| Acting must be in the Phoenix family genes - not only does Joaquin enjoy a successful career as an actor, but his late brother, River , was also known as a terrific actor. His sisters, Summer,Liberty and Rain have also flirted with acting careers. Whether it's the genes or just the environment, the family has a definite talent, one that Joaquin demonstrates every time he graces the silver screen. Joaquin (pronounced "wah-keen") Rafael Phoenix was born on October 28th, 1974, in Puerto Rico and raised in a very relaxed but warm environment. He and his siblings were schooled at home by their parents, and they grew up as a very close unit.When he was four, Joaquin decided he would like a more earthy name like his siblings, and he decided on Leaf. He would go by that name for close to a decade. Leaf Phoenix made his big screen debut in SpaceCamp, but it was in Parenthood that he really began to catch people's attention- at least he seemed to be.....We would never know where Leaf Phoenix could have gone after that point because he promptly disappeared from the acting scene for over five years. That time was spent travelling and being with his father down in Mexico. In 1993 disaster struck. On the night of October 30th of that year, Joaquin,his sister Rain, his brother River and River's girlfriend Samantha Mathis, spent the night out and ended up at the Viper Room, the bar owned by Johnny Depp. While there River overdosed on drugs, and died in Joaquin's arms as he frantically tried to get help. The incident caught the attention of the world, and River was hailed as one of the finest talents of his generation, likened to James Dean. The desperate 911 call which was made by Joaquin was played repeatedly on television, and the family was placed at the epicentre of a Hollywood scandal. Joaquin and his family once more took a step away from the Hollywood limelight. Phoenix would make his triumphant return (once again as Joaquin) in 1995's To Die For, as the naive teenager taken advantage of by an ambitious and lustful weathergirl (played by Nicole Kidman). The role caught the attention of critics, but unfortubately he followed it up with a brilliant but largely unnoticed role in Inventing The Abbotts. However one good thing came out of his role in that film- he and co-star Liv Tyler began a relationship while filming that lasted for three years. Trading in on his quirky appearance and oddball personality, Joaquin began taking roles that were closer to his nature. First came a role in Oliver Stone's U-Turn, then a role in Return To Paradise as a laid back stoner who is pushed over the edge while imprisoned in a foreign penitentiary. The role was completely effective and believable , securing Joaquin's status as a rising star. the "newcomer" certainley held his own against Anne Heche and Vince Vaughn. He would work with Vaughn again on his next project, the well recieved Clay Pigeons. He followed that up with a brief supporting role in Joel Schumacher's ill-recieved smut -fest 8mm where he at least had the honour of being the only enjoyable and critically praised part of the film, making up for the catatonic Nicolas Cage. The year 2000 truly showed that Phoenix was breaking through. First came Gladiator, an epic summer blockbuster in which he played the debauched and power-hungry Emperor Commodus to perfection. The film left such an lasting impression that it would be awarded with multiple Oscar nominations nearly a year later- including one for Best Supporting Actor. Joaquin also recieved glowing reviews for his fantastic performance in The Yards - as a small time gangster. He also starred alongside Kate Winslet and Geoffrey Rush and Michael Caine in the acclaimed drama Quills. Joaquin has three new films coming out this year....... It's All About Love ,where he reunites with his U-Turn co-star Claire Danes, and Buffalo Soldiers where he plays Sgt Elwood, a rebel american soldier stationed in Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall. He has also finished production on M.Night Shyamalan's latest project, titled Signs , where he co-stars with Mel Gibson. Joaquin has also signed on to play a role in Robert Altmans new film, called Voltage, due to begin production in New York in May. He has also recently been linked with a new film called, Aurora Island , where he is tipped to star alongside Kim Basinger and Mandy Moore . |
| Sources used for biography : Large section of biography courtesy of - MovieThing.com |
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