James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931 – September 30, 1955) was an American movie actor. He was one of the most important people in Hollywood in the 1950s. His career was only 5 years long. He was also only in 3 major movies. However, he had a very big impact on cinema and popular culture. He was best known for his part in a movie called Rebel Without a Cause (1955). In this movie, he played a rebellious teenager. He was also in two other movies. He was in East of Eden (1955). He was also in Giant (1956). All of these movies are in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. He was killed in a car accident in 1955. He was 24.
James Dean | |
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![]() Dean in a publicity still for Rebel Without a Cause (1955) | |
Born | James Byron Dean February 8, 1931 Marion, Indiana, U.S. |
Died | September 30, 1955 (aged 24) near Cholame, California, U.S. |
Cause of death | Car crash |
Resting place | Park Cemetery, Fairmount, Indiana, U.S. |
Education | |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1950–1955 |
Website | jamesdean |
Signature | |
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He got an Academy Award (Oscar) nomination after his death for Best Actor for his role in East of Eden. He was the first person to get this nomination posthumously (after he died).[nb 1] After his first nomination, he was given a 2nd nomination for his role in Giant. This makes him the only actor that has been given 2 acting nominations after his death. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him as the 18th best male movie star from Golden Age Hollywood on their "AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars" list. Time magazine said Dean was one of the "All-Time Most Influential Fashion Icons."
Early life
changeJames Dean was born in 1931 in Marion, Indiana, United States. His parents were called Winton Dean and Mildred Wilson. Six years later, the family moved to California, and James went to school in Los Angeles. He was very close to his mother.[4] She died of cancer when he was nine, and James went to live with his aunt and uncle in Fairmount, Indiana. In high school, he became interested in drama and car racing. After he graduated, he moved back to California to live with his father and stepmother. He attended Santa Monica College and UCLA,[5] but left college in 1951 to become a professional actor.
In an interview, Elizabeth Taylor told something which James Dean had said to her during their filming. After his mother’s death, when he was 11 years old, he was sexually harassed by a Protestant minister. This experience tortured him during all his whole childhood.[6]
Death
changeRacing hobby
changeIn 1954, Dean started doing motorsports. He bought many automobiles after he was done acting for East of Eden. He bought a Triumph Tiger T110 and a Porsche 356.[7][8] On March 26–27 1955, he was in his first professional race at the Palm Springs Road Races in Palm Springs, California. Dean was 1st place in the novice class. He was 2nd place at the main event. He raced in Bakersfield a month later. He was 1st in his class. He was 3rd overall.[9] Dean said he wanted to race in the Indianapolis 500. However, he had a very busy acting schedule. This meant that this was not possible.[10]
Dean's last race was in Santa Barbara on May 30, 1955. He was not able to finish the competition. This was because he had a blown piston (his piston was damaged).[9][11] He was not able to race after that because Warner Brothers said he could not race while acting for Giant.[12] Once he was done acting for that movie, however, he wanted to race again.
Accident
changeDean loved motor racing. After acting for Giant, he bought a new 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder. He entered into the upcoming Salinas Road Race. This would be on October 1–2, 1955.[13] Dean went to the race track. 3 other people went with him. The first person was the stunt coordinator Bill Hickman. The second person was Collier's photographer Sanford Roth. The 3rd person was Rolf Wütherich. He was the German mechanic from the who maintained Dean's Spyder car.[14][15]
On September 30,[16] the group went west on U.S. Route 466[17] (now SR 46) near Cholame, California. At the same time, a 23-year-old California Polytechnic State University student Donald Turnupseed, was driving east. He was in a 1950 Ford Tudor. At 5:45 p.m.,[18] Turnupseed turned left onto Highway 41. He would be going north toward Fresno.[19] This turn was in front of Dean's Porsche.[20][21][22] Dean was not able to stop his car in time. His car went into the Ford. Dean's car went into the pavement on the highway. Dean had many fatal injuries from this accident.[23] Turnupseed had only minor injuries.[24]
Dean was buried in Fairmount, Indiana.
Stage
changeBroadway
change- See the Jaguar (1952)[25]
- The Immoralist (1954) – based on the book by André Gide[25]
Off-Broadway
change- The Metamorphosis (1952) – based on the short story by Franz Kafka[25]
- The Scarecrow (1954)[25]
- Women of Trachis (1954) – translation by Ezra Pound[25]
Filmography
changeMovies
changeYear | Title | Role | Director | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1951 | Fixed Bayonets! | Doggie | Samuel Fuller | Uncredited | [26] |
1952 | Sailor Beware | Boxing Trainer | Hal Walker | [27] | |
Deadline – U.S.A. | Copyboy | Richard Brooks | [28] | ||
Has Anybody Seen My Gal? | Youth at Soda Fountain | Douglas Sirk | [29] | ||
1953 | Trouble Along the Way | Football Spectator | Michael Curtiz | [30] | |
1955 | East of Eden | Cal Trask | Elia Kazan | Lead film debut | [31] |
Rebel Without a Cause | Jim Stark | Nicholas Ray | Released posthumously | [32] | |
1956 | Giant | Jett Rink | George Stevens | Filmed in 1955; released posthumously. Final role. | [33] |
Television
changeYear | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1951 | Family Theater | John the Apostle | Episode: "Hill Number One: A Story of Faith and Inspiration" | [25] |
The Bigelow Theatre | Hank | Episode: "T.K.O." | ||
The Stu Erwin Show | Randy | Episode: "Jackie Knows All" | ||
1952 | CBS Television Workshop | G.I. | Episode: "Into the Valley" | |
Hallmark Hall of Fame | Bradford | Episode: "Forgotten Children" | ||
The Web | Himself | Episode: "Sleeping Dogs" | ||
1952–1953 | Kraft Television Theatre | Various Characters | Episodes: "Prologue to Glory", "Keep Our Honor Bright" and "A Long Time Till Dawn" | |
1952–1955 | Lux Video Theatre | Various Characters | Episodes: "The Foggy, Foggy Dew" and "The Life of Emile Zola" | |
1953 | The Kate Smith Hour | The Messenger | Episode: "The Hound of Heaven" | |
You Are There | Robert Ford | Episode: "The Capture of Jesse James" | ||
Treasury Men in Action | Various Characters | Episodes: "The Case of the Watchful Dog" and "The Case of the Sawed-Off Shotgun" | ||
Tales of Tomorrow | Ralph | Episode: "The Evil Within" | ||
Westinghouse Studio One | Various Characters | Episodes: "Ten Thousand Horses Singing", "Abraham Lincoln" and "Sentence of Death" | ||
The Big Story | Rex Newman | Episode: "Rex Newman, Reporter for the Globe and News" | ||
Omnibus | Bronco Evans | Episode: "Glory in the Flower". Crazy Man Crazy was on soundtrack. | ||
Campbell Summer Soundstage | Various Characters | Episodes: "Something for an Empty Briefcase" and "Life Sentence" | ||
Armstrong Circle Theatre | Joey Frasier | Episode: "The Bells of Cockaigne" | ||
Robert Montgomery Presents | Paul Zalinka | Episode: "Harvest" | ||
1953–1954 | Danger | Various Characters | Episodes: "No Room", "Death Is My Neighbor", "The Little Woman" and "Padlocks" | |
1954 | The Philco Television Playhouse | Rob | Episode: "Run Like a Thief" | |
General Electric Theater | Various Characters | Episodes: "I'm a Fool" and "The Dark, Dark Hours" | ||
1955 | The United States Steel Hour | Fernand Lagarde | Episode: "The Thief" | |
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars | Jeffrey Latham | Episode: "The Unlighted Road" |
Awards and nominations
changeYear | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Note | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1956
|
Academy Awards | Best Actor | | style="background: #FFE3E3; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2 notheme"|Nominated | [34] | ||
British Academy Film Awards | Best Foreign Actor| style="background: #FFE3E3; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2 notheme"|Nominated | [35] | ||||
Golden Globe Awards | Special Achievement Award for Best Dramatic Actor| style="background: #9EFF9E; color: #000; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won | [36] | ||||
Jussi Awards | style="background: #9EFF9E; color: #000; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won | [37] | ||||
1957
|
Academy Awards | Best Actor | | style="background: #FFE3E3; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2 notheme"|Nominated | [38] | ||
Bravo Otto | data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | —| style="background: #9EFF9E; color: #000; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won | [39] | ||||
British Academy Film Awards | Best Foreign Actor | | style="background: #FFE3E3; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2 notheme"|Nominated | [40] | |||
Golden Globe Awards | World Film Favorite - Male| data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | —| style="background: #9EFF9E; color: #000; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won | [36] |
Notes
change- ↑ Jeanne Eagles was nominated for Best Actress for her role in The Letter at the 2nd Academy Awards after her death in 1930. However, all nominations at the 2nd Academy Awards were unofficial.[1] This makes Dean the first actor in the Academy Awards to be nominated after his death.[2][3]
References
change- ↑ O'Connor, Clint (July 13, 2008). "James Dean, Spencer Tracy among posthumous Oscar nods". Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
- ↑ Townsend, Laura (March 1, 2022). "With only three films, James Dean changed what it means to be an actor". PBS. American Masters. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
- ↑ David S. Kidder; Noah D. Oppenheim (October 14, 2008). The Intellectual Devotional Modern Culture: Revive Your Mind, Complete Your Education, and Converse Confidently with the Culturati. Rodale. p. 228. ISBN 978-1-60529-793-4. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
Dean was the first to receive a posthumous Academy Award nomination for acting and is the only actor to have received two such posthumous nominations.
- ↑ "Has Anybody Seen My Gal?". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ↑ "Trouble Along the Way". AllMovie. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ↑ "East of Eden". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ↑ Wasef and Leno (2007) pp. 13–19.
- ↑ Perry, p. 151.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Raskin (2005) pp. 47–48; 68–71; 73–74; 78–81; 83–86
- ↑ Perry (2012) p. 162.
- ↑ "Racing Record". jamesdean.com. Archived from the original on January 1, 2015. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
- ↑ Raskin (2005) pp. 101–02.
- ↑ Raskin (2007) pp. 111–15.
- ↑ Perry (2012) pp. 11–12.
- ↑ Thomas Ammann; Stefan Aust (September 21, 2012). Die Porsche-Saga: Geschichte einer PS-Dynastie. Bastei Entertainment. p. 233. ISBN 978-3-8387-1202-4.
- ↑ Goodman, Ezra (September 24, 1956). "Delirium over dead star". Life. Vol. 41, no. 13. pp. 75–88.
- ↑ "Movie Star James Dean Dies in Auto Crash". San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune. October 1, 1955. p. 1.
- ↑ "James Dean dies in car accident". A&E Television Networks. November 13, 2009.
- ↑ Greenberg 2015, p. 114.
- ↑ Perry (2012) pp. 11–12.
- ↑ Moda, Scuderia. "Information about James Dean from historicracing.com". www.historicracing.com.
- ↑ "Remembering James Dean's death on Highway 46". YourCentralValley.com; KSEE24 and CBS47. September 30, 2019.
- ↑ Perry (2012) pp. 14–15.
- ↑ LA Times Staff (1 October 1955). "From the Archives: Film Star James Dean Killed in Auto Crash". Los Angeles Times.
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 25.4 25.5 "Acting - James Dean". Jamesdean.com. 2024. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
- ↑ "Fixed Bayonets!". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ↑ "Sailor Beware". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ↑ Leonard Maltin (September 29, 2015). Turner Classic Movies Presents Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide: From the Silent Era Through 1965: Third Edition. Penguin Publishing Group. p. 135. ISBN 978-0-698-19729-9.
- ↑ "Has Anybody Seen My Gal?". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ↑ "Trouble Along the Way". AllMovie. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ↑ "East of Eden". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ↑ "Rebel Without a Cause". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ↑ "Giant". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ↑ "The 28th Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. February 19, 2015. Archived from the original on April 4, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ↑ "Film - Foreign Actor in 1956". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Archived from the original on January 1, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ↑ 36.0 36.1 "James Dean". Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Archived from the original on January 14, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ↑ "Jussi Awards Winners". Jussi Awards. Archived from the original on March 17, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
- ↑ "The 29th Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. March 26, 2015. Archived from the original on April 4, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ↑ "Bravo Otto - Sieger 1957". Bravo. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
- ↑ "Film - Foreign Actor in 1957". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Archived from the original on October 8, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
Cited literature
change- Alleman, Richard (2005). Hollywood: The Movie Lover's Guide: The Ultimate Insider Tour To Movie Los Angeles. Broadway Books. ISBN 978-0-7679-1635-6.
- Chandler, Joyce (September 27, 2007). James Dean: A Rebel with a Cause: A Fans Tribute. AuthorHouse. ISBN 978-1-4670-9575-4.
- Clayton, Marie (January 1, 2004). James Dean: A Life in Pictures. Barnes and Noble Books. ISBN 978-0-7607-5614-0.
- Dalton, David (2001). James Dean: The Mutant King : a Biography. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1-55652-398-4.
- DeAngelis, Michael (August 15, 2001). Gay Fandom and Crossover Stardom: James Dean, Mel Gibson, and Keanu Reeves. Duke University Press. p. 97. ISBN 0-8223-2738-4.
- Epting, Chris (June 1, 2009). The Birthplace Book: A Guide to Birth Sites of Famous People, Places, & Things. Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-4018-0.
- Ferguson, Michael S. (2003). Idol Worship: A Shameless Celebration of Male Beauty in the Movies. STARbooks Press. ISBN 978-1-891855-48-1.
- Greenberg, Keith Elliot (August 1, 2015). Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die – James Dean's Final Hours: James Dean's Final Hours. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. ISBN 978-1-4950-5041-1.
- Harbin, Billy J.; Marra, Kim; Schanke, Robert A. (2005). The Gay & Lesbian Theatrical Legacy: A Biographical Dictionary of Major Figures in American Stage History in the Pre-Stonewall Era. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0-472-06858-X.
- Holley, Val (September 1991). James Dean: Tribute to a Rebel. Publications International. ISBN 978-1-56173-148-0.
- Perry, George C. (2005). James Dean. DK Publishing, Incorporated. ISBN 978-0-7566-0934-4.
- Roberts, Paul G. (2014). Style Icons Vol 1 Golden Boys. Fashion Industry Broadcast. ISBN 978-1-62776-032-4.
- Springer, Claudia (March 1, 2007). James Dean Transfigured: The Many Faces of Rebel Iconography. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-71444-1.
- Tanitch, Robert (1997). The Unknown James Dean. Batsford. ISBN 978-0-7134-8034-4.
- Warrick, Karen Clemens (2006). James Dean: Dream as If You'll Live Forever. Enslow Publishers, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7660-2537-0.
Further reading
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Other websites
changeMedia from Commons | |
Data from Wikidata |