Overview
James Dean
Known For
Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes
Newly discovered interviews with Elizabeth Taylor and unprecedented access to...
Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed
This timely exploration of Hollywood and LGBTQ+ identity examines the...
Tab Hunter Confidential
Throughout the 1950s, Tab Hunter reigned as Hollywood’s ultimate male...
James Dean: Little Prince, Little Bastard
The collar of his coat turned up in New York:...
James Dean: Sense Memories
Documentary exploring the last 18 months of James Dean's acting...
Rebel Without a Cause: Defiant Innocents
Rebel Without a Cause: Defiant Innocents is a documentary chronicling...
Biography
James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931 – September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He is remembered as a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement, as expressed in the title of his most celebrated film, Rebel Without a Cause (1955), in which he starred as troubled teenager Jim Stark. The other two roles that defined his stardom were loner Cal Trask in East of Eden (1955) and surly ranch hand Jett Rink in Giant (1956). After his death in a car crash on September 30, 1955, Dean became the first actor to receive a posthumous Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his role in East of Eden. Upon receiving a second nomination for his role in Giant the following year, Dean became the only actor to have had two posthumous acting nominations. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him the 18th best male movie star of Golden Age Hollywood in AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars list.