Phoenix was born River Jude Bottom on August 23, 1970, in a log cabin on a mint farm in Madras, Oregon, United States of America. He was the son of Arlyn Dunetz and John Bottom. . His parents named him after the "river of life" that flowed through Hermann Hesse's novel Siddhartha and for the Beatles' song "Hey Jude."

Their parents lived in hippie life. They then became missionaries, they spent a couple of years in Latin America before landing in Venezuela. The family received no missionary funds from their church. They lived in poverty. Phoenix's siblings are Rain, Joaquin Rafael (who grew up to be actor Joaquin Phoenix), and Libertad Mariposa. Phoenix and his siblings often sang and performed on street corners for food.

In 1978, the family arrived to Florida. The family legally changed its name to Phoenix from Bottom. Phoenix has the meaning of celebrating new life. While the family was in Florida, another child, Summer Joy Phoenix, was born.

Flimography
Silent Tongue (1994)
The Thing Called Love (1993)
My Own Private Idaho (1992)
Sneakers (1992)
Dogfight (1991)
I Love You to Death (1990)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Little Nikita (1988)
A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon (1988)
Running on Empty (1988)
The Mosquito Coast (1986)
Stand by Me (1986)
Explorers (1985)