River Phoenix
Birthday: Born in 1970-08-23 in Metolius, Oregon USA
Deathday: 1993-10-31
River Jude Phoenix (né Bottom; August 23, 1970 – October 31, 1993) was an American actor and musician. Phoenix grew up in an itinerant family, as the older brother of Rain Phoenix, Joaquin Phoenix, Liberty Phoenix, and Summer Phoenix. He had no formal schooling, but showed an instinctive talent for the guitar. He began his acting career at age 10 in television commercials. He starred in the science fiction adventure film Explorers (1985) and had his first notable role in 1986's Stand by Me, a coming-of-age film based on the novella The Body by Stephen King. Phoenix made a transition into more adult-oriented roles with Running on Empty (1988), playing Danny Pope, the son of fugitive parents in a well-received performance that earned him a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (at age 18, he became the sixth-youngest nominee in the category), and My Own Private Idaho (1991), playing Michael Waters, a gay hustler in search of his estranged mother. For his performance in the latter, Phoenix garnered enormous praise and won a Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the 1991 Venice Film Festival as well as 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. 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. Description above from the Wikipedia article River Phoenix, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
TV Credits
Family Ties
Character: Eugene Forbes
Former 1960s flower children Steven and Elyse Keaton raise their conservative son Alex, daughters Mallory and Jennifer, and later, youngest child Andrew....
Hotel
Character:
Hotel is an American prime time drama series which aired on ABC from September 21, 1983 to May 5, 1988 in the timeslot following Dynasty. Based on Arthur Hailey's 1965 novel of the same name, the series was produced by Aaron Spelling and set in the elegant and fictitious St. Gregory Hotel in San Francisco. Establishing shots of the hotel were filmed in front of The Fairmont San Francisco atop the Nob Hill neighborhood. Episodes followed the activities of passing guests, as well as the personal ...
It's Your Move
Character:
It's Your Move is an American sitcom starring Jason Bateman, Tricia Cast, Caren Kaye, Ernie Sabella, David Garrison, and Garrett Morris. The show originally aired on NBC from 1984 to 1985....
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Character: Guthrie McFadden
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is an American musical television series loosely based on the film, which ran on CBS from September 19, 1982 to March 23, 1983....
Robert Kennedy & His Times
Character: Robert Kennedy Jr.
Robert Kennedy & His Times is a 1985 American television miniseries directed by Marvin J. Chomsky. The miniseries was released in three parts and depicts the life of Robert F. Kennedy....
Celebrity
Character: Jeffie - Age 11
Self-proclaimed faith healer T.J. Luther, movie star Mack Crawford and journalist Kleber Cantrell share a fateful reunion in a deserted Texas cabin that was the scene of a night of violence over two decades....
Too Young to Die
Character: Self (archive footage)
Those who knew them best describe the sensational lives and premature deaths of iconic actors and musicians whose passing left a void in pop culture....
Movie Credits
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Character: Young Indy
In 1938, an art collector appeals to eminent archaeologist Dr. Indiana Jones to embark on a search for the Holy Grail. Indy learns that a medieval historian has vanished while searching for it, and the missing man is his own father, Dr. Henry Jones Sr.. He sets out to rescue his father by following clues in the old man's notebook, which his father had mailed to him before he went missing. Indy arrives in Venice, where he enlists the help of a beautiful academic, Dr. Elsa Schneider, along with Ma...
Stand by Me
Character: Chris Chambers
After learning that a boy their age has been accidentally killed near their rural homes, four Oregon boys decide to go see the body. On the way, Gordie, Vern, Chris and Teddy encounter a mean junk man and a marsh full of leeches, as they also learn more about one another and their very different home lives. Just a lark at first, the boys' adventure evolves into a defining event in their lives....
My Own Private Idaho
Character: Michael "Mike" Waters
In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV," Mike Waters is a hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. Scott Favor is the rebellious son of a mayor. Together, the two travel from Portland, Oregon to Idaho and finally to the coast of Italy in a quest to find Mike's estranged mother. Along the way they turn tricks for money and drugs, eventually attracting the attention of a wealthy benefactor and sexual deviant....
The Phoenix Portal
Character: Wolfgang Müller / Michael "Mike" Waters (archive footage)
In this trans-temporal science fiction, a young River Phoenix from the film The Explorers (1985) opens a wormhole to contact his older self in My Own Private Idaho (1991). Haunted by the spectre of Phoenix's death in 1993, The Phoenix Portal summons the paranormal power of recorded media to collapse time and reanimate the dead....
I Love You to Death
Character: Devo Nod
Joey Boca is the owner of a pizza parlour, and has been married to Rosalie for years. When Rosalie discovers that Joey is a womanizer and has been cheating on her for a long time, she goes to extreme lengths to punish him....
Sneakers
Character: Carl
When shadowy U.S. intelligence agents blackmail a reformed computer hacker and his eccentric team of security experts into stealing a code-breaking 'black box' from a Soviet-funded genius, they uncover a bigger conspiracy. Now, he and his 'sneakers' must save themselves and the world economy by retrieving the box from their blackmailers....
The Mosquito Coast
Character: Charlie Fox
Allie Fox, an American inventor exhausted by the perceived danger and degradation of modern society, decides to escape with his wife and children to Belize. In the jungle, he tries with mad determination to create a utopian community with disastrous results....
Little Nikita
Character: Jeff Grant
Roy Parmenter is an FBI agent in San Diego; 20 years ago his partner was killed by a Soviet spy, nicknamed Scuba, still at large. Scuba is now trying to extort the Soviets; to prove he's serious, he's killing their agents one by one, including "sleepers," agents under deep cover awaiting orders. Roy interviews a high school lad, Jeff Grant, an applicant to the Air Force Academy. In a routine background check, Roy discovers that Jeff's parents are sleepers. He must see if Jeff is also a spy, conf...
Explorers
Character: Wolfgang Müller
Middle schooler Ben spends his free time watching sci-fi films, playing video games and reading comic books. Surprisingly, his affinity for all things fantastical yields a real result – when he has a vivid dream about technology, his prodigy best friend Wolfgang manages to create a working spacecraft. Joined by their buddy Darren, the boys take off into outer space and encounter some very odd extraterrestrial life....
The Thing Called Love
Character: James Wright
A group of newcomers to the country music business seek love and stardom....
Dogfight
Character: Eddie Birdlace
In the fall of 1963, Eddie Birdlace is an 18-year-old Marine Corps volunteer who is about to ship out with three of his buddies for a tour of duty in Vietnam. Planning a massive blowout for their last night in San Francisco, Eddie, his buddies, and a number of other Marines set up a contest they call a "dogfight”....
A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon
Character: Jimmy Reardon
A recent high school graduate is faced with two options, either go to a business school where his father wants him to go to, or get a full time job. However he decides to defy his father and go to Hawaii. Trouble is he has no money. Along the way he comes to understand his parents and eventually bonds with his father....
Running on Empty
Character: Danny Pope
The Popes are a family who haven't been able to use their real identity for years. In the late sixties, the parents set a weapons lab afire in an effort to hinder the government's Vietnam war campaign. Ever since then, the Popes have been on the run with the authorities never far behind. Their survival is threatened when their eldest son falls in love with a girl, and announces his wish to live his life on his own terms....
Silent Tongue
Character: Talbot Roe
Mad with grief after the death of his Kiowa wife, Roe awaits death under a tree with her body beside him. She begins to haunt him because he won't bury her. His father, who bought him the wife, thinks her sister might reason with Roe....
This Road Will Never End
Character: Self (archive footage)
A documentary tribute to River Phoenix stressing the impact that River Phoenix had on gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals....
Walking the Tracks: The Summer of Stand by Me
Character: Self (archive footage)
A unique look at the making of Stand by Me including interviews from Stephen King, Rob Reiner, Keifer Sutherland, Richard Dreyfuss, and the three surviving cast members Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O'Connell....
The Making of ‘Sneakers’
Character: Self
Behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of ‘Sneakers’ (1992)....
Surviving
Character: Philip Brogan
Lonnie and Rick seem to be complete opposites, at first glance. A survivor of suicide, Lonnie is introverted and ill at ease around her parents, Lois and Harvey. Rick, meanwhile, is sunny and charismatic. But appearances can be deceiving, as their families learn when the teens begin a romance. Upset about Lonnie's influence on Rick, his parents forbid the pair to see each other -- with tragic consequences....
Timeless Heroes: Indiana Jones & Harrison Ford
Character: Self (archive footage)
An in-depth look at an incredible moment in film history when Steven Spielberg and George Lucas assembled an amazing creative team to collaborate on another cinematic benchmark featuring never-before-seen footage and interviews with Spielberg, Lucas, Harrison Ford, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, James Mangold, and many others as well....
Too Young To Die: River Phoenix
Character: Self (archive footage)
On the night of October 30, 1993, River Phoenix is set to play with his band at the Viper Room on Sunset Boulevard when he dies suddenly of a drug overdose on the sidewalk outside the club. "Stand By Me" was his breakthrough, "Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade" popularized him, and "My Own Private Idaho" solidified him as an idol for an entire generation....
Circle of Violence: A Family Drama
Character: Chris Benfield
Georgia Benfield, at her wit's end, loses control and begins physically abusing her elderly mother, just as Georgia had been abused herself as a child. As family and friends slowly begin to learn of the abuse, and long-buried family secrets come to light, both mother and daughter must learn to accept the past, to change what is happening at present in order to face a better future....
Backwards: The Riddle of Dyslexia
Character: Brian Ellsworth
13-year-old Brian has problems reading, which his teachers attribute to laziness. It is later discovered that he has Dyslexia....
Joaquin Phoenix: An Actor of Extremes
Character: Self - Actor (archive footage)
The story of the rise to stardom of Joaquin Phoenix, an actor of magnetic physique, tumultuous past, socially committed, who for years has offered outstanding performances....
My Own Private River
Character: Michael "Mike" Waters (archive footage)
Unused footage from Gus Van Sant's 1991 film My Own Private Idaho is re-contextualized in James Franco's tribute to River Phoenix....
The Making of ‘My Own Private Idaho’
Character: Self
Making-of documentary of Gus Van Sant's 'My Own Private Idaho'....
Truth or Dairy
Character: Self (archive footage)
This classic Vegan Society video remains one of the most entertaining and informative introductions to veganism. Viewers will learn why avoiding meat, leather, dairy and eggs is not only the most healthy way to live but also the most compassionate. Highly recommended for both existing vegans and anyone considering becoming a vegan....
Flea Master Session
Character: Self
StarLicks Bass Video-Tutorial / Includes 24 Page Booklet / Flea Interviewed By River Phoenix...
Dark Blood
Character: Boy
Filmed in 1993 but never completed due to River Phoenix's death, Dark Blood tells the story of Boy, a young widower living on a nuclear testing site in the desert. Boy is waiting for the end of the world and carves Katchina dolls that supposedly contain magical powers. Boy's solitude is interrupted when a Hollywood jet-set couple who are travelling across the desert become stranded after their car breaks down. The couple are rescued by Boy, who then holds them prisoner because of his desire for ...
Showbiz Kids
Character: Self (archive footage)
A documentary chronicling the shared experiences of prominent former child stars and the personal and professional price of fame and failure on a child....
Evolution's End?
Character: Self
A galvanizing indictment of how we are sabotaging our children's development and our society's future that will transform the way we think about our families, schools, and lives....
Final 24: River Phoenix
Character: Self (archive footage)
Final 24 recreates River Phoenix's last day to tell the tragic tale of a young man whose short life was dominated by the constant pressure to perform....