James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931 â€" 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, Dean became the first actor to receive a posthumous Academy
Award nomination for Best Actor, and remains 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.James Byron Dean was
born on February 8, 1931 at the Seven Gables apartment on the corner
of 4th Street and McClure Street in Marion, Indiana, the only child of
Mildred Marie (Wilson) and Winton Dean. He also claimed that his
father was partly Native American, and that his mother belonged to a
"line of original settlers that could be traced back to the
Mayflower". Six years after his father had left farming to become a
dental technician, Dean moved with his family to Santa Monica,
California. He was enrolled at Brentwood Public School in the
Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, but transferred
soon afterward to the McKinley Elementary School. The family spent
several years there, and by all accounts, Dean was very close to his
mother. According to Michael DeAngelis, she was "the only person
capable of understanding him". In 1938, she was suddenly struck with
acute stomach pain and quickly began to lose weight. She died of
uterine cancer when Dean was nine years old. Unable to care for his
son, Dean's father sent him to live with his aunt and uncle, Ortense
and Marcus Winslow, on their farm in Fairmount, Indiana, where he was
raised in their Quaker household. Dean's father served in World War II
and later remarried.
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, Dean became the first actor to receive a posthumous Academy
Award nomination for Best Actor, and remains 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.James Byron Dean was
born on February 8, 1931 at the Seven Gables apartment on the corner
of 4th Street and McClure Street in Marion, Indiana, the only child of
Mildred Marie (Wilson) and Winton Dean. He also claimed that his
father was partly Native American, and that his mother belonged to a
"line of original settlers that could be traced back to the
Mayflower". Six years after his father had left farming to become a
dental technician, Dean moved with his family to Santa Monica,
California. He was enrolled at Brentwood Public School in the
Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, but transferred
soon afterward to the McKinley Elementary School. The family spent
several years there, and by all accounts, Dean was very close to his
mother. According to Michael DeAngelis, she was "the only person
capable of understanding him". In 1938, she was suddenly struck with
acute stomach pain and quickly began to lose weight. She died of
uterine cancer when Dean was nine years old. Unable to care for his
son, Dean's father sent him to live with his aunt and uncle, Ortense
and Marcus Winslow, on their farm in Fairmount, Indiana, where he was
raised in their Quaker household. Dean's father served in World War II
and later remarried.
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.