River Phoenix's Real Name: River Jude Bottom

Quick answer: River Phoenix was born River Jude Bottom on August 23, 1970, in Madras, Oregon. His family adopted Phoenix as its surname in 1979. He starred in Stand by Me (1986), Running on Empty (1988), and My Own Private Idaho (1991), and died on October 31, 1993, in Los Angeles at age 23. His younger brother is actor Joaquin Phoenix (Britannica; Library of Congress).

Real name and early life

Britannica says "River Phoenix" is the byname of River Jude Bottom. His parents were Arlyn Bottom (née Dunetz, later known as Heart Phoenix), a secretary, and John Bottom, a carpenter. Britannica says his first name came from the holy river in Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha, and his middle name from the Beatles' "Hey Jude." The Library of Congress name authority files him as "Phoenix, River," with birth and death data: "b. 08-23-70, Madras, Or.; d. 10-31-93, Los Angeles, Calif."

In 1973 the family joined the religious group the Children of God as itinerant missionaries and moved to Caracas. In interviews, Phoenix said he was sexually abused by members of the group as a young child. The family left by 1977 and settled in Micanopy, Florida, and in 1979 adopted the surname Phoenix. After moving to Los Angeles, they were homeless for a time. Talent agent Iris Burton discovered River and his siblings in 1981 while they were busking at a Century City mall.

Career highlights

At 11 he was cast in the TV series Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1982–83). He made his film debut in Explorers (1985). His breakout came as Chris Chambers in Rob Reiner's Stand by Me, based on Stephen King's The Body. He starred with Harrison Ford in The Mosquito Coast (1986). His sensitive performance in Running on Empty earned an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor.

He played the young Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). He also starred as hustler Mikey Waters opposite Keanu Reeves in Gus Van Sant's My Own Private Idaho and as a Marine in Dogfight (1991). He later starred in Sneakers (1992). He sang and played guitar in the folk-rock band Aleka's Attic with his sister Rain, and he was an environmentalist and animal rights activist.

On October 31, 1993, Phoenix collapsed outside the Viper Room nightclub in West Hollywood and died of an overdose of heroin and cocaine. His last completed film, Dark Blood, was released in 2012.

Name notes for searchers

River Jude Bottom is his birth name. Phoenix is the surname his family chose in 1979, and he used it legally and professionally. His siblings include Rain, Joaquin (who used the name Leaf as a child), Summer, and Liberty.