James Dean
Birthday: Born in 1931-02-08 in Marion, Indiana, USA
Deathday: 1955-09-30
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.
TV Credits
Omnibus
Character: Bronco Evans
Omnibus is an American, commercially sponsored, educational television series....
General Electric Theater
Character: The Boy
General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations....
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Character: Bradford
Hallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City based greeting card company. The longest-running primetime series in the history of television, it has a historically long run, beginning during 1951 and continuing into 2013. From 1954 onward, all of its productions have been shown in color, although color television video productions were extremely rare in 1954. Many television movies have been shown on the program since its debut, ...
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Character: Jeffrey Latham
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars is an anthology series that was telecast from 1951 until 1959 on CBS. Offering both comedies and drama, the series was sponsored by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. The title was shortened to Schlitz Playhouse, beginning with the fall 1957 season....
Studio One
Character: William Scott
An American radio–television anthology series, created in 1947 by Canadian director Fletcher Markle, who came to CBS from the CBC. Studio One, presented by Westinghouse, was one of the first of the anthology TV programs. The episodes were often abridged remakes of movies from years gone by and many future well-known television and movie actors appeared in the productions....
Studio One
Character: Joe Palica
An American radio–television anthology series, created in 1947 by Canadian director Fletcher Markle, who came to CBS from the CBC. Studio One, presented by Westinghouse, was one of the first of the anthology TV programs. The episodes were often abridged remakes of movies from years gone by and many future well-known television and movie actors appeared in the productions....
Armstrong Circle Theatre
Character: Joey Frasier
Armstrong Circle Theatre is an American anthology drama television series which ran from 1950 to 1957 on NBC, and then until 1963 on CBS. It alternated weekly with The U.S. Steel Hour....
Robert Montgomery Presents
Character: Paul Zalinka
Robert Montgomery Presents is an American dramatic television series which was produced by NBC from January 30, 1950 until June 24, 1957. The live show had several sponsors during its seven-year run, and the title was altered to feature the sponsor, usually Lucky Strike cigarettes, for example, Robert Montgomery Presents Your Lucky Strike Theater, ....The Johnson's Wax Program, and so on....
Tales of Tomorrow
Character:
Tales of Tomorrow is an American anthology science fiction series that was performed and broadcast live on ABC from 1951 to 1953. The series covered such stories as Frankenstein, starring Lon Chaney, Jr., 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea starring Thomas Mitchell as Captain Nemo, and many others featuring such performers as Boris Karloff, Brian Keith, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Bruce Cabot, Franchot Tone, Gene Lockhart, Walter Abel, Leslie Nielsen, and Paul Newman. The series had many similarities to ...
The Big Story
Character: Rex Newman
Based on a popular radio series, each show tells a different reporter's Big Story, a true story selected from newspapers across the United States. Comments from the actual reporter open and close each show but the permanent narrator drives the plot line and a featured actor dramatizes the reporter's role....
The United States Steel Hour
Character: Fernand Lagarde
The United States Steel Hour is an anthology series which brought hour-long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the United States Steel Corporation....
General Electric Theater
Character: Bud
General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations....
Studio One
Character: Hotel Bellboy (uncredited)
An American radio–television anthology series, created in 1947 by Canadian director Fletcher Markle, who came to CBS from the CBC. Studio One, presented by Westinghouse, was one of the first of the anthology TV programs. The episodes were often abridged remakes of movies from years gone by and many future well-known television and movie actors appeared in the productions....
Crossroads
Character: Man in Crowd
An anthology series based on the activities of clergymen from different denominations....
You Are There
Character: Bob Ford
You Are There is an American historical educational television and radio series broadcast over the CBS Radio and CBS Television networks....
The Philco Television Playhouse
Character: Robbie Warren
The Philco Television Playhouse is an American anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC from 1948 to 1955. Produced by Fred Coe, the series was sponsored by Philco. It was one of the most respected dramatic shows of the Golden Age of Television, winning a 1954 Peabody Award and receiving eight Emmy nominations between 1951 and 1956....
Kraft Television Theatre
Character: Jim Cooper
Kraft Television Theater is an American, well-received anthology series presenting live television dramas....
Movie Credits
Rebel Without a Cause
Character: Jim Stark
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....
East of Eden
Character: Cal Trask
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....
Run Like a Thief
Character: Robbie
Alexander has been a faithful employee of Madame Pollard as maitre d' at her elegant resort. Eager to introduce his protege Rob, things go wrong when his wife Della finds an expensive bracelet lost by Pollard and begs to keep. The police are called and Alexander's dreams of his future begin to crumble....
Giant
Character: Jett Rink
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....
Keep Our Honor Bright
Character: Jim Cooper
A college student faces embarrassment and expulsion for having cheated on an exam. Her fiance is a member of the university's undergraduate honor board and could quietly make the matter "disappear." The young woman reconsiders, deciding that covering up for her bad behavior would be wrong and build a bad foundation for their marriage....
Hollywood Heaven: Tragic Lives, Tragic Deaths
Character: (archive footage)
Welcome behind the closed doors of a Hollywood that only a select few will ever get to see -- a Hollywood of tragic lives and tragic deaths. Some of the worlds brightest stars are hiding deep, dark secrets that - once revealed show a life of unhappiness, heartbreak and torment that has been so carefully hidden behind the glamour and glitter of the big screen. See the true lives behind some of Hollywoods most iconic stars and learn why, for some, it was as if the act of dying itself was a final p...
Return to 'Giant'
Character: Self (archive footage)
In the summer of 1955, an army of cameramen, lighting techs and movie stars descended on the small, west Texas town of Marfa to film what has become, "the national movie of Texas."...
James Dean and Me
Character: Self (archive footage)
A documentary about James Dean. People who knew him or had worked with him reminisce....
James Dean: Born Cool
Character:
James Dean: Born Cool tells the story of James Dean's rise from small town boy to immortal icon as told by Jimmy's closest family and friends from the perspective of his hometown of Fairmount, Indiana. Made with the full cooperation of the Dean Estate, Born Cool includes unprecedented access to hundreds of rare and never before seen photos and home movies, plus exclusive interviews with those who knew Jimmy best....
Children of 'Giant'
Character: Self (archive footage)
"Children of 'Giant'" is a documentary film that unearths deeply wrought emotions in the small West Texas town of Marfa, before, during and after the month-long production of George Stevens' 1956 feature film, "Giant." Based on the controversial Edna Ferber novel of the same name, the film, "Giant" did not shy from strong social-issue themes experienced throughout post-WWII America. George Stevens, its producer and director, purposely gravitated to the drought-ridden community of Marfa for most ...
Rebel Without a Cause: Defiant Innocents
Character: Himself (uncredited)
Rebel Without a Cause: Defiant Innocents is a documentary chronicling the production of the film....
Deadline - U.S.A.
Character: Press Boy (uncredited)
With three days before his paper folds, a crusading editor tries to expose a vicious gangster....
The Unlighted Road
Character: Jeffrey Latham
Young Jeff Latham stops at a roadside diner and ends up working there. After meeting a nice local girl, everything seems to be going his way. Things get complicated when he unwittingly gets involved with criminals working out of the diner....
Death Is My Neighbor
Character: J.B.
A New York City apartment building supervisor has his job and home threatened by a new tenant....
Padlocks
Character: The Man (Jack)
A criminal fleeing from the police stops to rob an eccentric old recluse of her treasures....
Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed
Character: Self (archive footage)
This timely exploration of Hollywood and LGBTQ+ identity examines the life of legendary actor Rock Hudson, from his public "ladies' man" persona to his private life as a gay man....
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Character: Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Out-takes (mostly from Warner Bros.), promotional shorts, movie premieres, public service pleas, wardrobe tests, documentary material, and archival footage make up this star-studded voyeuristic look at the Golden age of Hollywood during the 30s, 40, and 50....
Hello Actors Studio
Character: Self (archive footage)
After Lee Strasberg’s death in 1982, the most prestigious talents from the Actors Studio assumed the leadership of this exceptional organization. For the first time ever, filmmakers have been allowed to film their work....
Death Scenes 2
Character: Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
DEATH SCENES II continues the exploration into the dark recesses of violence and rage that ended in such heinous crimes as the Manson Family's assault on society. You'll see the gruesome aftermath of mob reprisals, public executions and international terrorism. DEATH SCENES II uniquely ushers the brave and curious into a spellbinding trip through the reality that is our world today....
Rediscovering a Rebel
Character: Self - 'Jim Stark' (archive footage)
A documentary short on the making of Rebel Without a Cause....
Fixed Bayonets!
Character: Doggie (uncredited)
The story of a platoon during the Korean War. One by one, Corporal Denno's superiors are killed until it comes to the point where he must try to take command responsibility....
Forever James Dean
Character: Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
The life and times of one of Hollywood's brightest stars....
James Dean: The First American Teenager
Character: Self (archive footage)
Stacy Keach narrates this documentary that chronicles the abbreviated life and career of iconic brooding bad boy James Dean, from his obscure early days working in television to his rise to stardom in films such as Rebel Without a Cause. Clips from Dean's movies are intermingled with candid interviews with the star's friends and Hollywood colleagues, including Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dennis Hopper....
James Dean: Sense Memories
Character: Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Documentary exploring the last 18 months of James Dean's acting career....
James Dean Remembered
Character: Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Peter Lawford hosts this documentary taking a look at the life and films of James Dean....
Hill Number One: A Story of Faith and Inspiration
Character: John
The story of the Crucifixion, set within the context of the Korean War....
Letter to Jane: An Investigation About a Still
Character: Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
The film's subject is a photograph of Jane Fonda visiting Hanoi during the Vietnam War. It asks what the position of the intellectual should be in the class struggle and points out the irony of Jane Fonda's participation in the photo shoot, which was staged....
A Long Time Till Dawn
Character: Joe Harris
Just out of prison Joe Harris looks to restart his life. His wife Barbie has moved and the one man who can tell him where refuses to do so. Enraged, Joe beats the old man senseless and runs away to his father's home, where he also finds his wife. A police detective comes around about the beating (which will soon to become a murder) and Joe insists he's innocent. Joe tells his wife and father he's a changed man and he's only a suspect because of his prior conviction. Barbie and Fred struggle with...
Trouble Along the Way
Character: Football Spectator (uncredited)
Struggling to retain custody of his daughter following his divorce, football coach Steve Williams finds himself embroiled in a recruiting scandal at the tiny Catholic college he is trying to bring back to football respectability....
Sailor Beware
Character: Boxing Opponent's Second (uncredited)
Meeting in a navy recruiting line, Al Crowthers and Melvin Jones become friends. Al has tried to enlist before, but was always rejected. He keeps trying so that he can impress women. Melvin, is allergic to women's cosmetics and his doctor prescribed ocean travel, so he decided to join the navy....
The Thief
Character: Fernand Lagarde
The son of a French aristocrat is accused of stealing his father's money and of stealing his step-sister's heart....
A Star Is Born World Premiere
Character: Self
Live television broadcast of the world premiere. Described by various participants as the biggest world premiere in memory, even bigger than the Academy Awards....
Sentence of Death
Character: Joe Palica
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....
Tab Hunter Confidential
Character: Self (archive footage)
Throughout the 1950s, Tab Hunter reigned as Hollywood’s ultimate male heartthrob. But throughout his years of stardom, Tab had a secret. Tab Hunter was gay, and spent his Hollywood years in a precarious closet that repeatedly threatened to implode and destroy him. Tab Hunter himself shares first hand, for the first time, what it was like to be a studio manufactured movie star during the Golden Age of Hollywood and the consequences of being someone totally different from his studio manufactured i...
The Real James Dean
Character: Archival Footage
Although he'd starred in just three films before his untimely death at age 24, James Dean cast a long shadow that came to define cool. Using excerpts from Dean's personal diaries, found footage from screen and wardrobe tests and interviews with those who knew him best (including Dennis Hopper, Dick Van Patten, Graham Nash and Rod Steiger), this fascinating documentary explores the screen icon's lingering mystique....
Has Anybody Seen My Gal?
Character: Youth at Soda Fountain (uncredited)
When a 1920s millionaire tests the fiber of his Vermont family, a young lady and her boyfriend feel the repercussions....
The James Dean Story
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released two years after James Dean's death, this documentary chronicles his short life and career via black-and-white still photographs, interviews with the aunt and uncle who raised him, his paternal grandparents, a New York City cabdriver friend, the owner of his favorite Los Angeles restaurant, outtakes from East of Eden, footage of the opening night of Giant, and Dean's ironic PSA for safe driving....
James Dean: Little Prince, Little Bastard
Character:
The collar of his coat turned up in New York: Images which have collaborated on building a myth – the image of eternal and misunderstood youth. Unlike Marlon Brando, the proletarian rebel with identifiable goals, James Dean was the timeless and androgynous youthful rebel. His death on the Interstate 46 leads us back to 1950s America, a time when youth was re-interpreted all anew....
James Dean: Forever Young
Character:
A brief career. A timeless stardom. In just three major movie roles, James Dean became an icon for the ages. Now his legacy shines even brighter thanks to this fascinating film that, filled with an astonishing treasure trove of newfound or rare glimpses of Dean's TV performances, is like a road map to his meteoric success. Michael J. Sheridan directs and Martin Sheen narrates this revealing documentary showcased at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. Movie clips, romances, photos that are part of our...
The Bells of Cockaigne
Character: Joey
An old warehouse worker dreams of saving enough money to return to his native Ireland, but it would seem unlikely. A young man who also works there is in a bad fix, he too has little money but his baby is sick and needs medicine he can't afford. He gambles with the dock workers and loses what little he had. Meanwhile, the old man discovers he has a valuable dollar with the winning serial number in a newspaper contest....
Jackie Knows All
Character: Randy
A story about love, real estate, and mind reading....
10,000 Horses Singing
Character: Hotel Bellboy
James Dean and John Forsythe star in this story of a wealthy orphan who meets a shy airline owner aboard a plane and later discovers that a corpse has been stowed there....
The Foggy, Foggy Dew
Character: Kyle McCallum
From Lux Video Theater...
Abraham Lincoln
Character: William Scott
The story of court-martialed Union soldier William Scott, who is slated for execution for sleeping on duty after he was sent for by Abraham Lincoln....
Forgotten Children
Character: Bradford
The story of Martha Berry, who brought education to the impoverished children of rural Georgia after the Civil War....
The Hound Of Heaven
Character: Angel
Recently drowned Hyder Simpson refuses to pass through the Pearly Gates if it means leaving his beloved, possum hunting hound Rip behind....
Something For An Empty Briefcase
Character: Joe Adams
Joe wants a different future than one as a petty hoodlum and when he attempts to rob an aspiring dancer Noli, he glimpses the possibilities. He imagines purchasing a briefcase as a start but his crime partner is reluctant to let him go....
Rex Newman
Character: Todd Ingalls
Rex Newman, Reporter for the Globe and News....
Life Sentence
Character: Hank Bradon
An inmate tending the prison grounds notices the woman next door neighbor often watches him. He sneaks over to visit and tells her he will be released in two weeks. He says he plans on coming for her to take her away. While she has pleaded with her husband to move away from the prison, he has his reasons for wanting to stay. The prisoner could be the answer to her problem....
Harvest
Character: Paul Zalinka
A young man in love with a sophisticated woman from the city is torn between his desires and those of his family. His parents wish him and his brother to stay and work on their small Minnesota wheat farm while both want to escape the tough life and move to the city. It's up to the mother to keep the family together in spirit during their Thanksgiving holiday reunion....
Sherwood Anderson's I'm A Fool
Character: The Boy
A man tells the story of his coming to adulthood when he left home at age 18 and learned the consequences of telling a lie to impress a girl....
The Dark, Dark Hours
Character: Bud
A hood forces a doctor and his wife to remove a bullet from the hood's partner....
The Evil Within
Character: Ralph
Scientist perfects a chemical unleashing the beast within, but before he can create an antidote, his neglected wife accidentally is dosed when he has to rush a batch home to keep it refrigerated. Her mild resentment of his endless hours at the lab accelerates into a torrent, after she gobbles pie on which the potion dripped....
Året var 1955
Character: Self (archive footage)
1955 - the year when The rip hunter is buried in snow for eight days before his ski pole with a movie ticket is discovered. Ingrid Bergman gets bad reviews as Joan of Arc, and James Dean dies in a 185 km/h car crash. The knappupgänget, with Povel Ramel and Gunwer Bergkvist, go to Nairobi to shoot a film that will never be finished. Sweden votes no to right-hand traffic and the "Motbok" disappears in October. Charlie Norman writes film music and gets a job in the US, while Sigge Eriksson becomes ...
James Dean: A Portrait
Character: Self (archive footage)
A look at the legacy of icon actor James Dean on the 40th anniversary of his tragic death. The special follows his life and career, with obvious attention to the three big films that made him a legend; and interviews with the people who knew him....
Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies
Character:
Famous Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies...