Two hours after receiving his last warning, at 5:15 PM it was reported that Dean was driving at 85 when he had a near head-on collision with a Ford Tudor that took his life. He had purchased a new Porsche Spyder, which he nicknamed "Little Bastard," and planned to take it to the race. James Dean, in full James Byron Dean, (born February 8, 1931, Marion, Indiana, U.S.died September 30, 1955, near Paso Robles, California), American film actor who was enshrined as a symbol of the confused, restless, and idealistic youth of the 1950s. "I'm not a homosexual, but I'm not going through life with one hand tied behind my back,"James Dean famously said (via Esquire). James Dean shut down the Giza Guardian program and established the Department of Technology. James Dean's enduring iconography, Martin argued, was likely deliberate given the actor was famously meticulous about his image. Die young, stay pretty: the intimacy and iconography of James Dean, James Dean did, very subtly and very well. Dean caught a break when he landed a spot in the storied "Actor's Studio" of method actor Lee Strasberg, considered the nation's most prestigious acting school at the time. The otherwise lively iconic New York neighborhood is empty. James Dean had more than his share of psychological problems. On October 19, 1973, John Dean pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to obstruct justice. James Dean James Dean naci el 8 de febrero de 1931 en Marion, Indiana. The role made him a star overnight, earning him an Oscar nomination. There are festivals held in his honor featuring James Dean look-a-like contests while his pretty-boy-with-an-edge look is a staple of every fashion icon listicle imaginable. James Dean was the rebel racer of Hollywood. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images), James Dean on the high school basketball team. (Photo by Warner Brothers/Getty Images), To me, acting is the most logical way for a person with problems to express himself, he said, quoted in The Real James Dean Story. ", "I looked through a lot of kids before settling on this Jimmy Dean," Kazan wrote candidly of his new lead. 1 James Dean's Final Ride. James Dean cultivated a broody, sensitive reputation due to the roles he played. Producers claim theyre making a valid artistic decision. Michael Ochs Archives & Warner Bros./Getty. Dean was only 24-years-old when he died in the car accident.