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  • JAMES DEAN


    Information From IMDb


    Date of Birth
    8 February 1931, Marion, Indiana, USA


    Date of Death
    30 September 1955, Cholame, California, USA (road accident)


    Birth Name
    James Byron Dean


    Nickname
    Jimmy Dean


    Trade Mark
    Frequently played angry youths


    Height
    5' 8" (1.73 m)


    Trivia
    Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#42). [1995]


    . Ranked #33 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]


    The famous Failure Analysis Associates, from Menlo Park, California, re-constructed and re-created all details of the accident at the same approximate time on September 30th and have concluded that James Dean was travelling 55 to 56 m.p.h. when the fateful accident occurred, thereby proving he had not been speeding, as rumor had it.


    Most of his so-called affairs with various starlets were made up by the Warner Brothers PR. He did have love affairs with Pier Angeli and Liz Sheridan.


    He also worked as a "stunt tester" on the game show "Beat the Clock" (1950), testing the safety of the stunts that some of the studio audience members would later perform. However he proved so agile at completing the stunts that his results couldn't be used to set time limits for contestants to complete them. So he was reluctantly let go.


    Interred at Park Cemetery, Fairmount, Indiana, USA.


    Reportedly, Dean was very much in love with Pier Angeli and they planned to marry, but her mother blocked the union because Dean wasn't Catholic and she helped arrange Pier's marriage to Vic Damone. Before she committed suicide, Pier wrote that Dean was the only man she had ever really loved.


    Briefly studied dance with Katherine Dunham.


    Won the Bloom Award as "Best Newcomer" for early Broadway work in "The Immoralist".


    He was issued a speeding ticket only two hours and fifteen minutes before his fatal accident.


    Eagles penned a lyric about him that went: "Too fast to live, too young to die."


    Was the first actor to receive an Academy Award nomination posthumously, for his role in East of Eden (1955). However, he did not win.


    Grandson of Charles Dean and Emma Dean.


    Nephew of Ortense Winslow (sister of his father) and Marcus Winslow.


    Cousin of Marcus Winslow Jr.


    Immortalized in 1974 by the song "Rock On" sung by David Essex.


    Only actor in history to receive more than one Oscar nomination posthumously.


    Pictured on a 32¢ US commemorative postage stamp in the Legends of Hollywood series, issued 24 June 1996.


    Pledged Sigma Nu fraternity but dropped out of college before being initiated.


    Ironically, he filmed a highway safety commercial with actor Gig Young on the set of Giant (1956) in July 1955. Dean told Young, "I used to fly around quite a bit, took a lot of unnecessary chances on the highway....Now when I drive on the highway, I'm extra cautious."


    Donald Turnupseed, the driver of the other car involved in Dean's accident, died of cancer in 1995. Turnupseed couldn't swerve out of the way of Dean's Porsche Spyder, but he successfully swerved journalists who frequently pestered him for interviews about the accident.


    He is one of several famous and tragic figures from history to be featured on the front and back sleeves of rock band Marillion's "Clutching at Straws" album, released in 1987.


    East of Eden (1955) was the only one of the three movies in which he had major roles to be released while he was alive.


    One of only four male actors to be posthumously nominated for an Oscar as best actor in a leading role. The others were Spencer Tracy, Peter Finch, and Massimo Troisi.


    Contrary to popular belief, Dean's middle name was not taken from Lord Byron, but from a relative, "Byron" Dean.


    During the filming of Giant (1956), he and Rock Hudson did not get along. This tension heightened their on-screen clashes. However, according to Hudson's ex-wife Phyllis Gates, he cried after hearing the news of Dean's death. Gates wrote, "Rock couldn't be reached. He was overcome by guilt and shame, almost as though he himself had killed James Dean."


    At the time of his death, Dean did not leave behind a will, so most of his possessions went to his father, Winton Dean, whose relationship with him was distant at best.


    In her book "Dizzy and Jimmy", Liz Sheridan claims she and Dean were engaged.


    Dean's acting breakthrough came on Broadway in the drama "See the Jaguar", despite its run of less than a week (only 4 days).


    Along with Martin Sheen and Steve McQueen, is mentioned in R.E.M.'s song "Electrolite".


    Referenced by name in the John Mellencamp song "Jack and Diane".


    He was voted the 22nd Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.


    Was a graduate from Santa Monica College, a California junior college that boasts its elite drama program. Went on to UCLA but left after appearing in one stage production, as Malcolm in "Macbeth", as he was anxious to get his acting career started.


    According to "The Mutant King", David Dalton's 1974 biography of James Dean, the rumor that Dean was a masochist who liked to have cigarettes stubbed out on his naked body can be traced to a pencil sketch of his called "The Human Ash Tray". The sketch featured a human body, in the guise of an ash tray, with many cigarette stubs in it. Dalton speculates that the sketch has nothing to do with Dean's sexual proclivities but much to do with the fact that he was a heavy smoker.


    Marlon Brando, in his 1994 autobiography "Songs My Mother Taught Me", says that Dean, who idolized him, based his acting on him and his lifestyle on what he thought Brando's lifestyle was.


    Dated Ursula Andress when she was a starlet in Hollywood in the mid-1950s, as did his idol, Marlon Brando.


    Elia Kazan, in his 1988 autobiography "A Life", says that during the production of East of Eden (1955), he had to have Dean move into a bungalow near his on the Warner Bros. lot to keep an eye on him, so wild was his nightlife.


    Director Elia Kazan did not believe that Dean would have been able to sustain the momentum of his career. He felt that Dean's career, had he lived, would have sputtered out, as he was not well-trained and relied too much on his instincts, as opposed to his idol Marlon Brando, who, contrary to what people believed, had been very well-trained by his acting teacher Stella Adler and relied on that training to create his characters.


    His favorite book was "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.


    He was voted the 30th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Premiere Magazine.


    Was named #18 greatest actor on The 50 Greatest Screen Legends list by the American Film Institute.


    Loved playing practical jokes on friends and reading.


    Hilary Duff's 2005 "Most Wanted" album includes the song "Mr. James Dean", which is all about him.


    Is one of the many movie stars mentioned in Madonna's song "Vogue"


    Had a fondness for auto racing and had purchased the 1955 Porsche Spyder sports car, one of only 90 made of that year model, planning to participate in the upcoming races in Salinas, CA on Oct 1, 1955.


    He was descended largely from early British settlers to America.


    One of the many personalities mentioned in Billy Joel's song "We Didn't Start the Fire" (1989).


    Received posthumous Oscar nominations for his his first and last ever screen performances: East of Eden (1955) and Giant (1956).


    Aping Marlon Brando, he also bought a Triumph motorcycle. Instead of Brando's 650cc 6T Thunderbird model, which he used in the film, The Wild One (1953), he bought the smaller 500cc TR5 Trophy model. This Triumph featured in a famous series of photographs by Phil Stern, the motorcycle itself being recovered, restored and currently displayed at the "James Dean Museum" in Fairmount, Indiana.


    Lost his two front teeth in a motorcycle accident in his youth.


    President Ronald Reagan referred to Dean as "America's Rebel".


    His favorite drink was coffee and his favorite ice cream flavors were coffee and raspberry.


    His tastes in music were eclectic. He liked African Tribal music and Afro-Cuban music, as well as classical (Béla Bartók, Igor Stravinsky); jazz/blues(Billie Holiday) and pop (Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra). His favorite song was Billie Holiday's "When Your Lover Has Gone" and his favorite album was Sinatra's "Songs for Young Lovers".


    His first professional acting gig was in a Coca-Cola commercial, handing out bottles of Coke to teenagers who were riding a merry-go-round.


    His final screen test for East of Eden (1955) was shot with Paul Newman, who also was in the final running for one of the roles. Originally, director Elia Kazan had considered casting Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift in the roles of the two brothers, but they were too old to play teenagers as they were both in the their 30s in 1954. Newman's age, 29, also put him at a disadvantage. Dean, 23 years old and Richard Davalos, aged 19, were cast as the fraternal twins.


    At the time of his death, Dean was signed to appear in Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956) at MGM and The Left Handed Gun (1958) at Warner Bros. Both parts subsequently were taken by Paul Newman and helped make him a star. Newman's career may very well have been retarded if Dean had lived as, while still alive, they competed for the same roles (East of Eden (1955)).


    Signed a nine-picture, $1-million deal with Warner Bros. before his death. He did not live long enough to honor it.


    Like his hero Marlon Brando (Dean had been separated from his own father as a child and was distant from him. Brando apparently served as a role model for Dean) Dean wanted to write. He told gossip columnist Hedda Hopper that writing was his supreme ambition.


    According to Marlon Brando, Dean would often call him, leaving messages with Brando's answering service. Brando would sometimes listen, silently, as Dean instructed the service to have Brando call back. Brando, disturbed that Dean was copying his life-style (motorcyle, bongo drums) and acting techniques, did not return his calls. The two met at least three times: on the set of East of Eden (1955); on the set of Desirée (1954) and at a party, where Brando took Dean aside and told him he had emotional problems that required psychiatric attention.


    While a struggling actor in the 1950s, he once lived at 19 West 68th Street, off Manhattan's Central Park West.


    Was good friends with Martin Landau.


    His performance as Jim Stark in Rebel Without a Cause (1955) is ranked #43 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).


    Just before his death, his agent, Jane Deacy, negotiated a 9-picture deal over 6 years with Warner Bros. worth $900,000. Dean's next project was to be a television version for NBC of Emlyn Williams' play "The Corn is Green", in which he was to star with Judith Anderson. His next film was to be Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956), a biopic of boxer Rocky Graziano, for which Warners were loaning him to MGM and in which he was replaced by Paul Newman. Newman also replaced him in the role of Billy the Kid in The Left Handed Gun (1958). Three other roles with which he was being linked were the leads in Gun for a Coward (1957), This Angry Age (1958) and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958).


    Was Oscar nominated in two-thirds of his films, a record which will probably never be bettered.


    He was given a Siamese cat as gift by Elizabeth Taylor.


    Was terribly near-sighted and wore thick glasses when not on screen.


    Referenced by name in the Skid Row song, "Forever" ("wild cigarettes like James Dean").


    Was biggest idol of Elvis Presley.


    Mentioned in Don McLean's hit song "American Pie".


    Was originally considered for the leading role in Oklahoma! (1955).


    His closest and most intimate friend for the last five years of his life was William Bast.


    Much like Dean himself was with Marlon Brando, Elvis Presley emulated and idolized James Dean. He would talk to friends for hours about his reverence for Dean, and got into acting as a way of following in Dean's footsteps. He confessed to his friends and close ones that Dean had the acting career he always wanted.


    His father inherited his estate, which was valued at the time of his death at $96,438.44 after taxes. The bulk of the estate came from his life insurance policy as well as $6,750 in insurance claims from his Porsche Spyder. His checking account had a balance of $3,256.48.


    While filming The Swan (1956) in Hollywood, Alec Guinness he met James Dean, just days before the young actor's death. Sir Alec later recalled predicting that Dean would die in a car crash: when Dean showed Guinness his newly-bought Porsche, Guinness advised him to "Get rid of that car, or you'll be dead in a week!" Guinness unfortunately proved right.


    At the time of his death, he was signed to play in "The Battler" on the "Playwrights '56" (1955) television series. The role went instead to Paul Newman.


    Rolf Wütherich, the German auto mechanic who was riding with Dean in the passenger seat during his fatal auto crash, was thrown from the car by the impact and received multiple injuries. After Dean's death, he fell into depression from the trauma of the incident and made several suicide attempts. He died in Germany in 1981 in an auto accident similar to the one that James Dean died in.


    Personal Quotes
    Only the gentle are ever really strong.


    Gratification comes in the doing, not in the results.


    Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today.


    An actor must interpret life and, in order to do so, must be willing to accept all the experiences life has to offer. In fact, he must seek out more of life than life puts at his feet. In the short span of his lifetime, an actor must learn all there is to know, experience all there is to experience, or approach that state as closely as possible. He must be superhuman in his efforts to store away in the core of his subconscious everything that he might be called upon to use in the expression of his art.


    It was an accident, although I've been involved in some kind of theatrical function or other since I was a child: in school, music, athletics. To me, acting is the most logical way for people's neuroses to manifest themselves, in this great need we all have to express ourselves. To my way of thinking, an actor's course is set even before he's out of the cradle.


    To grasp the full significance of life is the actor's duty; to interpret it his problem and to express it his dedication. Being an actor is the loneliest thing in the world. You are all alone with your concentration and imagination, and that's all you have. Being a good actor isn't easy. Being a man is even harder. I want to be both before I'm done.


    Studying cows, pigs and chickens can help an actor develop his character. There are a lot of things I learned from animals. One was that they couldn't hiss or boo me. I also became close to nature and am now able to appreciate the beauty with which this world is endowed.


    [when told he was too short to be an actor] How can you measure acting in inches?


    [to Hedda Hopper] Trust and belief are two prime considerations. You must not allow yourself to be opinionated. You must say, "Wait. Let me see". And above all, you must be honest with yourself.


    When an actor plays a scene exactly the way a director orders, it isn't acting. It's following instructions. Anyone with the physical qualifications can do that. So the director's task is just that to direct, to point the way. Then the actor takes over. And he must be allowed the space, the freedom to express himself in the role. Without that space, an actor is no more than an unthinking robot with a chest-full of push-buttons.


    I'm not going to go through life with one arm tied behind my back.


    If a man can bridge the gap between life and death ... I mean, if he can live on after his death, then maybe he was a great man.


    [on acting] You can do Hamlet while performing cartwheels . . . as long as the audience sees your eyes - you can make the performance real.


    (When speaking to a friend) Death can't be considered, because if you're afraid to die there's no room in your life to make discoveries.


    I think I am gong to make it because on one hand I am like Clift saying help me and of the other hand I am Brando saying, 'Screw you!', and somewhere in between is 'James Dean'.


    I think the prime reason for existence, for living in this world, is discovery.


    Being an actor is the loneliest thing in the world. You are all alone with your concentration and imagination, and that's all you have.


    My purpose in life does not include a hankering to charm society.


    The cinema is a very truthful medium because the camera doesn't let you get away with anything. On stage you can even loaf a little, if you're so inclined.


    To me, acting is the most logical way for people's neuroses to manifest themselves.


    Salary
    Giant (1956) $21,000
    Rebel Without a Cause (1955) $10,000
    East of Eden (1955) $1,000/week


    Mini Biography
    James Dean was born in 1931 and raised on a farm by his aunt and uncle in Fairmount, Indiana. After grade school, he moved to New York to pursue his dream of acting. He received rave reviews for his work as the blackmailing Arab boy in the New York production of Gide's "The Immoralist", good enough to earn him a trip to Hollywood. His early film efforts were strictly bit parts: a sailor in the Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis overly frantic musical comedy Sailor Beware (1952); a GI in Samuel Fuller's moody study of a platoon in the Korean War, Fixed Bayonets! (1951) and a youth in the Piper Laurie-Rock Hudson comedy Has Anybody Seen My Gal (1952).


    He had major roles in only three movies. In the Elia Kazan production of John Steinbeck's East of Eden (1955) he played Caleb, the "bad" brother who couldn't force affection from his stiff-necked father. His true starring role, the one which fixed his image forever in American culture, was that of the brooding red-jacketed teenager Jim Stark in Nicholas Ray's Rebel Without a Cause (1955). George Stevens' filming of Edna Ferber's Giant (1956), in which he played the non-conforming cowhand Jett Rink who strikes it rich when he discovers oil, was just coming to a close when Dean, driving his Porsche Spyder race car, collided with another car while on the road near Cholame, California on September 30, 1955. He had received a speeding ticket just two hours before. James Dean was killed almost immediately from the impact from a broken neck. He was 24. His very brief career, violent death and highly publicized funeral transformed him into a cult object of apparently timeless fascination.
    IMDb Mini Biography By: Ed Stephan


    Filmography


    Actor
    1. Giant (1956) .... Jett Rink
    2. "Crossroads" (1 episode, 1955)
    - Broadway Trust (1955) TV episode
    3. Rebel Without a Cause (1955) .... Jim Stark
    4. "Schlitz Playhouse of Stars" .... Jeffrey Latham (1 episode, 1955)
    ... aka "Herald Playhouse" - USA (syndication title)
    ... aka "Schlitz Playhouse" - USA (new title)
    ... aka "The Playhouse" - USA (syndication title)
    - The Unlighted Road (1955) TV episode .... Jeffrey Latham
    5. "Lux Video Theatre" .... Kyle McCallum (2 episodes, 1952-1955)
    ... aka "Summer Video Theatre" - USA (summer title)
    - The Life of Emile Zola (1955) TV episode
    - The Foggy, Foggy Dew (1952) TV episode .... Kyle McCallum
    6. East of Eden (1955) .... Cal Trask
    ... aka "John Steinbeck's East of Eden" - USA (complete title)
    7. "The United States Steel Hour" .... Fernand Lagarde (1 episode, 1955)
    ... aka "The U.S. Steel Hour" - USA (alternative title)
    - The Thief (1955) TV episode .... Fernand Lagarde
    8. "General Electric Theater" .... Bud / ... (2 episodes, 1954)
    ... aka "G.E. Theater" - USA (informal short title)
    ... aka "G.E. True Theater" - USA (new title)
    - The Dark, Dark Hours (1954) TV episode .... Bud
    - I'm a Fool (1954) TV episode .... The Boy
    9. "Danger" .... Augie / ... (4 episodes, 1953-1954)
    - Padlocks (1954) TV episode .... Felon
    - The Little Woman (1954) TV episode .... Augie
    - Death Is My Neighbor (1953) TV episode .... J.B.
    - No Room (1953) TV episode
    10. "The Philco Television Playhouse" .... Rob (1 episode, 1954)
    ... aka "Arena Theatre" - USA (new title)
    ... aka "Repertory Theatre" - USA (new title)
    ... aka "The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse" - USA (new title)
    - Run Like a Thief (1954) TV episode .... Rob
    11. "Robert Montgomery Presents" .... Paul Zalenka (1 episode, 1953)
    - Harvest (1953) TV episode .... Paul Zalenka
    12. Harvest (1953) (TV) .... Paul Zalinka
    13. "Armstrong Circle Theatre" .... Joey Frazier (1 episode, 1953)
    - The Bells of Cockaigne (1953) TV episode .... Joey Frazier
    14. "Kraft Television Theatre" .... Jim / ... (3 episodes, 1952-1953)
    ... aka "Kraft Mystery Theatre" - USA (new title)
    ... aka "Kraft Theatre" - USA (new title)
    - A Long Time Till Dawn (1953) TV episode .... Joe Harris
    - Keep Our Honor Bright (1953) TV episode .... Jim
    - Prologue to Glory (1952) TV episode
    15. "Campbell Playhouse" .... Hank Bradon / ... (2 episodes, 1953)
    ... aka "Campbell Soundstage" - USA (new title)
    ... aka "Campbell Summer Soundstage" - USA (new title)
    - Life Sentence (1953) TV episode .... Hank Bradon
    - Something for an Empty Briefcase (1953) TV episode .... Joe Adams
    16. "Omnibus" .... Bronco Evans (1 episode, 1953)
    - Glory in the Flower (1953) TV episode .... Bronco Evans
    17. "The Big Story" .... Rex Newman (1 episode, 1953)
    - Rex Newman, Reporter for the Globe and News (1953) TV episode .... Rex Newman
    18. "Studio One" .... Hotel Bellboy / ... (3 episodes, 1952-1953)
    ... aka "Studio One Summer Theatre" - USA (summer title)
    ... aka "Studio One in Hollywood" - USA (new title)
    ... aka "Summer Theatre" - USA (summer title)
    ... aka "Westinghouse Studio One" - USA (alternative title)
    ... aka "Westinghouse Summer Theatre" - USA (summer title)
    - Sentence of Death (1953) TV episode .... Joe Palica
    - Abraham Lincoln (1952) TV episode .... William Scott
    - Ten Thousand Horses Singing (1952) TV episode .... Hotel Bellboy
    19. "Tales of Tomorrow" .... Ralph (1 episode, 1953)
    - The Evil Within (1953) TV episode .... Ralph
    20. "Treasury Men in Action" .... Arbie Ferris / ... (2 episodes, 1953)
    ... aka "Federal Men" - USA (video title)
    - The Case of the Sawed-Off Shotgun (1953) TV episode .... Arbie Ferris
    - The Case of the Watchful Dog (1953) TV episode .... Randy Meeker
    21. Trouble Along the Way (1953) (uncredited) .... Football Spectator
    22. "You Are There" .... Bob Ford (1 episode, 1953)
    - The Capture of Jesse James (1953) TV episode .... Bob Ford
    23. "The Kate Smith Hour" .... The Messenger (1 episode, 1953)
    - Hounds of Heaven (1953) TV episode .... The Messenger
    24. Has Anybody Seen My Gal (1952) (uncredited) .... Youth at soda fountain
    25. "Hallmark Hall of Fame" .... Bradford (1 episode, 1952)
    - Forgotten Children (1952) TV episode .... Bradford
    26. Deadline - U.S.A. (1952) (uncredited) (unconfirmed) .... Copyboy
    27. "CBS Television Workshop" .... G.I. (1 episode, 1952)
    - Into the Valley (1952) TV episode .... G.I.
    28. Sailor Beware (1952) (uncredited) .... Boxing opponent's second
    29. "The Stu Erwin Show" .... Randy (1 episode, 1951)
    ... aka "Trouble with Father" - USA (alternative title)
    - Jackie Knows All (1951) TV episode .... Randy
    30. Fixed Bayonets! (1951) (uncredited) .... Doggie
    31. "The Bigelow Theatre" .... Hank (1 episode, 1951)
    ... aka "Bigelow-Sanford Theater" - USA (second season title)
    ... aka "Hollywood Half Hour" - USA (syndication title)
    ... aka "Marquee Theater" - USA (syndication title)
    - T.K.O. (1951) TV episode .... Hank
    32. "Family Theatre" .... John (1 episode, 1951)
    - Hill Number One: A Story of Faith and Inspiration (1951) TV episode .... John


    Miscellaneous Crew
    1. "Beat the Clock" (1950) TV series (stunt tester) (unknown episodes, 1950)


    Self
    1. "Biography" .... Himself (1 episode, 2002)
    - James Dean: Outside the Lines (2002) TV episode .... Himself
    2. Warner Pathé News Issue # 87 (1955) .... Himself
    3. 'Giant' Stars Are Off to Texas (1955) (uncredited) .... Himself
    4. A Star Is Born World Premiere (1954) (TV) .... Himself (in crowd)
    5. "The Web" .... Himself (1 episode, 1952)
    - Sleeping Dogs (1952) TV episode .... Himself


    Archive Footage
    1. "20 to 1"
    - Hollywood's Hot List (2009) TV episode .... Himself
    2. "Tracks"
    - Dennis Hopper (2008) TV episode .... Himself
    3. Elvis: Return to Tupelo (2008) (V) .... Himself
    4. The Meadow (2008) (voice) (uncredited) .... Voices
    5. "Crash Science"
    - James Dean's Death (????) TV episode .... Himself
    6. "Living Famously"
    - James Dean (2006) TV episode .... Himself
    7. "La rentadora"
    - Coses d'ahir i avui (2006) TV episode
    8. September 30, 1955 (2006) .... Himself
    9. "Getaway"
    - Episode #14.34 (2005) TV episode .... Jim Stark
    10. James Dean - Kleiner Prinz, little Bastard (2005) (TV) .... Himself
    11. Cineastas contra magnates (2005) (uncredited) .... Jim Stark (in "Rebel Without a Cause")
    12. "The World's Most Photographed" (2005) .... Himself
    13. "Miradas 2"
    - Episode dated 2 June 2005 (2005) TV episode .... Himself
    14. East of Eden: Art in Search of Life (2005) (V) .... Cal Trask
    15. James Dean: Forever Young (2005) .... Himself
    16. "American Masters"
    - James Dean: Sense Memories (2005) TV episode .... Himself
    17. James Dean - Mit Vollgas durchs Leben (2005) (TV) .... Himself
    18. Die Geschichte des erotischen Films (2004) (TV)
    19. 101 Most Shocking Moments in Entertainment (2003) (TV) .... Himself
    20. James Dean and Marlon Brando (2003) (TV) .... Himself
    21. Return to 'Giant' (2003) (V) (uncredited) .... Himself
    22. Shirtless: Hollywood's Sexiest Men (2002) (TV) (uncredited) .... Himself
    23. Screen Tests of the Stars (2002) (TV) .... Himself
    24. James Dean: Born Cool (2001) (V) .... Himself
    25. The 72nd Annual Academy Awards (2000) (TV) (uncredited) .... The Rebel
    26. Elizabeth Taylor: England's Other Elizabeth (2000) (TV)
    27. Elizabeth Taylor: A Musical Celebration (2000) (TV) (uncredited)
    28. ABC 2000: The Millennium (1999) (TV)
    29. Warner Bros. 75th Anniversary: No Guts, No Glory (1998) (TV) (uncredited)
    30. Memories of 'Giant' (1998) (V) (uncredited) .... Himself
    31. James Dean: Race with Destiny (1997) (TV) (uncredited) .... Jim Stark
    32. Great Romances of the 20th Century: Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton (1997) (TV)
    33. Rediscovering a Rebel (1996) (TV) .... Himself - 'Jim Stark'
    34. James Dean: A Portrait (1996) (TV) .... Himself (1955 public service film)
    35. James Dean and Me (1995) (TV) .... Himself
    36. "Fame in the Twentieth Century" (1993) (uncredited) .... Himself
    37. Rock Hudson's Home Movies (1992)
    38. Death Scenes 2 (1992) (V) (uncredited) .... Himself
    39. Idols (1991) (TV) .... Himself
    40. "Naked Hollywood" (1991) .... Himself
    41. Hollywood Heaven: Tragic Lives, Tragic Deaths (1990) (V) .... Himself
    42. Forever James Dean (1988) .... Himself
    43. Faces of Torture (1988) (V)
    44. George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey (1984) .... Himself
    45. Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage (1983) .... Himself
    46. America at the Movies (1976) .... Himself
    47. James Dean: The First American Teenager (1975) (TV) .... Himself
    48. The James Dean Story (1957) .... Himself ('East of Eden' screen test footage)
    49. "The Steve Allen Show"
    - Episode #2.5 (1956) TV episode .... Himself

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited 3 times, last by ethanedwards ().

  • James Dean is probably one of the most iconic screen legends of them all,
    after Duke Wayne of course!!
    Ironically he made very few movies, and only three I can really remember,
    EastOf Eden, Rebel Without a Cause and the last film
    he was making when he lost his life, Giant


    Although I personally thought he was 'good' in these films,
    and OK he was 'good looking'
    but I still never fully understand, why he has attained such cult status.
    Perhaps in discussion, you will add your personal
    thoughts, as to why this young man, should attain
    such iconic cult status, that surpassed some of our
    most legendary movie stars!!!


    The Official James Dean Web-Site


    And from a later post,

    Quote

    I don't think many folks knew this,
    and I certainly didn't because I wasn't looking,
    is that James Dean made a movie with Duke!!


    21. Trouble Along the Way (1953) (uncredited) .... Football Spectator


    We may be able to spot, him, not hardly!

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited 8 times, last by ethanedwards ().

  • The three movies he's most remembered for are products of their times that reflected youthful alienation against adults and the system. If you look closely at his acting, he's mimicking Brando. Brando was highly overrated and Dean more so. I wouldn't look forward to re-watching any film they made in their prime. They're outdated.
    Even McQueen tried copying Dean in his early TV appearances - check out "The Defender" episode - and he was lousy too.
    I guess tonight is my night to be cranky. I feel like one of those old guys sitting in the balcony on "The Muppett Show".



    We deal in lead, friend.

  • never really liked james dean watched him in rebel without a cause and giant.to me he was a ok actor i wouldnt put myself out to watch any of his 3 films again.he reminds me of marlon brando and another bad actor.

  • I don't think many folks knew this,
    and I certainly didn't because I wasn't looking,
    is that James Dean made a movie with Duke!!


    Trouble Along the Way (1953) (uncredited) .... Football Spectator


    We may be able to spot, him, not hardly!

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited once, last by ethanedwards ().

  • I think what made him cult status is that he was a fast rising star, who died the way he lived. And he never grew old. So he will always be identified as a young rebel. As young people who question authority.

    ''baby sister i was born game and intend to go out that way.''

  • When I lived in L.A., I worked with several people in "the business" as a voice teacher and choral musician.


    It happens that I worked with two men that directed a couple of popular TV shows each, and they both knew JW and his kids, and oddly enough, they both talked about Dean.


    They talked about the same thing everyone else with a brain says: he gave the APPEARANCE of being that troubled youth that represented the angst of the time...


    They both said (and stated that most folks they knew in the industry agreed) that his career WOULD have died out very shortly had he not died, and he most likely would've been a mere blip on the radar.


    As we all know, tragedies concerning celebrities can have strange results with the public, and their perception of them.


    For the record, they didn't get the appeal of him either, and stated that a lot (but certainly not all) of people in the entertainment industry didn't buy all the hype either.