River Phoenix has been no longer with us for more time than he himself has lived in this world. A guy with a difficult life from a large family, he appeared on screens as a child in the early 80s and over the course of a decade grew into a brilliant dramatic actor.
Phoenix starred alongside Rob Reiner in the Stephen King adaptation Stand By Me (1986) and Sidney Lumet in Running in Place (1988), for which the 18-year-old actor received an Oscar nomination. And Gus Van Sant’s provocative film “My Own Private Idaho” (1991) then made the whole world pay attention to young actor friends River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves.
River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves in My Own Private Idaho (1991)
River did not finish his last work in the film “Bad Blood”. She promised to take him to a whole new level, equal to current Hollywood stars of his age. The films were taken by the insurance company and director George Sluizer had to work hard to get them and still edit this film, which was released in 2012. Phoenix, the youth idol of the 90s, appeared on screen for a new generation.
He was a timeless talent; then all of River’s followers, the young actors of the 90s, were already compared to him. Including Leonardo DiCaprio, who went on to star in The Basketball Diaries and Total Eclipse. Phoenix was previously approved for them.
Ironically, Leonardo turned out to be one of those who saw River for the last time on a fateful evening for him - October 30, 1993 at the Viper Room club in West Hollywood... River left at 23, remaining an eternally young idol for subsequent generations.
River Phoenix in 1988. Photo: New York Daily News
American Dream of the Bottom Family (Phoenix)
River was a talented actor, musician, activist for the environment and animal rights - it would seem that his image was exclusively positive. This is what was on the surface. But in fact, he died for an absurd and banal reason - an overdose. This shocked many who were not closely acquainted with him.
For more than 25 years, publications have been conducting their own investigations into how this could have happened. People magazine put forward the expected version - “everything from childhood.”
Bottom Family (Phoenix): Summer, Arlene, Liberty, Joaquin, John, Rain, River
A television
After the incident with the commune, the family moved to Florida, where the enterprising Arlene remembered her skills and quickly found a job as a secretary at one of the television stations. John, in love with nature, became a good gardener. Due to the proximity to TV, the Phoenix mother could afford to offer her children for filming on television and in series. So she did.
The TV people fell in love with the family, which has seen the world, with children who are spontaneous and alive.
But it turned out that young children already have rigid principles. For example, Joaquin became a vegetarian and animal rights activist at the age of four.
As a result, children refused to appear in advertisements that contradicted their beliefs. So, one by one, all the agents refused to work with them, except Iris Burton. She managed to find a common language with the children, and especially with Joaquin. He continued to work with her even when he became a real star.
River Phoenix's difficult childhood
River Phoenix's real name is River Jude Bottom. He was the eldest child of Arlene Dunetz and John Bottom. By the way, my mother’s parents were Jews who at one time emigrated from Hungary and Russia.
John and Arlene met in California, where the girl ended up hitchhiking. Despite the fact that John already had a daughter from his first marriage, both had rather open-minded views. Back then they could be called hippies.
The young people got married and, two years apart, they had a son and a daughter, to whom they gave beautiful names - River (River) and Rain (Rain). It so happened that these children subsequently became the main breadwinners in this strange family.
Rain and River Phoenix (Bottom)
Liv
In the 90s, Joaquin starred in several more films. One of them, “The Fictional Life of the Abbotts,” brought not only a fee, but the first serious relationship. The partner in the film was the beautiful Liv Tyler. She won him over by being very sweet and very simple. The last thing he expected from an accomplished artist from an eminent family was such openness.
Joaquin Phoenix and Liv Tyler
They dated for three years. The decision that they needed to be apart was made by Liv. It is known that Phoenix had a hard time with the breakup and had no romances for a long time. Then the artist plunged into filming.
River Phoenix's life in the cult
After the birth of their daughter, the parents joined the “Children of God” sect. Probably, then they believed in their ideals and their destiny to make the world a better place.
The whole family, according to the distribution of the sect’s leadership, went to “do good” in South America, where in different countries they had two more children: son Joaquin, another future Oscar nominee and now the leading actor in the acclaimed “Joker,” and daughter Liberty, she also became an actress.
Joaquin and River Phoenix / Joaquin and Liberty Phoenix
After some time, the parents realized that they had to do something bad in the sect, which even their free worldview could not accept. Years later, River said in an interview that he was abused at the time. However, the family never confirmed this information.
In addition, the Phoenixes (then Bottoms) lived from hand to mouth. Despite the fact that my father rose to some high rank there, money passed him by. River and her sister Rain went to earn money on the streets - they sang and played instruments, collecting money from passers-by.
So the family decided to flee back to America. For some time they lived at Arlene's parents' house in Florida. Their fifth child was born there - daughter Summer (she also became an actress and singer).
Summer Phoenix with her father and sister Liberty / Summer Phoenix
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In the fall of 1978, one of the local priests helped the family, in which two more children were born, board a cargo ship heading to Florida. When the Bottoms were back in the United States, John and Arlene had another daughter, Summer Joy, and their new surname was Phoenix. This is the name of the mythical bird reborn from the ashes, which for River’s parents symbolized the new life of their family.
River Phoenix with sister Summer Joy (1989)
How the Bottom family became the Phoenix
Returning to America, the Bottoms took a new surname - Phoenix, in honor of the very bird that was reborn from the ashes. She became a symbol of a new life, in which children continued to earn money. It's funny, but the surname Bottom can be translated from English as “Bottom”.
John got a job at an agency that was involved in casting for television programs. The position was not high; he could not support his family himself. But he was able to promote older children to television. River and Rain, as they once did on the streets, began to sing in children's programs and starred in commercials.
River and Rain Phoenix
Later, River began to be invited to TV series, and in the mid-80s he got into big cinema. Films starring him began to come out one after another. He did not go to school - he earned money for his large family. When I grew up, I still dreamed of finishing my studies.
Then other children began to be invited to the cinema. The current Hollywood star Joaquin Phoenix took his first steps into cinema with his older brother.
River Phoenix in Stand By Me (1986)
River's later roles revealed other sides of his talent. There was something rebellious about them; on the screen he could play completely different people. He was even compared to the “bad boy” of the 50s - actor James Dean.
Who would have thought then that he would repeat his fate...
James Dean and River Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix: biography of the actor
The 2020 film “Joker” became the most commercially successful film with an R rating, pushing Marvel’s “Deadpool” (2016) off the pedestal. This fact is surprising considering that the DC cinematic universe is not going through the best of times.
"Joker" is a film that made the whole world talk about Joaquin Phoenix's talent. Critics claim that Phoenix was able to present a famous character in a completely new light. The film “Joker” showed a broken, mentally unbalanced hero who became a model for analyzing situations by psychologists on social networks. After his success, the actor’s biography became one of the key topics in the world media.
According to IMDb, Phoenix's filmography includes more than 50 works, two of which will be released after 2020. Phoenix directed two short films and wrote the screenplay for one film. According to the portal, he has 37 prizes, including the Golden Globe. The actor was nominated for an Oscar three times.
Joaquin Phoenix is from Puerto Rico. Despite his name, his ancestors are not Mexican or Spanish. His father, John Lee Battom, has English, French and German roots, and his mother, Arlene, was born into a family of New York Jews who came from Europe.
Joaquin Rafael was one of John and Arlene's five children. He was born when his parents were members of the Children of God sect. It was built on propaganda about the imminent end of the world and sex, with the help of which supporters lured new members.
When Joaquin was four years old, his parents allowed him to choose his own name. Other children in the family called themselves River, Rain, Freedom and Summer. The boy chose the name Lif, which means 'leaf'.
Joaquin's childhood began on the road. His parents traveled around the countries of South America, recruiting new members of the sect.
After a long missionary journey, the parents decided to break with the sect. In 1978, they returned to the United States, changing their last name from Bott to Phoenix. The allusion to a bird capable of rising from the ashes, according to the parents, was supposed to be the beginning of the degeneration of the family. At the age of 21, Phoenix regained his family name of Joaquin. From sectarian times, he only had a commitment to veganism.
For the first time after returning, my parents did not have a permanent job. Children were forced to sing on the streets to earn food and hide from the owner of the apartment that their parents rented. The condition of the employment was the absence of children, and John and Arlene hid the fact of the presence of offspring from the owner.
Gradually, the family's life improved. The parents met through agent Irene Burton, who was looking for children to star in commercials. Arlene and John stipulated that all five children must have contracts. Another problem was the veganism of the Phoenix family, which prevented them from concluding the most lucrative contracts for advertising fast food. In an interview, Joaquin said that because of his vegan beliefs, the family was deprived of about 70% of the contracts offered.
River Phoenix, Joaquin's older brother, appeared on television, was considered a rising star and was nominated for several prestigious awards, including an Oscar. Joaquin's youth was spent in the shadow of a popular relative and under the influence of alcohol and drug addictions.
The Phoenix family failed the Hollywood test. Sisters Liberty and Rain were unable to build an acting career. In 1993, River Phoenix's life was cut short. At The Viper Room, a club owned by Johnny Depp, he took drugs and became ill. Doctors were unable to save River. He died from an overdose.
From then until the sale in 2004, the club closed every year on October 31, the anniversary of River's death. Arlene founded the River Phoenix Peace Center in memory of her son. Four years after the death of their son, Phoenix's parents divorced.
Joaquin returned to cinema only a couple of years after the death of his brother. In 2000, the film Gladiator was released, which made Phoenix popular. Emperor Commodus, played by him, joined the list of canonical movie villains.
At the same time, the actor’s fees increased. Thus, according to IMDb, Phoenix received $375 thousand for his role in the film “The Pen of the Marquis de Sade.” Five years later, for his work in the film “Walk the Line,” he received almost ten times more - $3.5 million.
Phoenix considers himself boring in life, but this allows him to lose himself in his characters, which makes him one of the most interesting and successful actors.
In 2005, the film Walk the Line appeared on screens, in which Phoenix played the role of the legendary musician Johnny Cash. Critics wrote with delight that the actor literally disappeared into his character. Even those who knew the singer during his lifetime could not always distinguish his manner of behavior and intonation.
The role brought the actor an Oscar nomination. On the eve of the award ceremony, he was involved in a serious accident. Phoenix said the cause was brake failure. Journalists suspected that the actor had another breakdown and was drunk.
After “Walk the Line” and before “Joker,” Phoenix’s filmography included about two dozen roles. The role in the film became a challenge for the actor. It was considered impossible to surpass Heath Ledger, whose Joker was so remembered by the public that it surpassed Jack Nicholson's own character in the ratings.
Agree, Ledger's character strengthened the main character - Batman. In cinema, it is generally accepted that a hero is only as interesting as the villain who opposes him. Ledger's Joker challenged all of Batman's core values.
Phoenix had to play without an opponent. In his film, the hero and antihero are one character - the Joker. In just a few months, it will become known whether the American Film Academy appreciated Phoenix’s efforts and whether the actor will receive the coveted statuette.
Photo: flickr.com
Personal life of River Phoenix
River Phoenix did not have time to start his own family and did not leave behind any children. He had his first girlfriend at the age of 16, her partner in the films “The Mosquito Coast” and “Running in Place,” Martha Plimpton. According to rumors, she left him after three years precisely because of his addiction to drugs.
River Phoenix and Martha Plimpton in Running in Place (1988)
Then Phoenix dated Suzanne Salton for a long time, and on the set of the film “That Thing Called Love” (1993) he met his last serious passion - actress Samantha Mathis. She was next to him on that fateful night in Los Angeles at Johnny Depp's Viper Room club.
Samantha still finds it difficult to talk about the past.
Samantha Mathis and River Phoenix in "That Thing Called Love" (1993)
Hollywood attracted River - he had money, freedom and a lot of temptations around him. The bohemian lifestyle became the norm, he himself suffered from it, but could not stop. The father was the first to sound the alarm, but it was too late. River became the main breadwinner in the family and did not recognize his authority. It seems that he was never able to accept that he had become popular and could not lead a normal life. He experienced all this deep inside.
River's other passion was music. His outlet. Together with his sister Rain, he created the group Aleka's Attic, periodically joined by Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea. They were good friends.
Despite the fact that Phoenix did not gain much fame as a musician, he always strived to fill this gap. Cinema was a job that he did very well, but he lived for music.
Movies
Felix first appeared on television at the age of 10 in the TV series Fantasia, where he sang with his sister Rain. Two years later, the boy starred in the film “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” playing the younger brother.
The young actor went to auditions with a guitar and quickly got used to the image of Elvis Presley, charming the show's producers. Despite this, River managed to get his next role a year after his last work, in the television movie “Celebrity.” Young Geoffrey Crawford's scene lasted about 10 minutes, but his character was listed as the central character.
River Phoenix in Looking Back: The Dyslexia Mystery
River’s key work was a cameo role in “Looking Back: The Mystery of Dyslexia,” in which, in the story, a boy learns that he has dyslexia. Joaquin Phoenix starred in the same project. The role of a boy with dyslexia, which brought the young actor critical acclaim, helped him land the lead character Philip Brogan in the film Survival. This appearance was the last before entering the big world of cinema.
Phoenix's first significant film role was as nerdy boy Wolfgang Müller in the big-budget sci-fi movie Explorers. After starring in the film adaptation of King's Stand By Me, River received critical acclaim.
River Phoenix in the movie Stand By Me
The Phoenix family moved frequently, and by the time Rivera turned 18, she had moved 40 jobs. After filming the film "Running in Place" was completed, the family finally settled in Mikenopy.
After the comedy “I Love You to Death,” River’s film collection was replenished with the acclaimed film “My Own Private Idaho.” This is a touching and shocking story of two guys who despise public morality. One of the young people was played by Phoenix, and the other by Keanu Reeves, who became River's friend in life. After this role, people started talking about the actor as a sex symbol and a future Hollywood star.
River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves in the movie "My Own Private Idaho"
Despite the approval, River was not arrogant. In an interview, he said that he wanted a family and to finish his education. The young man thanked God for the happy memories and believed that they were better than any toys that the Phoenix children were deprived of.
The guy’s last completed work was the film “That Thing Called Love.” Phoenix then starred in Bad Blood, but the film was abandoned due to River's death. The main location shooting was completed, but the guy did not have time to play in the pavilion episodes. An incredible amount - 700 kg - of film was at the disposal of the insurance company.
River Phoenix in the movie "Bad Blood"
In 2012, the director, having learned about the company’s plans to destroy the material, stole the film and edited it into a picture. He took the missing fragments from photographic samples and voiced them with voiceover text. The film premiered with success in the fall of 2012. Critic Elena Plakhova noted that if the film had been completed on time, it would have become the culmination of River's film biography.
Although the actor’s main source of income was cinema, friends and relatives noted music as the guy’s main passion. Phoenix wasn't keen on the idea of performing solo, so he formed a group called Aleka's Attic, which included his sister Rain. The team disbanded after the actor's death.
Fateful Night at the Viper Room
River Phoenix and Johnny Depp
On the night of October 31, River, along with Samantha, Rain and younger brother Joaquin, were near Johnny Depp's club. The Red Hot Chili Peppers were playing there and he suddenly decided to stay to join them. This probably came as a surprise to the musicians; they were not prepared for such a turn.
River was upset, someone at the club gave him something to cheer him up, which made him feel sick. He was taken outside, where he lost consciousness and never regained consciousness.
The next morning, Johnny Depp closed the club and did so in memory of River every year on October 31 until 2004, when he sold the Viper Room. Red Hot Chili Peppers and Kurt Cobain dedicated songs to Phoenix in their albums, and a year later Cobain himself passed away.
Death
With his close friend Flea, on October 30, 1993, River was going to perform at the Viper Room club, which was then owned by Johnny Depp. At some point, Phoenix left the room to take drugs. Soon the guy became ill, and someone offered him a drug used to neutralize the effects of an overdose. But due to the drug taken, the effect was the opposite.
The Viper Room club where River passed out
He returned to the club to the company and said that he felt bad and wanted to get some air. Mathis, Rain and Joaquin helped him out of the building, River literally immediately fell and began to convulse: he was shaking for about 5 minutes. At this time, the brother called 911, and the sister performed artificial respiration.
The concert at the club continued: Johnny Depp performed on stage with the group “P”. According to Haynes, the song "Michael Stipe" was played during the attack.
River Phoenix
Paramedics, arriving at the scene of the call, saw the dying Phoenix, but despite the efforts of the doctors, the guy’s condition did not improve. Therefore, the guy was taken to the medical center in an ambulance. Further attempts to resuscitate him, including with the help of a pacemaker, were unsuccessful. River's heart stopped on October 31, 1993 at 1:51 a.m. The cause of death, according to doctors, was a drug overdose.
In the morning, the club became a temporary place for the wake: fans came there, leaving flowers, photographs and candles on the sidewalk. After the incident, the club was closed for a week. Subsequently, Depp closed the establishment every year on October 31 until 2004, until he sold it.
River Phoenix's grave
Samantha saw the tragedy in the club, and after a long time she recovered from the loss. Like Joaquin, who was grieving the death of his older brother.
River had a positive image: he spoke openly on social and political issues and led a healthy lifestyle. As a result, the actor's death attracted a lot of press attention. Family and friends practically do not speak out regarding the actor’s death.
Phoenix was cremated and his ashes were scattered at the family ranch in Mikenopy, Florida.
Awards
From 2000 to 2020, the artist was nominated and received the main award of various film associations 30 times.
- Nominations for Best Leading Actor for Walk the Line: 2005 - Sputnik, Oscar and Critics' Choice; 2006 - BAFTA, MTV Movie Awards and Screen Actors Guild Award.
- Nominations for Best Actor in “The Master”: 2012 - Sputnik; 2013 - BAFTA, Golden Globe, Oscar and Critics' Choice.
- Recognition for Best Actor in the film “Her”: 2014 - Saturn and Golden Globe.
- Nominations for Best Actor for You Were Never Really Here and Inherent Vice: 2020 - Golden Globe; 2020 - Independent spirit.
- Film Awards: Gladiator (2000) - Critics' Choice and National Board of Review; “Victory” (2000) - US National Board of Film Critics and Critics' Choice; “Hotel Rwanda” (2005) - Hollywood Film Festival; “Walk the Line” (2005, 2006 and 2007) - Grammy, Hollywood Film Festival. Golden Globe; “The Master” (2012) - Venice Film Festival; “Inherent Vice” (2015) - Independent Spirit (Robert Ohl Award (2017) - Cannes Film Festival.
- Joaquin was nominated and received an Oscar for his supporting role for the 2001 film Gladiator. But he lost in the voting.
Golden Globe for his role in Walk the Line
Hobbies and personal life of the actor
In addition to his main income - filming, River had a special passion for music. He even managed to put together a group called “ALEKAS ATTIC”, along with his sister River. It was rumored that the guy was addicted to drugs and illegal drugs. It was for this reason that he separated from his girlfriend Marta, whom he had been dating since he was 16 years old. When the lover with whom they were filming together found out about the guy’s dangerous hobbies, she immediately left him, not wanting to get involved with drugs.
After the breakup, Phoenix began a new relationship with the beautiful Suzanne. Their romance developed quite quickly and rapidly and the couple began to live together. But their romance lasted only three years and already in 1993, on the set of a new romantic film, the actor met the main character of the film, Samantha, with whom he fell head over heels. The director of the melodrama, Bogdanovich, said that the lovers were incredibly happy, they got used to the role as naturally as possible, as they experienced all these feelings in real life. Samantha Mathis became River Phoenix's most ardent and passionate love.
