Meet Joaquin Phoenix's famous siblings – including his late brother River

Joaquin Phoenix is an Oscar-winning actor and has enjoyed a successful Hollywood career for decades.

However, he is not the only recognizable face in his family, and he may not have pursued his acting career had it not been for his later brother, River Phoenix .

River was part of the reason Joaquin didn't give up his dreams of becoming an actor after The Joker star struggled to find roles that appealed to him.

River encouraged him to continue with the craft, with Joaquin previously admitting: "[He] didn't ask me, he told me [to keep acting]."

Recalling what River told him to Vanity Fair, Joaquin said: "'You're going to be an actor and you're going to be more well known than I am.'"

He continued: "I don't know why he said that… I hadn't been acting at all.

© Getty Images

"But he also said it with a certain weight, with a knowing that seemed so absurd to me at the time, but of course now, in hindsight, you're like, 'How the [expletive] did he know?'"

Meet Joaquin Phoenix's siblings below…

River Phoenix

© Getty Images

River was Joaquin's older brother who started his career in commercials when he was 10. He became a household name following the release of 1986's Stand By Me.

In 1988, River was just 17 when he was nominated for an Oscar for his role as Donny Pope in the drama Running On Empty, before starring in films such as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, My Own Private Idaho, and Sneakers.

River was also a talented musician and formed the band Aleka's Attic with his sister Rain.

© Getty Images

On October 31, 1993, River died from a drug overdose after collapsing outside The Viper Room in West Hollywood. He was 23.

Joaquin was with him and called 911 but River was pronounced dead after going into cardiac arrest at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

According to the coroner’s report, River was found with deadly levels of cocaine and morphine in his system and traces of marijuana, Valium, and cold medication. It was ruled that his death was caused by "acute multiple drug intoxication".

Rain Phoenix, 51

© Getty Images

Rain is the second eldest of the family and while she tried her hand at acting, landing roles in TV shows including Amazing Stories and Family Ties, her real passion is music.

She has been part of several bands, including Aleka's Attic with River. She was also in the band The Causey Way with her sisters Liberty and Summer.

She has toured with the Red Hot Chilli Peppers as a backup singer, and she contributed backing vocals to the R.E.M. song "Bang and Blame", which featured on an album dedicated to River.

© Getty Images

After River's death – which Rain also witnessed – she decided against releasing any of the songs they had worked on but has since shared several recordings.

"Now I feel a sense of joy to share my brother with others. But it's taken a long time to get here," she told The Guardian in 2019.

Liberty Phoenix, 48

© Getty Images

Like her siblings, Liberty turned her hand to acting and earned roles in the 1980s in Kate’s Secret and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

After turning her back on the film industry, she dabbled in music with her sisters and was part of The Causey Way, which disbanded in 2001.

© Getty Images

All of the Phoenix siblings are involved in philanthropy and at one point were involved in the River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding. The organization's mission is to "enrich the lives of individuals, families, and communities by providing and promoting the best practices and principles of peacebuilding and global sustainability".

Liberty was listed as the office manager before opening the eco-friendly company, Indigo Green Store, which sells non-toxic building materials.

Summer Phoenix, 45

© Getty Images

The youngest of the Phoenix clan, Summer has also enjoyed success as an actor and had many guest appearances on TV shows including Murder, She Wrote, Growing Pains, Swamp Thing, and ER. She also landed roles in movies like Girl, Esther Kahn, Suzie Gold, and All at Once.

In 2019, she and Rain launched the podcast LaunchLeft, which sees them speak to well-known musicians who use the opportunity to help launch the careers of up-and-coming performers.

Summer is the ex-wife of Casey Affleck. The former couple met in 1995 and were friends for years before Joaquin encouraged him to ask his sister on a date.

© Getty Images

They got engaged in 2003 and welcomed their first child, Indiana August, the following year. They married on June 3, 2006, and welcomed their second child, son Atticus, in 2008.

After 16 years together and 10 years of marriage, Summer and Casey announced their separation in March 2016. In their divorce documents, they listed their date of separation as November 2015 and cited "irreconcilable differences."