Never before has the phrase 'live fast and die young' been more suitable to describe an individual as it is to describe one of the coolest actor to ever grace the big screen... of course I'm talking about James Dean.
James Dean lost his life at the tender age of twenty four after showing promise in his three starring big screen roles in East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant.
His fame and popularity rests on these three performances as his death cemented him as a legend. Over the years this popularity has not wavered as Dean has become a cultural and cinematic icon.
As a jobbing actor in LA Dean got his first job in a television advertisement for Pepsi Cola before going on to be case as John the Beloved Disciple in Hill Number One.
Walk on roles in Fixed Bayonets, Sailor Beware and Has Anyone Seen My Gal also came his way before he began to struggle to find other work.
His career took a turn when he moved to New York appearing in several television series including Studio One and The Web.
His admission to the legendary Actor's Studio, where he studied under Lee Strasberg led to the young actor landing roles in Omnibus and The Immoralist.
It wasn't long before Hollywood came calling.
His first major big screen role came in 1955 when he was cast as Cal in Elia Kazan's East of Eden.
Loosely based on John Steinbeck's novel East of Eden follows brothers Cal and Adam who compete for the love of their farmer father.
While the film didn't win over all the critics James Dean and Jo Van Fleet were nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars, with Jo Von Fleet winning the award.
Elia Kazan was also nominated for Best Director and Paul Osborn for Best Writing: screenplay.
Dean's most notorious role as teenage misfit Jim Stark in Rebel Without A Cause came next.
Rebel without a Cause focuses on a teenage social outcast searching for his identity. His dysfunctional parents (a milquetoast father and a cantankerous mother) can't help him and he shuns any form of authority.
The young man only finds solace in the company of two fellow teenage misfits, but even they aren't able to prevent tragedy from befalling this reckless and uncontrollable anti-hero.
The film was well received critically was cited as being a an accurate of teenage behaviour and angst at the time.
The film was nominated for three Oscars Best Supporting Actor for Sal Mineo, best Supporting Actress for Natalie Wood and Best Writing, Motion Picture Story for Nicholas Ray.
1956 movie Giant was to be Dean's last movie role and was released posthumously were he played Jett Rink, a racist Texan, alongside Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor.
The movie follows the story of a wealthy land owner and cattle rancher who marries a spoiled and wealthy Virginian.
When the two return to Hudson's cattle empire in Texas, conflicts around race, class and changing traditions rise to epic proportions and test the unity of the family and surrounding community.
The film gave Dean his second Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, Rock Hudson was also nominated in the same category.
The film also received nominations for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Mercedes McCambridge), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Colour, Best Costume Design, Colour, Best Film Editing, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, Best Picture and Best Writing, Best Screenplay - Adapted.
It went on to win the award for Directing.
James Dean lost his life on September 30, 1955, on U.S. Route 466 (later State Route 46) when he hit another car, which attempted to take the fork onto State Route 41 and crossed into Dean's lane without seeing him, they crashed head on.
The actor was pronounced dead on arrival at Paso Robles War Memorial Hospital.
Now almost fifty three years after his death, despite not fulfilling the potential that so many people saw in him, Dean still remains one of the most celebrated actors in the industry.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
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