Joaquin Phoenix is the actor that made “The Joker” such a masterpiece. If you are here because you want to learn more about Joaquin Phoenix and his net worth, you are in the right place.
We’ll explore Joaquin Phoenix’s career and earnings along with his net worth. Keep reading.
Who is Joaquin Phoenix and How much is He worth?
Image Full name Joaquin Rafael Bottom Date of Birth October 28, 1974 Age 49 Profession Actor, Film Producer, Television producer, Musician, Music Video Director, Social activist Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Nationality United States Of America Source of Wealth Movies Net Worth $80 Million Last Updated December 2023
Joaquin Phoenix is an American actor, producer, director, and musician and has a net worth of $80 million. His most popular works of his include “Walk the Line” (2005), “The Master” (2012), “Her” (2013), and “Joker” (2019). He has received many awards and recognitions, including an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards.
Phoenix’s acting career began in television shows when he was young, but it was his film performance that brought him widespread popularity and recognition. One of his early significant roles was in the film “To Die For” (1995), where his acting garnered critical acclaim.
However, it was his portrayal of Commodus in “Gladiator” (2000) that catapulted him to international fame. This role showcased his ability to play layered, intense characters and earned him his first Academy Award nomination.
Perhaps one of his most important roles came with “Joker” (2019), where he played the main and title character. His portrayal of the iconic comic book villain was both unsettling and deeply human, earning him many awards, including his first Academy Award for Best Actor.
This role depicted Phoenix’s ability to transform completely into his characters, offering a performance that was both haunting and deeply empathetic.
Off-screen, Phoenix is also known for his advocacy for animal rights and environmental causes, often using his platform to raise awareness about these issues.
Early Life
Joaquin Rafael Bottom was popularly known as Joaquin Phoenix. He was born on October 28, 1974, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. His parents were Arlyn (née Dunetz) and John Lee Bottom. They were both from the United State mainland. His father is mostly English descent, while his mother is an Ashkenazi Jew of Hungarian and Russian ancestry.
The family were originally members of the religious cult “Children of God”, and they moved throughout South America with the cult. Later, when Phoenix was three years old, the family left the cult and returned to stay in the United States.
It was when they came back to the U.S. that they changed their last name from Bottom to Phoenix, to symbolize a new beginning, just like how the mythical bird rises from its own ashes.
He has five siblings, which includes a half-sibling from his father’s previous relationship. Most of his siblings have nature-related names, such as River or Rain, and Phoenix called himself “Leaf” until he was fifteen, partly out of a desire to be more like his siblings.
Career
The Phoenix kids usually performed at various talent shows to help provide financial support for the family, and were eventually discovered by Iris Burton, a leading children’s agent in Hollywood at the time. When he was eight years old, Phoenix made his acting performance with his brother River in the television series “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” in a 1982 episode.
He then showed up in various other movie projects with his siblings, like the ABC Afterschool Special “Backwards: The Riddle of Dyslexia” (1984); the shows “Murder, She Wrote”, “The Fall Guy” and “Hill Street Blues”; the television film “Kids Don’t Tell” (1985), and the films “SpaceCamp” (1986) and “Parenthood” (1989). He also starred in the film “Russkies” (1987).
Phoenix, having become acknowledged as a child actor, made the decision to retire from acting and travel Latin America with his father.
In 2019, Phoenix received great reviews and Oscar buzz for his titular role in the Todd Phillips-directed movie “Joker”. Joker went on to earn more than $1 billion in revenue and $500 million in profits. As of this writing, it is the most-profitable R-rated movie of all time.
How much money has Joaquin Phoenix made playing the Joker?
For the first “Joker” movie, Joaquin made $4.5 million as a base salary.
As we said before, both Joaquin and the director Todd Phillips took lower salary pay in exchange for backend points on the first “Joker” movie. For example, if we assume Joaquin negotiated a 5% cut of profits, that would have turned into an additional $25 million payday.
The Hollywood Reporter has said that Todd Phillips took a 20% cut of profits and stands to make $100+ million from the movie. These numbers have not been fully confirmed yet.
For “Joker 2” Joaquin was paid an upfront fee of $20 million. He will still take a small share of backend points, but it is much smaller than his first deal.
In September 2020, it was said that Joaquin is working under a 2-film deal to play the Joker. For the two movies, he will make a total sum of $50 million. Since we know he is making $20 million for the second movie, it is safe to presume that he will make $30 million if there is a third installment in the future.
