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Heart Phoenix
In the words of Rio's Attic (link in the link section) -
One of three sisters, Arlyn Sharon Dunetz was born on New Year's Eve 1944 to a Jewish family from the Bronx. Upon leaving
school she married a computer programmer and worked as a secretary in Manhattan. "At eighteen, I was just a clone, totally
unconscious," said Arlyn. "I didn't know that the air was polluted and I didn't care. I just went to work and thought
that everything the Government told me was right and true. It took some time before I awakened. I became aware. It was difficult
because my parents weren't seeing the same things, but I knew I had to change my life." That change came about in the
summer of 1968 when she left her family, job and husband and hitchhiked to California.
From the earliest days of working as a secretary at NBC Television to gain inside knowledge of how show business operated,
Arlyn would be the driving force behind River's career. "We had a vision that our kids could captivate the world,"
she said once. Of the children themselves, she said, "We never treated them like children but like extra added friends.
And they have always held up their part of the deal. It was never like 'We know better because we are the parents'. It was
more like 'This is the first time we've ever done this too. What do you think?' And the children were so wise. If we made
a mistake, we made it together. But if you open yourself up, a way presents itself. You find the right path."
Screenwriter for Running On Empty, Naomi Foner described Arlyn as "a very warm, bright, outgoing woman." In
1988 Arlyn would choose a new name for herself changing it to Heart.
At the memorial for her son, she said, "We believed we could use the mass media to help change the world and River
would be our missionary." She went on to describe River's death as a continuation of that 'mission'. The following letter
from Heart Phoenix, was published in the Los Angeles Times following her son's death:-
A Mother's Note on her Son's Life and Death
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John Phoenix
In the words of Rio's Attic (link in the link section) -
After an unhappy childhood, John Lee Bottom, a high school dropout turned gardener from Fontana, California, would become
restless in his twenties and would take to the road with a hitch-hiker that he would soon marry. "We were flower children.
We were full of faith and we loved everybody," he remembered.
When he and his family returned to America in 1978 he started his own landscape gardening business. "I worked fourteen
to fifteen hours a day," he recalled. "And Riv and the kids would help me out." In the spring of the following
year however, he aggravated an old spine injury he sustained in a car crash during his youth and was forced to give up work.
As his eldest son's career began to take off in the 1980's, John began to distance himself from his family's affairs as
his fears about where the family was heading were largely ignored. He strongly objected to River appearing in A Night in the
Life of Jimmy Reardon for example, but was overruled by his wife. "My father is worried that we could be ruined by this
business," said River. "It's got a lot of pitfalls and temptations, and he doesn't want us to become materialistic
and lose all the values we were brought up believing in. Yes, he's pleased we're doing well, but in a way he's almost reached
the point where he could just drop out again like he did in the sixties and move to a farm and get close to the earth."
By 1993, John Phoenix could remain silent no longer. "I could see Hollywood was eating him up, bleeding him dry,"
he said. "I told him I wanted him out of movies. I had been urging him to quit for some time. I had seen too many brilliant
kids go down and I realized he couldn't buck the system. I thought it was time for him to stop." By now, John in fact
had 'dropped out' and had just opened a vegan restaurant in Costa Rica. He tried to persuade River and his other children
to help him run it.
"I had opened my place as a vegan restaurant - things were buzzing," said John. "The idea was for them
to spend more time here, helping with the cooking, making music, writing, harvesting the organic fruit and living off the
land like we used to."
River had actually agreed. He would retire just as soon as he had fulfilled his duties with Dark Blood and Interview With
The Vampire. "As it turned out - that was too many," recalled John with irony. "Just before he left, I'll always
remember, he told me, 'I'll see you after this movie, Dad'. Well, he did. Only he was in a box."
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Rain Phoenix
In the words of Rain Phoenix: On The Fringe (link in the link section) -
Rain Phoenix is the second of five children born to Heart and John Phoenix. An actress and singer, Rain has appeared onscreen
alongside Uma Thurman, Julia Stiles and Josh Hartnet and in the bands Aleka's Attic, The Causey Way, and The Paper Cranes,
her current band. A talented singer, Rain is lead vocalist for The Paper Cranes, and has toured with the Red Hot Chilli Peppers
as a backup singer during their 'One Hot Minute' tour.
A good friend of Michael Stipe, they have colaborated together on many projects (including the soundtrack to Happiness,
and several REM songs).
Rain began performing at a young age, starting out on the streets of South America, busking alongside her older brother,
River. Several years later saw three new additions to their family (Joaquin, Liberty and Summer) and a change of scenery for
Rain: The Phoenix's had moved to America.
Seeing something special in her children, Heart determined that they could make their mark in Hollywood. Her children
signed with famous agent Iris Burton and the rest, as they say, is history.
Today Rain lives in New York City, taking the occasional acting job while working with her band on their first album.
Rain has appeared in Even Cowgirls Get The Blues, To Die For, O, Stranger Inside, and Facade and each role she has delivered
solid, memorable performances that have left critics and fans alike pleased and wanting more.
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Summer Phoenix
In the words of Wikipedia (link in the link section) -
Summer Joy Phoenix, born 10 December 1978 in Winter Park, Florida, is an American actress and model and a graduate of
the New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.
Known mostly for being the younger sister of River Phoenix and Joaquin Phoenix, Summer has appeared in a few artistic
/ indie movies, including Wasted, The Laramie Project, Esther Kahn, SLC Punk!, and The Faculty. She also had guest television
roles on ER, Growing Pains, Murder, She Wrote, and Airwolf.
Formerly a member of Causey Way, along with her sister Rain Phoenix (whose album she plays piano on), Summer also appeared,
along with Matt Damon and Casey Affleck, at the Garrick Theatre in London, performing This is Our Youth in 2002. She has also
performed with Clea Duvall.
Allegedly, Summer was named due to her family's happy reaction to returning to the United States after leaving the Children
of God. She is an avid supporter of several environmental causes.
Summer Phoenix became engaged to Casey Affleck on December 25, 2003, and gave birth to a son, Indiana August, on May 31,
2004, in Amsterdam.
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Liberty Phoenix
In the words of River and Liberty Phoenix(link in link section)-
Libertad Mariposa Phoenix was born on July 5, 1976 in Caracas, Venezuela. She was the fourth child to Heart and John
Phoenix, making her the second youngest sibling. Liberty, being born on Liberty Day in Venezuela, would inspire her parents
to give her the name "Libertad".
Before she was born, the Phoenix family and her older siblings had already seen a lot of the world. River was born
in the U.S. in Madras, Oregon in 1970. Later, after Heart and John joined the children of God, they relocated to Texas where
they had their next child, Rain, in 1973. They picked up and moved shortly after by relocating in Puerto Rico. In 1974,
Heart gave birth to their third child who she would name, Joaquin. He would be the only Phoenix child not to bear a name
or theme from nature. The family moved on and two years later, Liberty was born in yet a different country. Tired of the
Children of God, the Phoenixes made their passage back to the U.S. where the final Phoenix was born. Summer was born in Florida,
two years after Liberty.
River started acting and in 1982, Liberty and Joaquin made their acting debut in an episode of River's TV show, Seven
Brides for Seven Brothers. Liberty was only six. Later she was in Kate's Secret in 1986. She also competed against Summer
for a role in Russkies, but Summer ended up getting the role. After only two roles, Liberty stopped acting. "...she's
way too busy loving her children to do movies", Summer explains of Liberty's choice to stop acting.
Later she would join her father for a few years in Costa Rica to help him run his vegetarian restaurant with Summer.
She eventually returned to Micanopy, Florida where the rest of the Phoenixes live. She then became a mother to her first
born, Rio, in 1997. She gave her first son River's nickname in memory of her brother. Summer's comment on the birth, "It
was amazing. She had the baby in water--it's more soothing for the mother. He came out eyes open under water. So cute.
I was crying the whole time, but Liberty didn't cry once. She didn't even take an Advil for the pain." Two years later,
Rio got a younger brother, Indigo.
Although Liberty isn't acting, she still shows her creative side by being in a country band. She shows her loving
side by being a devoted mother. Perhaps one day, we'll hear her music or witness her acting.
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