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River Phoenix

River Phoenix

Actor · Died October 31, 1993, aged 23 · Metolius, Oregon USA

River Jude Phoenix (née Bottom; August 23, 1970 – October 31, 1993) was an American actor, musician, and activist. Phoenix grew up in an itinerant family, as the oldest brother of Rain Phoenix, Joaquin Phoenix, Liberty Phoenix, and Summer Phoenix. He had no formal schooling, but he showed an instinctive talent for the guitar, and he played and sang on the streets for money. He began his acting career at age 10 in a handful of television commercials. He starred in the science fiction adventure film Explorers (1985) and had his breakthrough role in 1986's Stand by Me, a coming-of-age film based on the novella The Body by Stephen King. Phoenix made a transition into more adult-oriented roles with Running on Empty (1988), playing Danny Pope, the son of fugitive parents in a well-received performance that earned him a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (at age 18, he became the sixth-youngest nominee in the category), and My Own Private Idaho (1991), playing Michael Waters, a gay hustler in search of his estranged mother. For his performance in the latter, Phoenix garnered enormous praise and won a Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the 1991 Venice Film Festival as well as Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead and National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor, becoming the second-youngest winner of the former. Phoenix fought heroin addiction and died at age 23 from combined drug intoxication in West Hollywood in the early hours of Halloween, 1993, after unknowingly ingesting cocaine and heroin (a mixture commonly known as a speedball) at The Viper Room.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 23, 1970
Died
October 31, 1993 (aged 23)
From
Metolius, Oregon USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
18 on MovieCove · 26 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 3% in 30 days

What are River Phoenix's films like?

Across their 17 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 57th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 42nd percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 82nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
34%
Self
25%
Society
16%
Survival
15%
Morality
7%
Power
3%
Family bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 17 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 8 · Serious 5 · Dark 4

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 10 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 2 · Charged 11 · Intense 4

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 8 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 10 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 1

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 12 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 6 · Engaged 10 · Full focus 1

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 11 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 3

Roles they play

17 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 6 of 17 analyzed roles.

Hero
6 of 17
Ally
3 of 17
Trickster
2 of 17
Shadow
2 of 17
Threshold guardian
2 of 17
Mentor
1 of 17
Shapeshifter
1 of 17
Show the 17 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
10
Tense
7
Warm
8
Contemplative
6
Bittersweet
3
Other
14

How their films linger

Bittersweet9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet8
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch River Phoenix's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 18 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Pluto TV (3).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for River Phoenix's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

26 credits, 18 with a MovieCove page; 13 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Dark Blood(2012)

    as Boy

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • My Own Private River(2012)

    as Michael "Mike" Waters (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The Phoenix Portal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Wolfgang Müller / Michael "Mike" Waters (archive footage)

  • Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles(1994)

    In Memory Of

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Silent Tongue(1993)

    as Talbot Roe

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • The Thing Called Love(1993)

    as James Wright

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Sneakers(1992)

    as Carl

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Dogfight(1991)

    as Eddie Birdlace

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • My Own Private Idaho(1991)

    as Mike Waters

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • I Love You to Death(1990)

    as Devo Nod

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade(1989)

    as Young Indy

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Running on Empty(1988)

    as Danny Pope

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Little Nikita(1988)

    as Jeff Grant

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon(1988)

    as Jimmy Reardon

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • The Mosquito Coast(1986)

    as Charlie Fox

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Circle of Violence: A Family Drama(1986)

    as Chris Benfield

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Stand by Me(1986)

    as Chris Chambers

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Explorers(1985)

    as Wolfgang Müller

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Surviving (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    as Philip Brogan

  • Robert Kennedy & His Times (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 3 episodes · as Robert Kennedy Jr.

  • It's Your Move (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Brian

  • Backwards: The Riddle of Dyslexia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    as Brian Ellsworth

  • Celebrity (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Show 3 episodes · as Young Jeffie Crawford

  • Family Ties(1982)

    Show 1 episode · as Eugene Forbes

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows

  • Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 22 episodes · as Guthrie McFadden

  • Hotel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 26 titles from 1982 to 2012; peak year 1992.

Biggest box office

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

$474M worldwide

Highest rated

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

Midcredits 99th

Film career

19822012

Peak 1992 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 9 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting25 of 26: 25 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score64thOther crew1 of 26: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1980s16 · acting1990s7 · 6 acting · 1 crew2000s1 · acting2010s2 · acting

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 38% of 13 roles
8590

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do River Phoenix's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 65th percentile, the median of all 17; across their 17 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 66th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Approval · how many liked their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Reach · how many have seen their films

88thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Midcredits score across 18 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up8
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 18 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · actor

Silent Tongue (1993)

75th percentile spread · 31% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

Midcredits 99th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the acting 78/100 in their films, across 16 reviewed titles; fans 86, detractors 46. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is River Phoenix's work okay for kids?

Across up to 10 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore6 titles26–55 · median 37 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity10 titles22–53 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity6 titles34–72 · median 55 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs6 titles20–53 · median 32 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles24–56 · median 47 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does River Phoenix work with?

People who share at least 2 of River Phoenix's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Keanu Reeves shares the most, 3.

Directors

Actors

Composers