BIOGRAPHY AND PERSONALITY OF A FAMOUS AQUARIUS: JAMES DEAN

Actor. Born on February 8, 1931, in Marion, Indiana. In his all-too-short career, James Dean became a screen idol and a Hollywood legend. The son of a dental technician, he moved to California with his parents when he was six years old for his father's work. Dean returned to Indiana at the age of nine to live with his aunt and uncle on their farm after the death of his mother. After graduating high school, he went to college in California, attending Santa Monica Junior College and University of California, Los Angeles. Dean eventually dropped out to pursue acting full-time and landed a few brief, uncredited film roles.

Moving to New York in 1951, James Dean struggled to make it as an actor. He eventually won a part in the short-lived 1952 Broadway play See the Jaguar. Dean also won several small parts on television, but it was his performance in The Immoralist (1954) that caught the attention of Hollywood. Returning to California, he became a popular sensation with his performance in East of Eden (1955), which earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. He is perhaps best known for capturing teenage angst and rebellion on screen in Rebel Without a Cause (1955). In the film, he played Jim Stark, a troubled teen, opposite Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo.

Driving with his mechanic to a racing event, James Dean was killed in a road crash on September 30, 1955. The next year his last film Giant (1956) was released, and Dean earned his second Academy Award nomination for Best Actor posthumously. Dean embodied the expression "live fast and die young," which has only fueled curiosity about his life and his work. He remains a popular icon of youthful rebellion.