- Best Foreign Actor Rebel Without a Cause 1957
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.
Filmography
1No films in this section.
Awards & recognition
1 nominations · 1 Award ceremony
Interesting facts
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Dean avoided the army by claiming he was homosexual — at the time, the US government considered same-sex attraction a mental disorder.
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In 1996, the US Postal Service issued a commemorative postage stamp in the Legends of Hollywood series dedicated to Dean.
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A student of the Lee Strasberg Studio.
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On September 30, 1955, James Dean was in a car accident; he died on the way to the hospital without regaining consciousness.
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In September 2005, the intersection between highways 41 and 46 in the California locality of Cholame, where James Dean died, was named in his honor.
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In 2009, James Dean "resurrected" in an advertisement for South African investment fund Allan Gray. The video shows bright moments from Dean's life that he could have experienced if he had not died. In particular, an actor resembling Dean receives an Oscar in the ad, shoots his own film, participates in sports car racing, and leads a protest against the Vietnam War. The video ends with the slogan: "If you had more time, imagine how much could be done." The commercial was titled "Legend."
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The accident in which James Dean died was recreated in David Cronenberg's erotic thriller Crash.
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Full name - James Byron Dean.
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James is the only actor to receive more than one Oscar nomination after death.
Frequent collaborators
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Photos
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