May 2000 - Appeared on both "Late Show with David Letterman" (1993) and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" (1992) promoting Gladiator (2000).
Took his mother to the premiere of Gladiator (2000).
Was born Joaquin Rafael, but at the age of four he decided that he wanted a more earthy name, like his elder siblings River and Rain, so while he was raking leaves with his father he decided on Leaf. In the early '90s he took back his birth name.
Brother of River Phoenix, Summer Phoenix, Rain Phoenix and Liberty Phoenix
His first name is pronounced "WAA-keen"
Once refused to wear shoes during a photo shoot for Prada because they were made out of leather.
He is a strict vegan and will not wear costumes made out of animal skin unless absolutely necessary. He had to wear both leather and silk for his role in Gladiator (2000).
Was born on same day, year and city as Dayanara Torres Delgado.
Resides in New York City in the same apartment building as best friend Casey Affleck and sister Summer Phoenix and director Gus Van Sant.
Took his mother to the Academy Awards [2001]
Joaquin's mother is of Hungarian-Russian decent and his father is of Spanish-Irish decent
Is a spokesperson for PETA
Became an uncle again after sister, Summer Phoenix, gave birth to Indiana August Affleck (2004).
Uncle to his sister Liberty Phoenix's children Rio Everest, Indigo Orion and Scarlette Jasmine as well as Rain Phoenix's son Jonas Winter.
Contrary to popular belief, the scar on his lip is not the result of a repaired cleft lip or palate. It is simply a birth scar. Phoenix has stated in interviews that, while pregnant with him, his mother felt a sharp pain one day, and he was born with a scar on his lip.
Shares a birthday with actress Julia Roberts.
Speaks fluent Spanish.
Reportedly never reads his own press or reviews
Checked himself into rehab to be treated for alcoholism in early April 2005.
Joaquin Phoenix Detailed Biography
Born in Puerto Rico to Children of God missionaries John Bottom Amram and Arlyn Dunitz Jochebed (a.k.a. Heart), Joaquin Phoenix was the middle child in a brood of five. As a youngster Joaquin Phoenix took his cues from older siblings River Phoenix and Rain Phoenix, changing his name to Leaf to match their earthier monikers. When the children were encouraged to develop their creative instincts, Joaquin Phoenix followed their lead into acting. Younger sisters Liberty Phoenix and Summer Phoenix rounded out the talented troupe. The family moved often, traveling through Central and South America (and adopting the surname "Phoenix" to celebrate their new beginnings), but by the time Joaquin Phoenix was 6 they had more or less settled in the Los Angeles area. Heart found work as a secretary at NBC, and John turned his talents to landscaping. They eventually found an agent who was willing to represent all five children, and the younger generation dove into TV work. Commercials for meat, milk, and junk food were off-limits (the kids were all raised as strict vegans), but they managed to find plenty of work pushing other, less sinister products. Joaquin Phoenix's first real acting gig was a guest appearance on River's sitcom "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" (1982). Joaquin Phoenix worked with his brother again on the after school special Backwards: The Riddle of Dyslexia (1984) (TV), then struck out on his own in other made-for-TV productions. He made his big-screen debut as the youngest crew member in the interstellar romp SpaceCamp (1986), then won his first starring turn in the Cold War-era drama Russkies (1987).
In the late '80s, the Phoenix clan decided to pull up stakes and relocate again--this time to Florida. River's film career had enough momentum to sustain the move, but Joaquin Phoenix wasn't sure what lay in store for him in the Sunshine State. As it happened, Universal Pictures had just opened a new studio in the area and he was cast almost immediately as an angst-ridden adolescent in Parenthood (1989). Joaquin Phoenix's performance was very well-received, but Joaquin decided to withdraw from acting for a while - he was frustrated with the dearth of interesting roles for actors his age, and he wanted to see more of the world. His parents were in the process of separating, so he struck out for Mexico with his father. Joaquin Phoenix returned to the public eye three years later under tragic circumstances. On October 31, 1993, he was at The Viper Room (an L.A. nightclub partly owned by Johnny Depp) when his brother River collapsed from a drug overdose and later died. Joaquin made the call to 911, which was rebroadcast on radio and TV the world over. Months later, at the insistence of friends and colleagues, Joaquin Phoenix began reading through scripts again, but he was reluctant to re-enter the acting life until he found just the right part. He finally signed up to work with Gus Van Sant (who had directed River in My Own Private Idaho (1991) and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993)) to star as Nicole Kidman's obsessive devotee in _To Die for (1995)_ . The performance made Joaquin Phoenix (who had dropped Leaf and reverted to his birth name) a critics' darling in his own right. His follow-up turn in Inventing the Abbotts (1997) scored more critical kudos, and, perhaps more importantly, introduced him to future fiancée Liv Tyler (the pair dated for almost three years).
Joaquin Phoenix returned to the big screen later that year with a supporting role in Oliver Stone's U Turn (1997), then played a locked-up drug scapegoat in Return to Paradise (1998). Joaquin Phoenix and Paradise co-star Vince Vaughn re-teamed almost immediately for the small-town murder caper Clay Pigeons (1998), which Joaquin followed with a turn as a porn store clerk in 8MM (1999). The film that confirmed Phoenix as a star was Gladiator (2000). The Roman epic cast him as a selfish, paranoid young emperor opposite Russell Crowe's swarthy hero. Determined to make his character as real as possible, Joaquin Phoenix gained weight and cultivated a pasty complexion during the shoot. Later that year he appeared in two indies, playing a dock worker in The Yards (2000) (which he counts among his favorite experiences--and one of the only films of his that he can sit through) and the priest in charge of the Marquis de Sade's asylum in Quills (2000).
