Joaquin Phoenix Cleft

American actor, music video director, producer, musician and social activist Joaquin Phoenix, best known for his portrayal of Commodus in the 2000 historical epic film "Gladiator", directed by Ridley Scott, which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor as well as nominations for the Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild, Satellite Award and BAFTA Award, has a scar between his lip and nose, which is noticeable.

It has long been thought by many fans that Joaquin, 38, was born with a cleft lip and the upper lip scar is the result of corrective cleft palate surgery. This is not the case though as the star was born with the scar which is medically known as a "microform cleft", a mild form of a cleft lip. 

A "microform cleft can appear as small as a little dent in the red part of the lip or look like a scar from the lip up to the nostril," as in Joaquin's case. In fact, about one in 600 American children are born with cleft lip or palate defect.

In the wildly distributed but un-sourced quote, Phoenix has reportedly stated that the scar was an act of God. He has been quoted as saying that "while pregnant with him, his mother felt a sharp pain one day, and he was born with a mark on his lip."

Joaquin believes that the scar never had to be repaired as it is the most minor form of a cleft lip and he doesn't even qualify it as having a cleft. 

In  a nutshell, a cleft lip is a common condition in which the two sides of a baby's upper lip do not fuse properly during pregnancy.


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