American actor and musician (1970?1993)
River Phoenix
|
---|
Phoenix in 1989
|
Born
| River Jude Bottom
(
1970-08-23
)
August 23, 1970
|
---|
Died
| October 31, 1993
(1993-10-31)
(aged 23)
|
---|
Cause of death
| Acute combined drug intoxication
|
---|
Resting place
| Cremated; ashes scattered at family ranch in
Micanopy, Florida
[1]
|
---|
Occupations
| - Actor
- musician
- songwriter
- activist
|
---|
Years active
| 1982?1993
|
---|
Parent
| |
---|
Relatives
| |
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Musical career
|
Genres
| |
---|
Instruments
| |
---|
Musical artist
|
River Jude Phoenix
(
ne
Bottom
; August 23, 1970 ? October 31, 1993) was an American actor and musician. Phoenix was known as a
teen actor
before taking on
leading roles
in critically acclaimed films. He received numerous accolades including
Volpi Cup
and the
Independent Spirit Award
as well as nominations for an
Academy Award
, and
Golden Globe Award
.
Phoenix grew up in an
itinerant
family, as the older brother of
Rain Phoenix
,
Joaquin Phoenix
,
Liberty Phoenix
, and
Summer Phoenix
. He began his acting career at age 10 in television commercials.
[2]
His early film roles include
Explorers
(1985),
Stand by Me
(1986), and
The Mosquito Coast
(1986). Phoenix made a transition into more adult-oriented roles earning a nomination for
the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
for his role in the
Sidney Lumet
drama
Running on Empty
(1988). He earned the
Volpi Cup for Best Actor
and the
Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead
for his performance as
Michael Waters
, a gay
hustler
in search of his estranged mother in the
Gus Van Sant
drama
My Own Private Idaho
(1991).
Phoenix died at age 23 from
combined drug intoxication
in
West Hollywood
in the early hours of
Halloween
, 1993, having overdosed on
cocaine
and
heroin
(a mixture commonly known as
speedball
) at
The Viper Room
.
[3]
Early life
[
edit
]
Phoenix was born on August 23, 1970, in
Madras, Oregon
, the first child of
Arlyn Dunetz
and John Lee Bottom.
[4]
He had four younger siblings,
Rain
(born 1972),
Joaquin
(born 1974),
Liberty
(born 1976) and
Summer
(born 1978), as well as a paternal half-sister, Jodean (born 1964).
[5]
Phoenix's parents named him after the
river of life
from the
Hermann Hesse
novel
Siddhartha
,
[2]
and he received his middle name from
the Beatles
' song "
Hey Jude
". In an interview with
People
, Phoenix described his parents as "
hippieish
".
[4]
His mother,
Arlyn Phoenix
, was born in New York to
Jewish
parents whose families had emigrated from
Russia
and
Hungary
.
[6]
[7]
[8]
[9]
[10]
His father, John Lee Bottom, was a
lapsed Catholic
from
Fontana, California
, of English, German, and French ancestry.
[8]
In 1968, Phoenix's mother travelled across the United States.
While hitchhiking in California she met John Lee Bottom.
They married on September 13, 1969, less than a year after meeting.
Phoenix's family moved cross country when he was very young. Phoenix has stated that they lived in a "desperate situation." Phoenix often played guitar while he and his sister sang on street corners for money and food to support their ever-growing family.
[11]
Phoenix never attended formal school. Screenwriter
Naomi Foner
later commented, "He was totally, totally without education. I mean, he could read and write, and he had an appetite for it, but he had no deep roots into any kind of sense of history or literature."
[11]
George Sluizer
claimed Phoenix was
dyslexic
.
[12]
Children of God cult
[
edit
]
In 1973, the family joined the religious organization known as the
Children of God
.
[13]
His family settled in
Caracas
,
Venezuela
, where the Children of God had stationed them to work as missionaries and fruit gatherers.
According to
Vanity Fair
, Phoenix was raped at the age of four.
[14]
In an interview with
Details
magazine in November 1991, Phoenix stated he lost his virginity at age four to other children while in the Children of God, but he had "blocked it out".
[15]
[16]
In 2019, his brother
Joaquin
would claim that River was joking, saying, "It was literally a joke, because he was so tired of being asked ridiculous questions by the press."
[17]
Although Phoenix rarely talked about the cult, he was quoted in an article published in
Esquire
in 1994 as having said, "They're disgusting, they're ruining people's lives."
[18]
Arlyn and John eventually grew disillusioned with the "Church" and left the cult in 1977.
[19]
In the aforementioned interview with
Details
magazine, Phoenix said he was "completely celibate" between the ages of 10 and 14.
[16]
Acting career
[
edit
]
1980?1985: Early work and acting background
[
edit
]
Back in the United States, Arlyn began working as a secretary for an
NBC
broadcaster and John as an exteriors architect. Talent agent
Iris Burton
spotted River, Joaquin, and their sisters Summer and Rain singing for spare change in
Westwood, Los Angeles
, and was so charmed by the family that she soon represented the four siblings.
[20]
Phoenix started doing commercials for
Mitsubishi
,
Ocean Spray
, and
Saks Fifth Avenue
, and soon afterward he and the other children were signed by
Paramount Pictures
casting director
Penny Marshall
. River and Rain were assigned immediately to a show called
Real Kids
as audience warm-up performers. In 1980, Phoenix began to fully pursue his career as an actor, making his first appearance on a TV show called
Fantasy
singing with his sister Rain.
[21]
[
better source needed
]
In 1982, Phoenix was cast in the short-lived CBS television series,
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
, in which he starred as youngest brother Guthrie McFadden. Phoenix arrived at the auditions with his guitar and promptly burst into a convincing
Elvis Presley
impersonation, charming the show producer.
[22]
[
better source needed
]
By this age, Phoenix was also an accomplished tap dancer.
[11]
Almost a year after
Seven Brides
ended in 1983, Phoenix found a new role in the 1984 television movie
Celebrity
, in which he played the part of young Jeffie Crawford. Although only onscreen for about ten minutes, his character was central.
[23]
[
better source needed
]
Less than a month after
Celebrity
came the
ABC Afterschool Special
:
Backwards: The Riddle of Dyslexia
. Phoenix starred as a young boy who discovers he has
dyslexia
. Joaquin starred in a small role alongside his brother. In September, the pilot episode of short-lived TV series
It's Your Move
aired. Phoenix was cast as Brian and only had one line of dialogue. He also starred as
Robert Kennedy's
son,
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
, in the TV movie
Robert Kennedy and His Times
. After his role in
Dyslexia
was critically acclaimed, Phoenix was almost immediately cast in a major role in made-for-TV movie
Surviving: A Family in Crisis
. He starred as Philip Brogan alongside
Molly Ringwald
and
Heather O'Rourke
. Halfway through the filming of
Surviving
, Iris Burton contacted him about a possible role in the film
Explorers
.
[24]
[
better source needed
]
In October 1984, Phoenix secured the role of geeky boy-scientist Wolfgang Muller in
Joe Dante
's big-budget science-fiction film
Explorers
alongside
Ethan Hawke
, and production began soon after. Released in the summer of 1985, this was Phoenix's first major motion picture role. In October 1986, Phoenix co-starred alongside
Tuesday Weld
and
Geraldine Fitzgerald
in the acclaimed
CBS
television movie
Circle of Violence: A Family Drama
, which told a story of domestic
elder abuse
. This was Phoenix's last television role before achieving film stardom.
1986?1993: Breakthrough and final projects
[
edit
]
Phoenix had a significant role in
Rob Reiner
's popular coming-of-age film
Stand by Me
(1986), which made him a household name at 16. Filming started on June 17, 1985, and ended in late August 1985, making Phoenix 14 for most (if not all) of the movie.
The Washington Post
opined that Phoenix gave the film its "centre of gravity".
[11]
Phoenix commented: "The truth is, I identified so much with the role of Chris Chambers that if I hadn't had my family to go back to after the shoot, I'd have probably had to see a psychiatrist."
[25]
Later that year, Phoenix completed
Peter Weir
's
The Mosquito Coast
(1986), playing the son of
Harrison Ford
and
Helen Mirren
's characters. "He was obviously going to be a movie star," observed Weir. "It's something apart from acting ability.
Laurence Olivier
never had what River had."
[11]
During the five-month shoot in
Belize
, Phoenix began a romance with co-star
Martha Plimpton
, a relationship which continued in some form for many years.
[11]
Phoenix was surprised by the poor reception for the film, feeling more secure about his work in it than he had in
Stand by Me
.
[25]
Phoenix was next cast as the lead in the teen comedy-drama
A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon
(1988), but was disappointed with his performance: "It didn't turn out the way I thought it would, and I put the blame on myself. I wanted to do a comedy, and it was definitely a stretch, but I'm not sure I was even the right person for the role."
[25]
Also in 1988, Phoenix starred in
Little Nikita
alongside
Sidney Poitier
. During this time, the Phoenix family continued to move on a regular basis, relocating over forty times by the time Phoenix was 18. Phoenix purchased his family a ranch in
Micanopy, Florida
, near
Gainesville
, in 1987, in addition to a spread in Costa Rica.
[26]
His sixth feature film was
Sidney Lumet
's
Running on Empty
(1988), for which the 18-year-old Phoenix received
National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor
and nominations for a
Golden Globe Award
and an
Academy Award
, becoming the
sixth-youngest
Academy Award nominee in the category.
[27]
[28]
Phoenix jumped to his feet during the ceremony when
Kevin Kline
beat him to the Oscar. "I had to stop River from running to hug Kevin," recalled his mother Arlyn. "It never crossed his mind that he hadn't won".
[26]
In 1989, he portrayed a young
Indiana Jones
in the prologue of the box-office hit
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
, the third installment of the
Indiana Jones
franchise, directed by
Steven Spielberg
and starring Harrison Ford.
Phoenix was photographed by
Bruce Weber
for
Vogue
and was spokesperson for a campaign for
Gap
in 1990. He starred with Kevin Kline,
Tracey Ullman
,
Joan Plowright
and
Keanu Reeves
in the 1990 comedy film
I Love You to Death
. Phoenix had met Reeves while Reeves was filming the 1989 film
Parenthood
with Phoenix's brother,
Joaquin
, and girlfriend,
Martha Plimpton
; however, Phoenix had reportedly auditioned for Bill in Reeves' then-current film
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
before the role was taken by
Alex Winter
.
[29]
[30]
He co-starred with
Lili Taylor
in the acclaimed independent picture
Dogfight
(1991), directed by
Nancy Savoca
. In the romantic coming-of-age drama set in San Francisco, Phoenix portrayed a young U.S. Marine on the night before he is shipped off to Vietnam in November 1963. Taylor remarked that Phoenix suffered because he could not distance himself from his character: "He also hadn't gotten into any [drugs] ? he was just drinking then, too. It was different ... That was actually a hard part for him, because it was so radically different from who he was. He was such a hippie, and here he was playing this marine. It actually caused him a lot of discomfort. I don't think he enjoyed that, actually, getting into that psyche."
[31]
Phoenix reunited with Keanu Reeves to co-star in
Gus Van Sant
's 1991 avant-garde film
My Own Private Idaho
. In his review for
Newsweek
, David Ansen praised Phoenix's performance as gay hustler
Michael Waters
: "The campfire scene in which Mike awkwardly declares his unrequited love for Scott is a marvel of delicacy. In this, and every scene, Phoenix immerses himself so deeply inside his character you almost forget you've seen him before: it's a stunningly sensitive performance, poignant and comic at once". He won the
Volpi Cup for Best Actor
at the
1991 Venice Film Festival
. In addition, the 21-year-old Phoenix received
Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead
and
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor
, becoming the second-youngest winner of the former.
[32]
His critically acclaimed performance helped bring
queer cinema
to a mainstream audience. The film and its success solidified his image as an actor with edgy, leading man potential. In that period, Phoenix was beginning to use
marijuana
,
cocaine
and
heroin
with some friends.
[4]
[33]
Around this time, Phoenix was approached by
George Lucas
to reprise his role of a younger Indiana Jones for
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
, a spin-off television series produced by the
ABC
that served as a prequel to the
Indiana Jones
films. However, Phoenix declined to reprise the role due to having started his career in different sitcoms and struggled hard to get out from the television medium, not being willing to return to it. The role of a younger Indy was eventually filled by
Corey Carrier
and
Sean Patrick Flannery
respectively.
[34]
He teamed up with
Robert Redford
and again with Sidney Poitier for the conspiracy/espionage thriller
Sneakers
(1992). A month later, he began production on
Sam Shepard
's art-house ghost western
Silent Tongue
(which was released in 1994). He was beaten out for the role of Paul by
Brad Pitt
in
A River Runs Through It
. Phoenix then starred in
Peter Bogdanovich
's country music-themed film,
The Thing Called Love
(1993), the last completed picture before his death. He began a relationship with co-star
Samantha Mathis
on the set.
Unreleased and unfilmed projects
[
edit
]
Phoenix's sudden death prevented him from playing various roles:
- Phoenix was due to begin work on
Neil Jordan
's
Interview with the Vampire
(1994) two weeks after his death.
[35]
[36]
He was to play the part of
Daniel Molloy
, the interviewer, which then went to
Christian Slater
,
[37]
[38]
who donated his entire $250,000 salary to two of Phoenix's favorite charitable organizations: Earth Save and Earth Trust.
[39]
[40]
[41]
The film has a dedication to Phoenix after the end credits.
- The Guardian
suggested in 2003 "it was likely that Phoenix would have followed
Interview with the Vampire
by appearing as
Susan Sarandon
's son in
Safe Passage
(1994), a role that went to
Sean Astin
.
[37]
- Phoenix had signed onto the lead role in
Broken Dreams
, a screenplay written by
John Boorman
and
Neil Jordan
(to be directed by Boorman), and co-starring
Winona Ryder
. The film was put on hold due to Phoenix's death. In June 2012, it was announced that
Caleb Landry Jones
had been cast in the role.
[42]
- Gus Van Sant
had persuaded Phoenix to agree to play the role of
Cleve Jones
in
Milk
when he was originally planning on making the movie in the early 1990s.
[43]
The role was eventually played by
Emile Hirsch
in 2008.
- When Gus Van Sant was asked in
Interview
magazine, "You were going to do a movie with River about
Andy Warhol
, right?", he said, "Yeah. River kind of looked like Andy in his younger days. But that project never really went forward."
[43]
- In 1988, Phoenix was reportedly carrying around a copy of the 1978 memoir
The Basketball Diaries
. He had heard a movie version was in the works and wanted to play the autobiographical role of
Jim Carroll
. The film was sent into hiatus on numerous occasions with Phoenix being cited as the main contender for the role each time.
The Basketball Diaries
was made in 1995 with 19-year-old
Leonardo DiCaprio
in the lead.
[44]
- He had expressed interest in playing the 19th-century poet
Arthur Rimbaud
in
Total Eclipse
(1995) by Polish director
Agnieszka Holland
.
[37]
Phoenix died before the movie was cast, with the role eventually going to Leonardo DiCaprio.
[45]
- Phoenix was
James Cameron
's original choice to play Jack Dawson in
Titanic
(1997), with the role ultimately going to Leonardo DiCaprio.
[46]
- Comic book
writer
Lee Marrs
claimed in a 2023 interview with the IndyCast podcast that
Lucasfilm Ltd.
considered for a while to make a continuation to the
Indiana Jones
film series starring Phoenix as a younger Indy, being this the primary reason for which
Dark Horse Comics
hoped to keep running their
Indiana Jones
comic book line
. Phoenix's death in 1993 put an end to this option and Dark Horse cancelled their line a few years later, stopping the development of any
Indiana Jones
films until
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
came out in 2008.
[47]
Music
[
edit
]
Although Phoenix's movie career was generating most of the income for his family, it has been stated by close friends and relatives that his true passion was music. Phoenix was a singer, songwriter, and accomplished guitarist. He had begun teaching himself guitar at age five and had stated in an interview for
E!
in 1988 that his family's move to Los Angeles when he was nine was so that he and his sister "could become recording artists. I fell into commercials for financial reasons and acting became an attractive concept". Before securing an acting agent, Phoenix and his siblings tried to forge a career in music by playing cover versions on the streets of the Westwood district of LA, often being moved along by police because gathering crowds would obstruct the sidewalk. From the first fruits of his film success, Phoenix saved $650 to obtain his prized possession: a guitar with which he wrote what he described as "progressive, ethereal folk-rock".
[25]
While working on
A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon
in 1986, Phoenix had written and recorded a song, "Heart to Get", specifically for the end credits of the movie. 20th Century Fox cut it from the completed film, but director William Richert put it back into place for his director's cut some years later. It was during filming that Phoenix met
Chris Blackwell
of
Island Records
; this meeting would later secure Phoenix a two-year development deal with the label. Phoenix disliked the idea of being a solo artist and relished collaboration; therefore he focused on putting together a band.
Aleka's Attic
were formed in 1987 and the lineup included his sister Rain.
[48]
Phoenix was committed to gaining credibility by his own merit and maintained that the band would not use his name when securing performances that were not benefits for charitable organizations. Phoenix's first release was "Across the Way", co-written with bandmate Josh McKay, which was released in 1989 on a benefit album for
PETA
titled
Tame Yourself
.
[49]
In 1991, Phoenix wrote and recorded a spoken word piece called "Curi Curi" for
Milton Nascimento
's album
TXAI
.
[50]
Also in 1991, the Aleka's Attic track "Too Many Colors" was used in the film
My Own Private Idaho
, which included Phoenix in a starring role.
Aleka's Attic disbanded in 1992, but Phoenix continued writing and performing. While working on the film
The Thing Called Love
in 1993, Phoenix wrote and recorded the song "
Lone Star State of Mine
", which he performs in the movie. The song was not included on the film's soundtrack album. In 1996, the Aleka's Attic track "Note to a Friend" was released on the 1996 benefit album
In Defense of Animals; Volume II
and featured
Flea
of
Red Hot Chili Peppers
on bass. Phoenix had collaborated with friend
John Frusciante
after his first departure from Red Hot Chili Peppers and the songs "Height Down" and "Well I've Been" were released on Frusciante's second solo album
Smile from the Streets You Hold
in 1997.
[51]
Phoenix was an investor in the original
House of Blues
(founded by his good friend and
Sneakers
co-star
Dan Aykroyd
) in
Cambridge, Massachusetts
, which opened its doors to the public after serving a group of homeless people on Thanksgiving Day 1992.
[52]
Activism
[
edit
]
Phoenix was a dedicated
animal rights
and
environmental
activist. He was a
vegan
from the age of seven.
[53]
He was a prominent spokesperson for
PETA
and won their Humanitarian Award in 1992 for his fund-raising efforts.
[54]
His first girlfriend
Martha Plimpton
recalled: "Once when we were fifteen, River and I went out for a fancy dinner in Manhattan, and I ordered soft-shell crabs. He left the restaurant and walked around on Park Avenue, crying. I went out and he said, 'I love you so much, why? ... ' He had such pain that I was eating an animal, that he hadn't impressed on me what was right."
[26]
In 1990, Phoenix wrote an environmental awareness essay about
Earth Day
targeted at his young fan base, which was printed in
Seventeen
magazine.
[55]
He financially aided many environmental and humanitarian organizations, and bought 800 acres (320 ha) of endangered rainforest in
Costa Rica
.
[56]
As well as giving speeches at rallies for various groups, Phoenix and his band often played environmental benefits for well-known charities as well as local ones in the
Gainesville, Florida
area.
[57]
He campaigned for
Bill Clinton
in the
1992 US presidential election
.
[58]
Personal life
[
edit
]
In February 1986, during the filming of
The Mosquito Coast
, Phoenix began a romance with his co-star
Martha Plimpton
.
[59]
They had met a year earlier but initially disliked one another.
[60]
[
better source needed
]
They also co-starred in the 1988 film
Running on Empty
before the relationship ended in June 1989 due to Phoenix's drug use. The two maintained a close friendship until his death. Plimpton later stated, "When we split up, a lot of it was that I had learned that screaming, fighting, and begging wasn't going to change him. He had to change himself, and he didn't want to yet."
[61]
A
roman a clef
Pink
by director
Gus Van Sant
asserts that Phoenix was not a regular drug user but only an occasional one, and that the actor had a more serious problem with alcohol. Phoenix had always tried to hide his addictions because he feared that they might ruin his career as they did his relationship with Plimpton.
[62]
For the last year of his life, in 1993, he dated his
The Thing Called Love
co-star
Samantha Mathis
. Mathis was with Phoenix on the night he died.
[63]
Death
[
edit
]
In late October 1993, Phoenix had returned to
Los Angeles
after flying back from spending one week in New Mexico. Before that, he had spent six to seven weeks in Utah to complete the three weeks of interior shots left on his last project,
Dark Blood
.
[64]
The film was finally completed in 2012.
[65]
In
Bob Forrest
's book,
Running with Monsters
, he wrote that Phoenix spent the days preceding his death on a drug binge with
John Frusciante
from the
Red Hot Chili Peppers
. Phoenix and Frusciante were consuming cocaine and heroin and had not slept for several days.
[66]
On the evening of October 30, 1993, Phoenix arrived with his girlfriend
Samantha Mathis
, his brother
Joaquin
, and sister
Rain
at
The Viper Room
, a Hollywood nightclub partly owned by
Johnny Depp
. Phoenix was to perform with the band
P
, which featured Phoenix's friends
Flea
and
John Frusciante
from the
Red Hot Chili Peppers
,
Gibby Haynes
of the
Butthole Surfers
,
Al Jourgensen
of
Ministry
, and Depp.
[33]
According to
Bob Forrest
, during the performance by P, Phoenix tapped him on the shoulder to tell him he was not feeling well and that he thought he had overdosed. Forrest said to Phoenix that he did not think that he was overdosing because he could stand and talk. Nonetheless, he offered to take Phoenix home, but the latter declined, saying he was feeling better. A few moments later, Forrest said that a commotion erupted in the club and he went outside to find Mathis screaming as her boyfriend was lying on the sidewalk having convulsions. Unable to determine whether Phoenix was breathing, Joaquin called 911. Rain proceeded to give Phoenix mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
[67]
According to Gibby Haynes, the band was performing their song "
Michael Stipe
" while Phoenix was outside the venue having seizures on the sidewalk.
[68]
When the news filtered through the club, Flea left the stage and rushed outside. By that time, paramedics had arrived on the scene and found Phoenix turning
cyanotic
, suffering from cardiac arrest and
asystole
. They administered medication in an attempt to restart his heart.
When the ambulance arrived, Phoenix was still alive, and Flea accompanied him to
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
.
[67]
Attempts to resuscitate Phoenix at the hospital were unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead at 1:51 a.m. PST on the morning of October 31, 1993, at the age of 23.
[69]
Aftermath
[
edit
]
Years later, Samantha Mathis said that during her relationship with River, she had known him to be sober. However, Mathis added that in the moments immediately prior to his death, she "knew something was going on". Mathis added, "I didn't see anyone doing drugs [that night] but he was high in a way that made me feel uncomfortable".
[70]
She added that "the heroin that killed him didn't happen until he was in the Viper Room". Mathis went to the restroom, and on her way back to the table, she saw Phoenix scuffling with another man. The bouncers removed both men from the club. Mathis shouted at the other man, "What have you done? What are you on?" Another person responded, "Leave him alone, you're spoiling his high." By that time, Phoenix had fallen to the ground and begun to convulse.
[71]
Following Phoenix's death, the club became a makeshift shrine, with fans and mourners leaving flowers, pictures and candles on the sidewalk, as well as graffiti messages on the walls of the venue.
[72]
A sign was placed in the window that read, "With much respect and love to River and his family, The Viper Room is temporarily closed. Our heartfelt condolences to all his family, friends and loved ones. He will be missed."
[73]
The club remained closed for a week. Depp continued to close the club every year on October 31 until selling his share in 2004.
[74]
The autopsy report, finalized on November 15, 1993, stated that there were "high concentrations of morphine and cocaine in the blood, as well as other substances in smaller concentrations." The cause of death was "acute multiple drug intoxication".
[75]
On November 24, 1993, Arlyn Phoenix (who later changed her name to Heart) published an open letter in the
Los Angeles Times
on her son's life and death. It read, in part:
His friends, co-workers and the rest of our family know that River was not a regular drug user. He lived at home in Florida with us and was almost never a part of the "club scene" in Los Angeles. He had just arrived in L.A. from the pristine beauty and quietness of Utah where he was filming for six weeks. We feel that the excitement and energy of the Halloween nightclub and party scene were way beyond his usual experience and control. How many other beautiful young souls, who remain anonymous to us, have died by using drugs recreationally? It is my prayer that River's leaving in this way will focus the attention of the world on how painfully the spirits of his generation are being worn down.
River made such a big impression during his life on Earth. He found his voice and found his place. And even River, who had the whole world at his fingertips to listen, felt deep frustration that no one heard. What is it going to take?
Chernobyl
wasn't enough.
Exxon Valdez
wasn't enough. A
bloody war over oil
wasn't enough. If River's passing opens our global heart, then I say, thanks dear, beloved son, for yet another gift to all of us.
[76]
Before his death, Phoenix's image?one he bemoaned in interviews?had been clean, owing in part to his public dedication to his various social, political, humanitarian, and dietary interests that were not always popular in the 1980s. As a result, his death elicited a vast amount of coverage from the media.
[77]
Phoenix was described by one writer as "the vegan
James Dean
", and comparisons were made regarding the youth and sudden deaths of both actors.
[78]
Phoenix was
cremated
and his ashes were scattered at the family ranch in
Micanopy, Florida
.
Filmography
[
edit
]
Film
[
edit
]
Television
[
edit
]
Music videos
[
edit
]
Awards, honors, and legacy
[
edit
]
Actors who have credited Phoenix as a major influence as well as paving the way for them include
Leonardo DiCaprio
,
[79]
Jared Leto
[80]
and
James Franco
.
[81]
[82]
As teenagers,
Matt Damon
and
Ben Affleck
used "RiverP," in homage to Phoenix, as the password to the bank account they shared.
[83]
During his acceptance speech for Best Actor at the
92nd Academy Awards
, Joaquin Phoenix honored his brother by stating "When he was 17, my brother [River] wrote this lyric. He said: 'run to the rescue with love and peace will follow.
'
"
[84]
Joaquin and partner
Rooney Mara
named their son, River, after him.
[85]
Phoenix has been ranked numerous times on a number of lists recognizing his talent and career. He was listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1986" in "John Willis' Screen World" (2004). Phoenix was voted at No. 64 on a "Greatest Movie Stars of All Time" poll by
Channel 4
television in the UK. The poll was made up wholly of votes from prominent figures of the acting and directing communities. He was ranked No. 86 in
Empire
magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list in 1997.
In popular culture
[
edit
]
Phoenix's status as a teen idol and promising young actor, and his subsequent premature death, made him a frequent subject in popular culture media. He first gained references in music with Brazilian singer
Milton Nascimento
writing the song "River Phoenix: Letter to a Young Actor" about him after having seen Phoenix in
The Mosquito Coast
(1986). The song appears on the 1989 release
Miltons
.
[86]
Gus Van Sant
, with whom Phoenix worked in the film
My Own Private Idaho
, dedicated his 1993 movie
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
as well as his 1997 novel
Pink
to him. Experimental
Santa Cruz
filmmaker
Cam Archer
also produced a documentary called
Drowning River Phoenix
as part of his American Fame series.
[87]
Natalie Merchant, singer from 10,000 Maniacs, wrote and sang about the media's immediate and critical effect on culture and cultural icons such as River Phoenix. In "River", a 1995 song from Tigerlily, Merchant defends River Phoenix as she castigates the media for systematically dissecting the child actor after his death.
[88]
Phoenix was the subject of a controversial song by Australian group
TISM
titled "
(He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River
" the single originally featured a mock-up of Phoenix's tombstone as its cover art in 1995. The chorus features the line, "I'm on the drug that killed River Phoenix."
[89]
A lesser-known reference to River Phoenix was
Final Fantasy VIII
's
main protagonist
Squall Leonhart
.
Tetsuya Nomura
, the lead character designer for the game, stated he modeled Squall on River's visage during development, and even gave Squall the same birthdate.
[90]
The scene of Phoenix's death also merits several mentions in
William Gibson
's book
Spook Country
.
[91]
Rapper
Tyler, the Creator
references Phoenix in his 2017's
Flower Boy
, perceived by some critics as a kind of
coming out
album.
[92]
[93]
With the song
Halloween
on the album
Storm Hymnal: Gems from the Vault
the band
Grant Lee Buffalo
paid homage to River Phoenix. The lyrics in the refrain are:
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
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"A decade without River Phoenix"
.
BBC
. October 31, 2003.
- ^
a
b
Weinraub, Bernard (November 2, 1993).
"Death of River Phoenix Jolts the Movie Industry"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
July 4,
2014
.
- ^
Edwards, Gavin (October 17, 2013).
"River Phoenix's Tragic Overdose: Dan Aykroyd Warned Him About Heroin Dependency"
.
Vanity Fair
. Retrieved
April 19,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
c
Levitt, Shelley; Benet, Lorenzo; Stambler, Lyndon; Dodd, Johnny; Stone, Joanna; Sider, Don (November 15, 1993).
"River's End"
.
People
.
40
(20): 127?133
. Retrieved
April 19,
2022
.
- ^
Howden, Martin (January 10, 2011).
He's Still Here: The Biography of Joaquin Phoenix
. John Blake.
ISBN
9781843584308
. Retrieved
June 17,
2017
.
- ^
Turner, Adrian (November 1, 1993).
"Obituary: River Phoenix"
.
The Independent
. Retrieved
May 26,
2018
.
- ^
Pfefferman, Naomi (April 11, 2002).
"The Days of Summer"
.
Jewish Journal
. Retrieved
May 26,
2018
.
- ^
a
b
Pfefferman, Naomi (April 11, 2002).
"The Days of Summer"
.
Jewish Journal
. Retrieved
April 19,
2022
.
- ^
"Ten American showbiz celebrities of Russian descent"
. Pravda.Ru. November 18, 2005
. Retrieved
August 24,
2010
.
- ^
Corner, Lena (July 9, 2011).
"Rain Phoenix's unusual childhood"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
May 26,
2018
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
"Wasted: How on earth did River Phoenix, purest of all child stars, sensitive, clean-living and eco-friendly, end up dead from a drug overdose at the age of 23?"
.
The Independent
. December 5, 1993. Archived from
the original
on July 19, 2013
. Retrieved
July 22,
2013
.
- ^
"River Phoenix: the last film"
.
The Guardian
. September 28, 2012
. Retrieved
June 18,
2017
.
- ^
Corner, Lena (July 8, 2011).
"Rain Phoenix's unusual childhood"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
February 11,
2020
.
- ^
Nathan, Micah (October 31, 2016).
"Remembering River Phoenix, 23 Years After His Death"
.
Vanity Fair
. Retrieved
August 28,
2018
.
- ^
"Gone Before 30: Stars Who Died Young"
January 29, 2008. ABC News.
- ^
a
b
Taylor, Trey (October 31, 2018).
"River Phoenix's Insatiable Appetite for Sex"
.
Another Magazine
.
Archived
from the original on December 14, 2022
. Retrieved
December 14,
2022
.
- ^
Hagen, Joe (November 2019).
"
"I Fucking Love My Life": Joaquin Phoenix on Joker, Why River Is His Rosebud, His Rooney Research, and His "Prenatal" Gift for Dark Characters"
.
Vanity Fair
. Retrieved
July 17,
2021
.
- ^
Friend, Tad.
"River, with love and anger"
.
Esquire
. No. March 1, 1994.
- ^
Bruney, Gabrielle (October 5, 2019).
"Joaquin Phoenix and Rose McGowan Spent Their Early Years in a Religious Cult. Then it Became Infamous"
.
Esquire
.
Archived
from the original on December 5, 2021
. Retrieved
December 14,
2022
.
- ^
"Obituary: Iris Burton, Hollywood agent"
.
The Age
. Melbourne. April 17, 2008
. Retrieved
July 4,
2014
.
- ^
"Rio's Attic - Timeline of a Phoenix"
.
river-phoenix.org
. Archived from
the original
on February 7, 2012
. Retrieved
February 21,
2010
.
- ^
"Rio's Attic - Phoenix TV"
.
www.river-phoenix.org
.
- ^
"Rio's Attic - Phoenix TV"
.
www.river-phoenix.org
.
- ^
"Rio's Attic - Phoenix TV"
.
www.river-phoenix.org
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Blair, Iain (March 27, 1988).
"The Rise of River Phoenix"
.
Chicago Tribune
. Retrieved
July 22,
2013
.
- ^
a
b
c
Friend, Tad (April 1994).
"River, with love and anger"
.
Esquire
. Archived from
the original
on February 16, 2009
. Retrieved
April 19,
2022
.
- ^
Renfro, Kim.
"The 31 youngest Oscar nominees of all time"
.
Insider
. Retrieved
April 17,
2021
.
- ^
Evry, Max.
"The 25 Youngest Oscar Nominees of All Time"
.
MTV News
. Retrieved
April 17,
2021
.
- ^
"
'Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure' Movie Facts"
. Pajiba. May 8, 2018
. Retrieved
March 13,
2019
.
- ^
"Ten Things You Never Knew About 'Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure'
"
. The Hollywood News. March 4, 2019
. Retrieved
March 13,
2019
.
- ^
Ryan, Kyle (March 10, 2010).
"Lili Taylor"
.
The A.V. Club
. Retrieved
April 19,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
Sharf, Zack (March 4, 2018).
"Timothee Chalamet Wins Indie Spirit Award for Best Actor, Becomes Third Youngest Winner in History"
.
IndieWire
. Retrieved
June 3,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
Schindehette, Susan; Stambler, Lyndon; Dodd, Johnny; Benet, Lorenzo; Stone, Joanna (January 17, 1994).
"High Life"
.
People
.
41
(2)
. Retrieved
April 19,
2022
.
- ^
"The Making of
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
- Chapter 2: Casting"
. TheRaider.net.
Archived
from the original on January 16, 2013
. Retrieved
May 12,
2023
.
- ^
Scott, Mike (September 24, 2011).
"Brad Pitt says 'Interview with the Vampire' was a 'miserable' experience"
.
The Times-Picayune
. Retrieved
April 19,
2022
.
- ^
Hayes, Britt (January 12, 2014).
"See the Cast of 'Interview with the Vampire' Then and Now"
.
ScreenCrush
. Retrieved
August 1,
2018
.
- ^
a
b
c
Gilbey, Ryan (November 5, 2003).
"Ryan Gilbey on the legacy of River Phoenix"
.
The Guardian
. London
. Retrieved
December 16,
2011
.
- ^
Vera H-C Chan (September 15, 2011).
"The Misery of Brad Pitt"
. Yahoo! Movies
. Retrieved
December 16,
2011
.
- ^
Christian Slater
. Gadsden Times. November 18, 1993
- ^
"Christian Slater ? Slater's Mother Makes Emotional Appeal To Press"
.
Contact Music
. Retrieved
November 18,
2011
.
- ^
Grove, Lloyd (December 1999).
"Plea For Christian Charity"
.
New York Daily News
. Retrieved
February 7,
2015
.
- ^
"Caleb Landry Jones Leading John Boorman's Resurrected 'Broken Dream'; John Hurt Takes Supporting Role"
. June 22, 2012. Archived from
the original
on April 15, 2019
. Retrieved
July 3,
2012
.
- ^
a
b
"James Franco"
.
Interview Magazine
. Archived from
the original
on August 22, 2010
. Retrieved
December 13,
2022
.
Only first page of four pages archived;
Milk
comment appears on non-archived page.
- ^
"7 Movies That Might Have Starred River Phoenix"
.
Goliath
. April 5, 2016. Archived from
the original
on January 17, 2021
. Retrieved
April 30,
2021
.
- ^
"Total Eclipse (1996) - Leonardo DiCaprio: his career in pictures"
.
Telegraph
. Retrieved
February 11,
2020
.
- ^
Ashton, Will (September 15, 2022).
"12 Actors Who Could've Been Cast In Titanic"
.
CinemaBlend
.
Future plc
. Retrieved
December 13,
2022
.
James Cameron had originally considered River Phoenix for the role, but the young actor tragically passed away before he could be asked to play the leading man part.
- ^
Ed Dolista (February 20, 2023).
"INDYCAST: EPISODE 330"
.
IndyCast
(Podcast). IndyCast
. Retrieved
April 29,
2023
.
- ^
"Entertainment: A decade without River Phoenix"
.
BBC News
. October 31, 2003
. Retrieved
August 24,
2010
.
- ^
Hall, Tony, ed. (1996).
They Died Too Young: The Brief Lives and Tragic Deaths of the Mega-Star Legends of Our Times
. Smithmark Pub. p. 76.
ISBN
0-765-19600-X
.
- ^
Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas, eds. (2001).
All Music Guide: The Definitive Guide to Popular Music
. Hal Leonard Corporation. p.
920
.
ISBN
0-879-30627-0
.
- ^
"There's no more me ? the history and love story behind John Frusciante's Niandra LaDes"
.
yle.fi
. October 1, 2018
. Retrieved
January 2,
2024
.
- ^
"The Vindicator ? Google News Archive Search"
. Retrieved
December 21,
2013
.
- ^
"Famous Vegans: River Phoenix"
.
Vegan Peace
. Archived from
the original
on July 18, 2012
. Retrieved
September 1,
2014
.
- ^
"Biography of River Jude Phoenix"
. Buzzle
. Retrieved
August 24,
2010
.
- ^
"We are the world | Seventeen, April 1990"
.
www.aleka.org
. Archived from
the original
on December 11, 2012.
- ^
Keefe, Robert (November 2, 1993).
"Actor had business interests in Tampa"
.
Tampa Bay Times
. Retrieved
April 19,
2022
.
(subscription required)
- ^
Hubler, Shawn; Hall, Carla.
"Autopsy Reveals Little on Death of River Phoenix"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Retrieved
April 19,
2022
.
- ^
"Bill Clinton Rally"
.
Myriverphoenixcollection.com
. October 31, 1993
. Retrieved
August 28,
2018
.
- ^
Aurthur, Kate (March 30, 2014).
"Martha Plimpton Moves On (Again)"
.
BuzzFeed
. Retrieved
June 10,
2022
.
- ^
"Life through a lens: River Phoenix"
.
aleka.org
. November 1998.
- ^
C. Lawrence (2004).
In search of River Phoenix
. Wordsworth. p. 333.
ISBN
9780967249193
.
- ^
Gus Van Sant,
Pink
, Faber & Faber, 1998,
ISBN
0-385-49353-3
- ^
Freeman, Hadley (October 25, 2018).
"The untold story of lost star River Phoenix ? 25 years after his death"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
July 14,
2021
.
- ^
"Actor River Phoenix dies"
. Associated Press. October 31, 1993
. Retrieved
February 8,
2015
.
- ^
Macnab, Geoffrey (September 27, 2012).
"River Phoenix: the last film"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
September 28,
2012
.
- ^
Callahan, Maureen (September 22, 2013).
"River Phoenix's final hours"
.
New York Post
. Retrieved
June 10,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
Grisolia, Cynthia; Davidson, Casey (November 12, 1993).
"The passing of River Phoenix: at the scene"
.
Entertainment Weekly
. Retrieved
April 19,
2022
.
- ^
"They Came from Hollywood"
. SPIN.com. July 30, 2007
. Retrieved
December 16,
2011
.
- ^
"Autopsy: The Last Hours of River Phoenix."
Autopsy: The Last Hours of...
. Narrated by Eric Meyers, executive produced by Suzy Davis, Michael Kelpie, Phil Mount, and Ed Taylor. Reelz, 13 Jun. 2020.
- ^
Alexander, Bryan (October 26, 2018).
"River Phoenix's death: Samantha Mathis breaks silence about the tragic night 25 years ago"
.
USA Today
. Retrieved
October 27,
2018
.
- ^
Freeman, Hadley (October 25, 2018).
"The untold story of lost star River Phoenix ? 25 years after his death"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
October 25,
2018
.
- ^
Braxton, Greg (November 9, 1993).
"The Club Scene, Running on Full After Phoenix's Death, It's Business (Almost) as Usual at L.A. Hot Spots"
. Los Angeles
. Retrieved
April 19,
2022
.
- ^
Weinraub, Bernard (November 2, 1993).
"Death of River Phoenix Jolts the Movie Industry"
.
New York Times
. Retrieved
August 24,
2010
.
- ^
"Johnny Depp ? Depp Sells His Share of Viper Room"
.
Contactmusic
. Retrieved
August 24,
2010
.
- ^
Mydans, Seth (November 13, 1993).
"Death of River Phoenix Is Linked To Use of Cocaine and Morphine"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
March 1,
2014
.
- ^
"A Mother's Note on Her Son's Life and Death"
.
The Los Angeles Times
. November 4, 1993
. Retrieved
April 19,
2022
.
- ^
Spolar, Christine (November 14, 1993).
"Autopsy Shatters Phoenix's Image"
.
Chicago Sun-Times
.
The image of actor River Phoenix as a quiet, clean-cut member of Hollywood's youth fraternity has been shattered by autopsy results that showed he died from a mix of cocaine and heroin.
[
dead link
]
- ^
Rouse, Rose (November 7, 1993).
"Where were you when River Phoenix died?: The vegan James Dean is being mourned by teenagers from Ilkley to Bristol"
.
The Independent
. London
. Retrieved
December 16,
2011
.
- ^
Hainey, Michael (May 21, 2019).
"Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt, and Leonardo DiCaprio Take You Inside 'Once Upon a Time
... In Hollywood'."
Esquire
. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ^
Edwards, Gavin (October 31, 2013).
"What We Lost When We Lost River Phoenix"
.
Wall Street Journal
.
- ^
"James Franco Opens Up About His Bad Boy Days as a Graffiti-Spraying Cologne Thief"
.
People
. October 30, 2015
. Retrieved
April 19,
2022
.
- ^
McDonald, Patrick Range (October 30, 2013).
"How River Phoenix Inspired a Generation"
.
LA Weekly
. Retrieved
April 19,
2022
.
- ^
Topel, Fred (October 13, 2020).
"Matt Damon Says He And Ben Affleck Almost Got Cast In This Classic '80s Movie"
.
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. Retrieved
March 16,
2024
.
- ^
"Joaquin Phoenix's Oscars speech in full: 'We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow and steal her baby'
"
. Guardian Film.
The Guardian
. February 10, 2020
. Retrieved
December 5,
2020
.
- ^
"Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara name their baby son River"
. Guardian Film.
The Guardian
. September 28, 2020
. Retrieved
December 5,
2020
.
- ^
John Lannett (June 8, 1990).
"Rain Forests Come First With Singer"
.
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. Retrieved
April 19,
2022
.
- ^
"Film Guide Archive | American Fame Pt. 1: Drowning River Phoenix"
. TribecaFilm.com. March 29, 2010. Archived from
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on August 10, 2011
. Retrieved
December 16,
2011
.
- ^
"A more relaxed Natalie Merchant fondly revisits 'Tigerlily'
"
. June 24, 2016.
- ^
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.
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2022
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- ^
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.
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. Retrieved
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- ^
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"Spook Country - William Gibson - Books - Review"
.
The New York Times
.
ISSN
0362-4331
. Retrieved
May 30,
2019
.
- ^
Kornhaber, Spencer (July 21, 2017).
"The Classic Queer Paradox of Tyler, the Creator"
.
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. Retrieved
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2017
.
- ^
Kornhaber, Spencer (July 17, 2017).
"Tyler, the Creator: Flower Boy review ? closet door opens to gawky gorgeousness"
.
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. Retrieved
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2017
.
Further reading
[
edit
]
- Edwards, Gavin
(October 22, 2013).
Last Night at the Viper Room: River Phoenix and the Hollywood He Left Behind
. HarperCollins.
ISBN
978-0062273154
.
- Glatt, John
(1995).
Lost in Hollywood: The Fast Times and Short Life of River Phoenix
. D.I. Fine.
ISBN
1-55611-440-0
.
- Holmstrom, John.
The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995
. Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996.
- Lawrence, Barry C. (2004).
In Search of River Phoenix: the Truth Behind the Myth
. WORDSWORTH Pub.
ISBN
0-9672491-9-8
.
- Robb, Brian J. (1995).
River Phoenix: a short life
. Harper Perennial.
ISBN
0-06-095132-X
.
External links
[
edit
]
Awards for River Phoenix
|
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|
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1954?1975
| |
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1976?2000
| |
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2001?present
| |
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1932?68
| |
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1983?2000
| |
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2001?present
| |
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International
| |
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National
| |
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Artists
| |
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Other
| |
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