James Byron Dean

 James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931 – September 30, 1955)

He is a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment, 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). Dean's enduring fame and popularity rest on his performances in only these three films, in two of which he is in the leading role. Dean's first television appearance was in a Pepsi Cola television commercial, and he subsequently moved on to walk on roles in a few movies, including Sailor Beware with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. He also appeared on such 1950's TV shows as Robert Montgomery Presents, Kraft Theater, G.E. Theater, and Danger. Dean's best-remembered relationship was with young Italian actress Pier Angeli, whom he met while Angeli was shooting The Silver Chalice on an adjoining Warner lot, and with whom he exchanged items of jewelry as love tokens. Unfortunately, their romance was ended by Angeli's mother and studio executives, who pressured the relationship to end He became fascinated with fast cars and auto racing, and participated at several races in California with moderate success. During a break in filming "Giant," he was driving his new Porsche 550 Spyder to a race in northern California. While on Route 466 near Cholame, California, an automobile driven from the opposite direction attempted a left turn, crossing into his lane, which resulted in a head-on collision. Dean was mortally injured and died en route to the hospital at the age of 24.

He received a posthumous nomination in the 1955 Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in "East of Eden," the first official posthumous acting nomination in Academy Awards history, and also received one for "Giant". James Dean is buried at Park Cemetery in Fairmount, IN.