Joaquin Phoenix – As You’ve Never Seen Him Before…

Last night, Joaquin Phoenix won big at the 2020 Academy Awards taking home best actor for his role as Arthur Fleck in Joker. Giving an impassioned speech against the dairy industry, and paying tribute to his late brother, River Phoenix, his name quickly began to trend worldwide. With more than one million Google searches yesterday alone, it seems everyone is keen to know more about the actor.

So you might be interested in these throwback photographs of him from 1983 when Phoenix was just nine years old. The images show the now-43-year-old actor at home with his family including his siblings Rain, Liberty, Summer and the late River.

Looking remarkably like his father John Lee Bottom, who died in 2015 from cancer, Phoenix can be seen smiling alongside his family. River, a huge Hollywood name years before Joaquin, died aged just 23 from a drug overdose.

Phoenix's family have long been in the public eye. His parents married in 1969 and were part of a religious cult called the Children of God, travelling across South America with their children. Leaving the cult when Phoenix was three, they moved to Los Angeles where he and his four siblings performed on the streets for spare change. They were eventually scouted by talent agent Iris Burton.

Phoenix was eight years old when he began his acting career. As well as Joker, his most notable roles to date include Walk the Line - in which he played Johnny Cash - The Master and Her.

Alongside the family pictures, there is also a throwback nineties picture of him with ex-partner Liv Tyler. Scroll through to see the vintage pictures for yourself - and enjoy…