These Celebrities Were Born With Some Pretty Bizarre Birth Defects

Joaquin Phoenix Has A Microform Cleft

Photo Credit: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

If you look closely at Joaquin Phoenix’s upper lip, you’ll see a small scar that runs from his top lip to his nose. While many people believe that Phoenix was born with a microform cleft lip, a facial malformation that occurs in utero, it’s actually a similar condition called microform cleft.

Phoenix has explained in interviews that one day while pregnant with him, his mother felt a sharp pain, and he was born with a mark on his lip. It’s different from a cleft lip, which leaves the gums and inner mouth palette exposed, and requires surgery.