River Phoenix
American actor and musician (1970–2026
River Jude Phoenix (né Bottom; August 23, 1970 – October 31, 1993) was an American actor and musician. The older brother of actor Joaquin Phoenix, he was known as a teen actor before taking on leading roles in critically acclaimed films, becoming one of the preeminent acting talents of his generation. Phoenix's numerous accolades include the Volpi Cup and the Independent Spirit Award, as well as nominations for an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award.
Phoenix grew up in an itinerant family as the older brother of Rain, Joaquin, Liberty and Summer Phoenix. He began his acting career at age 10 in television commercials. His early film roles include Explorers (1985), Stand by Me (1986) and The Mosquito Coast (1986). Phoenix then made a transition into adult-oriented roles, earning a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the Sidney Lumet drama Running on Empty (1988). He earned the Volpi Cup for Best Actor and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead for his performance as Michael Waters, a gay hustler in search of his estranged mother, in the Gus Van Sant drama My Own Private Idaho (1991).
Phoenix died at age 23 in the early hours of October 31, 1993, from acute multiple drug intoxication including cocaine and opiates taken before arriving at or at The Viper Room in West Hollywood, California. At the time, he was filming Dark Blood.
The public source identifies “River Phoenix” as american actor and musician (1970–2026. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around River, Phoenix and American.
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Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q106514. VIAF identifies the subject as 10037367. The Library of Congress control number is n84167042. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1970, 1993, 1985 and 1986.
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This entry incorporates text from “River Phoenix” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.