Gone too fast. If there is a phrase most suitable to describe the life of James Dean, it would be this. He quickly rose to fame after a notable performance in “East of Eden”. After a year, he made it to the news again but this time, it was on his horrible death. Let’s look back into what transpired in the two dozen years of this cultural icon known as the “Rebel Without a Cause.”
Originally named James Byron Dean, he was born on February 18, 1931, in Marion, Indiana. At that time, the Depression era hit the state hard. His father, Winston Dean, decided to leave the life of farming and moved the family to Santa Monica California. There, Winston started working as a dentist. The Dean family stayed in the middle-class town for years and James attended the Brentwood Public School. However, the family encountered a new tragedy- the death of Mildred, James’ mother. Winston decided to send James back to Indiana for their relatives to take care of him. The boy was nine at that time.
In his new home on a farm, James found a family not only with his uncle and aunt. He became very close to the town’s minister of the local Methodist church. Rev. James DeWeerd became the boy’s mentor. The minister also had a huge influence on James’ interest as the former was fond of the theater, matador, and car racing. Even as a young boy, James was already fascinated with race cars and the idea of racing. However, he was not permanently in the same place for him to pursue a long relationship with this interest.
Right after James completed high school, he moved back to California. There, he went first to Santa Monica City College. But with his love of theater, he changed his major and transferred to the University of California in Los Angeles although his stay in UCLA was also short-lived. After playing the role of Malcolm in the university production of “Macbeth”, James dropped out and started to work his way towards the silver screen. His first paid appearance on television was in a commercial of Pepsi, as a guy who placed the coins in the jukebox to start off the Pepsi jingle. He, later on, became a part of two films called “Fixed Bayonets!” in 1951 and “Sailor’s Beware” in 1952, although he was uncredited for them. He also had a cameo in the 1952 film “Has Anybody Seen My Gal?” where he played an obnoxious spoiled kid.
Casting directors would give James different bit parts because they developed an affinity for him. Although small and thin, he had expressive eyes and brows. He also has a physique and facial expressions that were hard to miss. However, during this time, Hollywood already has a strong lineup of good-looking men. James also wanted to be known for more than just being a pretty face. During this time, James met James Whitmore, who was the former’s acting workshop teacher. Whitmore was an early student of the prestigious Actors Studio in New York City. It was Whitmore who told James to study in that school to further hone his craft. There, James became one of the youngest students ever.
During and after his stint in the Actor Studio, things started to look up for James. He had live TV credits including Omnibus, Kraft Television Theater, and General Electric Theater. James also went to Broadway. He had a role in the “See The Jaguar.” But it was his performance as a gay Arab houseboy in the “Immoralist” which caught the eye of Hollywood big wigs. There, director Elia Kazan saw his performance and cast him in the film adaptation of “East of Eden” by John Steinbeck.
In “East of Eden”, James explored a method of acting, which was still unfamiliar in Hollywood as most of his scenes were unscripted and improvised. Although previous actors have already adapted this technique, James’ was the rawest and the most unpolished, making him the most exciting actor of his time. His role for “East of Eden” earned him a nomination for an Academy Award, which came after his death. This was the first time for an actor to be given a posthumous nomination for an Oscar.
The next project came after. “Rebel Without A Cause”, by Nicholas Ray, explored the concept of juvenile delinquency in the rich suburbs of America. It was a well-casted film with James, Sal Mineo and Natalie Wood in the lead. The movie became a cult classic and clinched James’ stardom and suddenly, he became an icon among teens. The movie had a raw authenticity to it as it tackled violent emotions, adolescent rivalry, and sexuality among America’s rich but bored teenagers.
Even before the movie was released, James already moved on to his next project, a supporting role for Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson for “Giant.” Although the role was not a lead part and James was already a star at this point, he pursued it because he was craving for more than just fame. The movie, which lasted for more than three hours, had James take the role of an ignorant and impoverished cowhand who eventually turned into an oil baron. James also received a posthumous nomination for his role, making him the first actor to receive two Oscar nominations after his death.
The maturity and the diversity of all roles in his major movies turned the young aspirant into a real actor. He has identified a part of himself in the characters that he played. The one that was searching for affection from his parents, the one who is emotionally awkward, the one who was always misunderstood, the one who wanted his peers to accept him, the one who was painfully lonely. All of these roles hit close to home and James found a way to exploit these experiences and emotions to strengthen his method of acting.
But James also had a life outside of acting and as his life became faster, his long-running need for speed also became stronger. As a way to channel this interest, James became a professional race car driver. But with the seriousness of his main profession, James also didn’t race when George Stevens demanded it from him while filming “Giants.” It was only when he finished his final scene on September 27, 1955, when he decided to join yet another race car competition.
Three days after, in the afternoon of September 30, 1955, while on his way to a weekend race in Salinas, California, James reached his final line. Along with mechanic Rolf Wuetherich, James drove his new Porsche 550 Spyder. As the team needed to “break-in” the car, before the race, they drove around Salinas. Further into Route 466, the car crashed into a Ford Tudor driven by a student of California Polytech, Donald Turnupseed. The collision left James with a broken neck, severe external and internal injuries. At 5:45 pm, James was pronounced dead. He was 24.
