11 years after Heath Ledger won a posthumous Oscar for playing the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight,“ Joaquin Phoenix became the second actor to win an Academy Award for playing the almost 80-year-old comic book character. Phoenix also won a Golden Globe, SAG Award and BAFTA Award, among other honors, for his performance in Todd Phillips’ “Joker.” It was his first win after three previous nominations.
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Phoenix has now won almost every major acting honor outside of an Emmy Award and Tony Award. He took the Best Actor award at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival for “They Were Never Really Here” and the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for “The Master” in 2012. He’s also won acting awards from LAFCA, NYFCC and the National Board of Review.
The 45-year-old actor earned his first Oscar nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category for “Gladiator” in 2001. His second nod was in the Best Actor category for “Walk the Line” in 2006. That was followed by a Best Actor nom for “The Master” in 2013. He has appeared in Best Picture winner “Gladiator” and four other Best Picture nominees: “Walk the Line,” “Her” and “Joker.”
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Phoenix, whose career started at the age of 7 in the 1982 TV series “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” has an incredible resume that includes memorable work in “To Die For,” “Quills,” “Signs,” “The Village,” “The Immigrant,” “Inherent Vice,” “You Were Never Really Here” and “The Sister’s Brothers.” His Oscar win caps a remarkable comeback after the disastrous 2010 mock-documentary “I’m Still Here” which no one knew was a mock-documentary while it was filming. It’s worth noting the director of that film, Casey Affleck, has also won the Best Actor Oscar since that moment.
The next film on Phoenix’s slate is Mike Mills’ “C’mon C’mon” which should hit theaters later this year.
