James Dean was one of the most iconic screen stars of the last century. Although he had only three starring roles, he has become a cinema legend. Many factors of his life and career have combined to create his mythic status in the pantheon of Hollywood stars.
In his films ‘East of Eden’ and especially ‘Rebel Without A Cause’ he personified the disillusioned youth of the 1950s and, more significantly, presented an image of masculinity that transgressed the traditional macho male of the era. Despite the image of a rebel, Dean’s screen persona displayed sensitivity and an emotional vulnerability as part of his make-up. Basically, this screen hero of rebellious youth was not afraid to cry.
This biography examines Dean’s novel screen image in the context of the film trends of the period and within the conflicts of his personal life. As a child, he was close to his mother who died when he was nine. His emotionally distant father then sent him to live with an aunt and uncle where he grew up in a rather isolated rural area. Yet he overcame the misfortunes of his early years to become a screen icon whose image survives to the present day.
When an actor becomes closely identified with a specific screen persona, it can be difficult to separate the character from the actual person; to distinguish between fact and fiction, between myth and reality. A further complication for any accurate biography is the fact that associates often wish to capitalise on their links with the individual. Since Dean attained international fame and died so young, many who knew him, even casually, have made all sorts of (sometimes contradictory) claims about him.
Furthermore, the period he lived in was very conservative in terms of gender roles and sexual identity. Consequently, sources from the period tended to ‘sanitise’ and even omit key aspects of his life. This book takes all these factors into account to get at an accurate picture of this screen legend.
‘Jimmy: the Secret Life of James Dean’ by Jason Colavito. Applause & Cinema Books, Lanham MD, 2024.
More than any other Dean biography I have read, this is thoroughly researched with detailed notes for every chapter. These notes not only quote sources but where there is doubt or no reliable written record, the author offers logical speculation which seems credible on the evidence available. This bio is very clear in separating the ‘wheat from the chaff’ of these claims.
His research dismisses the many rumours that have emerged decades after Dean’s death. For example, he dispels the bizarre tale of him as a ‘human ashtray’. Similarly, it is unlikely Dean was ever a sex worker citing the fact that prior to his fame, he was chronically short of money.
Conversely, the author provides the documentary evidence to support other more controversial claims. For example, the book contains a copy of an out of court settlement Dean made with a benefactor who had financially supported him prior to his screen success. For obvious reasons, he wanted to keep this relationship secret. Further revelations explain how Dean evaded military conscription. In order to avoid the draft and being sent into the Korean War, he did acknowledge on his documentation that he was homosexual – something the US military of the 1950s would not tolerate within its ranks.
Rebel Without A Cause, 1955. Directed by Nicholas Ray.
In life Dean had a reputation for being difficult, tactless, even rude with work colleagues and thoughtless or distant with more intimate associates. But this is seen context of his devotion to his career and his unease with the Hollywood star system which was built on hype and stagey media promotion. Moreover, he was surrounded by those who sought to exploit him and his image. Many of the starlets he was required to date claimed deep emotional and sexual bonds, especially after he died. However, the author shows how these were almost always wishful fabrications.
While Dean had sexual liaisons with both sexes, his most intimate and enduring relationships were with men (It is significant that Dean’s most famous film ‘Rebel Without A Cause’ contains a clear gay subtext – a bold innovation for 1955). However, the social mores of the period forced studio publicity to create a more conventional image for their screen star. Dean himself was well aware that he had to toe the studio line. But he did so grudgingly often appearing uncomfortable in photos of him at media events with the latest up-and-coming starlet on his arm.
This conspiracy of cover-up reaches its zenith with what was perhaps his most intimate same-sex relationship. William Bast knew Dean over many years sharing an apartment and intimacy with him. Decades after Bast’s original and ‘sanitised’ bio of Dean, he published a more candid version.
The final chapter links Dean’s screen persona with contemporary trends in the US; specifically concerns over masculinity – whether contemporary trends of gender diversity are ‘eroding’ the ‘traditional’ male role models for future generation – models James Dean began to question many decades ago.
Dean personified a compassionate individuality which questioned the rigid conformity of his time. Ultimately, he has become a symbol for disaffected youth and, by extension, other marginalised groups.
While his life and career were all-too-brief, his distinctive screen persona remains impressive and still relevant more than seventy years after his untimely death.