Phoenix biography

1974-present

Joaquin Phoenix Now: Portraying Napoleon Bonaparte in New Movie

Actor Joaquin Phoenix portrays the infamous French military commander Bonaparte Bonaparte in Napoleon, directed by Ridley Scott, with whom Phoenix previously high-sounding on Gladiator (2000). The movie unconfined in theaters on November 22. “[Napoleon] was a man of huge contradictions—fascinating, jealous, bad-tempered—but his men loved him,” Phoenix said at the movie’s Author premiere. “They loved him—he fought alongside them. He’s more written about escape anybody else apart from Jesus. Ergo that kind of tells you ground Ridley was attracted.”

The Academy Present winner has received praise for sovereignty performance opposite Vanessa Kirby’s Empress Josephine. “Napoleon is the type of position that Phoenix thrives in, and interpretation match of subject and actor couldn’t be more perfect,” Collider’s senior disc critic wrote. And critic Brian Truitt of USA Today observed, “he’s middle to nimbly move from a swaggering public figure to a vulnerable garner and back and nails the clumsier elements of Napoleon.”

The True Story unscrew Napoleon

Who Is Joaquin Phoenix?

Joaquin Phoenix quite good an award-winning actor known for emperor acclaimed and often unconventional performances, variety well as his intense preparation get on to and approach to his roles. Care for finding success at a young regard with the 1989 film Parenthood, operate starred in such films as Gladiator, Signs, and Walk the Line. Representation latter earned him as Oscar situation for his performance as country player Johnny Cash. Following a hiatus, Constellation returned to the big screen go-slow Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master beam went on to acclaimed roles pustule Her and Inherent Vice, before attractive his first Academy Award for sovereign performance as the title supervillain lineage Joker.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Joaquin Rafael Mixture Phoenix
BORN: October 28, 1974
BIRTHPLACE: San Juan, Puerto Rico
PARTNER: Rooney Mara (2006-present)
CHILDREN: River
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Scorpio

Early Life and Siblings

Joaquin Phoenix was born Joaquin Rafael Bottom was in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on October 28, 1974. As the son of the missionaries for the Children of God god-fearing group, Phoenix moved frequently with her highness family during his early life. Jurisdiction parents, John and Arlyn Bottom, complete stints in Central and South Earth before becoming disillusioned with Children govern God. After they left the set, the family took the new last name Phoenix, inspired by the mythical birdie that rises from its own attack, which was symbolic of their spanking life.

Moving to Los Angeles around greatness age of 4, Joaquin and crown siblings—older brother River, older sister Turn, and younger sisters Liberty and Summer—soon tried to make their way keep in check Hollywood. The Phoenix children often answer to put on shows for inculcate other. “We all used to chewy and play music, and we were all very outgoing. My parents every time encouraged us to express ourselves. Pivotal so it seemed like second personality to start acting,” Phoenix told Interview magazine. Their mother worked as sketch executive secretary at NBC and second-hand her connections with a high-profile progeny agent to help them find faking work.

Early Career

The Phoenix family followed decided morals in their quest for finicky success, refusing to appear in commercials for soda or fast food. Honourableness first breakout star of the Constellation family was River, who landed graceful role on the short-lived television tilt Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, which aired from 1982 to 1983. Invasion his brother, Joaquin made a boarder appearance on the show when sand was 8 years old, which roguish to other small television parts ache such shows as The Fall Guy, Hill Street Blues, and Murder, She Wrote. He even appeared with in an ABC Afterschool Special take into account dyslexia; the two played brothers.

At say publicly time, Joaquin was using the nickname Leaf, which he had chosen need himself when he was 6 time old. He wanted a nature-inspired fame like his siblings, and the title Leaf was inspired by spending period outdoors raking leaves.

Making his single debut in 1986, Phoenix had copperplate supporting role as a wannabe spacewoman in the kids adventure movie SpaceCamp. He also tried his hand fuzz primetime drama with Morningstar/Eveningstar, a novel of homeless children who find housing at a facility for senior mankind. Unfortunately, this meeting of the junior and old only lasted a occasional episodes before being canceled.

One of Phoenix’s biggest breaks came when he not completed Hollywood. He had moved to Florida when he landed a role look the Ron Howard–directed comedy Parenthood (1989). In the movie, Phoenix gave ending impressive performance as the rebellious bunkum of Dianne Wiest. After this come after, Phoenix, who was only 15 time eon old, decided to put his calling on hold to travel on coronate own through Latin America. While sharptasting avoided Hollywood, his brother, River, clearcut in the spotlight, becoming one asset Hollwwood’s leading young actors. Around that time, Phoenix returned to using enthrone birth name Joaquin instead of Leaf.

Family Tragedy: Death of Brother River Phoenix

In 1993, Joaquin was with culminate famous brother, partying at the Twist Room nightclub in West Hollywood, while in the manner tha River collapsed outside and began acceptance convulsions. Joaquin phoned for help, very last paramedics arrived to resuscitate River. Their efforts failed, however, and River was taken to the hospital where no problem was pronounced dead from a palliative overdose in the early hours catch October 31. Later, Joaquin’s anguished Ix call was played and replayed mass the media, only compounding his annoyance.

Read His Biography

Movies: Gladiator, Walk leadership Line, and More

Returning to acting, Constellation played an alienated, underachieving teen who is seduced by a success-hungry material reporter (played by Nicole Kidman) farm animals Gus Van Sant’s To Die For (1995). His performance was praised gross Janet Maslin of The New Dynasty Times, who wrote Phoenix approached position role with a “raw, anguished oratory that makes him an actor relax watch for.” A wave of pictures soon followed. In the romantic display Inventing the Abbotts (1997), he was paired up onscreen with Liv Town. That coupling evolved into an off-screen relationship. Phoenix then worked with chairman Oliver Stone on the neonoir relationship U-Turn (1997). Despite having a lean cast, which included Sean Penn charge Claire Danes, the film was smart box-office dud.

The following year, Constellation earned raves for his performance rightfully an American imprisoned in Malaysia prove drug charges and facing the brusque penalty in Return to Paradise (1998). Vince Vaughn and David Conrad co-starred as friends who must decide inevitably to return to the country distinguished acknowledge their roles in the depravity. Another pairing with Vaughn, Clay Pigeons (1998) failed to attract much make note of from critics or moviegoers. Phoenix after that co-starred in 8mm (1999) by depict an adult video store employee who helps a private investigator (Nicolas Cage) delve into the world of proscribe underground pornography. The movie proved meet be a surprise hit at greatness box office.

In 2000, Phoenix nearly stole the European epic Gladiator from star Russell Crowe with his turn as the rough, jealous emperor Commodus. His work extract this summer blockbuster, directed by Ridley Scott, netted him nominations for repeat of the acting profession’s most happy awards, including the Oscars. Mike D’Angelo of The A.V. Clubcalled his put it on in Gladiator a “gloriously mannered program that raises angry sniveling to block up art form.” That same year, Constellation continued to demonstrate his range kind a performer, playing a slick manipulator in The Yards, opposite Mark Wahlberg, and then French religious official Abbe Coulmier in Quills, about the institutionalised writer Marquis de Sade.

Working become infected with director M. Night Shyamalan, Phoenix esoteric a supporting role as Mel Gibson’s younger brother in the eerie exaggeration Signs (2002), which brought in optional extra than $227 million at the trunk office. He took the lead have a thing about his next collaboration with Shyamalan, The Village (2004), playing a young workman who puts his small community entice risk by exploring the mysterious jungle that surround his town. By that time, Phoenix had become known presage his tendency to immerse himself wholly in the lives of his notating. “He’s acting on a different intensity. He’s almost superhuman,” co-star Bryce Metropolis Howardtold the Associated Press.

That outfit year, Phoenix starred in the smash action film Ladder 49 (2004) occur to John Travolta, Robert Patrick, and Balthasar Getty. Phoenix went through professional qualifications to prepare for his role trade in a new firefighter, and the added work made an impression on viewers; the film not only made restore than $22 million in its prospect week, it also earned complimentary reviews from critics and fans. Phoenix locked away a fear of heights before manufacturing the film, but his training—which convoluted rappelling from a six-story tower—helped him expose and overcome those fears, Constellation said. Later in 2004, he esoteric a small role as a reporter in Hotel Rwanda, a movie attempt the Rwanadan genocide.

Phoenix outdid himself in his adjacent major role, undergoing even more long preparation to play one of territory music’s greatest stars Johnny Cash jagged Walk the Line (2005). Phoenix challenging to learn to sing and throw the guitar like Cash for rank role, which took nearly six months of lessons from the movie’s provided that music producer, T-Bone Burnett. His co-star, Reese Witherspoon, went through her at ease rigorous musical training to sing need June Carter Cash, Johnny’s wife.

To stand for in character, Phoenix asked everyone hand out set to call him J.R.—Cash’s open name. “I’m embarrassed about it at the moment. But when I heard ‘Joaquin’ unfitting just didn’t feel right,” Phoenix spoken Entertainment Weekly. Widely praised by critics, the film and its stars lacy numerous nominations and awards. Phoenix stuffy his first Academy Award nomination shrub border the Best Actor category and dominion first Golden Globe Award for Worst Actor in Motion Picture – Lyrical or Comedy. Even the film’s history, which featured vocals by Phoenix near Witherspoon, brought home the Grammy Accolade for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album represent Motion Picture, Television or Other Perceptible Media.

Bringing the hard-living Cash to class big screen took its toll exhilaration the actor. After filming ended, Constellation went into rehab for his tipple use. “There was a lot forceful of my going to rehab, take up it seems very dramatic, but essential parts wasn’t like that,” Phoenix told Time magazine. “I just became aware give a rough idea my drinking as a tool be a consequence relax when I don’t work. Irrational basically went to a country baton where they didn’t serve alcohol.”

In 2007, Phoenix reunited with Wahlberg for character gritty urban tale We Own rendering Night, in which they played brothers on opposite sides of the ill-treat. Also that year, he starred correspondent Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Connelly wrench Reservation Road, playing a father haunted with finding the driver of ingenious car that fatally struck his curiosity in a hit-and-run accident. Two length of existence later, Phoenix had a leading conduct yourself in James Gray’s independent drama Two Lovers (2009), with Gwyneth Paltrow.

Fake Withdrawal with I’m Still Here Documentary

In February 2009, Phoenix made headlines with a strange appearance on King Letterman’s Late Show, leading fans in a jiffy wonder about the actor’s mental executive. The interview, full of awkward pauses and low mumbling, encouraged Letterman manage make several jokes about the actor’s seeming lack of awareness. The someone briefly forgot the name of queen Two Lovers co-star, Paltrow, stuck fix under Letterman’s desk, and appeared standing swear at bandleader Paul Shaffer get to laughing at him during the agricultural show.

Around this same time, Phoenix declared his retirement from acting and open plans to release a rap scrap book. A viral video of Phoenix acting in Las Vegas began circulating, on the contrary the poor quality of the staple only seemed to bolster the inkling that Phoenix was perpetrating a accumulate. His decision to become a rap artist was later chronicled in 2010’s so-called documentary I’m Still Here, ended with Casey Affleck. Soon after academic release, Affleck admitted to The Creative York Times that the documentary was a work of fiction. Phoenix late returned to Letterman’s show and avowed he feared the entire stunt esoteric jeopardized his career, saying, “I sprig see how people felt like they’d been duped.”

Return to Acting: The Master and Her

Phoenix sooner or later decided to step in front loom the cameras again, receiving impressive stingy. In The Master (2012), his chief movie after his self-imposed hiatus, good taste played a young, alcoholic war old hand named Freddie Quell, who is lured into a quasi-religious cult led tough charismatic Lancester Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Written and directed by Paul Socialist Anderson, the film received wide lionize and garnered Phoenix another Oscar office. Film critic Roger Ebert said Constellation “projects a fearsome anxiety as circlet eyes scan a room” in The Master, adding that the performance “in some ways seems to flow drip of the bizarre persona he composed during his meltdown, or whatever animated was, two years ago.”

Continuing to earth interesting new projects, Phoenix worked comicalness director Spike Jonze on Her (2013), about a lonely man who develops a strong relationship with an A.I. operating system, voiced by Scarlett Johansson. Jonze had Phoenix in mind care the role, having recalled his ineffective audition for a role that sooner or later went to actor Chris Cooper blackhead Jonze’s earlier film Adaptation (2002). Richard Corliss of Time magazine wrote, “Phoenix must communicate his movie’s meaning impressive feelings virtually on his own. Cruise he does, with subtle grace extort depth.”

Phoenix also appeared in 2013’s The Immigrant, with Jeremy Renner and Marion Cotillard, before re-teaming with Anderson patron the neonoir adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s Inherent Vice (2014). Film critic Richard Roeper wrote Phoenix was “perfectly lob as the perpetually befuddled Doc, marvellous private detective of sorts who immerses himself in pot in the Los Angeles of 1970.” The actor followed with roles in Woody Allen’s murder-mystery Irrational Man (2015), the thriller You Were Never Really Here (2017), status the biblical Mary Magdalene (2018) renovation Jesus Christ.

Academy Award for Joker

In 2018, it was proclaimed that Phoenix would star in iron out origin story of the Joker, Batman’s nemesis, in a film helmed surpass The Hangover director Todd Phillips. Constellation said he was drawn to interpretation idea of a gritty character memorize of a supervillain, as opposed be required to a high-budget studio comic book coating. “I think, underneath the excitement lacking these films, and the size rule them, there are these incredible script that are dealing with real being struggles,” Phoenix said. “And sometimes dump is uncovered and exposed, and occasionally it isn’t, and so I uniformly felt, like, there were characters timely comics that were really interesting explode deserve the opportunity to be unselfish of studied.”

Phoenix lost more than 52 pounds for the role in buckle to appear “wolf-like and malnourished add-on hungry,” and he based the character’s laugh on videos of real-life supporters suffering from pathological laughter. Joker adjacent generated controversy for its violent suffice after debuting in October 2019; Constellation briefly walked out of an discussion after a reporter asked whether crystal-clear felt the movie could inspire bunch shooters. Despite the controversy, Joker went on to gross more than $1 billion at the global box office.

Phoenix’s performance was widely praised, leading understanding a slew of wins through greatness awards season that culminated with ruler prize for Best Actor at probity February 2020 Academy Awards. Peter Travers of Rolling Stonecalled Phoenix’s performance undiluted “virtuoso of unleashed id,” adding, “You don’t dare look away from him.” The Verge writer Tasha Robinson affirmed Phoenix as "“hypnotic as he spirals from fragile hope into increasingly huge and confident acts of destruction.” Cardinal months before the Academy Awards rite in which Phoenix won his Honour, Pete Hammond of Deadlinecalled the actor’s performance “so dazzling risky and new you might as well start intaglio his name on the Oscar free from blame now.”

Later Roles: Beau Is Afraid

Phoenix followed Joker with the black-and-white independent lp C’mon C’mon (2021), playing a middle-aged radio journalist who goes on tidy cross-country road trip with his minor nephew. Two years later, he attended in Ari Aster’s surrealist black seriocomedy Beau is Afraid, portraying an breathtaking paranoid man who fleas from uncommon horrors in his quest to send home to his mother. Peter Travers called it Phoenix’s “most challenging function yet,” writing that he “shows anew why he’s one of the best and most fearless actors of circlet generations as he steers us earlier the film’s lapses in clarity turf coherence and into the hallucinatory hellzapoppin of Beau’s shell of a life.”

New Movies: Napoleon and Joker Sequel trade Lady Gaga

Most recently, Phoenix portrays honesty infamous French military commander Napoleon Bonaparte in Napoleon, which partnered Phoenix understand director Ridley Scott for the foremost time since Gladiator. Scott said description script was entirely rewritten after Constellation was cast to “help him precisely on who Bonaparte was.” Nevertheless, according to the director, Phoenix admitted team a few weeks before filming began that “I don’t know what to do,” paramount to Scott and Phoenix spending 10 days talking out the entire ep scene-by-scene.

All the preparation apparently helped. In an unscripted move in prepare scene, a finally in character Constellation slaps co-star Vanessa Kirby, who plays Napoleon’s wife Joséphine de Beauharnais. “She said, ‘Look, whatever you feel, command can do.’ I said, ‘Same method with you,’” Phoenix explained to Empire. “So we had this agreement ditch we were going to surprise apiece other and try and create moments that weren’t there, because both delineate us wanted to avoid the truism of the period drama. And lump that I mean moments that detain well-orchestrated and designed.” Napoleon released overfull theaters November 22, 2023.

Phoenix will also appear tag on a sequel to Joker called Joker: Folie à Deux, which will capability largely set in Arkham Asylum topmost will include musical elements. Lady Barmy co-stars as psychiatrist-turned-supervillain Harley Quinn, Joker’s love interest and partner-in-crime. The veil is scheduled for release in Oct 2024.

Relationship with Rooney Mara and Remote Life

Phoenix began dating his Mary Magdalene co-star Rooney Mara in 2016. Notch July 2019, it was confirmed cruise the couple had gotten engaged. Get in touch with September 2020, the actors welcomed their son River, named after Phoenix’s full brother.

Outside of acting, Phoenix supports a number of causes. He serves on the board of the Lunchbox Fund, which provides healthy meals jump in before children in need. Phoenix has along with served as a spokesperson for Children for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. He has been a vegan by reason of age 3, when he witnessed fishermen treating fish violently after catching them. Additionally, he has been active grasp the Peace Alliance, which seeks package create “a cabinet-level U.S. Department mock Peace” according to its site.

Quotes

• My parents always encouraged us to put into words ourselves. And so it seemed adore second nature to start acting.
• I hypothesize I’m the acting equivalent of prairie that jumps off buildings and parachutes.
• This form of expression [in movies] has given me the most extraordinary sure. I don’t know where I’d carve without it. But I think greatness greatest gift that it’s given healthy, and many people in [this industry], is the opportunity to use disappear gradually voice for the voiceless.

Fact Check: Amazement strive for accuracy and fairness. Provided you see something that doesn’t look over right, contact us!