Highlights
- Joaquin Phoenix and his siblings were child performers who gained fame in Hollywood, with Joaquin and his brother River becoming the most famous.
- Joaquin's siblings, Summer and Rain, are still involved in the music industry, with their band Escape Artist Lovers and Rain's podcast, 'Launch Left.'
- Liberty Phoenix works behind the scenes and supports the River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding, while Summer Phoenix had an acting career and was previously married to Casey Affleck.
One of the things that most people don't know about Joaquin Phoenix's past is that he and his siblings were kind of like an odd version of the Partridge family. The children would work as a team of child performers and busk on the streets.
Soon they started getting noticed by Hollywood and got agents. But Joaquin and his brother, River Phoenix, started to become more famous than the rest of the Phoenix brood. They broke through as the next emerging stars while staying close until River's passing in 1993.
While the brothers raked in some of the most iconic parts in Hollywood, what were the other Phoenix children doing, and what did they become? Joaquin is fiercely protective of his family and will turn his best friends into enemies if they cross any of them.
Here's who Joaquin Phoenix's lesser-known siblings are.
Updated September 2023: To say that the Phoenix children were destined to have a life in the entertainment industry might not quite be accurate, however given that they were introduced to the spotlight at an early age, the fact that most of them have made a living from acting or performing is not surprising.
Summer and Rain Phoenix continue to make music today. In fact, the two just had shows in September 2023 with their band, Escape Artist Lovers. Rain also launched a podcast, 'Launch Left'.
Liberty Phoenix continues to work with the River Phoenix Center, helping behind the scenes rather than being in front of the camera or the center of attention.
The Phoenix Family Went Through Some Strange Things
The Phoenix family was originally the Bottom family. John and Arlyn Bottom were hippies. They met when John decided to pick Arlyn up as a hitchhiker, and the pair married just a year later. Then they started their lives as nomads.
The couple started having kids as they traveled. Each of their five kids was born in a different state, a territory, and a different country. They had River, born in Oregon in 1970, and then two years later, they had their first daughter, Rain Phoenix in Texas. Then came Joaquin in Puerto Rico, Liberty Phoenix, who was born in Venezuela in 1976, and lastly, came Summer Phoenix who was born in Florida.
After Summer was born in 1979, the family changed its last name to Phoenix because they'd recently risen out of the ashes after escaping from a dangerous cult that called themselves the Children of God.
When they escaped the cult, the family was in poverty. Because of this, the children were given instruments and sent out to busk for money on the streets. Soon the children got noticed and signed with agents.
Joaquin's Sister Rain Phoenix, Has Turned To Music Instead Of Acting
While her two brothers were being cast in things like Stand By Me and Parenthood, Rain was being cast in Family Ties and Maid to Order. She was even featured with her brothers in Teen Beat magazine.
It wasn't until Joaquin returned to acting, following the death of their brother (they were both there when he died), that Rain co-starred with her brother in To Die For... well sort of. She's an uncredited tambourine player, but at least she got to be there to support her brother in his return.
After To Die For, Rain appeared in films like O and Will Smith's Hitch.
In 1997 however, Rain and her sister Summer co-founded a band called The Causey Way, which had a fake origin story that the band was a front for a cult. They were together for four years, released four albums, and toured.
Later on, Rain formed the less gimmicky band called Papercranes, in 2004. So far they have released four albums and sometimes her sisters accompany the band. Some other members that have come and gone include Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist Flea, their original drummer Jack Irons, one of River's co-stars, Dermot Mulroney, and R.E.M.'s Scott McCaughey, who met Rain when she appeared in R.E.M.'s video short, At My Most Beautiful in 1999.
Rain lives just a couple of houses down from her brother and does charity work with him.
Liberty Phoenix Doesn't Act Anymore Either
Liberty didn't take to acting as well as her three oldest siblings. She has only two acting credits for television and is the most private of the family.
Liberty mostly works for charities and is the office manager for the River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding, a charity organization her mother started. She also works in fashion.
The middle Phoenix child opened up her own store with the help of Summer, called Some Odd Rubies. Later Liberty opened an eco-friendly shop called the Indigo Green Store.
On top of all that, Liberty was an instructor at the Florida School of Traditional Midwifery at one point, where her mother was the school's Executive Director. She also has three children.
Summer Phoenix Married Casey Affleck
Summer's acting career lasted a little longer than Liberty's but it wasn't as successful as Joaquin's. She's appeared in mostly television movies and her last project was in 2018. Summer's also been a model and a designer.
In 2003, Summer got engaged to Casey Affleck, her brother Joaquin's long-time friend. She gave birth to their first son, Indiana August in 2004, and then the pair married in 2006. Their second son, Atticus was born in 2008.
The pair separated in 2015 and later on in 2017, Summer filed for divorce. Joaquin and Affleck are no longer friends as well.
The Phoenix family may have started in less than ordinary terms, but all the children ended up successful in their own right. The essentials are still the same though; they're all very close, they're all vegans, and they're all really into charity work. Most importantly, they'll never forget River.
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