The name of Jodean Bottom might not feature among the names of popular stars in Hollywood, sports, or other forms of entertainment, but she has achieved popularity because of her celebrity half-siblings.
Jodean Bottom is the half-sibling of the Phoenix family of actors, made up of Joaquin Phoenix, Liberty Phoenix, Summer Phoenix, Rain Phoenix, and the late River phoenix. She was born to their father John Lee Bottom and his then-girlfriend in 1964. Her stepmother is Aalyn Dunetz. She was actually lost to the family for many years before River phoenix took it upon himself to find her and bring her home.
Find out what we know about Jodean Phoenix and the rest of her family.
Jodean Bottom was born in Portugal
Jodean Bottom was born on February 29, 1964, in Portugal. She is the oldest child of John Lee Bottom but there is no information about her mother. Bottom holds the American nationality and belongs to the white ethnicity.
Her father later married Arlyn Dunetz and they gave birth to four children who became her half-siblings.
Jodean Bottom was unknown until she was discovered
Jodean Bottom used to be an unknown member of the Phoenix family until River Phoenix searched and found her and she suddenly became popular. Moreover, the entire family fully welcomed her into their midst and took her under their wing.
She also came along with her child, a daughter, but the name of the girl’s father is unknown. It is also not clear if she was ever married. The family keeps these details under wraps and is supportive of the private life that Jodean prefers to live.
Jodean Bottom’s professional life is elusive but her half-siblings are popular actors
There is little information about the early life, education, and career of Jodean Bottom. However, there is much to say about the career of her popular half-siblings who are all actors.
Joaquin Phoenix
For one, Joaquin Phoenix is a great actor and producer that have won multiple awards. He is popularly known for his role in Gladiator, as well as the hit movie, The Joker. Born on October 28, 1974, Joaquin began to appear in films from the age of eight. He has won some awards including the Grammy awards and the Oscars for his sterling performances.
Some of his other successful works include Stand by me, Dark Blood, and Last Crusade. He is engaged to actress Rooney Mara.
Rain Phoenix
Rain Phoenix was born on November 21, 1972, and is an actress. She has appeared in Forever, Low Down among others.
Liberty Phoenix
Moving on to Liberty Phoenix, who is also a popular actor, she was born on July 5, 1976, and is famous for her portrayal in Kate’s secret and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers among others. She has since quit acting and is now focused on managing the River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding, established in honor of their late brother, River phoenix. She is divorced and shares five children with her ex-husband, Ernesto Asch.
Summer Phoenix
Similarly, Summer Phoenix toed the line of her older siblings and went into acting. She began to act at the age of three and has featured in several movies such as Suzie Gold, The Believer, and many more. She was formerly married to actor Cassey Afleck but they are now divorced.
The couple shares two children from their marriage.
River Phoenix
Last but not least is River phoenix who was a well-known actor. He was also a musician and activist and was well-loved by his fans. His breakthrough movie was Stand By Me at age 10.
River began his acting journey at a young age. He was born on August 23, 1970, and experienced poverty in his childhood. Lack of funds made it impossible for him to get any formal education but his talent was enough to thrust him into fame.
Death of River Phoenix
Although River Phoenix waved goodbye to poverty when he attained success at an early age, however, he did not stay long to enjoy the proceeds of his success. He passed away in October 1993, from a drug overdose; he was only 23 years old.
His death was a big blow to Jodean Bottom because it was River that went in search of her and reunited her with their father. He had also supported her and her daughter while he was alive.
Her family changed their name from Bottom to Phoenix
The reason for the difference in the last name of Jodean Bottom and her half-siblings is that they changed their last name to connote a new beginning for the entire family. Their parents took the decision after their last child, Summer was born.
Phoenix was deliberately chosen because of its connotation to the mystical bird that rises from its ashes. It is worthy of note that the family had encountered a lot of difficulties before their rise to success.
The family was very poor and the children had to bring home some money by performing songs and skits on the street. It would later lead to their success as their talents which were on display, drew the attention of those who eventually helped them to go into the entertainment industry.
Her family used to belong to a religious cult
One of the unfortunate things that happened to Jodean Bottom’s family was that they were members of a religious cult in the ’70s known as Children of God.
However, they didn’t know that the group was involved in some unsavory activities before joining. Of course, the cult didn’t advertise their secret activities because it might scare people away, it was only later that they came to know about the bad things they do and so withdrew their membership.
Luckily, the children didn’t suffer any kind of abuse that leaves a long-term trauma. They probably withdrew before any real damage could be done.
Jodean Bottom’s Net worth
Jodean Bottom’s net worth is not available for now. With no idea of her career, it is difficult to predict what her net worth could be. However, she is living a comfortable life courtesy of her family.
Meanwhile, her half-brother, Joaquin Phoenix is $35 million, which is to be expected with massive earnings coming in from his acting career. Most of his popular movies like Gladiator and Joker have generated billions of dollars in revenue. River Phoenix also accumulated a net worth of $5 million at the time of his death while her younger sister Rain Phoenix has a net worth of $5 million.
In conclusion, the Phoenix family has got their talents to thank for their incredible transformation, the same way, Jodean Bottom won’t easily forget River Phoenix who brought her into the family and reunited her with her father.