River Phoenix's short, yet complex life was lived from August 23, 1970 to October 31, 1993.
He lived a life of happiness but with much pain. River Jude Bottom (the family name was later changed to Phoenix) was born to John and Arlyn Bottom on the date of August 23, 1970.
John and Arlyn had met in the latter 1960's. In her early life Arlyn was married to a computer operator and was working as a secretary in Manhattan, N.Y. Discovering that the problems of the world that she had been unaware of, Arlyn left her job
and mother and set out hitch-hiking to Los Angeles. She met John when she was hitch-hiking on Santa Monica Boulevard; he had picked her up. The rest writes itself.
River's birth happened in a log cabin in Madras, Oregon. His birth was a completely natural event. Arlyn invited friends over to witness his birth.
The baby boy was named after the River of Life in Herman Hesse's novel Siddhartha, and Jude from The Beatles song "Hey Jude".
The family left Oregon and continued to travel the West. Soon John and Arlyn joined the Children of God a evangelical religous cult. In 1973, as they worked as Children of God missonaries, Arlyn had her first daughter Rain Joan of Arc.
In the early years of the Phoenix (Bottom) family they traveled around the country recruiting new members for the Children of God.
They changed their name to Phoenix in after leaving the Children of God and returning to America. After there return to America Summer Joy was born. The Phoenix children that I did not include were Joaquin Raphael and Liberty Butterfly whom were both born during the family's missonary travels.
River got his first start on T.V. in 1980 in the show "Real Kids" as warmup acts. He then went on the do another variety show "Fantasy". After that came the short lived T.V. series Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
following that he did several television movies and a couple of T.V. guest appearances. River Phoenix did his first movie the Sci-Fi flick "Explorers (1986)" with Ethan Hawke. But his major break came when he starred in Rob Reiner's "Stand By Me (1986)" in which he played one in a group of boys on a quest to find the body of a dead kid. River gave a heartfelt and strong
performance that was to jumpstart his career. He went on to do "The Mosquito Coast (1986)", "A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon (1988)", and "Little Nikita (1988)". During the time of "The Mosquito Coast" River met Martha Plimpton, a young actress also in the show. They went on to have a relationship that lasted till
mid-1989. River Phoenix put out another strong performance in 1988 in Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty". This performance as a young man living with parents on the run and struggling to have a future himself, earned River an Oscar nomination.
He went on to have a bit part as the Young Indy in 1989's "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade". Then pizza-boy Devo Nod in 1990's "I Love You To Death". Followed by 1991's "Dogfight" in which he played a young marine. After this movie he did the 1991 film "My Own Private Idaho" in which he gave a strong performance as a
narocleptic gay hustler. Then a bit part in the movie "Sneakers" in 1992. After that a very musical role in "The Thing Called Love" in which he starred with his new girlfriend Samantha Mathis, in 1993.
He went on to play in the western movie "Silent Tongue (1993)". He never completed his last film "Dark Blood". He was taken from the world much too soon on 0ctober 31, 1993 of a drug-related death. We will miss him forever.
GOODBYE RIVER JUDE
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