River Phoenix

River Jude Phoenix (August 23 1970 – October 31 1993) was an Academy Award-nominated American film actor. He was listed on John Willis' Screen World, Vol. 38 as one of twelve "Promising new actors of 1986." He received high praise for his acting talents by such critics as Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel. However, his promising career was cut short when he died of a drug overdose at age 23.

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 his 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. At the press screening of My Own Private Idaho at the New York Film Festival, River accurately predicted that a large number of gay-themed films were "on the horizon."

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. The autopsy also revealed traces of cough syrup and cannabis in his blood. Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Michael Balzary, also known as Flea, was present at the time, as was River's younger brother Joaquin. He was rushed to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center but any attempts to resuscitate him were of no avail. He was pronounced dead at 1:45 AM. At the time of his death, Phoenix was acting in the starring role of the movie Dark Blood, which was never completed. He was also due to start filming on Interview With the Vampire as the interviewer, Daniel Molloy. Christian Slater eventually took on his role, donating his fee for the film to charity in honour of Phoenix. Phoenix was cremated in Gainesville, Florida a few days later, and the ashes were spread at the family's ranch.

Phoenix has four siblings, one brother and three sisters. Joaquin, his only brother who is also an actor; Rain, his first sister who is the lead singer in a band called the Papercranes and an actress; Summer, his second sister who is also an actress and Liberty, his third sister, who quit acting when she was still a child.

Tributes and references in music

Versus released an LP in 1994 titled _The Stars are Insane_. Track 4 is titled "River" and includes the following lines: "Last time I saw River, He was lying face down, he fell down face down. So please believe him when he says Ten bucks won’t last you a very long way."
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.
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 "Ifwhiteamericatoldthethruthforonedayit'sworldwouldfallapart" ("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..."
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"
Post-industrial rocker Chris Connelly titled a song "The Early Nighters (for River Phoenix)" on his 1994 album, Shipwreck.
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 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 on November the 13th and 15th 1993, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana dedicated the song "Jesus Don't Want Me For a Sunbeam" to River. Cobain also dedicated the same song to Phoenix (among other celebrities who died young) during Nirvana's very last American shows in Seattle in January 1994. Tragically Kurt Cobain would suffer a somewhat similar fate in April 1994. [http://www.livenirvana.com/tourhistory/banter/1993/t_11-13-93.php
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
Queercore band Pansy Division references "River Phoenix wearing speedos" in their song "Smells Like Queer Spirit"
Dana Lyons, a Washington state folk musician, has recorded a tribute entitled "Song for River Phoenix (If I Had Known)."
John Frusciante wrote and dedicated the song "Smile from the streets you hold" to River Phoenix. The second part of the song was added after River's tragic death.
The band Snow Patrol wrote the song "Run" about River.

Filmography

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)
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

External links

River Phoenix at xFamily.org — Includes information about his family's involvement in the Children of God cult

Gourt Home::Gourt :: River Phoenix

Biography

Tributes and references in music

Filmography

Biographies

External links