James Dean, biography of the famous American actor

James Dean, biography of the famous American actor who marked the history of stars and stripes

Sometimes it doesn’t take a ten-year career to stand out. Even a little is enough to remain in history and in the collective imagination. The most important actors are those who leave their mark, even if with fleeting presence on the big international scene. What happened to the legendary James Dean . A truly mythological figure of cinema understood in an overall sense, but real at the same time for what is provided. The classic handsome star, attractive, cultural and style icon for entire generations. The generation of the 1950s , in particular, has this in mind.

Here we retrace the life and career of American actor James Dean, in the new post dedicated to the bio of famous actors, edited by our portal!

James Dean: from law studies to TV

James Dean was born in Marion, USA, on February 8, 1931. Of English descent, but of absolutely American blood. He goes to college in Santa Monica and studies Law . Of course, we are always talking about the Anglo-Saxon world but his brand is typically stars and stripes. 

He soon realizes, however, that reading is not his real path, so much so that he leaves college to move to New York and devote himself to other activities. He wants to establish himself in the world of theater as an actor and changes address : he chooses in fact to study theatrical disciplines.

He was admitted to the Actors Studio and from that moment his career took off almost definitively . He has talent, and it shows immediately. Just the courage to do what you love is enough. And he had it. It all starts from a Pepsi Cola commercial in which he had taken part as a protagonist. The right preamble to take flight in a certain area.

The devastating and magnetic impact on the camera has always had it and has subsequently ridden it. In the early 1950s, James Dean became a consummate actor on several television programs .

James Dean’s career begins

It is after the war, therefore, that James Dean takes off, managing to establish himself in a world that is never easy. He plays the role of American President Ronald Reagan in the telefilm The dark dark hours , dated 1954. In the play The immoralist all his disproportionate talent comes out in a preponderant way on the stage. The litmus test of a unanimous opinion on one of the most promising young actors of the time, according to what was sentenced by film critics. Once the criticism has been unanimous, the road becomes much simpler, in a broad sense. Because his abilities begin to be clear. 

James Dean takes flight

From then on, Hollywood hired him full-time . He earns leading roles in 1950s historical films such as Sons of Glory and Beware of Sailors . But it is thanks to The Valley of Eden that gets the Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

Two other prominent films are Gioventu bruciata and Il gigante . In them James Dean becomes the model of a certain type of rebellious youth as opposed to paternal and adult authority. A very popular cultural phenomenon especially after World War II.

He grew more and more and entire generations identified with his figure, considered a real pop icon and, paradoxically, also nonconformist.

Lo style the James Dean

The actor has always been characterized by a particular predisposition to an anguished, misunderstood, but also brazen acting . The dominant theme in James Dean’s films remains the continual search for paternal approval towards which to strive. A sort of obsession that characterizes its existence and is fully expressed on a cinematic level.

A rebel of other times able to drag the masses with him and to become problematic, from certain points of view. For example, in Gioventu bruciata, the American actor plays the role of a boy struggling with various personal problems related above all to alcohol, crime and violence.

A rebellion which, however, takes on a more interior and less subversive character than its peers of the 1950s, who fought to regain some political and social freedom.

The last film in which James Dean appears is called The Giant. 1956 film, directed by George Stevens. Thanks to this work he gets an Oscar nomination for best actor .

The death of James Dean

All this, however, occurs after the date of his death. In fact, he meets a tragic fate on 30 September 1955 . He dies at the age of 24 from a car accident . Accident due to a head-on collision with another car while driving his Spyder. He was only 24 years old.

His last words, spoken just before impact when Dean’s mechanic Wutherich tells Dean to slow down, were:

“That boy will have to stop … See us!”

A death that inevitably upsets the great cinema of the time and millions of fans who were inspired by a legendary figure from all points of view. Paradoxically, his popularity increased even more in conjunction with his demise.

Listed by the American Film Institute among the greatest stars ever to have lived in world cinema . He is 18th in this noble all star ranking.

James Dean’s private life

On a private level, James Dean occupies the gossip pages for a long time also in Italy.

He was rumored to have an affair with an Italian actress on the launch pad, Anna Maria Pierangeli. A short-lived liason, very pumped up by the media of the time and not very tangible in the reality of the facts. So much so that she replaces him immediately and, probably, this too must have contributed to Dean’s subsequent state.

In fact, the actor falls into a depressive vortex that completely envelops him. He ends up in the net of alcohol and constant reckless driving. Hence the tragic end mentioned above.

It was also said at the time that he might have homosexual tendencies . Thanks to the outing in this sense, he manages to escape military service, but he never officially declares that he has a predilection for men. All this despite the constant chatter about an active sexual and private life in terms of men.

To a question related to his homosexuality, it declares:

“No, I’m not homosexual. But I’m not even going to live life with one hand tied behind my back “

Filmography James Dean

Let’s see together the short filmography of James Dean, in the following lines:

1. Fixed Bayonets !, directed by Samuel Fuller (1951) – uncredited
2. Beware of the sailors! (Sailor Beware), directed by Hal Walker (1952) – uncredited
3. The Last Threat (Deadline – USA), directed by Richard Brooks (1952) – uncredited
4. Il capitalista (Has Anybody Seen My Gal?), By Douglas Sirk (1952) – uncredited
5. L’irresistibile Mr. John (Trouble Along the Way), by Michael Curtiz (1953) – uncredited
6. East of Eden, by Elia Kazan (1955)
7. Rebel Without a Cause, by Nicholas Ray (1955)
8. Giant, by George Stevens (1956)
9. Finding Jack, directed by Anton Ernst and Tati Golykh (2020) – recreated in CGI

Conclusions

Short, but intense. The perfect summary of James Dean’s existential and cinematic journey. Reference to one of the most impressive actors who have ever been in front of a camera. Leading exponent of a black and white cinema that is no longer there with its rebel movements and ways of acting, but which represents a milestone for its historicity and epicity.