Biography
Phoenix's Irish-Spanish father, John Bottom, and Bronx-born Jewish mother, Arlyn Sharon Dunetz, joined the Children of God cult in the late 1960s and became missionaries, traveling throughout South America. Upon returning to the United States they adopted the surname "Phoenix." River Phoenix was born River Jude Bottom in Metolius, Oregon, five miles south of Madras, Oregon, and grew up in poverty. Contrary to popular belief, he was not born in a log cabin. He and his sister often had to busk to make money for the family. It was only after his starring role in the movie Stand By Me that River's family was able to buy a car that was not secondhand.
He and his family were all vegetarians. He believed that eating animals was wrong, though it was younger brother, Joaquin, who, at the age of four, persuaded the family not to eat meat any longer. The family were on a ship from Venezuela to Florida at the time, and Joaquin had seen fishermen killing fish by banging their heads against the bulkheads. The family eventually became vegans. River's opinions on the issue were so strong that when his actress girlfriend, Martha Plimpton, ordered soft-shell crab at a restaurant, he reportedly began weeping out of disappointment. When he played the role of Gideon in the TV version of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, his mother insisted on him using a rope for a belt; he steadfastly refused to wear leather.
Phoenix was one of five siblings who pursued careers in show business, encouraged by their parents. He had significant juvenile roles in Stand By Me, The Mosquito Coast where he plays Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren's son, A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon (this film deviated considerably from the original director's cut, which is now available under the title "Aren't You Even Gonna Kiss Me Goodbye?"), and Little Nikita, and was nominated in 1988, at the age of 17, for an Oscar for best supporting actor for his role in Running on Empty. He also portrayed a teenage Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. River met Keanu Reeves while Reeves was filming on River's brother's set and later went on to star opposite Reeves in Gus van Sant's My Own Private Idaho for which he won the Best Actor Award from the Venice Film Festival. His friendship with both Reeves and van Sant continued beyond the movie. River was also a friend of John Frusciante (guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers) and appeared on his second solo album Smile From the Streets You Hold on the song "Height Down." He had a band called Aleka's Attic before he died which also included his sister Rain and, later, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sasa Raphael, both on bass guitar.
Phoenix disliked being seen as just a sex symbol and usually refused to smile for photographs.
Phoenix died at age 23 from a drug overdose of heroin and cocaine (speedball) outside the Viper Room, a Hollywood night club partly owned by actor Johnny Depp. Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Michael Balzary, also known as Flea, was present at the time, as was River's younger brother Joaquin. At the time of his death, Phoenix was acting in the starring role of the movie Dark Blood, which was never completed. He was cremated in Gainesville, Florida a few days later, and the ashes were spread at the family's ranch.
Phoenix has four siblings, a brother, Joaquin (who is also an actor), and 3 sisters, Rain (who is the lead singer in a band called the Papercranes, and is an actress), Summer (also an actress) and Liberty, who quit acting as a child.
Tributes and references in music
Brazilian singer and songwriter Milton Nascimento wrote and recorded a song dedicated to him, "River Phoenix" (released in 1989, during the actor's lifetime)
In 1996, Australian alternative rock band TISM released a song named "(He'll Never Be an) Ol' Man River," the main refrain of the chorus being "I'm on the drug, I'm on the drug, I'm on the drug that killed River Phoenix." One verse contains the rhyming couplets: 'I saw his body thrashing round, I saw his pulse rate going down, I saw him in convulsive throes, I said "I'll have one of those"'. The song came in at #2 in the Triple J Hottest 100 for that year, although it reputedly enraged members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who failed to appreciate the irony.
Natalie Merchant penned and recorded the song "River" for her 1993 CD "Tigerlilly". Young and strong Hollywood son/in the early morning light/this star fell down/on Sunset Boulevard
Subject of the Rufus Wainwright song "Matinee Idol".
R.E.M. dedicated their album Monster to him.
The pop punk band Fenix*TX was originally called Riverfenix, but the name was changed – at the behest of the Phoenix family – before the band became widely popular.
Give It Away by the Red Hot Chili Peppers indirectly mentions the actor: "There's a river born to be a giver/ will keep you warm won't make you shiver/ his heart is never gonna wither,"
"Transcending" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers was written entirely about Phoenix.
British band Manic Street Preachers mentions River in their song
"If white america told the thruth for one day it'sworld would fall apart" ("The holy Bible",1994) in the following line:"...I'm thinking right now of Hollywood tradedy; big mac; smack; Phoenix.R; please smile y'all..."
Melbourne alternative group TISM released a song on their 1995 album "Machiavelli and the Four Seasons" called "(He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River", based directly upon the death of River Phoenix.
Grant Lee Buffalo's song 'Halloween' is a homage to River Phoenix: "You're only 23, River/ And you're restless as the sea, River/ But but ya had a hold on me, oh River". And the chorus: "You were like my own James Byron Dean/ Private Idaho was my East of Eden/ Hit me like a stone when I heard you passed on Halloween"
While not a tribute per se, Japanese video game character designer and director, Tetsuya Nomura, has gone on record as saying that the design of Final Fantasy VIII's protagonist, Squall Leonhart, was heavily based on River Phoenix.
Belinda Carlisle wrote and sang the hit single 'California', which began and ended with the words, 'I was lying in the tanning salon/ When I heard that River Phoenix had gone.'
During two performances Kurt Cobain of Nirvana dedicated the song "Jesus Doesn't Want Me For a Sunbeam" to River on 11/15/93 and 11/13/93. Tragically Kurt Cobain would suffer a somewhat similar fate in April 1994. [1] [2]
Brooklyn band Nada Surf wrote a song entitled "River Phoenix" on their special demo album 'North 6th Street' (1999); the song specifically references Phoenix's role in the Gus Van Sant film My Own Private Idaho
Recently, Santa Cruz, California filmmaker, Cam Archer made a short film about the life of River Phoenix that was featured at Cinevegas and Sundance (to good reviews) entitled "American Fame Part 1 : Drowning River Phoenix " starring Jasper Bel, Barbara Ann Crumm, and the narration of artist/musician Lydia Lunch. It's an eye-opening and warm tribute to the memory of Phoenix.
Filmography
Flea: Adventures in Spontaneous Jamming and Techniques (2002) Instructional video hosted by River Phoenix.
Silent Tongue (1994)
Dark Blood (1993)
The Thing Called Love (1993)
Sneakers (1992)
Dogfight (1991)
My Own Private Idaho (1991)
I Love You to Death (1990)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, A aka Aren't You Even Gonna Kiss Me Goodbye? (1988)
Running on Empty (1988)
Little Nikita (1988)
The Mosquito Coast (1986)
Circle of Violence: A Family Drama (1986) (TV)
Stand By Me (1986)
Explorers (1985)
Surviving (1985) (TV)
Biographies
"River Phoenix: a short life" by Brian J. Robb. ISBN 006095132X
"Lost in Hollywood : The Fast Times and Short Life of River Phoenix" by John Glatt. ISBN 1556114400
"In Search of River Phoenix: the Truth Behind the Myth" by Barry C. Lawrence. ISBN 0-9672491-9-8
