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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".
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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.
Film career
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. |
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JOAQUIN PHOENIX PICTURES |
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