James Dean

James Dean (1931-1955), American actor on film, stage, and television, whose early death in an automobile accident contributed to his enduring legend. Dean was born in Marion, Indiana, and was educated in California at Santa Monica Junior College and the University of California at Los Angeles. During his first attempt to break into Hollywood motion pictures, Dean achieved only bit parts and work in television commercials. He then acted in two plays on Broadway (See the Jaguar,1952 and The Immoralist,1954) before being tapped for his first leading film role, as the rebellious son in East of Eden (1955). Director Elia Kazan, who earlier set actor Marlon Brando on the road to fame, directed the film and helped launch Dean's career. With the film, Dean became a new icon of the naturalistic “method” acting style embraced by Brando. Another troubled-teen part, in Nicholas Ray's Rebel Without a Cause (1955), confirmed Dean as the symbol of alienation and volatility among 1950s youth. In his next film, Dean continued to epitomize rebellion, playing a defiant role as an adult in George Stevens's epic of modern Texas, Giant (1956).

After Dean's death on September 30, 1955, adoring fans grieved and a cult of personality developed around the Dean mystique. Dean was posthumously nominated for the Best Actor Academy Award for East of Eden and again for Giant.