Stormy Facts About River Phoenix, Hollywood’s Lost Heartthrob
River Phoenix had already taken Hollywood by storm by the time he reached adulthood. Coming from humble origins, his striking talent had some whispering his name alongside the greats. But tragedy would put a premature end to a promising career.
1. He Got His Name From The Counterculture
River Jude Phoenix was born on August 23, 1970, in Oregon. His parents, immersed in the counterculture of the 1960s, decided to name him after the river of life from Hermann Hesse’s novel, Siddartha, a book that was popular among Americans interested in Buddhism and eastern mysticism. His middle name came from the Beatles’ song “Hey Jude”. His parents’ meeting reflected their lifestyle.
2. His Parents Were All About Free Love
Like many young people in the Swinging 60s, Phoenix’s parents were what he later described as “hippieish”. They met in 1968 when Phoenix’s mother, Arlyn Phoenix, hitchhiked across the United States, an activity common to counterculture slackers. Phoenix’s father John Lee Bottom picked her up in California and they married within a year—but this was no happily ever after.
Rather than settling down, however, they decided to foist their lifestyle on their offspring.
3. His Family Were Itinerants
Phoenix’s parents opted to live an alternative lifestyle with their family. They constantly moved, often living out of their mobile home. Each of their children was born in a different state. They were vegans and eschewed western medicine, opting for a more “natural” approach of herbal remedies and spiritual enlightenment. Their mother refused to have her children vaccinated.
Considering who her children would go on to be, it didn’t seem to do them much harm.
4. He Came From A Talented Family
River was the eldest of five Phoenix children, all who went on to have successful careers in their own right. His sister Rain, the next born, became an actress and musician; Joaquin “Leaf” Phoenix, probably the most well-known today, enjoys an award-winning Hollywood career; Liberty and Summer Phoenix, the remaining sisters, also had acting careers. The Phoenix’s fortune is a classic rags-to-riches story.
