Lon Chaney, Jr.

He achieved immortality by appearing on one of a series of United States postage stamps portraying movie monsters, as the Wolf Man, in 1977. His very brief career, lifestyle, bisexuality, violent death and highly publicized funeral transformed James Dean into a cult object and pop icon of apparently timeless fascination. He maintained a strong career in horror movies, playing all four of the classic horror roles -- the Wolf Man, Frankenstein's monster in The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), The Mummy in The Mummy's Tomb (1942) and (the son of) Dracula in Son of Dracula (1943). Many teenagers of the time modeled themselves after him, and his death cast a pall on many members of his generation. In 1941 he starred in the title role of The Wolf Man, the characterization which would be his stereotypical role for the rest of his life. Dean epitomized the rebellion of 1950s teens, especially in his role in Rebel Without a Cause. He did not achieve stardom until the 1939 feature film version of Of Mice and Men, in which he played Lennie Small. He is one of only five people to be nominated for Best Actor for his first feature role, and the only person to be nominated twice after his death.

His first movie was an uncredited role in the 1932 film Girl Crazy. He is buried in Park Cemetery in his home town of Fairmount, Indiana. He did not take any movie roles until after his father's death. This occurred before the release of Giant. But he also studied makeup under his father. Dean died in a road accident in a Porsche 550 Spyder near Salinas, California when a car driven by Donald Turnupseed veered into Dean's lane. He worked menial jobs in order to make his own way. He followed this up in rapid succession with two more starring roles, in Rebel Without a Cause, and in the 1956 release Giant, for which he was also nominated for an Academy Award.

Chaney worked hard to avoid his father's shadow. He appeared in several uncredited bit roles in such forgettable films as Sailor Beware, but finally gained recognition and success in 1955 in his first starring role, that of Cal Trask in East of Eden, for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Chaney was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and died in San Clemente, California. During his New York period he spent time in Sayville and the resort towns of Fire Island. He was born Creighton Tull Chaney, and was first credited as "Lon Chaney, Jr." in 1935, as a studio marketing ploy. His rave reviews in André Gide's The Immoralist led to his being called back to Hollywood and film stardom. Lon Chaney, Jr. (February 10, 1906 - July 12, 1973) was an American character actor, well-known mainly for his roles in monster movies and as the son of his better-known father, Lon Chaney. His career turned around and Dean did several episodes of such early-1950s episodic television programs such as Kraft Television Theater, Danger, and General Electric Theater.

While there he was accepted to study under Lee Strasberg in the storied Actors Studio. Following the advice of friends, Dean moved to New York to pursue a career in live stage acting. He quit college to focus on his budding career, but he struggled to get jobs in Hollywood and only succeeded in paying bills by working as a parking lot attendant. Dean began his career with a soft drink commercial followed by a bit part in the television series, Hill Number One.

The resulting parental fight left Dean once again being turned out of his father's house. After struggling with law, against his father's wishes, Dean changed his major to drama after transferring to UCLA. While there, he enrolled in Santa Monica City College, pledged Sigma Nu fraternity and majored in pre-law. After graduating from Fairmont High School in 1949, Dean moved back to California to live with his father and stepmother.

In high school, Dean played on the school basketball team and participated in forensics debate and drama. Then, at age nine, Dean's father sent him back to live with relatives on a farm near Fairmount, Indiana where he was raised with a Quaker upbringing. While there, Dean was enrolled in Brentwood Public School until his mother died of cancer in 1940. The family moved to Santa Monica, California six years later after Winton left farming to become a dental technician.

Born on a Marion, Indiana family farm to Winton and Mildred Wilson Dean. Epitomizing youthful angst and charisma, Dean's screen persona is probably best embodied in the title of his most representative work, Rebel without a Cause. James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931 - September 30, 1955) was an American film actor. You might also be looking for Jimmy Dean..

This article is about the actor James Dean.