James Dean

James Dean’s Early Acting Career

Born in 1931 in Marion Indiana, after dropping out of UCLA’s theater program, James Dean made his first television appearance in a Pepsi commercial, while his initial roles on the big screen came first with an uncredited appearance in 1951’s Fixed Bayonets, followed a year later by Sailor Beware, which was a comedy starring Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin.

Parking Lots and Theaters

Still an unknown and quite starving actor in greater Los Angeles, Dean worked as a parking lot attendant at CBS Studios, where he met radio director Roger Brackett, who would become one of Dean’s most influential mentors in Hollywood.

Moving to New York City in 1951, Dean studied under Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio, before finding success in such 1950s television shows as Kraft Television Theater, Omnibus and General Electric Theater.

What Made James Dean Famous?

Dean’s ascendancy to cultural icon came with the 1955 film adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel East of Eden, where many of his most recognizable scenes were unscripted improvisations, which would later make him the first actor in Academy Award history to receive a posthumous Oscar nomination. Later that same year, Dean starred as an agonized teenager in Rebel Without a Cause, a role that would galvanize his image in 1950s American culture. He also starred alongside Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson in the 1956 release of Giant, which was a multigenerational family saga based in early 20th century Texas.

How Did James Dean Die?

Dean’s life came to a tragic and premature end on September 30th, 1955, when the budding race car driver and his mechanic, Rolf Wuetherich traveled in Dean’s new Porsche 550 Spyder to a race in Salinas California. After receiving a speeding ticket during a stop in Bakersfield, Dean collided head-on with 23-year-old Cal Poly student, Donald Turnupseed, and while Turnupseed and Wuetherich survived, James Dean was killed on impact. The following year, Dean was nominated for his second posthumous Oscar for his role in Giant—the only actor in Academy history to receive two posthumous nominations—making the life and works of James Dean, a cultural standout in 1950s America.