James Dean, born in Indiana in 1931, became an iconic figure in cinema despite his short life. He showed an interest in theater during high school and landed his first acting job in a Pepsi commercial. After studying at the Actors Studio in New York, he signed a contract with Warner Bros. and starred in East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause, and Giant. Dean’s love of speed and fast cars led to his death in a car accident at age 24. He remains a brooding romantic figure in the public imagination.
James Dean was born in the small farming town of Fairmount, Indiana in 1931. In his short life and after his death he has become one of the most iconic figures in the history of cinema. While in high school, he became a top athlete, but also showed an interest in theater. Encouraged by his acting coach, Dean landed his first acting job starring in a Pepsi commercial.
He soon began getting small roles in television dramas. James Dean then moved to New York in 1951 and began studying at the famed Actors Studio with legendary coach/teacher Lee Strasberg. He quickly landed roles on stage, in productions such as The Immoralist and See the Jaguar, and in many live television dramas. In 1954, Dean signed a contract with Warner Bros., one of the largest studios of the time.
The first film to bear James Dean’s name was Elia Kazan’s East of Eden in 1955, adapted from the book by John Steinbeck. Dean captured his problem son, Cal Trask perfectly. Portraying emotions such as alienation, anguish and jealousy, Dean earned a posthumous Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. However, it was his next film that made James Dean a legend.
Released a month after his death, Rebel Without a Cause touched the chords of teenagers all over the world. Dean merged the sensitivity of Montgomery Clift with the sexuality and explosive rage of Marlon Brando. Again, he portrayed the alienation, confusion and anguish and soon became the voice of a generation. James Dean in jeans, red jacket and white T-shirt is still one of the most iconic cinematic images ever.
James Dean’s third and final film, Giant, in 1956, was a rousing epic. His portrayal of the lonely and troubled Jett Rink brought him his second Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Critics were divided on his acting talent, but audiences, especially teenagers, loved him. He was acting out their emotions up there on the screen. Dean’s personal life, which has been the subject of much speculation, was presumably as tormented and lonely as that of his on-screen characters.
It was his love of speed and fast cars that would end James Dean’s short life. In 1955, Dean was killed while driving his Porsche Spyder sports car. He collided with another car and died instantly. Ironically, a few days earlier he had shot a road safety commercial for the National Highway Committee.
It is not known what heights James Dean could have reached if he had lived. He now he is etched into the public imagination and into the film as a brooding romantic figure. With his death at the age of 24, James Dean will always be seen as the eternal teenager.
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