Joaquin Phoenix

Born: 1974-10-28 in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Known For: Acting

Biography

Joaquin Rafael Phoenix (/hwɑːˈkiːn/ whah-KEEN; né Bottom; October 28, 1974) is an American actor. Widely described as one of the preeminent actors of his generation and known for his roles as dark, unconventional and eccentric characters in independent film, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, an Actor Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Grammy Award, a Volpi Cup, and two Golden Globes. 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 name in the early 1990s and received critical acclaim for his supporting roles in To Die For (1995) and Quills (2000). Phoenix received further critical acclaim and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Commodus in the historical drama 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 Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of musician Johnny Cash in the biopic Walk the Line (2005). Following a brief sabbatical, Phoenix starred in the psychological drama The Master (2012), winning the Volpi Cup for Best Actor and earning his third Academy Award nomination. He gained praise 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 the psychological thriller You Were Never Really Here (2017). For his performance as the titular character of Joker (2019), Phoenix won the Academy Award for Best Actor. He reprised his role in the 2024 sequel Joker: Folie à Deux. He has since starred in the independent films C'mon C'mon (2021), Beau Is Afraid (2023) and Eddington (2025), and portrayed the title role in the historical drama Napoleon (2023). Outside acting, Phoenix is an animal rights activist. A vegan, he regularly supports charitable causes and has produced several documentaries on global meat consumption and its impact on the environment. Description above from the Wikipedia article Joaquin Phoenix, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Filmography

2026

Outcome ... (Thanks)

2025

Eddington as Joe Cross
The Voice of Hind Rajab ... (Executive Producer)
Trillion ... (Executive Producer)
Made in Eddington as Self
I’m Glad You’re Dead Now ... (Executive Producer)

2024

Joker: Folie à Deux as Arthur Fleck
Joaquin Phoenix: An Actor of Extremes as Self - Actor (archive footage)

2023

Napoleon as Napoleon Bonaparte
María Madalena
Beau Is Afraid as Beau Wassermann
The End of Medicine ... (Executive Producer)
Finally Home: Making Beau is Afraid as Self

2022

Stutz ... (Producer)

2021

C'mon C'mon as Johnny
Gunda ... (Executive Producer)

2020

My Darling Vivian as Self (archive footage)
Joker: Put on a Happy Face as Self
Guardians of Life

2019

Joker as Arthur Fleck
The Animal People ... (Executive Producer)

2018

Mary Magdalene as Jesus
The Sisters Brothers as Charlie Sisters
Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot as John Callahan
Lou as Karl
Dominion as Narrator (voice)

2017

You Were Never Really Here as Joe
What the Health ... (Executive Producer)
Across My Land ... (Executive Producer)

2015

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as Self
Irrational Man as Abe
Unity as Narrator (voice)
Chryskylodon Blues as Self
I Am Dying ... (Executive Producer)

2014

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as Self - Guest
Inherent Vice as Larry "Doc" Sportello
Her: Love in the Modern Age as Self (archive footage)
Her: The Untitled Rick Howard Project as Self

2013

Her as Theodore
The Immigrant as Bruno Weiss

2012

The Master as Freddie Quell

2010

I'm Still Here as Joaquin Phoenix

2008

Two Lovers as Leonard Kraditor

2007

We Own the Night as Bobby Green
Reservation Road as Ethan Learner

2006

Celebrating the Man in Black: The Making of Walk the Line as Self
Final 24: River Phoenix as Self (voice) (archive footage)

2005

Walk the Line as John R. Cash
Earthlings as Narrator (voice)
Deconstructing 'The Village' as Self
Strength and Honor: Creating the World of 'Gladiator' as Self
I Walk the Line: A Night for Johnny Cash as Self
Strength and Honor: Production Pods as Self

2004

Hotel Rwanda as Jack Daglish
The Village as Lucius Hunt
Ladder 49 as Jack Morrison

2003

Jimmy Kimmel Live! as Self - Guest
Brother Bear as Kenai (voice)
It's All About Love as John
Making 'Signs' as Self / Merrill Hess

2002

2001

Good Day Live as Self

2000

Gladiator as Commodus
Quills as Abbe du Coulmier
The Yards as Willie Gutierrez
Gladiator Games: The Roman Bloodsport as Self

1999

8MM as Max California

1998

Return to Paradise as Lewis McBride
Clay Pigeons as Clay Bidwell

1997

U Turn as Toby N. Tucker
Inventing the Abbotts as Doug Holt

1995

To Die For as Jimmy Emmett

1993

Late Night with Conan O'Brien as Self - Guest

1992

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Walking the Dog as Mischievous Teenage Boy

1989

Parenthood as Garry Buckman-Lampkin

1988

LIVE with Kelly and Mark as Self - Guest
Secret Witness as Drew Blackburn

1987

Russkies as Danny

1952

Today as Self

1944

Golden Globe Awards as Self - Nominee