River Phoenix - Biography

Last Editor: hussaigambo				River Phoenix Biography -   Name : River Phoenix Birth Name : River Jude Bottom Date of Birth : August 23, 1970 Place of Birth : Madras, Oregon, USA Death Date : October 31, 1993 Place of Death : Hollywood, California, USA Cause of Death : drug-induced heart failure Height : 5'11'' Nationality : American Profession : actor, musician Claim to Fame : as Mike Waters in My Own Private Idaho (1991) Sometimes Called : Aleka's Attic Nicknames : Rio, Riv

River Phoenix Trivia -

The song "Transcending" on The Red Hot Chili Peppers album "One Hot Minute" is dedicated to River Phoenix. Sings a song on John Frusciante's album "Smile from the Streets You Hold." Ranked #86 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997] The 1994 R.E.M. album "Monster" is dedicated "for River" in the liner notes (lead singer Michael Stipe was friends with him). Born at 12.10 pm-PDT He was supposed to be the interviewer in Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994) but died. Christian Slater took his place, and donated his entire paycheck from the movie to all of River's favorite charities. He was almost definitely set to star as Izzy Singer in Safe Passage (1994). Sean Astin got the part after River's death. Brother of Joaquin Phoenix, Summer Phoenix, Rain Phoenix and Liberty Phoenix. Was a vegan. Dated actresses Martha Plimpton and Samantha Mathis and dated Suzanne Solgot. Natalie Merchant wrote a song, "River", which is in memory of him. Was set to star in Total Eclipse (1995), the story of a young gay poet. After River died the part was given to Leonardo DiCaprio. His date to Johnny Depp's club the evening he died was actress Samantha Mathis. Listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1986" in John Willis' Screen World, Vol. 38. Ashes scattered at family's Florida Ranch. The famous Brazilian singer and song writer Milton Nascimento wrote a song called "River Phoenix," years before River's death. Milton was quite impressed with his performance in Stand by Me (1986) and decided to write a song in reverence of River's talent. When he got to know about the song, he came to Brazil and spent some days in Milton Nascimento's country home. After that first contact, they became good friends. Born in a log cabin in Oregon. He disliked flying and traveled everywhere by car or train. Nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his work in Sidney Lumet's Running on Empty (1988), Phoenix lost out to Kevin Kline for his performance in A Fish Called Wanda (1988). Kline and Phoenix would work together two years later in the film I Love You to Death (1990). Phoenix, who'd been playing the guitar since childhood, had his own band with his sister Rain called Aleka's Attic. My Own Private Idaho (1991) director (and close friend of River) Gus Van Sant published a novel in 1997 titled 'Pink' which is a loosely disguised fantasy homage to his late friend. Van Sant's movie Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993) also includes a dedication of "For River" during the opening credits. River recorded an album the summer before his death titled 'Never Odd Or Even' (the title is a palindrome) which has never been released. A friend of his named Sasa Raphael (who worked with River on the album and played bass in River's band Aleka's Attic) almost succeeded in making the album available for free download on the internet in the summer of 2000 (on the anniversary of what would've been River's 30th birthday), but was later sued by the River Phoenix Estate for copyright reasons. His parents named him River after the river of life in Hermann Hesse's classic spiritual novel "Siddhartha," and Jude (his middle name) after The Beatles' song "Hey Jude." Ranked #69 on '100 Greatest Movie Stars' on Channel 4 (UK) River's last words (to the reporter trying to help him outside the Viper Room) were 'no paparazzi, I want anonymity'. His last request was not granted. The day before his cremation in Florida, a reporter broke into the funeral home, rearranged the body, and took a picture. This picture was later to be sold to the National Enquirer for $5,000. Was an involved environmentalist and bought up several hundred acres of rain forest in Costa Rica and Brazil, not to develop them, but to just keep them so they would not be cut down. Rufus Wainwright's song "Matinee Idol" is about him. Died on the same day as Federico Fellini. Collected baseball jerseys Claimed he had a vision of his future wife, and would meet and marry her in 2002. He carried a composite sketch of what he thought she'd look like. Often drank warm soda, such as Coke or Dr. Pepper, before going on camera. He was a very talented writer, songwriter and sketch artist. Often wrote songs when he was driving to work. Was a classmate of singer Anastacia Is one of only two actors to have played the son of, and the younger version of the same actor, by playing Harrison Ford's son and playing Indiana Jones. The other is Bruno Kirby, who played Richard S. Castellano's son on "The Super" (1972), and the young Clemenza in The Godfather: Part II (1974). Two of his nephews have been posthumously named for him. His sister Liberty gave birth to a son named Rio Everest Phoenix. Rio is Spanish for River. His other sister, Summer, gave birth to a son, Indiana Affleck. River played Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). His death is listed as #16 in the top 101 events in "E!: 101 Most Shocking Moments in Entertainment". In total thus far, he now has 4 nephews and a niece. Jonas Winter, born February 7th, 1993, to younger sister Rain, Rio Everest Phoenix, born [12 June 1997], Indigo Orion Phoenix born [9 November 1999], to younger sister Liberty, and Indiana August Affleck (May 31st, 2004) to youngest sister Summer, and Scarlette Jasmine Phoenix-Asch born. [2 July 2001] to sister Liberty. Unfortunately, because of his early death, only Jonas had a chance to meet his uncle River, although both Liberty's oldest son Rio, and Summer's son Indiana are named after him. River died before ever having the chance to know three of his nephews and his niece. The band FenixTX was originally called River Fenix, but due to conflicts with the rights to his name, they were forced to change their name.

River Phoenix Detailed Biography -

Noted for the depth, sensitivity, and intelligence, that he brought to his roles during his teens, River Phoenix was on the cusp of becoming a successful adult actor when he overdosed on drugs and died on Halloween night, 1993. The son of Arlyn Dunetz and John Bottom, Phoenix was born River Jude Bottom on August 23, 1970, in a log cabin on a mint farm in Madras, OR. His parents named him after the "river of life" that flowed through Hermann Hesse's novel Siddhartha and for the Beatles' song "Hey Jude." From the time River Phoenix was born, his parents lived the hippie life, moving to several communes until they joined the controversial Children of God cult. They became missionaries for their new church and spent a couple of years wandering Latin America before landing in Venezuela. Along the way, three more children were born: Rain, Joaquin Rafael (who grew up to be actor Joaquin Phoenix), and Libertad Mariposa. Though John Bottom had been designated the "Archbishop of Venezuela and the Caribbean," he and his family received no missionary funds from their church and lived in poverty; Phoenix and his siblings often sang and performed on street corners for food. His family hit their lowest point when River Phoenix was seven and the penniless brood was forced to move into a beach hut until a local priest showed mercy and arranged for them to be stowed away on a Florida-bound freighter. The crew discovered the family during the voyage but treated them kindly. Shortly after their arrival in Florida in 1978, the family legally changed its name to Phoenix to commemorate their new lives. While the family was in Florida, another child, Summer Joy Phoenix, was born. River Phoenix had originally wanted to be a musician and did not become interested in acting until 1979, when River Phoenix and Rain were spotted in a talent show and invited to audition at Hollywood's Paramount studios. Believing that the opportunity was worth more than the possible risks involved, the Phoenix family headed West in a battered station wagon. Their arrival in Burbank was disappointing, as the Paramount people reneged on what the family had believed to be an offer to audition the children. Once again the family was destitute and the children returned to busking for change. Matters improved when agent Iris Burton entered their lives and started finding work for Phoenix in television commercials (a venue River Phoenix hated) and in series such as Real Kids, for which River Phoenix and Rain worked as a warm-up act. Phoenix's first real break came when River Phoenix won a leading role in the TV series Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. From there, River Phoenix made guest appearances on such television series as Family Ties and in such TV movies as Robert Kennedy: The Man and His Times, in which River Phoenix played Robert Kennedy Jr. River Phoenix made his feature-film debut as a young genius in Explorers (1985). The film, which also starred a then-unknown Ethan Hawke, was not a tremendous box-office success, but River Phoenix received favorable notices. River Phoenix earned even more acclaim in Rob Reiner's adaptation of Stephen King's bittersweet coming-of-age story, Stand By Me (1986). The same year, River Phoenix played opposite Harrison Ford in The Mosquito Coast (1986). By the late '80s, Phoenix found himself a top-ranked teen idol, having added films like Running on Empty (1988), Little Nikita (1988), and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) to his resumé. His breakthrough as an adult actor came when River Phoenix was cast as a narcoleptic street hustler opposite Keanu Reeves in Gus Van Sant's My Own Private Idaho (1991). Allegedly, it was during production of that film that River Phoenix started taking drugs. Before his death, he won further acclaim for roles in Dogfight (1991) and Sneakers (1992). The year that River Phoenix died, he starred in The Thing Called Love and had a number of other films in the works. Phoenix died in the company of his sister, Rain, his reported girlfriend Samantha Mathis, and his brother Joaquin (then known as Leaf) after taking cocaine, heroin, and other drugs at Johnny Depp's Viper Room. River Phoenix was only 23.