Turning over a new Leaf

When he first started acting he called himself Leaf, and given that his father’s real name is John Bottom, one of Hollywood’s rising young stars probably had a lucky escape in the name department.

Instead of Leaf Bottom, he’s better known by his real name of Joaquin (pronounced waa-keen), and the family’s adopted surname Phoenix. The brother of the late River Phoenix and actresses Rain and Summer Phoenix, the shy 27-year-old Gladiator star is something of an enigma in the film world.