name. river jude phoenix born. august 23, 1970 birth. madras, oregon, united states died. october 31, 1993 (23) death. west hollywood, california, united states nationality. american ethnicity. english, along with german, distant french huguenot (father) and ashkenazi jewish (mother) occupation. actor, musician, and activist years active. 1982 - 1993 known for. stand by me, running on empty, and my own private idaho