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River Phoenix was an American actor who gained great acclaim for his roles in Stand by Me, The Mosquito Coast, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and My Own Private Idaho. He died in 1993 of a drug overdose.
River Jude Phoenix was born August 23, 1970 in Metolius, Oregon and was the oldest of five siblings. When he was three his parents joined the Children of God cult and Phoenix spent much of his childhood bouncing from city to city, country to country as his parents acted as missionaries for the organization, living in abject poverty. Phoenix later recalled in an interview that he and his sister, Rain, would play guitar and sing on street corners in Venezuela for food money. In 1978 the family parted ways with the cult and stowed away on a cargo ship bound for the United States, settling in Florida where River and Rain became skilled performers and the family officially changed their names to "Phoenix". Word of their crowd-pleasing act made its way to Paramount Studios in Hollywood and the family made a cross-country trip there to allow the kids to audition. The talent agents liked them so much all five children were signed.
Phoenix's first foray into acting was as the youngest brother in NBC's Seven Wives for Seven Brothers. The show only lasted one year, but he continued to get acting work in a number of made-for-TV movies and regular programs until being cast in 1985's The Explorers and becoming a full time film child star. His next project, Rob Reiner's Stand By Me, made Phoenix a household name and for his role in Running on Empty he was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actor. On October 31, 1993, while celebrating at Hollywood's Viper Room nightclub with girlfriend Samantha Mathis and his siblings Rain and Joaquin, Phoenix overdosed on a speedball and methamphetamines then began having seizures on the sidewalk outside. Efforts by his brother and sister, paramedics and finally the staff of Cedars-Sinai Hospital were unable to revive him and he died in the early morning hours.
Phoenix's first foray into acting was as the youngest brother in NBC's Seven Wives for Seven Brothers. The show only lasted one year, but he continued to get acting work in a number of made-for-TV movies and regular programs until being cast in 1985's The Explorers and becoming a full time film child star. His next project, Rob Reiner's Stand By Me, made Phoenix a household name and for his role in Running on Empty he was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actor. On October 31, 1993, while celebrating at Hollywood's Viper Room nightclub with girlfriend Samantha Mathis and his siblings Rain and Joaquin, Phoenix overdosed on a speedball and methamphetamines then began having seizures on the sidewalk outside. Efforts by his brother and sister, paramedics and finally the staff of Cedars-Sinai Hospital were unable to revive him and he died in the early morning hours.
General Information
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| Credited Name | River Phoenix |
| Gender | Male |
| Birthday | Aug. 23, 1970 |
| Death | Oct. 31, 1993 |
| Primary Role | Actor |
| Hometown | Madras, Oregon |
| Country | United Staes |
| Website | |
| Email Address | |
| Alias(es) |
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Career $674.6MM Average $45MM - show in today's dollars »
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In today's dollars
Career $674.6MM Average $45MM
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