Joaquin Phoenix Birthday, Age, Real Name, Siblings & Best Movies

Joaquin Phoenix was born Joaquin Rafael Bottom on October 28, 1974, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Famous for intense, unpredictable performances, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for Joker and is widely seen as one of the finest actors of his generation. He is 51 years old.

Real Name and a Family of Performers

Joaquin is the middle of five children born to John Lee Bottom and Arlyn Phoenix. The family travelled widely when the children were young before settling in Los Angeles, where they changed their surname to Phoenix — after the mythical bird that rises again — as a symbol of a fresh start. As a boy he even called himself “Leaf” for a while, wanting a nature name like his siblings, and he was credited as Leaf Phoenix in his early films.

Sibling	Born	Known for
River Phoenix	1970 (died 1993)	Oscar-nominated actor of Stand by Me and Running on Empty
Rain Phoenix	1972	Actress and musician
Joaquin Phoenix	1974	Oscar-winning actor
Liberty Phoenix	1976	Former child actress
Summer Phoenix	1978	Actress

On October 31, 1993 — just three days after Joaquin’s 19th birthday — his older brother River died outside a Los Angeles nightclub. Joaquin and River later became the first brothers ever nominated for acting Academy Awards.

From Leaf Phoenix to Hollywood Star

• 1986–1989: child roles in SpaceCamp and Parenthood, credited as Leaf Phoenix.
• 1995: takes back the name Joaquin and wins praise in To Die For.
• 2000: plays the emperor Commodus in Gladiator — his first Oscar nomination.
• 2005: becomes Johnny Cash in Walk the Line, winning a Golden Globe and a Grammy for the soundtrack.
• 2012–2014: The Master, Her and Inherent Vice confirm his reputation for daring roles.
• 2019: Joker earns him the Academy Award for Best Actor.
• 2023–2025: Napoleon, Beau Is Afraid, Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) and Eddington (2025).

Major Awards

Award	Film
Academy Award for Best Actor	Joker (2019)
Golden Globe Awards (two)	Walk the Line, Joker
BAFTA Award for Best Actor	Joker
Grammy Award	Walk the Line soundtrack
Volpi Cup (Venice)	The Master
Best Actor, Cannes Film Festival	You Were Never Really Here (2017)

Beyond the Screen

Phoenix has been vegan since he was a small child — the whole family changed their diet after seeing fish caught on a boat trip. He is a long-time animal-rights campaigner and has produced and narrated documentaries about the impact of meat production on animals and the planet.

👉 Born on October 28: See more famous October 28 birthdays

👉 Also celebrated today: National days and holidays on October 28

Frequently Asked Questions

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