Summer Joy Phoenix was born December 10, 1978 in Winter Park, Florida. Phoenix is one of five children, her siblings including late actor River Phoenix, Rain Phoenix, Liberty Phoenix, and highly successful actor Joaquin Phoenix. Summer’s parents are Arlyn and John Phoenix, who was a carpenter by trade. It is rumored that Summer Joy’s name stemmed from her parents leaving the cult, Children of God. Phoenix attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts from January 1997 to May 1998.
Summer opted to drop out at that point in order to pursue her film career. While she is still most widely known as the younger sister of film stars River and Joaquin Phoenix, Summer has managed to create a name for herself in several mediums. She has pursued television, film, theater, and music. Her first acting gig came with the television action series Airwolf in 1984. While filming, she acted alongside such stars as Jan-Michael Vincent and Ernest Borgnine. In this same year, she had a one-episode appearance on the Angela Lansbury mystery crime comedy series Murder, She Wrote.
Phoenix’s next project was a made for TV movie entitled Kate’s Secret (1986). Starring Meredith Baxter, the movie dealt with the issue of bulimia and anorexia at a time when the media and the public did not understand the disease. The film also featured Edward Asner and Harry Belafonte’s daughter, Shari Belafonte.
In 1987, Phoenix appeared in one episode of the popular television series Growing Pains as well as the film Russkies with her brother, Joaquin Phoenix. The following year she had a small role in the family oriented film Runaway Ralph with Fred Savage and Sara Gilbert of Roseanne fame.Phoenix took two years away from film and television when she returned in 1990 for the television series Swamp Thing, which ran from 1990 to 1993. Again taking a sizable break, Phoenix returned in 1997 to film the independent film Arresting Gena with Sam Rockwell and Adrian Grenier. This same year she had a guest spot on the popular medical drama E.R.
In 1998 Phoenix hooked up again with the independent film scene to take part in Jonathan Kahn’s Girl. The film starred Dominique Swain, Sean Patrick Flanery, Tara Reid, Selma Blair and Portia de Rossi. Phoenix also began dabbling in higher budget endeavors with Can’t Hardly Wait, but her scenes were ultimately deleted from the film. Still in 1998, she even landed a part in Ed Wood’s I Woke up Early the Day I Died. She also found her way into the cult indie favorite SLC Punk! with Matthew Lillard. Her last project of 1998 was Robert Rodriguez’s The Faculty. The film drew big names in teen acting such as Jordana Brewster, Josh Hartnett, Elijah Wood and Usher. The film also starred Phoenix’s good friend Clea DuVall, who she frequently acts beside.
In 2000 Summer landed a part in yet another indie film. This time around it was Committed with an all-star cast including Heather Graham, Casey Affleck, Luke Wilson, and Mark Ruffalo. Noticed after her series of small roles, Phoenix finally won a lead in Esther Kahn (2000). She went right back to bit parts with Dinner Rush and significant supporting roles in The Believer, which earned her an Independent Spirit Award nomination. In 2002, Summer appeared in The Laramie Project which dealt with the homicide of Matthew Shepard. Continuing in her now firmly established trend, Phoenix starred in another independent film. Wasted revolved around normal everyday high school students that just happened to be desperately addicted to heroin.
Her last project was in 2004, a feel good romantic comedy entitled Suzie Gold with Phoenix playing the film’s title character.Phoenix has also been highly involved in the music scene. She used to belong to the Causey Way, consequently sometimes credited under her new Causey name Sum Sum Causey. Eventually leaving the quasi-religious band, she now plays in the group Papercranes. Phoenix has also started becoming increasingly involved in theater. In 2002 she acted in This is Our Youth with Matt Damon and Casey Affleck.
Phoenix is a strong believer in many environmental and animal rights groups and to that end has been a vegan all her life. She currently owns a vintage clothing store called Some Odd Rubies, which is located in Manhattan. Co-owners are Ruby Canner and Odessa Whitmire. Phoenix married fellow actor Casey Affleck on Memorial weekend 2006. They have one child together, Indiana August, born May 31, 2004.