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IMDbPro

James Dean(1931-1955)

  • Actor
  • Additional Crew
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
James Dean at an event for Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
In celebration of the 65th anniversary of 'Rebel Without a Cause,' we take a look back at the iconic film, starring James Dean, Natalie Wood, and Sal Mineo.
Play clip1:19
'Rebel Without a Cause' | Anniversary Mashup
7 Videos
99+ Photos
James Byron Dean was born February 8, 1931 in Marion, Indiana, to Mildred Marie (Wilson) and Winton A. Dean, a farmer turned dental technician. His mother died when Dean was nine, and he was subsequently 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 small roles: 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 Cal Trask, the bad brother who could not 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. At age 24, James Dean was killed almost immediately from the impact from a broken neck. His very brief career, violent death and highly publicized funeral transformed him into a cult object of apparently timeless fascination.
BornFebruary 8, 1931
DiedSeptember 30, 1955(24)
BornFebruary 8, 1931
DiedSeptember 30, 1955(24)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Nominated for 2 Oscars
    • 8 wins & 4 nominations total

Photos304

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Known for

East of Eden (1955)
East of Eden
7.8
  • Cal Trask
  • 1955
James Dean, Natalie Wood, and Corey Allen in Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Rebel Without a Cause
7.6
  • Jim Stark
  • 1955
James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, and Rock Hudson in Giant (1956)
Giant
7.6
  • Jett Rink
  • 1956
Kraft Theatre (1947)
Kraft Theatre
7.7
TV Series
  • Jim Cooper
  • Joe Harris

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor



  • The Big Story (1949)
    The Big Story
    6.6
    TV Series
    • Todd Ingalls
    • 1953–1957
  • James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, and Rock Hudson in Giant (1956)
    Giant
    7.6
    • Jett Rink
    • 1956
  • Crossroads (1955)
    Crossroads
    7.3
    TV Series
    • Man in Crowd (uncredited)
    • 1955
  • James Dean, Natalie Wood, and Corey Allen in Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
    Rebel Without a Cause
    7.6
    • Jim Stark
    • 1955
  • Hal Baylor, Hans Conried, and Chuck Hicks in Schlitz Playhouse (1951)
    Schlitz Playhouse
    7.3
    TV Series
    • Jeffrey Latham
    • 1955
  • Lux Video Theatre (1950)
    Lux Video Theatre
    7.2
    TV Series
    • Kyle McCallum
    • 1952–1955
  • East of Eden (1955)
    East of Eden
    7.8
    • Cal Trask
    • 1955
  • Kraft Theatre (1947)
    The United States Steel Hour
    7.7
    TV Series
    • Fernand Lagarde
    • 1955
  • Ronald Reagan in General Electric Theater (1953)
    General Electric Theater
    6.6
    TV Series
    • Bud
    • The Boy
    • 1954
  • Danger (1950)
    Danger
    7.2
    TV Series
    • Felon
    • Augie
    • J.B.
    • 1953–1954
  • Kraft Theatre (1947)
    The Philco Television Playhouse
    7.2
    TV Series
    • Robbie Warren
    • 1954
  • Robert Montgomery Presents (1950)
    Robert Montgomery Presents
    7.5
    TV Series
    • Paul Zalinka
    • 1953
  • Armstrong Circle Theatre (1950)
    Armstrong Circle Theatre
    7.1
    TV Series
    • Joey Frasier
    • 1953
  • Kraft Theatre (1947)
    Kraft Theatre
    7.7
    TV Series
    • Joe Harris
    • Jim Cooper
    • 1952–1953
  • Campbell Summer Soundstage (1952)
    Campbell Summer Soundstage
    6.4
    TV Series
    • Hank Bradon
    • Joe Adams
    • 1953

Additional Crew



  • Bud Collyer in Beat the Clock (1950)
    Beat the Clock
    6.9
    TV Series
    • stunt tester (1950)
    • 1950–1961

Videos7

'Rebel Without a Cause' | Anniversary Mashup
Clip 1:19
'Rebel Without a Cause' | Anniversary Mashup
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:01
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:01
Official Trailer
Giant
Trailer 3:44
Giant
Giant
Trailer 1:30
Giant
Rebel Without a Cause
Trailer 2:17
Rebel Without a Cause
Giant
Trailer 3:46
Giant

Personal details

Edit
  • Official sites
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
  • Alternative name
    • Jimmy Dean
  • Height
    • 5′ 7½″ (1.71 m)
  • Born
    • February 8, 1931
    • Marion, Indiana, USA
  • Died
    • September 30, 1955
    • Cholame, California, USA(road accident)
  • Children
    • No Children
  • Parents
      Mildred Wilson
  • Relatives
    • Laurie Oldenstål(Cousin)
  • Other works
    Stage: Appeared in "See the Jaguar" on Broadway. Written by N. Richard Nash. Incidental music by Alec Wilder [final Broadway credit]. Choreographed by Joe Layton. Directed by Michael Gordon. Cort Theatre: 3 Dec 1952-8 Dec 1952 (5 performances). Cast: Margaret Barker, Arthur Batanides, Harry Bergman, David Clarke, James Dean (as "Wally Wilkins") [Broadway debut], Harrison Dowd, Roy Fant (as "Gramfa Ricks"), Constance Ford (as "Janna"), Ted Jacques (as "Meeker"), Arthur Kennedy (as "Dave Ricks"), Dane Knell, Tony Kraber (as "Carson"), Phillip Pine, Cameron Prud'homme, Florence Sundstrom (as "Mrs. Meeker"), George Tyne (as "Harvey"). Produced by Lemuel Ayers. Produced in association with Helen Jacobson.
  • Publicity listings
    • 16 Biographical Movies
    • 23 Print Biographies
    • 10 Portrayals
    • 28 Articles
    • 2 Pictorials
    • 14 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

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  • Trivia
    Rolf Weütherich, 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 a depression from the trauma of the incident and made several suicide attempts. He died in West Germany in 1981 in an auto accident similar to the one that James Dean died in.
  • Quotes
    Only the gentle are ever really strong.
  • Trademarks
      Frequently played angry youths
  • Nicknames
    • Jimmy Dean
    • "One-Speed Dean"
    • JD
  • Salaries
      Giant
      (1956)
      $21,000 ($1500 per week)

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