River Jude Phoenix was an Academy Award- and Golden Globe-nominated American film actor. He was listed on John Willis's Screen World, Vol. 38 as one of twelve "promising new actors of 1986", and was hailed as highly talented by such critics as Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel. His career was cut short, however, when he died of an overdose of heroin and cocaine on Halloween morning 1993 at age 23. He was the older brother of actor Joaquin Phoenix.