Actor River Phoenix was born on August 23, 1970, in Oregon, USA. He passed away on October 31, 1993.
Born and raised by parents who were members of the religious organization "Children of God" (now Family International), he spent his childhood moving around South America. Eventually, when he was 10 years old, his family moved to the United States, and with his mother's job at NBC, River appeared in several television shows. In 1985, he made his film debut in the sci-fi film "Explorers."
In 1986, River appeared as Chris in "Stand by Me." The film became River's breakthrough, earning him nominations for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and the Golden Globe Award for Best Picture. The following year, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for "Departure." He played a young Indy in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," released in 1989, and continued to steadily build his Hollywood career. He won the Best Actor award at the Venice Film Festival for his role in "My Own Private Idaho," directed by Gus Van Sant, released in 1991.

However, in 1993, River was rushed to the hospital after suffering a drug overdose. He passed away at the young age of 23.

Dark Blood, a film starring River, was scheduled for release during his lifetime, and filming was halted 10 days before it was due to wrap up, but his death caused filming to be halted. After a long wait, the film was taken over by director George Sluizer, and was released in Japan in April 2014.