Rain Phoenix

Biography

Rain Joan of Arc Phoenix is an American actress, musician, and singer. She is the older sister of Joaquin, Liberty and Summer Phoenix and younger sister of River Phoenix.

Phoenix was born Rain Joan of Arc Bottom in Crockett, Texas, the second child of John Lee Bottom and Arlyn Sharon (née Dunetz). Before Phoenix was born, her mother moved to California, meeting Phoenix’s father while hitch-hiking. They married in 1969 and joined The Children of God and worked as missionaries in South America. It was there, at the age of three, that Phoenix (accompanied by elder brother River on guitar) first began to sing. They would perform on the streets of Caracas, Venezuela, while handing out Children of God flyers to passers by. The family set out for California in order for the children to enter the entertainment industry. In West Los Angeles, Phoenix and her siblings would perform on the streets for crowds of people. Arlyn took a job at NBC and eventually secured all five Phoenix children with an agent.

Phoenix sang with brother River as an audience warm up act on the show Real Kids (1982). Various bit parts followed in TV shows, including an episode of Amazing Stories in 1986 (billed as she sometimes was as Rainbow Phoenix) and Family Ties in 1987. Also in 1987, Phoenix landed a part in the feature film Maid to Order alongside Ally Sheedy.

Phoenix joined her brother River on the set of his tenth movie, My Own Private Idaho. She met director Gus Van Sant to whom River suggested she would be perfect for a role in his upcoming project, a film adaptation of Tom Robbins’s cult novel, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. She was cast as head cowgirl Bonanza Jellybean, alongside Uma Thurman.

Rain was married to Michael Tubbs from 2003-2008.