Forms of Contemporar y U.S. Culture. London: Ash-
gate, 2008.
Harty, K. J. “The Failures of Jonathan Demme’sPhila-
delphia.”Four Quarters8, no. 1 (Spring, 1994): 13-20.
Julia M. Meyers
See also Academy Awards; AIDS epidemic; Do-
mestic partnerships; Don’t ask, don’t tell; Film in the
United States; Hanks, Tom; Homosexuality and gay
rights; Washington, Denzel.
Phoenix, River
Identification American actor
Born August 23, 1970; Madras, Oregon
Died October 31, 1993; Los Angeles, California
In addition to earning unusual accolades for such a young
actor, Phoenix became a role model for many young Ameri-
cans because of his outspoken views, before his ironic and
tragic death from a drug overdose at the age of twenty-three.
Following a breakout performance in the drama
Stand by Me(1986), River Phoenix quickly cemented
his reputation as a serious and talented young actor
when he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor
Oscar for his role inRunning on Empty(1988). Never
one to pursue huge blockbuster projects, and eager
to shed his teen idol image, Phoenix continued his
career into the 1990’s with a series of offbeat roles.
In 1991, Phoenix starred alongside Keanu Reeves in
My Own Private Idaho, an independent film about
personal discovery and rebellion based loosely on
William Shakespeare’sHenr y IV, Part I(pr. c. 1597-
1598). Phoenix’s edgy portrayal of a gay narcoleptic
earned Best Actor awards from both the Venice Film
Festival and the National Society of Film Critics.
Phoenix followed up with a role in another criti-
cally acclaimed independent film,Dogfight(1991),
before returning briefly to a more mainstream proj-
ect, the 1992 thrillerSneakers, which boasted an im-
pressive ensemble cast including Robert Redford and
Sidney Poitier. Phoenix’s next film,The Thing Called
Love(1993), was the first to showcase his musical abil-
ity; Phoenix performed his own vocals as an aspiring
country singer who falls in love with another would-
be Nashville star played by Samantha Mathis, whom
Phoenix began dating during the filming.
In addition to acting, Phoenix became well
known for his passionate views on animal compas-
sion and the environment. As a vegan, he consumed
no animal products of any kind, even refusing to
wear costumes made of leather. Although he
smoked, he advocated clean living and spoke force-
fully against junk food and drug use. For those rea-
sons, his death from an accidental drug overdose on
October 31, 1993, while accompanied by Mathis
and his brother, Joaquin, was a tremendous shock.
After the fact, Hollywood insiders speculated that
Phoenix’s intensity may have led to either depres-
sion or a dangerous tendency to identify too much
with the often-troubled characters he played.Impact River Phoenix’s intensity and passion, both
on- and offscreen, not only earned him a reputation
as one of Hollywood’s most promising young actors
but also made him a role model in the eyes of many668 Phoenix, River The Nineties in America
River Phoenix poses in a 1993 photo shoot.(Hulton Archive/
Getty Images)