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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.
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