Stories & Lifestyle: James Dean – the unforgotten rebel

Nothing contributes to the myth of an actor or musician as much as an untimely death. If James Dean were still alive, he would have been 75 last Wednesday (February 8). He probably would be on stage at the next Academy Awards to receive his honorary award for his life's work, presented by another Hollywood icon, the one year younger Elizabeth Taylor. He would be highly respected, but possibly not an iconic figure.

Humphrey Bogart already said: "If he had lived, he'd never have been able to live up to his publicity." Like this, he will always be the rebellious teenager, a cigarette between his lips. At the time of Eisenhower, James Dean established a new kind of male image - vulnerable but still attractive - the epitome of the antihero. Not only millions of women fell for him; men spent hours in front of the mirror trying to make their hair look as unkempt as like James Dean's. By now, it is well known that James Dean had several homosexual affairs.

Surprisingly, James Dean has only acted in three movies: "East of Eden," "Rebel Without A Cause," and "Giant." The last two weren't even released before his tragic death by accident. Up to a certain extent, Dean was playing himself:

Even though he was well-adjusted as a student, he later resorted to bad manners and acted out his bad moods in public. His great sponsor, director Elia Kazan, knew him as "stubborn, suspicious and full of suppressed emotions." Kazan contributed greatly to James Dean's status as a Hollywood icon. He discovered the right man at the right time. Dean became the "projection screen" for that part of the audience that included more and more younger people.

Three years after his death, James Dean still received more fan mail than any other living Hollywood star. No actor after him has ever managed to become as big a symbol of an entire generation.