'Joker' Star Joaquin Phoenix Is Laughing All the Way to the Bank

Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix's net worth comes from a string of successful movies like Gladiator (2000), Walk the Line (2005) and Joker (2019). He's currently entering another awards season strong with his Golden Globe nomination for the A24 horror-comedy Beau Is Afraid (2023).

Phoenix is no stranger to the Golden Globes, nor the Oscars, and is well-known and rewarded for his emotional performances of highly unusual characters. That doesn’t mean it always comes easy to him, though.

In a podcast interview with A24, Phoenix recounted his experience filming one of the most intense scenes in Beau Is Afraid, which happens in a bathtub. “I just started screaming, just the most intense guttural pain-scream that I could before we were shooting, sitting there, because I had to just fully humiliate myself,” he said. “And then just go like, OK, well once that’s happened, you can’t look any more stupid than you do now. And it just let go of everything, right? I don’t know why, but I just was overcome with this need to do that.”

While his movies can occasionally divide critics, there’s no doubt Phoenix has carved a space for himself in Hollywood for complex, quirky characters—and he even plays a normal guy once in a while, too.

For all his talent, here’s a look at what Phoenix has made over the course of his career and what his current net worth is.

How did Joaquin Phoenix get his start?

Joaquin Phoenix started acting around the age of 8, appearing on an episode of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in 1982; a show where his older brother, the late River Phoenix, was a regular.

"I remember feeling like I was buzzing, like my whole body was vibrating, because it was just so exciting to experience this thing that wasn't real but at moments felt like it was real," he told Fresh Air’s Terry Gross, about his first acting experience. "It's basically the feeling that I've been chasing ever since."

He went on to say: “When you're a kid on a set, you're like royalty. It's the best in the world. Everyone's like, ‘Do you want some snacks? Do you want something?’ ... Not to make a big deal out of it, but we [his family] were really broke. And so sets were like, ‘Holy s--t, they've got all this stuff here, that's amazing! Food, there's all these people here and everyone seems really happy!’”

Phoenix’s four siblings (particularly River) all worked in Hollywood at some capacity, and he appeared on numerous shows and films through the ‘80s. Some of his first “big breaks” include the 1986 movie SpaceCamp and 1989’s Parenthood.

Into the ‘90s, his roles got bigger—such as his portrayal of Jimmy Emmett in To Die For (1995)—and by 2000 he was the main antagonist in the blockbuster Gladiator.

Related: Joaquin Phoenix Honors Late Brother River with His and Rooney Mara's Son

What is Joaquin Phoenix's net worth in 2024?

Joaquin Phoenix has an estimated net worth of $80 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. This comes from a lifetime of regular acting gigs, but especially since the 2000s where he cemented himself as an Academy Award-caliber star.

How much does Joaquin Phoenix make per movie?

Since 2000, Phoenix has made anywhere from $375,000 to $20 million for his big movie roles. It’s safe to say that his career and acclaim have grown a lot over that time and he can probably expect to make millions on any project he contributes to.

How much did Joaquin Phoenix make for Joker?

Joker (2019), in which Phoenix stars as the titular villain, was a box office success and an even bigger success for Phoenix. He took home an Academy Award for Best Actor, along with a $4.5 million salary.

Related: 150 Joker Quotes To Make You Appreciate the Madness and Put a Smile on That Face

How much did Joaquin Phoenix make for Joker 2?

Due to the major success of its predecessor, the production budget shot up for Joker: Folie à Deux. The film is set to come out on Oct. 4 of this year and Joaquin Phoenix reportedly made $20 million for starring in it.

Related: Everything to Know About 'Joker: Folie à Deux'

What did Joaquin Phoenix get paid for Gladiator?

Phoenix’s salary information has not been made public for his work on 2000’s Gladiator, but sources like Collider estimate it at $500,000 to $1 million. In the same year, he starred in Quills, alongside Kate Winslet and Geoffrey Rush, for $375,000. Winslet has called him one of the best actors of his generation.

How much did Joaquin Phoenix get paid for the Napoleon movie?

Ridley Scott’s 2023 movie Napoleon showcases Joaquin Phoenix as one history’s most volatile rulers: Napoleon Bonaparte. Though there was anticipation before its Nov. 22 release, the film underperformed at the box office and received mixed reviews. Phoenix’s official salary has not been reported by any reputable sources.

What movie did Joaquin Phoenix win an Oscar for?

In 2020, Phoenix took home the Best Actor prize for his performance in Joker. He’d been nominated several times before, for Gladiator, Walk the Line and The Master.

"I've been a scoundrel all my life,” he said, in part of his acceptance speech. “I've been selfish. I've been cruel at times, hard to work with, and I'm grateful that so many of you in this room have given me a second chance. And I think that's when we're at our best, when we support each other. Not when we cancel each other out for past mistakes, but when we help each other grow, when we educate each other, when we guide each other towards redemption. That is the best of humanity."

Who did Joaquin Phoenix lose the Oscar to for Walk the Line?

Many thought that Phoenix’s performance as the late great Johnny Cash in 2005’s Walk the Line would earn him an Oscar. And it did get him the nomination for Best Actor. However, he ultimately lost the award to Philip Seymour Hoffman, who played true crime novelist Truman Capote in Bennett Miller’s Capote.

Next, Joaquin Phoenix Is One Fine Beau: All About His Relationship With Rooney Mara