James Dean Memorabilia

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From his humble small-town beginnings to his tragic death at 24, James Dean was an unlikely star whose demise forever burned the phrase “live fast and die young” into our collective memory. Because he was killed before his career matured or his...
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From his humble small-town beginnings to his tragic death at 24, James Dean was an unlikely star whose demise forever burned the phrase “live fast and die young” into our collective memory. Because he was killed before his career matured or his celebrity had tarnished, Dean became a permanent symbol of youthful defiance, and one of the most unforgettable figures in Hollywood history. Born in 1931 in Fairmont, Indiana, Jimmy Dean moved to California when his father, a dentist, was transferred to a hospital in Santa Monica. Dean moved back to Indiana for high school, where he performed in several plays, but after graduation returned to Santa Monica to attend college and focus on a career in theater. Two years later, Dean dropped out of UCLA and moved to New York against his father’s wishes, where he played various bit parts until scoring a starring role in “See the Jaguar” on Broadway. Though the play only ran for five performances, it was enough to help Dean land a successful audition at Lee Strasberg’s Actors Studio. There Dean would work with skilled dramatists who trained stars like Marlon Brando, Marilyn Monroe, and Montgomery Clift in the “Method” style of acting. In 1954, director Elia Kazan noticed the impressive critical response to Dean’s supporting role in “The Immoralist” on Broadway, and soon cast the young actor as Cal Trask for his next film, “East of Eden.” Dean signed a contract with Warner Brothers for $1,200 a week, guaranteeing a minimum of ten weeks work. One of the first wide-screen CinemaScope features, “East of Eden” received several rave reviews, and Cal’s intense sensitivity garnered Dean an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Before “East of Eden” was even completed, Warner Brothers had extended Dean’s contract and announced he would star in Nicholas Ray’s upcoming film, “Rebel Without A Cause.” Newly flush with cash, Dean purchased his first Porsche and started entering road-race competitions in 1955. “Rebel...
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