two Lovers 2008 before taking a break from acting In the 2010s Phoenix returned to acting to critical acclaim He starred in the psychological drama The Master 2012 winning the Volpi Cup for Best Actor and earning his third Academy Award nomination He received Golden Globe nominations for his roles in the romantic drama Her 2013 and the crime satire Inherent Vice 2014 and won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for his performance in the psychological thriller You Were Never Really Here 2017 Phoenix achieved international stardom and won an Academy Award a British Academy Film Award a Screen Actors Guild Award and a second Golden Globe Award for his portrayal of the title character in Joker 2019 Phoenix is an animal rights activist He 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 He is in a relationship with actress Rooney Mara with whom he has a son