James Dean

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JamesDeanBio Last Updated: 1/27/25
Real Name: James Byron Dean
Born: February 8, 1931
Died: September 30, 1955 (aged 24)
Height: 5' 6"

Grade: A+
Actor/Movie Star: 75%-25%
Prime Years: 1955-56
Most Famous Film: Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Most Infamous Film: None
Masterpiece: East of Eden (1955) and Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Outstanding: Giant (1956)
Honorable: None

Opinion: Next to Marlon Brando, James Dean was the most influential actor of the 50's and, because of Rebel Without a Cause, would be the symbol of the Beat Generation which began with Jack Kerouc's book On the Road. Who knows how many Oscars James Dean would've won had he not died prematurely? Contrary to what people thought, he was actually acting for a while but had a leading role in only three major films. What made James Dean stand apart from all actors in history was his inifinite flexibility. Nobody acted, walked, or behaved like he did. He outshone his cast overwhemingly in East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause but was at equal with Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson in Giant.

Confirmed: Born in Marion, Indiana, but moved to California at age 6. Lost mother at age 9, causing his father to send him away to live with his aunt and uncle on a farm in Fairmont, Indiana. While there, did farm chores daily and was befriended by a reverend (which eventually turned into a sexually abusive relationship), sparking his interest in bullfighting, auto racing, and theater. Did well academically in high school and participated in theater and sports such as baseball and basketball. After graduation, moved back to California and briefly attended colleges including UCLA with a major in drama. Decided to drop out of school to be a full-time actor. Before then, he prophetically declared the following:

"All I know is, I've got to do something. I don't know exactly what it is yet...I've got to keep trying until I hit the right thing...it's like I want to be an actor, but that ain't it...just being an actor or a director, even a good one, isn't enough...to me, the only success, the only greatness for man, is immortality. To have your work remembered in history, to leave something in this world that will last for centuries. That's greatness..."

Enrolled in acting workshops led by James Whitmore. Did plenty of TV work in the early 50's with an occasional bit part in movies but still struggled to break through until he met a radio director which led to more acting jobs on television and Broadway in New York City. It was there where he began to study The Method taught by Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio.

For the role of Cal Trask in East of Eden, director Elia Kazan was looking for the next Marlon Brando and got it in James Dean. Almost everything he did was unscripted, and it's the only film that was theatrically released while he was alive. Became famous overnight when he played Jim Stark in Rebel Without a Cause, striking a chord with teenagers all over the country. Changed directions by taking on a serious adult-like role of Jett Rink in Giant. The first and third films led James Dean to be Oscar-nominated posthumously for the first time ever in Academy Award history.

After getting pulled over in a 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder for speeding earlier in the day, James Dean died in an automobile accident near Cholame, California, at age 24. Was still speeding at the point of impact, and the car he was in was too low to the ground and too gray to be discernible in the middle of dusk with no headlights on. The driver of the incoming sedan, which was more than twice the size of Dean's car, said that he never saw him when he was trying to enter a forked road on the left side but instead rammed into Dean's car nearly head-on (eventually, just a few months before his death, he admitted to lying about what happened that day and said that he did see the incoming car but was distracted by listening to a radio program while making a turn onto the forked road.

Idolized Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift who, in turn, disliked him. So did many others, thinking of him immature. Watched every movie Brando and Clift ever did and studied their acting techniques. Was a heavy smoker. Loved to drive sports cars and motorcycles fast and was a racing enthusiast, having entered competitions.

Nicknamed "Jimmy" or simply "Jim." Diagnosed with extreme nearsightness, hence the squinting eyes. Wore eyeglasses most of the time. Never got along with father which mirrored the difficulty of James Dean's characters with their fathers in East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause. Learned the art of acting from mother and did a lot of plays together; liked to tell stories and act them out, even after his mother died.

As a child, broke the front four teeth in an accident; was fitted with a bridge which remained for the rest of his life, allowing him to pull pranks by taking it out in front of others. When he moved to California after high school, was required to learn how to speak well by reading Hamlet orally for a semester because of how the false teeth altered the sound of his voice. Was bisexual. Had sex with men in power to advance his career. Despite his complete dedication to the craft of acting, was often moody and nearly impossible to deal with on the set and refused to give the same exact performance in retakes.

Rumors: None.