His big break
His next big role came in 2000, in the Academy Award winning film Gladiator. This role landed the young actor his first Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor. Although he did not win that year, it marked a significant milestone in his acting career. At this point, Phoenix’s career had become more distinguished that he’d ever imagined.
His Academy Award nomination made his late brother River and him the first brothers in the industry to receive Academy Award nominations – a title they still hold to this day. Throughout the years, the actor has harvested critical achievements and numerous awards and nominations, including several Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild awards, and two more Oscar nominations, until his role in Joker which granted him his first Academy Award for Best Actor.