Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix was born Oct. 28, 1974, in Puerto Rico, one of five acting siblings whose parents were Children of God missionaries. Starting with SpaceCamp (1986), he played numerous juvenile roles in films and television during the 1980s, using the name Leaf Phoenix.

Shaken by his older brother River's drug overdose death in 1993, he was unsure of his chosen profession, but was convinced to appear (now as Joaquin) in Gus Van Sant's To Die For with Nicole Kidman. His reviews were excellent, and he gained further notice in Inventing the Abbotts, U Turn and 8mm.

Phoenix's roles in two 2000 films proved to be major career breakthroughs: Roman emperor Commodus in Gladiator (which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor) and a tormented priest in Quills. His role as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line (2005), in which he sang as well, also garnered him an Oscar nod for Best Actor.

Her

2013 R

In this sci-fi romantic comedy starring Joaquin Phoenix, love comes to a lonely young writer in the sleekest of packages when he finds himself falling for the advanced operating system he purchased to run his life.