(CBS) Before he played Johnny Cash in "Walk the Line," most moviegoers probably thought of Joaquin Phoenix as the troubled adolescent from "Parenthood" or the not-too-bright high schooler who murders Matt Dillon at the behest of Nicole Kidman in "To Die For."

Or it's possible that some can't forget the all-too-real 911 call this young man made as his brother, actor River Phoenix, lay dying of a drug overdose outside L.A.'s Viper Club on Oct. 31, 1993, just three days after Joaquin's 19th birthday.

Back then, he was known as Leaf Phoenix, though his birth name is Joaquin. (He picked the name Leaf himself, because he wanted a moniker like his siblings: sisters Rain, Liberty and Summer and brother River.) He was raised all over the United States as the middle child in a family whose parents were missionaries for a religious group called the Children of God.

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More from CBSNews.com on Joaquin Phoenix and on the Oscars ...

See photo essay for more pictures of Joaquin Phoenix.

See Real To Reel to compare Joaquin's portrayal of Johnny Cash with the real deal.

See photo essay for pictures of the premiere of "Walk the Line" in New York.

See photo essay for pictures of the premiere of "Walk the Line" in L.A.

See photo essay for a summary of the life and career of Johnny Cash.

Find out about all the nominees in the Academy Awards special report.

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Phoenix, 31, is good friends with Casey Affleck, another actor with a famous big brother (Ben). Joaquin and Casey were co-stars in "To Die For," and Casey later married Joaquin's sister, Summer. Casey and Summer have a baby son, Indiana August, who is, of course, the cousin of Violet Affleck, daughter of Ben Affleck and actress Jennifer Garner.

For a while, Phoenix dated Liv Tyler, whom he met while they were making "Inventing the Abbotts" (1997). They split up in 1998.

As for who might be on his arm on Oscar night, past history points to his mother, Arlyn (aka Heart). She accompanied him to the Oscar ceremony in 2001, the year he was nominated as Best Supporting Actor for his role as Commodus in "Gladiator." (He lost to Benicio Del Toro in "Traffic.")

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