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James Dean, 1931 to 1955, was an American actor who rose to fame during the Gold Age of Hollywood and remains a cultural icon and symbol of 1950s youth culture and teenage angst and disillusionment. James Byron Dean was born and raised in Marion, Indiana until he moved with his family to Santa Monica, California and was schooled in Los Angeles. When Dean was about 9 years old his mother, whom Dean was extremely close to, died of uterine cancer and he was sent to live with his Quaker aunt and uncle in Fairmount, Indiana when his father found he could not support or raise Dean alone. During his teenage years, Dean found a friend and confidant in the local Methodist pastor Rev James DeWeerd, DeWeerd was a central figure during Dean's formative years and introduced him to many lifelong interests, key amongst these was the theatre. After high school Dean moved back to Santa Monica for college but soon dropped out to pursue acting, now Dean's greatest passion, full time. After a series of commercials, TV roles, film extra roles, and televised theatre performances, Dean finally got his big break in 1955 as Cal in the film adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel East of Eden. This role introduced the world to the disillusioned and emotionally complex teen character type that Dean would soon be known for. This character would be honed for Rebel Without A Caused, released in the same year, which is the film Dean is most famous for. Throughout Dean's acting career he was extremely interested in pursuing an auto racing career, he took part in many events in between filming and collected race cars. After shooting was completed on Dean's final film Giants, Dean signed up for a racing event in Salinas, California in October of 1955. Dean drove the car he was to race in from Los Angeles to the race grounds in Salinas to break it in and was accompanied by his mechanic and fellow racer Rolf Wutherich. During the journey the car was involved in a traffic collision, due in large part to the high speeds Dean was travelling at. Although Wutherich was thrown from the car and survived, Dean suffered multiple fatal injuries. Although Dean's life and acting career was short, his passion for the art and his ability, as well as other factors such as his icon good looks and lifestyle, ensured Dean would go down in the history of American cinema as a legend.
