Since the dawn of Hollywood there have been many actors who deliver great performances, have memorable lines, do big action scenes, make us laugh, cry and wide-eyed with wonder. There are numerous legends of Hollywood, from Cary Grant, Gene Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, James Stewart, Audrey Hepburn, Marlon Brando and Marilyn Monroe to more modern day stars such as Robert Downey Jr, Meryl Streep, Morgan Freeman, Robert De Niro, Cate Blanchett, Helen Mirren and Jack Nicholson.

A list of the greats would easy number in the hundreds, so it can be hard to for these legends to distinguish themselves, but there are some who stand out. Several giants of the silver screen achieve mythic status and remain unique, different and spark our imagination and one of these stars is definitely James Dean.

Born February 8th 1931, James Byron Dean would go onto be one of the most memorable and beloved film stars of all time, doing all of this by the age of twenty-four. Starting his acting career in college, he left his law degree behind and take up drama. He was soon cast as Malcolm in a performance of Macbeth and began attend acting work classes, before quitting school altogether to focus on acting. This paid off quickly, with him being cast in an advert for Pepsi Cola and received his first speaking role in Hill Number One, an Easter special. He did bit parts but struggled to earn money for a while before meeting radio director Rogers Brackett, who took Dean under his wing and provided some roles.

Dean’s big break came in 1953 when cast as the lead in East of Eden, a film adaption of John Steinbeck’s novel. Dean would take risks with the role, doing many actions that were unscripted, however this helped to create an authentic and surprising performance, all adding to the emotional intensity of his character. He went onto receive a posthumous Academy Award for his role.

Not long after filming, East of Eden, Dean moved onto his greatest and most iconic role in Rebel Without a Cause. Playing the character Jim Stark, Dean was able to channel teenage angst and a true feeling of what it’s like to be a young person. The film was infamous for portraying the battle of generations and social commentary on teenagers. The movie was become hugely popular with young American’s and received many recognitions. This was Dean’s most famous performance and one that is still remembered and loved to this day.

The final performance of James Dean would be the film Giant, in which he plays a young ranch had who strikes oil. He took this role to avoid being typecast as a rebellious teenager, and even dyed his hair grey for the part to appear older. Dean received his posthumous Oscar nom for the film.

James Dean died on the 30th September 1955, at only twenty-four years old. He had recently taken an interest in auto racing and died when speeding down US Route 466 when travelling to a competition. His death became major news all over the world with thousands attending funeral.

His iconic roles at such as young age combined with an early demise cemented him as a legend. His myth carries to this day, with people rediscovering his roles. He has also entered pop culture and appears in numerous ways and is referenced often, with some examples being in media such as The Simpsons, Red Dwarf, La La Land and songs by Bruce Springsteen, Public Enemy, Taylor Swift and Bob Dylan. There have been several films about his life and even a virtual slot machine game that features iconic images associated with Dean with a review you can check out here.

With only three films to his name but a legacy that spans sixty years and counting, James

Dean will forever remain one of Hollywood’s true legends.

Stephanie Cooke
scooke@hotmail.ca
Stephanie is a Toronto based writer and editor. She's a comic book fan, avid gamer, movie watcher, lover of music, and sarcasm. She is a purveyor of too many projects and has done work for Talking Comics, JoBlo.com, Agents of Geek, Word of the Nerd, C&G Magazine, Dork Shelf, and more. Her writing credits include "Home Sweet Huck" (Mark Millar's Millarworld Annual 2017), "Lungarella (Secret Loves of Geek Girls, 2016), "Behind Enemy Linens" (BLOCKED Anthology, 2017), "Home and Country" (Toronto Comics Anthology, 2017) and more to come. You can read more about her shenanigans over on her <a href="http://www.stephaniecooke.ca">personal web site</a>.

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