Especially noted for the unusual depth, sensitivity, subtlety and intelligence he brought to his roles during his teens, River Phoenix was on the cusp of becoming a successful adult actor when he overdosed on drugs and died on halloween night, 1993.

The son of Arlyn Dunetz and John Bottom, he was born River Jude Bottom in a log cabin on a mint farm in Madras, Oregon. His parents named him after the "river of life" that flowed through Hermann Hess's novel Siddhartha and for the Beatles song "Hey Jude," From the first months of Phoenix's life, his parents lived the hippy life and moved to several communes until they joined the controversial "Children of God" cult. Phoenix's parents became missionaries for their new church and spent a couple years wandering Latin America before landing in Venezuela. Along the way, three more children, Rain, Joaquin Rafael (who is also known as Leaf) and Libertad Mariposa were born. Though John Bottom had been designated the "Archbishop of Venezuela and the Caribbean," he and his family received no missionary funds from their church and lived in dire poverty; Phoenix and his siblings often sang and performed on street corners for food. His family hit their lowest point when Phoenix was seven and the penniless brood was forced to move into a filthy beach hut until a local priest showed mercy and arranged for them to be stowed away on a Florida-bound freighter. The crew discovered the pathetic family during the voyage, but treated them with great kindness. Shortly after their arrival in Florida in 1978, the family legally changed it's name to Phoenix to commemorate their new lives. While in Florida, Summer Joy Phoenix was born.

River Phoenix had originally wanted to be a musician and did not become interested in acting until 1979 when he and Rain were spotted in a talent show and invited to audition at Paramount studios in Hollywood, CA. Believing the opportunity worth more than possible risks, the Phoenix family headed West in a battered station wagon. Their arrival in Burbank was disappointing, for the Paramount people reneged and refused to audition the children. Once again the family was destitute and the children took to returned to busking for change. Matters improved when agent Iris Burton entered their lives and started finding work for Phoenix in television commercials (a venue Phoenix hated) and in series such as Real Kids where he and Rain worked as a warm-up act. His first real break came when he won a leading role in the TV series Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. From there, he made guest appearances on television series like Family Ties and TV movies like Robert Kennedy: The Man and His Times in which Phoenix played the title role. He made his feature film debut playing a genius kid in Explorers (1985). The film was not a tremendous box-office success but Phoenix received favorable word. He earned even more acclaim in Rob Reiner's adaptation of Stephen King's bittersweet coming of age story, Stand by Me (1986). He then played opposite Harrison Ford in Mosquito Coast (1986). By the late 1980's Phoenix found himself a top-ranked teen idol.

He had his breakthrough as an adult actor playing a narcolepsy street hustler in Gus Van Zant's My Own Private Idaho (1991) Allegedly, it was during production that Phoenix started taking drugs. Phoenix died in the company of his sister Rain, his lover Samantha Mathis and his brother Leaf after taking cocaine, heroine and other drugs at Johnny Depp's Viper room. He was only twenty-three at the time. When not acting, Phoenix and his sister Rain performed in band together.