Joaquin Phoenix Biography

Joaquin (pronounced roughly "Wah KEEN") Rafael Phoenix (born October 28, 1974 in San Juan, Puerto Rico), who was once also known as Leaf Phoenix, is an actor active in the United States. He often plays supporting roles as conflicted, insecure characters, and often with a dark side.

His Irish-Spanish father, John Lee Bottom, and Bronx-bred Jewish mother [1], Arlyn Sharon Dunetz, joined the Children of God and became missionaries, traveling throughout South America and adopting the surname "Phoenix". Joaquin was born in Puerto Rico and lived there until he was six years old. After leaving the Children of God and returning to the United States, they encouraged their children (Joaquin was the third of five) to develop their creative instincts. Since his siblings had nature-related names – "River", "Rain" (or "Rainbow"), "Liberty Butterfly" (or "Libertad Mariposa"), and "Summer" – Joaquin changed his name to "Leaf".

The family moved to Los Angeles, where his mother started working as a secretary for NBC, and his father became a landscaper. His parents hired an agent, who eventually got the five children acting work.

Joaquin'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), and his first starring role was in Russkies (1987). He went on to establish himself as a child actor in Parenthood (1989), before deciding to withdraw from acting for a while and move to Mexico with his father.

Joaquin came back into public view under tragic circumstances — he was the person who dialled 9-1-1 when his brother River Phoenix suffered a fatal drug overdose outside Hollywood nightclub The Viper Room. Joaquin was reluctant to re-enter the world of acting, but he did so at the insistence of his friends. He changed his name from "Leaf" back to "Joaquin".

He portrayed a troubled teen in Gus Van Sant's To Die For, and has earned positive reviews for adult roles as Commodus in Gladiator (for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor), a priest in Quills, the washed-up baseball player Merrill Hess in M. Night Shyamalan's Signs, and stoic Lucius Hunt in Shyamalan's The Village.

He has recently admitted himself into rehab to deal with his increasing alcohol problem. He is also a chain smoker.

The scar on Joaquin's lip is popularly believed to be the result of a repaired cleft lip. However, Joaquin Phoenix has stated in interviews that his mother, while pregnant with him, felt a sharp pain one day and he was born with a scar on his lip.