James Dean

James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931 – September 30, 1955) was a two-time Oscar-nominated American
film actor. Dean's status as a cultural icon is best embodied in the title of his most celebrated
film, Rebel Without a Cause, in which he starred as troubled stereotypical high school rebel Jim
Stark. The other two roles that defined his star power were as the awkward loner Cal Trask in East
of Eden, and as the surly farmer Jett Rink in Giant. His enduring fame and popularity rests on only
three films, his entire starring output. His death at a young age helped guarantee a legendary
status. He was the first actor to receive a posthumous Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and
remains the only person to have two posthumous acting nominations (although other people had more
than one posthumous nomination in other Oscar categories).

Actor. Born on February 8, 1931, in Marion, Indiana. In his all-too-short career, James Dean became
a screen idol and a Hollywood legend. The son of a dental technician, he moved to California with
his parents when he was six years old for his father's work. Dean returned to Indiana at the age of
nine to live with his aunt and uncle on their farm after the death of his mother. After graduating
high school, he went to college in California, attending Santa Monica Junior College and University
of California, Los Angeles. Dean eventually dropped out to pursue acting full-time and landed a few
brief, uncredited film roles.

Moving to New York in 1951, James Dean struggled to make it as an actor. He eventually won a part in
the short-lived 1952 Broadway play See the Jaguar. Dean also won several small parts on television,
but it was his performance in The Immoralist (1954) that caught the attention of Hollywood.
Returning to California, he became a popular sensation with his performance in East of Eden (1955),
which earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. He is perhaps best known for
capturing teenage angst and rebellion on screen in Rebel Without a Cause (1955). In the film, he
played Jim Stark, a troubled teen, opposite Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo.

Driving with his mechanic to a racing event, James Dean was killed in a road crash on September 30,
1955. The next year his last film Giant (1956) was released, and Dean earned his second Academy
Award nomination for Best Actor posthumously. Dean embodied the expression "live fast and die
young," which has only fueled curiosity about his life and his work. He remains a popular icon of
youthful rebellion.