The Extraordinary Life of Joaquin Phoenix

Published on January 27, 2020 By Leah Goldberg

Joaquin’s other name

When Joaquin was first starting out in TV and movies he went by another name – “Leaf” Phoenix. He gave himself this name as he wanted a more natural name like his other siblings River, Summer and Rain. The name was also inspired from his love of nature and the time he used to spend raking leaves.

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He was very serious about using this name and it appears in the credits for a few of his earlier movies and TV series including 1982’s Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (TV Series), 1986’s Morningstar/Eveningstar (TV Series), 1986’s SpaceCamp, 1987’s Russkies, 1988’s Secret Witness, 1989’s The New Leave It To Beaver (TV Series), 1989’s Parenthood, and a few others. He changed his name back to Joaquin when he was 15.