James Dean
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'''James Byron Dean''' (8 Feb 1931 – 30 Sep 1955) was a two-time Oscar-nominated [[United States|American]] film actor. Dean's status as a cultural icon is best embodied in the title of his most celebrated film, ''[http://sites.google.com/site/movielegends/rebel-without-a-cause Rebel Without a Cause]'', in which he starred as troubled 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). | '''James Byron Dean''' (8 Feb 1931 – 30 Sep 1955) was a two-time Oscar-nominated [[United States|American]] film actor. Dean's status as a cultural icon is best embodied in the title of his most celebrated film, ''[http://sites.google.com/site/movielegends/rebel-without-a-cause Rebel Without a Cause]'', in which he starred as troubled 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). | ||
| − | + | ==Early life== | |
| − | James Dean was born to Winton Dean and Mildred Wilson Dean at the | + | James Dean was born to Winton Dean and Mildred Wilson Dean at the "Seven Gables" apartment house, at the intersection of 4th and McClure Streets in Marion, Grant County, [[Indiana]]. Six years after his father had left farming to become a dental technician, James and his family moved to Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, [[California]]. The family spent some years there, and by all accounts young Jimmy was very close to his mother. According to Michael DeAngelis, she was "the only person capable of understanding him".(Michael DeAngelis, ''Gay Fandom and Crossover Stardom: James Dean, Mel Gibson and Keanu Reeves'' (Duke University Press, 2001), p.97) He was enrolled in Brentwood Public School in [[Los Angeles County, California]] until his mother died of cancer in 1940. |
| − | Unable to care for his nine-year-old son, Winton Dean sent the young James to live with Winton's sister Ortense and her husband Marcus Winslow on a farm in Fairmount, Grant County, [[Indiana]], where he entered high school and was brought up with a Quaker background. Here Dean sought the counsel of, and formed an enduring friendship with, Methodist pastor Reverand James DeWeerd. DeWeerd seemed to have had a formative influence upon the teenager, especially upon his future interests in bullfighting, car racing, and the theater. According to Billy J. Harbin, | + | Unable to care for his nine-year-old son, Winton Dean sent the young James to live with Winton's sister Ortense and her husband Marcus Winslow on a farm in Fairmount, Grant County, [[Indiana]], where he entered high school and was brought up with a Quaker background. Here Dean sought the counsel of, and formed an enduring friendship with, Methodist pastor Reverand James DeWeerd. DeWeerd seemed to have had a formative influence upon the teenager, especially upon his future interests in bullfighting, car racing, and the theater. According to Billy J. Harbin, "Dean had an intimate relationship with his pastor... which began in his senior year of high school and endured for many years." |
For more details concerning this homosexual relationship, see Billy J. Harbin, Kim Marra and Robert A. Schanke, eds., ''The Gay And Lesbian Theatrical Legacy: A Biographical Dictionary Of Major Figures In American Stage History in the Pre-Stonewall Era'' (University of Michigan Press, 2005), 133. See also Joe and Jay Hyams, ''James Dean: Little Boy Lost'' (1992), p.20, who present an account alleging Dean's molestation as a teenager by his early mentor DeWeerd and describe it as Dean's first homosexual encounter (although DeWeerd himself portrayed his relationship with Dean as a completely conventional one). | For more details concerning this homosexual relationship, see Billy J. Harbin, Kim Marra and Robert A. Schanke, eds., ''The Gay And Lesbian Theatrical Legacy: A Biographical Dictionary Of Major Figures In American Stage History in the Pre-Stonewall Era'' (University of Michigan Press, 2005), 133. See also Joe and Jay Hyams, ''James Dean: Little Boy Lost'' (1992), p.20, who present an account alleging Dean's molestation as a teenager by his early mentor DeWeerd and describe it as Dean's first homosexual encounter (although DeWeerd himself portrayed his relationship with Dean as a completely conventional one). | ||
In high school, Dean's overall performance was mediocre, but he successfully played on the baseball and basketball team and studied public speaking and drama. After graduating from Fairmount High School on 16 May 1949, Dean moved back to California with his beagle, Max, to live with his father and step-mother. He enrolled in Santa Monica College, majoring in pre-law. Dean transferred to UCLA and changed his major to drama, which resulted in estrangement from his father. He pledged the Sigma Nu fraternity but was never initiated. While at UCLA, he beat out 350 actors to land the role of Malcolm in ''Macbeth''. At that time, he also began acting with James Whitmore's acting workshop. In January 1951, he dropped out of college to pursue a career as an actor. | In high school, Dean's overall performance was mediocre, but he successfully played on the baseball and basketball team and studied public speaking and drama. After graduating from Fairmount High School on 16 May 1949, Dean moved back to California with his beagle, Max, to live with his father and step-mother. He enrolled in Santa Monica College, majoring in pre-law. Dean transferred to UCLA and changed his major to drama, which resulted in estrangement from his father. He pledged the Sigma Nu fraternity but was never initiated. While at UCLA, he beat out 350 actors to land the role of Malcolm in ''Macbeth''. At that time, he also began acting with James Whitmore's acting workshop. In January 1951, he dropped out of college to pursue a career as an actor. | ||
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==Acting career== | ==Acting career== | ||
