James Dean: Encyclopedia II - James Dean - Acting career

James Dean - Acting career

Dean began his acting career with a Pepsi-Cola television commercial followed by a stint as a stunt tester in the game show Beat the Clock. He quit college to focus on his budding career but struggled to get jobs in Hollywood and succeeded in paying his bills only by working as a parking lot attendant at CBS studios.

Following the advice of friends Dean moved to New York City to pursue live stage acting, where he was accepted to study under Lee Strasberg in the storied Actors Studio. His career picked up and Dean did several episodes on early-1950s episodic television programs such as Kraft Television Theater, Studio One, Lux Video Theatre, Robert Montgomery Presents, Danger and General Electric Theater. Positive reviews for his role in André Gide's The Immoralist led to calls from Hollywood and paved the way to film stardom.

James Dean - East of Eden

Further information: East of Eden (1955 film)

Director Elia Kazan was looking for a new actor to play the role of Cal; Dean and another relatively unknown actor, Paul Newman, were the final two chosen. Following a screen test in New York City the part was given to Dean.

On March 8, 1954 Dean left New York City and headed for Los Angeles to begin shooting East of Eden. Dean played the son of a constantly disapproving father played by Raymond Massey, while strangely enough, their onscreen conflict was heightened by an apparently mirrored relationship off-screen.

The relationship between Cal and his father was one similar to that for Dean and his own father, thus Dean had a special infatuation with the role of Cal. He became known on the set for his improvisational contributions to the script; his creativity proved to be very important as some of the most famous scenes were not originally scripted as they appear today. Dean would apparently drive past cinemas during the release of the film and stare in amazement as people lined up to see him in East of Eden. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role (the first posthumous acting nomination in Academy Awards history).

James Dean - Rebel Without a Cause

Further information: Rebel Without a Cause

He followed this up in rapid succession with the starring role in Rebel Without a Cause , a film that would prove to be hugely popular amongst teenagers. The film is widely cited as an accurate representation of teenage angst of the early 1950s.

The film co-starred Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo. Director Nicholas Ray encouraged Dean’s creative side which he had showed during the filming of East of Eden.

During filming, he purchased one of only 90 Porsche 550 Spyders, and, while still in production, introduced himself to the world of competitive racing, entering a number of small competitions and achieving a high degree of success.

James Dean - Giant

Further information: Giant (film)

Giant which was posthumously released in 1956, saw Dean play a supporting role to both Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson.

The film is highly memorable in that it takes place over thirty years, thus, all the characters must age progressively during the film. Dean dyed his hair grey as opposed to wearing a wig and shaved some of his hair off to give himself a receding hairline. This is particularly special in that although his character ages considerably in the film, Dean himself will never grow old.

Giant would be Dean’s last film. Towards the latter end of the film, an old Dean is at a banquet set to make a speech, which would be his last ever on-screen appearance. That scene has been dubbed “The Last Supper”.

Dean was nominated for an Academy Award after the release of the film.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Acting career", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki