Remembrance

To see a complete timeline of James Dean’s life, click here! 

Joe Hyams, who was in the James Dean biography, spoke highly of Dean. "…There is no simple explanation for why he has come to mean so much to so many people today. Perhaps it is because, in his acting, he had the intuitive talent for expressing the hopes and fears that are a part of all young people... In some movie magic way, he managed to dramatize brilliantly the questions every young person in every generation must resolve."

This week is the 35^th Annual James Dean Festival, starting on September 23^rd and continuing to the 26^th. It is held in Fairmount, Indiana, where Dean grew up and spent most of his childhood. The festival is free to the public and includes rides, venders, live entertainment, a car show, a parade, a James Dean look-alike contest, 1950’s dance competition, and so much more! For more information click here! 

To this day, everybody remembers and loves the most popular face of the 50’s. Dean remains more famous than ever. All over the world, his abundance of fans honors his life and career, sure that he will not be forgotten. He is still embodied and portrayed in many ads and photo shoots today.

Zac Efron portrays James Dean on the cover of  Wonderland magazine this month

Chris Colfer channels James Dean for Rolling Stone

In the famous words of James Dean, “Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today.”

The End Of It All

Soon after completing Giant, Dean got into a terrible car accident. On September 30^th, 1955 Dean was driving with Rolph Weutherich, a Porsche mechanic, in his new silver Porsche 550 Spyder, which was nicknamed “Little Bastard.”  They were on their way to an auto rally in Salinas, California. They were pulled over and received a ticket for going 65 mph in a 55. The officer warned James to be careful and he continued on his way. James was speeding down the highway and crashed straight into a Ford sedan and was killed instantly. James’s car ended up 15 feet off the road next to a telephone pole. Rolph survived with a broken leg and severe head injuries. Donald Turnupseed, who was in the other car, only had a few cuts and bruises. James unfortunately got the short end of the stick, and was nearly decapitated. At the young age of only 24, James Dean was pronounced dead.

The car crash

“If a man can bridge the gap between life and death, if he can live on after he's dead, then maybe he was a great man.” –James Dean

Over Night Sensation!

           Film director Elia Kazan caught sight of James. He cast him as the primary role in the screen version of Steinbeck’s East of Eden in ’55. This was the first time James was finally considered a movie star, he was an over night sensation! He even ended up being nominated for an Academy Award. To celebrate the success of the movie, Dean purchased his very first Porsche. He began entering into road races as a part-time hobby.

His next big role was as the teenage rebel Jim Stark in the classic movie Rebel Without a Cause.  He played the hero that teenagers could respect and look up to, making him a major Hollywood actor. This movie is what caused him to become the icon of his generation.  In the same year, Dean then completed his third and final film, Giant. Sadly, Dean never even got to see the movie premiere.

 

East of Eden

Rebel Without A Cause

Giant 

The Birth of a Star

James Byron Dean was born February 8th, 1931, in Marion, Indiana. His father, being a dental technician, was required to move to LA when James was only five years old., so the family packed up and moved out. When his mother, Mildred Dean, passed away four years later, James moved back to the Midwest to be raised by his aunt and uncle. During high school, James was always successful in sports, band, drama, and art, and received many awards for them. Once he graduated high school, he went back to California to attend Santa Monica Junior College and continued onto UCLA. This was the beginning of James’s acting career. He attended acting workshops, occasionally appearing in commercials, his first one being an extra in a Coca-Cola commercial. He obtained some roles on stage and in film. Actor James Whitmore advised James to move to NYC to engage in a serious acting career. After several little jobs, he was cast as a main character in See The Jaguar in ’53 and The Immoralist in ’54. This was only the start of James’s career.