River Pheonix is involved in films.
River Jude Phoenix ( born River Jude Bottom ; August 23 , 1970 -- October 31 , 1993 ) was an American actor , musician , and activist . Phoenix made a transition into more adult-oriented roles with Running on Empty ( 1988 ) , playing the son of fugitive parents in a well-received performance that earned him a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor , and My Own Private Idaho ( 1991 ) , playing a gay hustler in search of his estranged mother .