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River Jude Bottom (August 23 1970 – October
31 1993), better known to the world as River
Phoenix was one of the most promising film|movie
actors of his generation.

River's Irish people|Irish-Spanish people|Spanish
father, John Bottom, and Bronx-born Jewish mother,
Arlyn Dunitz, joined the Children of God cult in
the late 60's and became missionaries, traveling
throughout South America and adopting the surname
"Phoenix." River was born in Madras, Oregon and
grew up in poverty. He and his sister often had to
busking|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 and was the
one who, as a child, convinced his family to
become vegans. His opinions on the issue were so
strong that when his actress girlfriend, Martha
Plimpton, ordered soft-shell crab at a restaurant,
he was reported to have begun to cry in
disappointment.

Phoenix was one of five siblings who pursued
careers in show business, encouraged by their
parents, former Children of God missionaries. He
had significant juvenile roles in Stand by Me, 
The Mosquito Coast, A Night in the Life of Jimmy
Reardon, and Little Nikita,  and was nominated in
1988, at the age of 17, for an Academy Award|Oscar
for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|best
supporting actor for his role in Running on Empty
(film)|Running on Empty. He also portrayed a
teenage Indiana Jones. He met Keanu Reeves while
filming I Love You to Death and later went on to
star opposite Reeves in Gus van Sant's My Own
Private Idaho. 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
debut album on the song Soul Removal.

River disliked being seen as just a sex symbol and
usually refused to smile for photographs.

River died at age 23 from a drug overdose in a
Hollywood night club outside the Viper Room.  The
club was partly owned by the actor Johnny Depp.
River was cremated in Gainesville, Florida a few
days later.

So far, of his siblings, his younger brother,
Joaquin Phoenix|Joaquin (who at one point in his
life, temporarily changed his first name to
"Leaf"), has achieved the greatest success after
his first major role in another Gus van Sant
movie, To Die For, opposite Nicole Kidman. His
sister, Rain Phoenix|Rain, appeared in van Sant's
adaptation of Tom Robbins's story Even Cowgirls
Get the Blues alongside many other well-known
personalities.  River's other sisters, Liberty and
Summer Phoenix|Summer, are married with families
of their own.  Summer is married to actor Casey
Affleck and they have a son, Indiana.  

In 1996, Australian alternative rock band TISM
release an in-bad-taste song named (He'll Never Be
an) Ol' Man River, the main lyrics of the chorus
being 'I'm on the drug that killed River Phoenix.'
It came in at #2 in the Triple J Hottest 100 for
that year.

== Filmography ==

* Silent Tongue (1994)
* Dark Blood (1993)
* Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993) (uncredited)
* Thing Called Love (1993)
* Sneakers (movie)|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 (1988)
* Running on Empty (film)|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

== External links ==
*imdb name|id=0000203|name=River Phoenix
*http://www.xfamily.org/index.php/River_Phoenix
River Phoenix on xFamily.org — Includes
information about his family's involvement in the
Children of God
*http://www.river-phoenix.org/ Rio's Attic- The
River Phoenix Encyclopedia
*http://www.myriverphoenixcollection.org/  My
River Phoenix Collection
*http://www.findadeath.com/Deceased/p/River%20Phoe
nix/river_phoenix.htm River Phoenix at Find a
Death