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Jim Carter (born 19 August 1948)^[1] is an English actor.

Early life[link]

Carter was born in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. His father worked for the Air Ministry and his mother was a land girl and later a school secretary.^[2] Carter attended Ashville College, Harrogate, where he was head boy in his final year, and the University of Sussex where he studied law and became a leading light of the fledgling Drama Society, playing Sgt Musgrave in the first student production at the newly built Gardner Arts Centre theatre.^[3] He dropped out of university after two years to join a fringe theatre group in Brighton.^[1][2]

Acting career[link]

Carter's film credits include Top Secret! (1984), A Month in the Country (1987), The Madness of King George (1994), Richard III (1995), Brassed Off (1996), Shakespeare in Love (1998), The Little Vampire (2000), Ella Enchanted (2004), and Detective Victor Getz in The Thief Lord (2006). He plays John Faa in The Golden Compass (2007), the first film in the adaptation of the His Dark Materials trilogy, and also stars in House Of 9 (2005) as The Watcher, and the executioner in "Alice in Wonderland".^[4]

His television credits include Lipstick on Your Collar (1993), Cracker, (1994), The Way We Live Now (2001), The Singing Detective (1986), Arabian Nights (2000), The Chest (1997), Red Riding (2009), A Very British Coup (1988) and the Hornblower episode "Duty" (2003) and in "Midsomer Murders" (2004) episode "The Fisher King" as Nathan Green. He also plays Captain Brown in the five-part BBC series Cranford (2007) and Mayor Waldo in the US miniseries Dinotopia (2002). In September 2010 he made his first appearance as the butler, Mr Carson in the ITV period drama Downton Abbey (2010).^[4]

He began acting professionally in "the early 1970s."^[5]

His answer to the question: "If you hadn't become an actor, what would you have done professionally?" Answer: "I wouldn't have pursued law - I'd actually dropped out of law into English, I'd even changed my course. But when the offer came from this fringe theatre group, the Brighton Combination, to leave university and join them for five quid a week, it was like a door opening, and there wasn't a moment's hesitation. I walked through that door and never looked back. I have never earned a penny from doing anything apart from acting. I have never had another job."^[6]

His first paid job for ₤5 a week with free board and lodging was in a play called Gum and Goo by Howard Brenton for the Brighton Combination.^[7] Howard Brenton's Gum and Goo was first produced by the Brighton Combination (in Brighton) in 1969.^[8][9]

Appeared in Howard Brenton's Winter Daddykins in July 1968 for the Brighton Combination. It was directed by Barry Edwards and Carter performed with Fiona Baker and Lily Sue Todd.^[10][11] This is probably the play referred to in Jenny Harris' website that took place on 9 July 1968 in the Brighton Combination's cafe. Jenny Harris was one of the initiators of the Brighton Combination.^[12] Jim Carter mentioned her in one interview as one who started the Brighton Combination. She was then head of the National Theatre's education department.^[13]

In 1970, he performed in the show Come Together at London's Royal Court Theatre together with the Brighton Combination and the Ken Campbell Roadshow along with other theatre personalities and groups.^[14][15][16] The Royal Court's Come Together Festival was on the cover page of Plays and Players magazine issue of December 1970. Scenes from this festival are also featured in this issue.^[17] The Come Together festival opened at the Royal Court Theatre on 21 October 1970 and contributed to one of the Royal Court's best years. The festival brought the avante-garde like the Brighton Combination and Ken Campbell into the Court. The Brighton Combination presented "The NAB Show", a politically oriented account of the National Assistance Board.^[18]

He first worked at the Combination Theatre Company in Brighton. Later he joined the Newcastle University Theatre where he played, among other parts, Estragon in Waiting for Godot. From 1974 to 1976 he toured America with the Ken Campbell Roadshow and on his return joined the Phoenix Theatre in Leicester. In 1977 he joined the National Theatre Company where he appeared as Dom Fiollo (sic) in The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the Cottesloe Theatre. In 1978 he became a member of the Young Vic Company appearing as Stephano in The Tempest, Buckingham in Richard III and Mephistopheles in Faust. In 1978 he went to America to study in a circus school where he learned juggling, unicycling and tightrope walking. From 21 May to 29 June 1980 he played Trebonius/Marullus/Poet in a Julius Caeasar production of Riverside Studios directed by Peter Gill. He performs magic acts in cabarets.^[19][20] The Young Vic's Richard III production in 1978, which featured James Carter with, among others, Bill Wallis and Michael Attwell, was directed by Michael Bogdanov. He also performed in the Young Vic production of Bartholomew Fair in 1978. It was also directed by Michael Bogdanov.^[21]

He was a member of The Madhouse Company of London, a comedy troupe which performed in Boston in the 1970s; together with the late Marcel Steiner (1931-1999), Marc Weil and Tommy Shands. Ken Campbell was also associated with the group.^[22][23][24] The Madhouse Co. was an offshoot of the Ken Campbell's Roadshow that came to New York and Boston. It broke up eventually and Steiner and Carter returned to England. The Madhouse Co. was in Cambridge, Massachusetts. in August 1976.^[25] The Madhouse Company of London was mentioned and its shows advertised and reviewed in several New York magazine issues from April 1974 to March 1975.^[26] Marc Weil created The Madhouse Company of London in 1973.^[27]

In June to August 2005, he appeared in The President of an Empty Room at the National Theatre (written by Stephen Knight and directed by Howard Davies). When he did this he had not done theatre in 14 years. He considers his appearance in Richard Eyre's 1982 National Theatre revival of Guys and Dolls a significant moment. It was when he met his future wife, Imelda Staunton, who also appeared in this play. He considers Richard Eyre and Howard Davies two of his favourite directors. He left university (where he had dropped out of law to study English) to join the fringe theatre group Brighton Combination "for five quid a week." He has been acting since then and has "never earned a penny from doing anything apart from acting." He also taught magic and juggling and does magic acts in cabaret circuits. At the Young Vic he was earning ₤65 a week. He was with the Brighton Combination still when it moved to London and opened a theatre called the Albany in Deptford. In his own words: "The Brighton Combination moved to London and started a theatre called the Albany in Deptford, and I was with them then."^[28]

In the early 1970s, the Brighton Combination, a touring fringe theatre group, became resident in the Albany Institute in Deptford, South East London. This was considered one of the great achievements of the Albany's then director Paul Curno. By fusing community work and the arts, Director Paul Curno and "The Combination" transformed the Albany's fortunes. This fusion still drives the Albany to this day. ^[29] The Brighton Combination Company moved to become resident at the Albany in SE London in 1972 with a brief to set up community action and arts development projects. It combined artistic and cultural works with social activism.^[30]

Performed in the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith, London in Jean Cocteau's The Infernal Machine (with Maggie Smith and with Simon Callow directing, 1986-87).^{[31][32][33][34]} Photos and a review of this play appeared in Plays and Players magazine in January 1987.^[35]

He is said to have also performed in William "Bill" Bryden's The Passion at the National Theatre in 1985.^[36] Performed in The Mysteries: The Nativity, The Passion and Doomsday at the Cottesloe Theatre for the National Theatre in 1984 and 1985. Both performances were directed by Bill Bryden.^[37]

Also appeared in Doug Lucie's Fashion in May-June 1990 at the Tricycle Theatre, directed by Michael Attenborough.^[38][39][40]

In the Royal Shakespeare Company's (RSC)The Wizard of Oz production, wife Imelda Staunton played Dorothy while he was the Cowardly Lion. Considers playing a baddie dressed in black in the cowboy film Rustlers' Rhapsody filmed in southern Spain one of the top highlights of his career. ^[41] The Wizard of Oz was directed by Ian Judge; it opened on 17 December 1987 at the RSC's Barbican Theatre. It played in repertory through 27 February 1988.^[42]

His National Theatre performances (as James Carter):^[43] 1. as Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Cottesloe Theatre, 20 December 1977-14 January 1978) 2. as Daui a fugitive/Guard/Second Cook in The Romans in Britain (Olivier Theatre, 10 October 1980-24 March 1981) 3. as Nawadaha the storyteller in Hiawatha (Olivier Theatre, 25 November 1980-December 1983) 4. as Henry Straker in Man and Superman (Olivier Theatre, 17 January-October 1981) 5. as Rebolledo a soldier in The Mayor of Zalamea (Cottesloe and Olivier Theatre, 4 August 1981(opening night at Cottesloe), Jim Carter performed at the Olivier, December 1981-July 1982) 6. as Chorus in The Oresteia (Olivier Theatre, 20 November 1981- ) 7. as Big Julie in Guys and Dolls (Olivier Theatre, 26 February 1982-October 1983) 8. as Hitler/SS Man Muller in Schewyk in the Second World War (Olivier Theatre, 16 September 1982-March 1983) 9. as Don Jose, the cigar taster in The President of an Empty Room (Cottesloe Theatre, 28 June 2005-27 August 2005^[44])

• He was magic adviser, not one of the performers, in The Cherry Orchard (Cottesloe Theatre, 3 December 1985- )

His Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) performances include:^[45] 1. as the Judge in The Balcony (Barbican Theatre, 15 July 1987- ) 2. as Zekel, Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz (Barbican Theatre, 17 December 1987-27 February 1988)

Summary of James "Jim" Carter's stage works: 1. Winter Daddykins (for the Brighton Combination, July 1968) 2. Gum and Goo (for the Brighton Combination, 1969) 3. Come Together festival (for the Brighton Combination, Royal Court Theatre, October 1970- ) [Was with the Brighton Combination when it became resident in the Albany in Deptford, SE London, 1972] 4. Waiting for Godot (for Newcastle University Theatre, ???) 5. The Madhouse Company of London shows (offshoot of the Ken Campbell Roadshow) in New York and Massachusetts, 1974-76 6. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (for the National Theatre, Cottesloe Theatre, December 1977-January 1978) 7. The Tempest (for the Young Vic Company, 1978) 8. Richard III (for the Young Vic Company, 1978) 9. Faust (for the Young Vic Company, 1978) 10. Bartholomew Fair (for the Young Vic Company, 1978) 11. Julius Caesar (Riverside Studios, May-June 1980) 12. The Romans in Britain (for the National Theatre, Olivier Theatre, October 1980-March 1981) 13. Hiawatha (for the National Theatre, Olivier Theatre, November 1980-December 1983) 14. Man and Superman (for the National Theatre, Olivier Theatre, January-October 1981) 15. The Mayor of Zalamea (for the National Theatre, Olivier Theatre, December 1981-July 1982) 16. The Oresteia (for the National Theatre, Olivier Theatre, November 1981) 17. Guys and Dolls (for the National Theatre, Olivier Theatre, February 1982-October 1983) 18. Schweyk in the Second World War (for the National Theatre, Olivier Theatre, September 1982-March 1983) 19. The Mysteries: The Nativity, The Passion, and Doomsday (for the National Theatre, Cottesloe Theatre, 1984-85) 20. The Infernal Machine (Lyric Hammersmith, 1986-87) 21. The Balcony (for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Barbican Theatre, July 1987) 22. The Wizard of Oz (for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Barbican Theatre, December 1987-February 1988) 23. Fashion (Tricycle Theatre, May-June 1990) 24. The President of an Empty Room (for the National Theatre, Cottesloe Theatre, June-August 2005)

Other media[link]

Carter is the voice of "Hex" - The Legend of the Towers, the ride at Britain's premier theme park Alton Towers.^[46]

He narrated the six-part series Home Front Britain, a documentary of life in Britain during World War II created and produced by the Discovery Channel and the British Film Institute.^[47] Home Front Britain was broadcast on Discovery Channel from September 11, 2009.^[48]

Personal life[link]

Jim Carter and British actress Imelda Staunton met in January 1982 during rehearsals of Richard Eyre's Guys and Dolls at the National Theatre. Carter was 34, Staunton was 26 and she considered him already old. According to Staunton, "we worked together for a year and it was a slow burn rather than a heady rush of passion." In November 2008, they celebrated their silver wedding. Staunton was 37 when she had her only child, Bessie. Bessie is to enroll at the National Youth Theatre in 2010. Staunton says of Carter's acting: "He has never been the sort of actor who yearns to play Hamlet. Maybe it's because he came to acting from performing in the circus. He has always done just what he wants to do." ^[49]

Jim Carter and Imelda Staunton married in 1983 and have one daughter, Bessie, born in 1993. Staunton would later proudly claim that after 21 years of marriage, she and Carter had been apart for only three weeks.^[50] They celebrated their 28th wedding anniversary in the autumn of 2011. They have a little dog named Molly.^[51]

Carter is also currently the chairman of Hampstead Cricket Club.^[52] On 18 September 2011 he organised the Hampstead Cricket Club (HCC) Celebrity Cricket Match. It was HCC's third annual charity celebrity cricket match. ^[53]

He has been a keen cyclist for 55 years (as of October 2011), frequently riding for charity causes. On 30 September 2011 Carter travelled with 25 other riders to Ghana for a 10-day trip which included six days of cycling to raise money for clean water in the small impoverished town of Tafo. He has a web page for this event to receive sponsors and donations: uk.virginmoneygiving.com/jimcarter. This was his tenth charity ride. The previous nine (Jordan, Costa Rica, Laos, Vietnam, India, Namibia, Chile, Argentina and London to Paris-twice) were to raise money for the National Deaf Children's Society.^[54] He intended to raise a minimum of ₤2,750 but ended up with ₤8,670.^[55]

As of August 2005^[update], Carter lives in West Hampstead, North London.^[56]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Jim Carter at the Internet Movie Database
• Wish 143 BBC Film Network - short film starring Jim Carter

Jimmy Carter (born 1924) (James Earl Carter, Jr.) was the 39th President of the United States.

Jimmy Carter (or Jim or James Carter) may also refer to:

Public officials[link]

• James G. Carter (1795–1849), American state legislator and education reformer
• James Earl Carter, Sr. (1894–1953), father of former US president Jimmy Carter
• Sir James Carter (judge) (1805–1878), British jurist in Canada
• James Marshall Carter (1904–1979), American jurist
• James Carter (New Orleans) (born 1969), American politician

In sports[link]

• James Carter (coach) (born 1911), American coach
• Jimmy Carter (boxer) (1923–1994), American boxer
• Jim Carter (American football) (born 1948), player
• James Carter (born 1953), British swimmer in 1975 World Aquatics Championships
• Jim Carter (golfer) (born 1961), American
• Jimmy Carter (footballer) (born 1965), English
• James Carter (athlete) (born 1978), American hurdler
• James Carter (basketball) (born 1964), Puerto Rican basketball player

Entertainers[link]

• James Carter (1925/26–2003), American lead singer and prisoner, credited as James Carter and the Prisoners
• Jimmy Carter (born 1929), American lead singer in The Blind Boys of Alabama
• James Carter (musician) (born 1969), American reed instrumentalist
• Jim Carter (actor) (born 1948), English

Other[link]

• James Carter, fictional character in the film series Rush Hour
• Jim Carter (scientist), amateur physicist whose theories have been the subject of controversy

This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Charlie Rose
Rose in May 2010
Born	Charles Peete Rose, Jr. (1942-01-05) January 5, 1942 (age 70) Henderson, North Carolina, U.S.
Education	Duke University B.A. (1964) Duke University J.D. (1968)
Occupation	Talk show host Journalist
Years active	1972–present
Notable credit(s)	Charlie Rose, 60 Minutes II, 60 Minutes, CBS News Nightwatch, CBS This Morning
Website
http://www.charlierose.com/

Charles Peete "Charlie" Rose, Jr. (born January 5, 1942)^[1] is an American television talk show host and journalist. Since 1991 he has hosted Charlie Rose, an interview show distributed nationally by PBS since 1993. He has also co-anchored CBS This Morning since January 2012. Rose, along with Lara Logan, has hosted the revived CBS classic Person to Person, a news program during which celebrities are interviewed in their homes, originally hosted from 1953 to 1961 by Edward R. Murrow.^[2]

Early life[link]

Rose was born in Henderson, North Carolina, the only child^[3] of Margaret Frazier and Charles Peete Rose, Sr., tobacco farmers who owned a country store.^[4][5] As a child, Rose lived above his parents' store in Henderson and helped out with the family business from age seven.^[6] Rose admitted in a Fresh Dialogues interview that as a child his insatiable curiosity was constantly getting him in trouble.^[7] A high school basketball star, Rose entered Duke University intending to pursue a degree with a pre-med track, but an internship in the office of Democratic North Carolina Senator B. Everett Jordan got him interested in politics.^[8] Rose graduated in 1964 with a bachelor's degree in history. At Duke, he was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order fraternity. He earned a Juris Doctor from the Duke University School of Law in 1968.^[6] He met his wife, Mary (née King), while attending Duke.^[3][4]

Career[link]

After his wife was hired by the BBC (in New York), Rose handled some assignments for the BBC on a freelance basis. In 1972, while continuing to work at Bankers Trust, he landed a job as a weekend reporter for WPIX-TV. His break came in 1974, after Bill Moyers hired Rose as managing editor for the PBS series Bill Moyers' International Report. In 1975, Moyers named Rose executive producer of Bill Moyers Journal. Rose soon began appearing on camera. "A Conversation with Jimmy Carter," one installment of Moyers's series U.S.A.: People and Politics, won a 1976 Peabody Award. Rose worked at several networks honing his interview skills until KXAS-TV in Dallas-Fort Worth hired him as program manager and gave him the late-night time slot that would become the Charlie Rose show.

Rose worked for CBS News (1984–1990) as the anchor of CBS News Nightwatch, the network's first late-night news broadcast. The Nightwatch broadcast of Rose's interview with Charles Manson won an Emmy Award in 1987.^[4] In 1990, Rose left CBS to serve as anchor of Personalities, a syndicated program produced by Fox Broadcasting Company, but he got out of his contract after six weeks because of the tabloid-style content of the show. Charlie Rose premiered on PBS station Thirteen/WNET on September 30, 1991, and has been nationally syndicated since January 1993. In 1994, Rose moved the show to a studio owned by Bloomberg Television, which allowed for improved satellite interviewing.^[9]

Rose was a correspondent for 60 Minutes II^[10] from its inception in January 1999 until its cancellation in September 2005, and was later named a correspondent on 60 Minutes.^[11]

Rose was a member of the board of directors of Citadel Broadcasting Corporation from 2003 to 2009.^[3] In May 2010, Charlie Rose delivered the commencement address at North Carolina State University.

On November 15, 2011, it was announced that Rose would return to CBS to help anchor CBS This Morning, replacing The Early Show, commencing January 9, 2012, along with co-anchors Erica Hill and Gayle King.

Cameo appearances[link]

Rose has appeared as himself in the 1998 film Primary Colors,^[12] in a 2000 episode of The Simpsons^[13] and in the 2008 movie Elegy.^[14] He and his show were also used in the Wes Anderson film The Royal Tenenbaums. He also appears as himself in the 2011 George Clooney directed film, The Ides of March.

[edit] Accusations of conflict of interest

While hosting the 2002 Coca-Cola Company shareholders' meeting, Rose said "few companies are able to connect as completely with consumers in the way that Coca-Cola is. It is a privilege to be associated with [The Coca-Cola family] ... This is the business of Coca-Cola: being part of a family, being worldwide, doing well and doing good at the same time."^[15] Afterward, Coca-Cola agreed to become what Rose called "a leading underwriter" of The Charlie Rose Show, paying "six or possibly seven figures."^[16] Even the Charlie Rose mugs used on his PBS show feature a Coca-Cola logo on one side.^[17][18] Although CBS News policy bars correspondents from doing commercials and product endorsements, the Washington Post reported CBS was "comfortable" with Rose's actions. Rose insists he "would never do a story on 60 Minutes II about anybody who underwrites my PBS show."^[16]

[edit] Quiet influence

The New York Times reported that Rose encouraged a discussion between the leaders of NBC and Fox, that led eventually to a mutual reduction in ad hominem attacks between Keith Olbermann and Bill O'Reilly on their respective news programs.^[19]

Rose has attended several Bilderberg Group conference meetings, including meetings held in the United States in 2008;^[20] Spain in 2010;^[21] and Switzerland in 2011.^[22] These unofficial conferences hold guests from North America and Western Europe, most of whom are political leaders and businessmen. Details of meetings are closed off to the public and strictly invitation-only, and critics^[who?] speculate the controversial nature of these meetings of highly influential people. Accusations from conspiracy theorists against The Charlie Rose show claim that it has become the US media outlet for Bilderberg.^{[23][unreliable source?]}

Personal life[link]

Rose's twelve-year marriage to Mary Rose (née King) ended in divorce in 1980. Mary is the sister-in-law of Morgan Stanley Chairman John J. Mack. Since 1993, his companion has been socialite and chairman of the New York City Planning Commission and director of the city department of planning Amanda Burden, a stepdaughter of CBS founder William S. Paley.^[24]

On March 29, 2006, after experiencing shortness of breath in Syria, Rose was flown to Paris and underwent surgery for mitral valve repair in the Georges-Pompidou European Hospital. His surgery was performed under the supervision of Alain F. Carpentier, a pioneer of the procedure.^[25] Rose returned to the air on June 12, 2006, with Bill Moyers and Yvette Vega (the show's executive producer), to discuss his surgery and recuperation.

In a 2009 Fresh Dialogues interview, Rose described his life as "great and glorious."^[7] He added, '"I get up every morning with a new adventure. The adventure is fueled by interesting people. I get a chance to control my own destiny. I do something that is immediately either appreciated or not. I get feedback."

Rose owns a 575-acre (2.33 km²) farm in Oxford, North Carolina, an apartment overlooking Central Park in New York City, a beach house in Bellport, New York, an apartment in Washington D.C.^[3] and an apartment in Paris, France.

References[link]

External links[link]

This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references. (March 2012)

• Charlie Rose Official website of his eponymous show
• Charlie Rose official channel on YouTube
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Charlie Rose at the Internet Movie Database
• Charlie Rose collected news and commentary at the Los Angeles Times
• Charlie Rose collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Charlie Rose at the Notable Names Database
• Charlie Rose shows on Hulu
• celebritynetworth.com, Celebrity Net Worth, Charlie Rose
• Why Business Loves Charlie Rose David A. Kaplan, Fortune, September 28, 2009

Joaquin Phoenix
Phoenix at the Toronto International Film Festival, September 2005
Born	Joaquín Rafael Bottom (1974-10-28) October 28, 1974 (age 37) San Juan, Puerto Rico
Other names	Leaf Phoenix
Occupation	Actor, activist
Years active	1982–present

Joaquin Rafael Phoenix ( /hwɑːˈkiːn ˈfiːnɪks/; born October 28, 1974), formerly credited as Leaf Phoenix,^[1] is an American film actor. He was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and his family returned to the continental United States four years later. Phoenix is from a family of performers, including his older brother, the late River Phoenix.

Phoenix has ventured behind the camera, directing music videos as well as producing movies and television shows, and has recorded an album, the soundtrack to Walk the Line. He is also known for his work as a social activist, particularly as an advocate for animal rights.

Family background and early life[link]

Phoenix was born Joaquín Rafael Bottom in Río Piedras, located in the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico, to American parents. He is the third of five children, including River (1970–1993), Rain (1972), Liberty (1976), and Summer (1978). He also has a half-sister named Jodean (1964) from a previous relationship of his father's.^[2]

His father, John Lee Bottom, was a lapsed Catholic^[3] from Fontana, California.^[4] His mother, Arlyn (née Dunetz), was born in The Bronx, New York to Jewish parents whose families emigrated from Russia and Hungary.^[3] In 1968, Arlyn left her family and moved to California, later meeting Phoenix's father while hitch-hiking. They married in 1969, then later joined the religious cult the Children of God. They began travelling throughout South America.^[4]

His parents eventually became disenchanted with the Children of God; they made the decision to leave the cult and returned to the U.S. in 1978. They changed their last name to "Phoenix" to symbolize a new beginning. This was also around the time Joaquin had begun calling himself "Leaf", desiring to have a similar nature-related name like his siblings and inspired by spending time outdoors raking leaves with his father. (In a Jay Leno interview, Joaquin said he had originally called himself Antleaf as a child; it's unclear if he was being serious.^[5]) Leaf became the name he would use as a child actor; at fifteen, he changed it back to "Joaquin".^[6]

In order to provide food and financial support for the family, the children performed on the streets and at various talent contests, singing and playing instruments.^{[citation needed]} In Los Angeles his mother started working as a secretary for NBC, and his father worked as a landscaper. Phoenix and his siblings were eventually discovered by one of Hollywood's leading children's agents, Iris Burton, who got the five children acting work, mainly doing commercials and television show appearances.^[7] Joaquin went on to establish himself a child actor before deciding to withdraw from acting for a while and travel to Mexico and South America with his father.^{[citation needed]}

Phoenix came back into public view under tragic circumstances: on October 31, 1993, his brother, River Phoenix, suffered a drug overdose and died, outside the Hollywood nightclub The Viper Room, which was co-owned by Johnny Depp at the time. Joaquin's call to 911 to save his brother was recorded and repeatedly played over the airwaves and on television.^{[citation needed]} The sudden media intrusion into his life proved to be overwhelming; once again, he retreated from the public eye. A year later, at the insistence of his friends, Phoenix reluctantly re-entered the world of acting.^[8]

Film career[link]

Acting[link]

Phoenix's first acting jobs were guest appearances on two television shows with his brother River in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1982), and Backwards: The Riddle of Dyslexia (1984) as well as an episode in the first season of Murder, She Wrote (We're Off to Kill the Wizard) with his sister Summer Phoenix. In 1985, he appeared with JoBeth Williams in the CBS television movie Kids Don't Tell. He made his big-screen debut in Space Camp (1986), playing the role of Max, after starring in an Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode "A very happy ending" the same year. His first starring role was in Russkies (1987). He later co-starred in Ron Howard's Parenthood (1989), in which he was credited as Leaf Phoenix.

Phoenix in 2002

During the comeback portion of his career, Phoenix went back to his birth-given name "Joaquin", and was often cast in supporting roles as conflicted, insecure characters with a dark side. He has earned positive reviews for his portrayals of various individuals: a troubled teen in Gus Van Sant's To Die For (1995) co-starring with Nicole Kidman, a small-town troublemaker in Oliver Stone's U Turn, Inventing the Abbotts (1997), the cruel Roman emperor Commodus in Ridley Scott's Gladiator (2000) (for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor), a conflicted priest in Quills (2000), a washed-up baseball player in M. Night Shyamalan's Signs (2002), the irresolute husband of a superstar-skater in the widely panned It's All About Love in 2003, a lovestruck farmer in Shyamalan's The Village (2004), a disillusioned cameraman in Terry George's Hotel Rwanda (2004), and heroic firefighter in Ladder 49 (2004).^[9]

Upon being cast as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line after Cash himself approved, Phoenix responded by buying a guitar and learning how to play. Reese Witherspoon, who portrayed June Carter Cash in the film and won a Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance,^[10] stated during an interview that when they first performed in-character before a live audience, she was so impressed with his impersonation that she knew she "had to step it up a notch". All of Cash and Carter's vocal tracks in the movie and on the accompanying soundtrack are played and sung by Phoenix and Witherspoon. In 2005, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor,^[10] and won a Golden Globe in the same category.

In 2006, Phoenix was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.^[11]

Phoenix's film, I'm Still Here, debuted at the Venice Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival in 2010.

Phoenix will make his return to acting in the upcoming Paul Thomas Anderson film The Master.^[12]

Directing[link]

He has directed music videos for the following bands: Ringside,^[13] She Wants Revenge,^[14] People in Planes,^[15] Arckid,^[16] Albert Hammond Jr.,^[17] and Silversun Pickups.^[18]

Producing[link]

Phoenix served as one of the executive producers of a television show called 4Real, a half-hour series which showcase celebrity guests on global adventures "in order to connect with young leaders who are creating social and economic change."^[19] He is also listed as a producer on the movie We Own the Night.

Social initiatives[link]

Phoenix has long been a social activist, lending his support to a number of charities and humanitarian organizations, notably Amnesty International,^[20] The Art of Elysium, HEART, The Peace Alliance (an organization which campaigns for a United States Department of Peace),^[21]. Phoenix is also on the board of directors for The Lunchbox Fund, a non-profit organization which provides daily meals to students of township schools in Soweto of South Africa.

He is a member of P.E.T.A. and the organization In Defense of Animals, and has actively campaigned on their behalf.^[21] He narrated the film Earthlings for Nation Earth, a video about the investigation of animal abuse in factory farms, pet mills, in industry and research. In 2005, he was awarded the "Humanitarian Award" at the San Diego Film Festival for his work and contribution to Earthlings.^[22]

Personal life[link]

Phoenix dated actress Liv Tyler for three years in 1990s.^[23]

In early April 2005, Phoenix checked into rehab to be treated for alcoholism.^[24]

On January 26, 2006, while driving down a winding canyon road in Hollywood, Phoenix ran off the road and rolled his car. The crash reportedly was caused by brake failure. Shaken and confused, Phoenix heard a tapping on his window and a voice say, "Just relax." Unable to see the man, Phoenix replied, "I'm fine. I am relaxed." The man replied, "No, you're not," and stopped Phoenix from lighting a cigarette while gas was leaking into the car cabin. Phoenix then realized that the man was famed German film director Werner Herzog. While Herzog helped Phoenix out of the wreckage by breaking the back window of the car, bystanders phoned in an ambulance. Phoenix approached Herzog to express gratitude, but Herzog downplayed his heroism and returned to his home nearby.^[25][26]

Music career hoax[link]

Phoenix unexpectedly announced in late 2008 that he had retired from acting to pursue a rapping career, and that the forthcoming Two Lovers would be his last film. On February 11, 2009, Phoenix appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman to promote Two Lovers. He seemed incoherent and was largely unresponsive towards David Letterman's questions about the film and his career plans.^[27][28][29] Phoenix appeared on Late Show again on September 22, 2010 and revealed that his "retirement" and eccentric behavior were for a mockumentary, I'm Still Here (2010), that he and Casey Affleck were filming.

Filmography[link]