History of River Phoenix

Arlyn Phoenix commonly known as Heart Phoenix, is an American social activist and mother of actors River, Rain, Joaquin, Liberty, and Summer Phoenix.

John Lee Bottom, also known as John Phoenix, was recognized as being the father of popular Oscar-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix and late actor and singer River Phoenix.

In 1968, Phoenix's mother traveled 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 was born on August 23, 1970, in Madras, Oregon, the first child of Arlyn Dunetz and John Lee Bottom.

Phoenix was raped at the age of four.

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.

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. By this age, Phoenix was also an accomplished tap dancer.

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.

In September, the pilot episode of the short-lived TV series It's "Your Move" aired. Phoenix was cast as Brian and only had one line of dialogue.

The film stars 13-year-old River Phoenix in "one of his first major roles. Phoenix starred as a young boy who discovers he has dyslexia. Joaquin starred in a small role alongside his brother.

In October 1984, Phoenix secured the role of geeky boy-scientist Wolfgang Müller in Joe Dante's big-budget science-fiction film Explorers alongside Ethan Hawke, and production began soon after.

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.

At 16, Phoenix had a significant role in Rob Reiner's popular coming-of-age film Stand by Me (1986), which made him a household name.

During the filming of the 1986 film The Mosquito Coast, Phoenix began a romance with his co-star Martha Plimpton who, as he remembers, was someone he hadn’t gotten along with during the time that the two were child stars.

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.

Phoenix purchased his family a ranch in Micanopy, Florida, near Gainesville in 1987, in addition to a spread in Costa Rica.

His sixth feature film was Sidney Lumet's Running on Empty (1988), for which 18-year-old River received the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor and nominations for a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award.

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.

In 1990, Phoenix was photographed by Bruce Weber for Vogue and was a spokesperson for a campaign for Gap.

In 1991, Phoenix filmed an acclaimed independent picture called Dogfight co-starring Lili Taylor and directed by Nancy Savoca.

River Phoenix won Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the 1991 Venice Film Festival.

In addition, 21-year-old Phoenix received Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead and the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor, becoming the second-youngest winner of the former.

Phoenix was still alive and Flea went with him to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. 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.

In late October 1993, Phoenix had returned to Los Angeles for one day after flying back from 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.

On the evening of October 30, 1993, Phoenix was to perform with the band P at The Viper Room, a Hollywood nightclub partly owned by Johnny Depp.

The November 15, 1993 autopsy report 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".

Phoenix was due to begin work on Neil Jordan's Interview with the Vampire (1994) two weeks after his death.