James Dean
Acting
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.
Born: February 8, 1931
Place of Birth: Marion, Indiana, USA
Known For
Final Days of an Icon
tragic deaths iconic figures
James Dean and Me
A documentary about James Dean. People who knew him or had worked with him reminisce.
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Long-running anthology program sponsored by Hallmark Cards. Beginning in 1951 and continuing into 2019, the series received 80 Emmy Awards, 24 Christopher Awards, 11 Peabody Awards, 9 Golden Globes, and 4 Humanitas Prizes. Early seasons were a weekly live drama, eventually transitioning to videotaped and then filmed productions broadcast as occasional specials.
A Star Is Born World Premiere
Live television broadcast of the world premiere. Described by various participants as the biggest world premiere in memory, even bigger than the Academy Awards.
Giant
Wealthy rancher Bick Benedict and dirt-poor cowboy Jett Rink both woo Leslie Lynnton, a beautiful young woman from Maryland who is new to Texas. She marries Benedict, but she is shocked by the racial bigotry of the White Texans against the local people of Mexican descent. Rink discovers oil on a small plot of land, and while he uses his vast, new wealth to buy all the land surrounding the Benedict ranch, the Benedict's disagreement over prejudice fuels conflict that runs across generations.
East of Eden
In the Salinas Valley in and around World War I, Cal Trask feels he must compete against overwhelming odds with his brother for the love of their father. Cal is frustrated at every turn, from his reaction to the war, how to get ahead in business and in life, and how to relate to his estranged mother.
Rebel Without a Cause
After moving to a new town, troublemaking teen Jim Stark is supposed to have a clean slate, although being the new kid in town brings its own problems. While searching for some stability, Stark forms a bond with a disturbed classmate, Plato, and falls for local girl Judy. However, Judy is the girlfriend of neighborhood tough, Buzz. When Buzz violently confronts Jim and challenges him to a drag race, the new kid's real troubles begin.
James Dean: Rebel Generation
The antithesis of the virile heroes of his era, James Dean shook up the representation of adolescence and masculinity in three films shot in 1955, the same year he died in a car accident at the age of 24—exactly seventy years ago: Rebel Without a Cause, East of Eden, and Giant. This meteoric rise made him an instant icon, frozen in eternal, rebellious youth, which still resonates strongly today.
Kraft Television Theatre
Kraft Television Theater is an American, well-received anthology series presenting live television dramas.
Sentence of Death
A woman witnesses a murder during a store robbery but claims the accused man is not the killer. After he is convicted and weeks away from his execution date, she sees the real killer, but the police are reluctant to reopen the case.
Filmography
as Self (archive footage)
as Self (archive footage)
as Self (archive footage)
as Self (archive footage)
as Self (archive footage)
as Archival Footage
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
as Self (archive footage)
as Himself (uncredited)
as Self (archive footage)
as Self - 'Jim Stark' (archive footage)
as Self (archive footage)
as Self (archive footage)
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
as (archive footage)
as Self (archive footage)
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
as Self (archive footage)
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
as Self (archive footage)
as Jett Rink
as Jim Stark
as Man in Crowd
as Jeffrey Latham
as Cal Trask
as Fernand Lagarde
as Bud
as The Boy
as The Man (Jack)
as Robbie
as Paul Zalinka
as Joey
as Joe Harris
as Fernand Lagarde
as Hank Bradon
as Jim Cooper
as Todd Ingalls
as J.B.
as Joe Palica
as Joe Adams
as Ralph
as Football Spectator (uncredited)
as The Boy
as Bud
as Bob Ford
as Angel
as Bronco Evans
as Youth at Soda Fountain (uncredited)
as Bradford
as William Scott
as Press Boy (uncredited)
as Kyle McCallum
as Hotel Bellboy
as Boxing Opponent's Second (uncredited)
as Bradford
as Randy
as Doggie (uncredited)
as Jeffrey Latham
as Joey Frasier
as Paul Zalinka
as Rex Newman
as William Scott
as Joe Palica
as Hotel Bellboy (uncredited)
as Robbie Warren
as Jim Cooper