Joaquin Phoenix was born as the third one of the five children in the city of San Juan, in Puerto Rico. The family was deeply religious and his father John Lee Bottom was a lapsed Catholic from Fontana, California in USA. They later joined a religious cult, the Children of God, which thery left withihn few days being disillusioned. Having born in a family that used ran from hand to mouth, from teen ages the Phoenix children used to perform on the streets and also at various talent contests, singing and playing instruments. Being nurrtured in tgis climate Joaquin Phoenix became attracted to the film world for its prosperity. It was during these formative years that Joaquin Phoenix got his first acting job as a guest ppearance on two television shows with his brother River, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in 1982 and the next one, Backwards: The Riddle of Dyslexia in 1984. However, Joaquin Phoenix made his screen debut in the film Space camp in 1986 in the role of Max. he went on to tablishhimself as a child actor in Parenthood of Ron Howard in the year 1989. After a lull of some years Joaquin Phoenix again came back to the public view but under very tragic circumstances. During these years his talented brother River beame seriously ill due to fatal drug overdose. To overcome the crisis he decided to join the film world again and started with portrayals of various individuals, that include To Die For (1995) along with Nicole Kidman, a smal town troublemaker in U-Turn of Oliver Stone, the Cruel Roman Emperor Commodus Gladiator (2000), a conflicted priest in Quills (2000), a disillusioned cameraman in Hotel Rwanda of Terry George in 2004, and a heroic firefighter in Ladder49 (2004). In the year 2006 Joaquin Phoenix was nominated as the Best Actor in Oscar, won the Golden Globe in the same category, and also bagged the prestigious Grammy Award at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards for his marvellous acting in Walk The Line soundtrack. Again, it was in the same year of 2006 when he was invited to join the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences. It has come to the knowledge, that very soon he will be found starring in the upcoming movie called Two Lovers along with the Oscar winning American actress Gwyneth Paltrow, and shall also be his third collaboration with the famed director James Gray. It should be kept in concern, that Joaquin Phoenix and his brother River happen to be the first brothers in the hisory of Hollywood to be nominated for an Academy Award in the category of acting.

Joaquin Phoenix has also been a well-known social activist. He has been found lending his support to a number of charities and humanitarian organizations, the most prominents of which are the Amnesty Interntaional and The Art of Elysium, HEART, The Peace Alliance, a reputed organization which is dedictead to campaign for the United States Department of Peace. In addition to this, he is also found to serve on the Board of Directors of The Lunchbox Fund, a charitable organization that deals with only proviing lunches for the poverty stricken children of South Africa. Since he has been a strict vegetarian from the age of three, one of the primary causes with whch Joaquin Phoenix is associated is the cause of animal welfare. He is a dedicated member of PETA and also of In Defense of Animals and has actively campaigned on their behalves. In the year 2005 he was awarded the "Humanitarian Award" at the San Diego Film Festival for his monumental work and contribution to Earthlings.