River Phoenix

Born: 1970-08-23

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.


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Sneakers

as Carl
Released: 1992-09-09

When shadowy U.S. intelligence agents blackmail a reformed computer hacker and his eccentric...

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as Young Indy
Released: 1989-05-24

In 1938, an art collector appeals to eminent archaeologist Dr. Indiana Jones to embark on a...

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See!

Stand by Me

as Chris Chambers
Released: 1986-08-08

After learning that a boy their age has been accidentally killed near their rural homes, four...

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My Own Private Idaho

as Michael "Mike" Waters
Released: 1991-02-01

In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV," Mike Waters is a hustler afflicted with...

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Running on Empty

as Danny Pope
Released: 1988-09-09

The Popes are a family who haven't been able to use their real identity for years. In the late...

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I Love You to Death

as Devo Nod
Released: 1990-04-06

Joey Boca is the owner of a pizza parlour, and has been married to Rosalie for years. When...

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Explorers

as Wolfgang Müller
Released: 1985-07-12

Middle schooler Ben spends his free time watching sci-fi films, playing video games and reading...

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The Thing Called Love

as James Wright
Released: 1993-08-27

A group of newcomers to the country music business seek love and stardom.

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Little Nikita

as Jeff Grant
Released: 1988-03-17

Roy Parmenter is an FBI agent in San Diego; 20 years ago his partner was killed by a Soviet spy,...

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The Mosquito Coast

as Charlie Fox
Released: 1986-11-26

Allie Fox, an American inventor exhausted by the perceived danger and degradation of modern...

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Dogfight

as Eddie Birdlace
Released: 1991-09-13

In the fall of 1963, Eddie Birdlace is an 18-year-old Marine Corps volunteer who is about to...

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Showbiz Kids

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2020-07-14

A documentary chronicling the shared experiences of prominent former child stars and the...

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Timeless Heroes: Indiana Jones & Harrison Ford

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2023-12-01

An in-depth look at an incredible moment in film history when Steven Spielberg and George Lucas...

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A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon

as Jimmy Reardon
Released: 1988-07-26

A recent high school graduate is faced with two options, either go to a business school where...

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Silent Tongue

as Talbot Roe
Released: 1993-01-28

Mad with grief after the death of his Kiowa wife, Roe awaits death under a tree with her body...

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Walking the Tracks: The Summer of Stand by Me

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2000-08-29

A unique look at the making of Stand by Me including interviews from Stephen King, Rob Reiner,...

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Circle of Violence: A Family Drama

as Chris Benfield
Released: 1986-10-12

Georgia Benfield, at her wit's end, loses control and begins physically abusing her elderly...

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Dark Blood

as Boy
Released: 2012-09-27

Filmed in 1993 but never completed due to River Phoenix's death, Dark Blood tells the story of...

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Surviving

as Philip Brogan
Released: 1985-02-10

Lonnie and Rick seem to be complete opposites, at first glance. A survivor of suicide, Lonnie is...

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My Own Private River

as Michael "Mike" Waters (archive footage)
Released: 2011-09-25

Unused footage from Gus Van Sant's 1991 film My Own Private Idaho is re-contextualized in James...

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The Making of ‘My Own Private Idaho’

as uncredited
Released: 2005-03-01

Making-of documentary of Gus Van Sant's 'My Own Private Idaho'.

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This Road Will Never End

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1996-11-13

A documentary tribute to River Phoenix stressing the impact that River Phoenix had on gay men,...

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The Phoenix Portal

as Wolfgang Müller / Michael "Mike" Waters (archive footage)
Released: 2005-01-01

In this trans-temporal science fiction, a young River Phoenix from the film The Explorers (1985)...

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Backwards: The Riddle of Dyslexia

as Brian Ellsworth
Released: 1984-03-07

13-year-old Brian has problems reading, which his teachers attribute to laziness. It is later...

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Flea Master Session

as Self
Released: 1992-01-01

StarLicks Bass Video-Tutorial / Includes 24 Page Booklet / Flea Interviewed By River Phoenix

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Truth or Dairy

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1994-01-01

This classic Vegan Society video remains one of the most entertaining and informative...

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Family Ties

as Eugene Forbes
First aired: 1982-09-22

Former 1960s flower children Steven and Elyse Keaton raise their conservative son Alex,...

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Hotel

as uncredited
First aired: 1982-08-21

Hotel is an American prime time drama series which aired on ABC from September 21, 1983 to May...

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Too Young to Die

as Self (archive footage)
First aired: 2012-07-14

Those who knew them best describe the sensational lives and premature deaths of iconic actors...

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Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

as Guthrie McFadden
First aired: 1982-09-19

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is an American musical television series loosely based on the...

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It's Your Move

as uncredited
First aired: 1984-09-26

It's Your Move is an American sitcom starring Jason Bateman, Tricia Cast, Caren Kaye, Ernie...

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Celebrity

as Jeffie - Age 11
First aired: 1984-02-12

Self-proclaimed faith healer T.J. Luther, movie star Mack Crawford and journalist Kleber...

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Robert Kennedy & His Times

as Robert Kennedy Jr.
First aired: 1985-01-27

Robert Kennedy & His Times is a 1985 American television miniseries directed by Marvin J....

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