River Phoenix first made his foray into Hollywood as a commercial actor, appearing in spots when he was just 10 years old. In 1986, he appeared in his first major role in Stand by Me. He went on to appear in The Mosquito Coast (1986), Running on Empty (1988), and My Own Private Idaho (1991), for which he was critically lauded. Phoenix died of a drug-induced heart attack in Los Angeles on October 31, 1993. He was 23 years old.