The Extraordinary Life of Joaquin Phoenix

Published on January 27, 2020 By Leah Goldberg

An interesting family

Joaquin Phoenix was raised very differently from most people. His real name is Joaquin Rafael Bottom and he hails from San Juan, Puerto Rico. His parents were missionaries from the Children of God, named Arlyn Bottom and John Lee Bottom. His mother is of Jewish descent, while his father has English, German and French ancestry.

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He is the middle child of five children. He had a brother River Phoenix who was a very famous actor, and his other siblings are all sisters who he is very close to. His sister Summer is an actress, model and designer. Joaquin was so inspired by his brother River and sister Summer’s names, as they related to nature, that he even changed his name to Leaf for a while.