Joaquin Phoenix (born Oct. 28, 1974) is an American actor known for playing dark and unconventional characters on screen, and is widely considered one of the greatest actors of the 21st century. He started his career in the early 1980s, appearing in multiple television series alongside his brother River, and was credited under his alternate name Leaf Phoenix. He made his film debut in 1986’s “SpaceCamp,” and later played aloof teenager Garry Lampkin in Ron Howard’s 1989 family dramedy “Parenthood.” Phoenix resumed the use of his original first name beginning in the '90s. 

Following a short break from acting, along with the death of River in 1993 due to an accidental drug overdose, Phoenix received critical acclaim for his roles in “To Die For” (1995) and “Quills” (2000). His breakthrough performance as Roman emperor Commodus in 2000’s “Gladiator” earned him his first Academy Award nomination for best actor in a supporting role. After working on such films as “Buffalo Soldiers” (2001), “Hotel Rwanda” (2004) and M. Night Shyamalan’s “Signs” (2002) and “The Village” (2004), Phoenix portrayed musician Johnny Cash in the 2005 biopic “Walk the Line,” for which he nabbed an Academy Award nomination for best actor, a Grammy Award and a Golden Globe Award. 

Phoenix earned his third Academy Award nomination for 2012’s “The Master,” and received critical acclaim for his roles in “Her” (2013) and “Inherent Vice” (2014). In 2017, he won the Cannes Film Festival award for best actor for his performance in the psychological thriller “You Were Never Really Here.” Phoenix won his first Oscar for his performance as the title character in 2019’s “Joker,” and has since starred in the A24 releases “C’mon C’mon” (2021) and “Beau Is Afraid” (2023), as well as Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” (2023).