James Dean History

James Dean History

Browse

Search

Entertainment & Pop Culture
Geography & Travel
Health & Medicine
Lifestyles & Social Issues
Literature
Philosophy & Religion
Politics, Law & Government
Science
Sports & Recreation
Technology
Visual Arts
World History

On This Day in History
Quizzes
Podcasts
Dictionary
Biographies
Summaries
Top Questions
Week In Review
Infographics
Demystified
Lists
#WTFact
Companions
Image Galleries
Spotlight
The Forum
One Good Fact

Entertainment & Pop Culture
Geography & Travel
Health & Medicine
Lifestyles & Social Issues
Literature
Philosophy & Religion
Politics, Law & Government
Science
Sports & Recreation
Technology
Visual Arts
World History

Britannica Classics Check out these retro videos from Encyclopedia Britannica’s archives.
Britannica Explains In these videos, Britannica explains a variety of topics and answers frequently asked questions.
Demystified Videos In Demystified, Britannica has all the answers to your burning questions.
#WTFact Videos In #WTFact Britannica shares some of the most bizarre facts we can find.
This Time in History In these videos, find out what happened this month (or any month!) in history.

Buying Guide Expert buying advice. From tech to household and wellness products.
Student Portal Britannica is the ultimate student resource for key school subjects like history, government, literature, and more.
COVID-19 Portal While this global health crisis continues to evolve, it can be useful to look to past pandemics to better understand how to respond today.
100 Women Britannica celebrates the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment, highlighting suffragists and history-making politicians.
Britannica Beyond We’ve created a new place where questions are at the center of learning. Go ahead. Ask. We won’t mind.
Saving Earth Britannica Presents Earth’s To-Do List for the 21st Century. Learn about the major environmental problems facing our planet and what can be done about them!
SpaceNext50 Britannica presents SpaceNext50, From the race to the Moon to space stewardship, we explore a wide range of subjects that feed our curiosity about space!

Canadian-American actor, director, and producer
American actor, director, and writer

While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.

Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).

Feedback Type

Select a type (Required)
Factual Correction
Spelling/Grammar Correction
Link Correction
Additional Information
Other

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.

Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).

Feedback Type

Select a type (Required)
Factual Correction
Spelling/Grammar Correction
Link Correction
Additional Information
Other

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

By

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

•
Edit History

Born:

February 8, 1931
Marion
Indiana

... (Show more)

Died:

September 30, 1955 (aged 24)
California

... (Show more)

You may be familiar with Sean Connery in this iconic role, but has actor Roger Moore also played the character of "Bond, James Bond?" See if your knowledge is neither shaken nor stirred in this study of actors.
Julie Harris and James Dean in East of Eden (1955), directed by Elia Kazan.
Lois Smith and James Dean in East of Eden (1955), directed by Elia Kazan.
Nicholas Ray (right) with Natalie Wood and James Dean on the set of Rebel Without a Cause (1955).
(Clockwise from left) Sal Mineo, Natalie Wood, and James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), directed by Nicholas Ray.
James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), directed by Nicholas Ray.

Scientists believe fossilized skulls of elephant relatives found by ancient Greeks were the basis for the mythological Cyclops.
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
James Dean , in full James Byron Dean , (born February 8, 1931, Marion , Indiana, U.S.—died September 30, 1955, near Paso Robles, California), American film actor who was enshrined as a symbol of the confused, restless, and idealistic youth of the 1950s. Although he made few films before his death in a car accident at age 24, his performances, perhaps most notably in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), have proved enduring.
Dean’s family moved from Indiana to California when he was five. Following the death of his mother four years later, Dean returned to Indiana where he was reared on a farm by an aunt and uncle. He moved back to California after high school to study theatre for two years at the University of California at Los Angeles. His first professional acting assignment was for a soft drink commercial, which led to a speaking role as John the Baptist in the television Easter special Hill Number One (1951). He played bit parts in three Hollywood films— Fixed Bayonets (1951), Sailor Beware (1952), and Has Anybody Seen My Gal? (1952)—before moving to New York City on the advice of actor James Whitmore, with whom he had briefly studied. After a series of short-term jobs, including a brief period as a “stunt tester” for the CBS game show Beat the Clock , he was cast in a key role in the Broadway flop See the Jaguar (1952). More successful was his sly, insinuating performance as a blackmailing homosexual houseboy in another Broadway production, The Immoralist (1954), a stage adaptation of André Gide ’s book.
The Immoralist brought Dean to the attention of film director Elia Kazan , who cast the 23-year-old actor in the leading role of troubled teenager Cal Trask in East of Eden (1955), the screen adaptation of John Steinbeck ’s novel . On the set, Dean perpetuated his reputation for constantly changing his character interpretation and line readings and for deliberately baiting and challenging his fellow actors, including Julie Harris , Raymond Massey , and Burl Ives. When East of Eden premiered, however, Dean was seen as a movie star of the first magnitude and was nominated for an Academy Award ; it was the first acting nomination to be granted posthumously.
Dean’s second starring film appearance, as sensitive high-school misfit Jim Stark in director Nicholas Ray ’s Rebel Without a Cause (1955), made him into the embodiment of his generation. His character defiantly rejects the values of his elders while desperately aching to “belong” and attempting to find a purpose in life. Dean’s performance spoke eloquently on behalf of disenchanted, disenfranchised teenagers and gave them a hero they could respect and admire. The classic drama also featured Natalie Wood , Sal Mineo, and Dennis Hopper .
Dean was next cast in producer-director George Stevens ’s Giant (1956), a drama set on a Texas ranch that also starred Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor . Shortly after completing the film, the restless Dean drove off in his silver Porsche to compete in a sports car rally in Salinas , California. Speeding down the highway, he crashed headlong into a Ford sedan and was killed instantly. Almost immediately an intensely loyal cult was established, and within days of his death he became a film icon. Both Rebel Without a Cause and Giant were released posthumously, and he received an Oscar nomination for the latter film. The James Dean mystique continued to flourish into the 21st century.
The 10-second read: A fascinating nugget of information, delivered to your inbox.

© 2022 James Dean. Proudly powered by Sydney
Whether told in his own words or from a third person’s point of view, the life of James Dean is exhilarating, intriguing and tragic. From a small town in the Midwest to the Hollywood Hills of California, James Dean’s story is one that you will never forget.
I, James Byron Dean, was born February 8, 1931, Marion, Indiana. My parents, Winton Dean and Mildred Dean, formerly Mildred Wilson, and myself existed in the state of Indiana until I was six years of age. Dad’s work with the government caused a change, so Dad as a dental mechanic was transferred to California. There we lived, until the fourth year. Mom became ill and passed out of my life at the age of nine. I never knew the reason for Mom’s death; in fact, it still preys on my mind. I had always lived such a talented life. I studied violin, played in concerts, tap-danced on theatre stages, but most of all, I like art, to mold and create things with my hands. I came back to Indiana to live with my uncle. I lost the dancing and violin, but not the art. I think my life will be devoted to art and dramatics. And there are so many different fields of art it would be hard to foul-up, and if I did, there are so many different things to do–farm, sports, science, geology, coaching, teaching music. I got it, and I know if I better myself that there will be no match. A fellow must have confidence. When living in California my young eyes experienced many things. It was also my luck to make three visiting trips to Indiana, going and coming a different route each time. I have been in almost every state west of Indiana. I remember all. My hobby, or what I do in my spare time, is motorcycle. I know a lot about them mechanically, and I love to ride. I have been in a few races and have done well. I own a small cycle myself. When I’m not doing that, I’m usually engaged in athletics, the heartbeat of every American boy. As one strives to make a goal in a game, there should be a goal in this crazy world for all of us. I hope I know where mine is, anyway. I’m after it. I don’t mind telling you, Mr. Dubois–this is the hardest subject to write about considering the information one knows of himself, I ever attempted.
Fairmount High School Principal, 1948
James Dean was born February 8, 1931, in Marion, Indiana, to Winton and Mildred Dean. His father, a dental technician, moved the family to Los Angeles when Jimmy was five. He returned to the Midwest after his mother passed away and was raised by his aunt and uncle on their Indiana farm. After graduating from high school, he returned to California where he attended Santa Monica Junior College and UCLA. James Dean began acting with James Whitmore’s acting workshop, appeared in occasional television commercials, and played several roles in films and on stage. In the winter of 1951, he took Whitmore’s advice and moved to New York to pursue a serious acting career. He appeared in seven television shows, in addition to earning his living as a busboy in the theater district, before he won a small part in a Broadway play entitled See the Jaguar .
In a letter to his family in Fairmount in 1952, he wrote:
“I have made great strides in my craft. After months of auditioning, I am very proud to announce that I am a member of the Actors Studio. The greatest school of the theater. It houses great people like Marlon Brando, Julie Harris, Arthur Kennedy, Mildred Dunnock…Very few get into it, and it is absolutely free. It is the best thing that can happen to an actor. I am one of the youngest to belong. If I can keep this up and nothing interferes with my progress, one of these days, I might be able to contribute something to the world.” [He worked with Arthur Kennedy in See the Jaguar ; he would later star with Julie Harris in East of Eden , and Mildred Dunnock in Padlocks , a 1954 episode of the CBS television program, Danger .] Dean continued his study at the Actors Studio, played short stints in television dramas, and returned to Broadway in The Immoralist (1954). This last appearance resulted in a screen test at Warner Brothers for the part of Cal Trask in the screen adaptation John Steinbeck’s novel, East of Eden . He then returned to New York where he appeared in four more television dramas. After winning the role of Jim Stark in 1955’s Rebel Without a Cause , he moved to Hollywood.
In February, he visited his family in Fairmount with photographer Dennis Stock before returning to Los Angeles. In March, Jimmy celebrated his Eden success by purchasing his first Porsche and entered the Palm Springs Road Races. He began shooting Rebel Without a Caus e that same month, and Eden opened nationwide in April. In May, he entered the Bakersfield Race and finished shooting Rebel. He entered one more race, in Santa Barbara, before he joined the cast and crew of Giant in Marfa, Texas.
James Dean had one of the most spectacularly brief careers of any screen star. In just more than a year, and in only three films, Dean became a widely admired screen personality, a personification of the restless American youth of the mid-’50s, and an embodiment of the title of one of his films, Rebel Without a Cause . En route to compete in a race in Salinas, James Dean was killed in a highway accident on September 30, 1955. James Dean was nominated for two Academy Awards, for his performances in East of Eden and Giant . Although he only made three films, they were made in just over one year’s time. Joe Hyams, in the James Dean biography, Little Boy Lost , sums up his career:
“There is no simple explanation for why he has come to mean so much to so many people today. Perhaps it is because, in his acting, he had the intuitive talent for expressing the hopes and fears that are a part of all young people… In some movie magic way, he managed to dramatize brilliantly the questions every young person in every generation must resolve.”
In its fourth decade of licensing and clearing intellectual property rights, CMG Worldwide is the recognized leader in its field. CMG helps you navigate through and effectively manage the licensing process, while providing peace of mind that you have addressed all the outstanding clearance concerns.

Get the facts on the actor who epitomized coolness and youthful angst.
© 2022 A&E Television Networks, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Get the facts on the actor who epitomized coolness and youthful angst.
(Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Born in a small city in Indiana, Dean soon moved with his parents to Santa Monica, California, when his father, a dental technician, was transferred to a hospital there. But at age 9 his mother died of cancer, and he was sent back to Indiana to live on his aunt and uncle’s farm. From that point on, he would rarely see —or even talk—to his father, other than a brief spell in which he stayed in his father’s home while attending Santa Monica City College.
(Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Described by his cousin as “never one to sit still,” a young Dean had his two front teeth knocked out while swinging on a trapeze in his aunt and uncle’s barn. (Dean later embellished the story, saying he lost them in a motorcycle accident.) As an adult, he purportedly enjoyed surprising acquaintances by casually removing his false teeth mid-conversation.
Fairmount High Quakers basketball player James Dean (second from left) poses for a portrait with his teammates in 1947.
(Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Despite being nearsighted, short and skinny, Dean was a standout athlete at his Indiana high school, playing baseball and basketball and running track. “He was a heady player and a good competitor,” his basketball coach once told a reporter. “He was what you would call a clean-cut, All-American type boy.” Dean particularly excelled at the pole vault, breaking the county record by the time he graduated in 1949.
James Dean poses for a Warner Bros publicity shot for his film ‘Rebel Without A Cause’ in 1955 in Los Angeles, California.
(Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Dean performed in several high school plays and continued acting in college, especially after transferring from Santa Monica City College to UCLA in the fall of 1950. Shortly after winning a role in a UCLA production of “Macbeth,” a well-connected fraternity brother brought him along to serve as an extra in a Pepsi-Cola commercial. The next day, Dean filmed a second spot, in which he danced around a jukebox while singing a Pepsi jingle. Having made a favorable impression, the same producer then hired him to play John the Apostle in “Hill Number One,” a TV special that aired on Easter 1951. Though he had only a few lines, it was apparently enough for some girls at a Los Angeles parochial high school to form his first fan club: the Immaculate Heart James Dean Appreciation Society.
Natalie Wood talks with James Dean on set of the film ‘Rebel Without A Cause’ in 1955.
(Credit: Warner Brothers/Getty Images)
Dropping out of college to focus full time on acting, Dean landed bit roles in a few Hollywood films before moving to New York City in October 1951. While there, he appeared in two Broadway plays and numerous TV shows. Yet he did not catch his big break until 1954, when his portrayal of a gay houseboy in the play “The Immoralist” brought him to the attention of director Elia Kazan. With John Steinbeck’s approval, Kazan cast Dean in a screen adaptation of Steinbeck’s epic novel “East of Eden.” Thus propelled to stardom, Dean next filmed “Rebel Without a Cause,” the only movie in which he received top billing, and “Giant,” which co-starred Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson. More movies were in the works, but Dean died before he could make them.
James Dean leaning against a dressing room trailer on the set of director George Stevens’s film, ‘Giant,’ in 1955.
(Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Cinematographers, composers, writers, an actress and a costume designer had all received posthumous Oscar nominations, but never a male actor until 1956, when Dean’s portrayal of troubled teenager Cal Trask in “East of Eden” won him a best actor nod. The next year, he was nominated again for best actor, this time for playing ranch hand Jett Rink in “Giant.” He didn’t win either year, however, losing out to Ernest Borgnine and Yul Brynner, respectively. Since then, several other stars have likewise earned best actor or best supporting actor nominations after their deaths, including Spencer Tracy and Heath Le
Naomi Watts Sex Scenes
You Basic
Belly Punching Jasmin

James Dean History

Report Page