James Dean

His sexuality was often a matter of discussion in the film world. One of his best friends, William Bast revealed years after Dean’s death that the two had a sexual relationship.

He also dated many women including the actress Beverly Wills, Barbara Glenn, and Liz Sheridan. He had a much publicized affair with the beautiful Italian actress Pier Angeli.

He loved car racing from a young age. On 30 September, 1955 he along with his mechanic was driving to a weekend race in California when his car had a head-on collision with another. He was taken to a hospital where he was declared brought dead.

He was born to Winton Dean and Mildred Wilson in Indiana. His father, who once worked in farming, became a dental technician to improve his prospects.

The family moved to California and James attended Brentwood Public School for a while before joining the McKinley Elementary School. He was a mediocre student.

He was very close to his mother who he felt was the only person who understood him. Unfortunately his mother became sick with cancer and died when the boy was just nine years old.

He proved to be a popular student in high school and he played on the school’s baseball and basketball teams. He also studied drama and practiced public speaking. He graduated from Fairmount High School in 1949.

He enrolled at the Santa Monica College (SMC) where he majored in pre-law. However, he realized that he did not want to be a lawyer but an actor. Thus he transferred to UCLA where he changed his major to drama. This angered his father and the two became estranged.

His entry into television was in a Pepsi Cola television commercial. He found a role in the comedy ‘Sailors Beware’ which also had Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin. The initial years were very difficult for him and he often took up part-time jobs to make ends meet.

He moved to New York City and enrolled at the Actors Studio to study under Lee Strasberg. While in New York he worked as a stunt tester for the game show, ‘Beat the Clock’.

Over the early 1950s he played small roles in various television programs such as ‘Family Theater’ (1951), ‘The Bigelow Theatre’ (1951), ‘CBS Television Workshop’ (1952), and ‘Hallmark Hall of Fame’ (1952).

He starred in an Off-Broadway production of Franz Kafka’s ‘The Metamorphosis’ in 1952. It revolves around the tale of a man who finds himself being transformed into a large, monstrous insect-like creature.

In 1954, he appeared in the Broadway production of ‘The Immoralist’, which tells the story of a gay man who marries a woman hoping that the marriage would help him deal with his homosexual desires.

He played the lead role in ‘East of Eden’ which is about a young man who vies for the attention of his religious father who always seems to prefer his brother. This film was the only major film of his to be released during his lifetime.

His portrayal of Jim Stark in the iconic movie, ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ catapulted him to stardom. His moody character lent itself perfectly to the image of the disturbed teenager he was playing.