1955 : James Dean dies
On this day in 1955, movie star James Dean dies at age 24 in a car
crash on a California highway. Dean was driving his Porsche 550
Spyder, nicknamed "Little Bastard," headed to a car race in Salinas,
California, with his mechanic Rolf Wuetherich, when they were involved
in a head-on collision with a car driven by a 23-year-old college
student named Donald Turnaspeed. Dean was taken to Paso Robles War
Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:59 p.m.
Wuetherich, who was thrown from the car, survived the accident and
Turnaspeed escaped with minor injuries. No charges were ever filed
against him.
James Byron Dean was born February 8, 1931, in Marion, Indiana. He
studied drama at the University of California, Los Angeles, before
moving to New York City, where he appeared in plays and TV shows and
took classes at the Actors Studio with legendary acting coach Lee
Strasberg.
Dean rose to stardom in 1955 with his role as Cal Trask in East of
Eden. He reportedly beat out Paul Newman for the part. Dean's
performance in the film, based on the John Steinbeck novel, earned him
a posthumous Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. It was the first
time in Oscar history that an actor was nominated after his death. The
young actor's next film was "Rebel Without a Cause," also released in
1955, in which he played a rebellious teen named Jim Stark. The film,
which co-starred Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo, turned Dean into the
poster boy for disaffected youth and cool. Dean's final film "Giant,"
released in 1956 after his death, was an epic tale of a Texas cattle
rancher and his family. Dean starred opposite Elizabeth Taylor and
Rock Hudson and was nominated posthumously for a second Oscar for his
performance as Jett Rink.
Dean's success as an actor enabled him to pursue his passion for
racing cars and motorcycles. Despite his short life and brief acting
career, he endures as a Hollywood icon. He is buried at Park Cemetery
in Fairmount, Indiana, where fans continue to flock to his grave every
year. People also pay tribute to Dean at a memorial located near the
accident site in Cholame, California.
history.com/tdih.do
1399 : Henry IV proclaimed
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5385
1938 : Munich Pact signed
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=7036
1954 : USS Nautilus commissioned
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5387
1962 : Riots over desegregation of Ole Miss
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5386
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On this day in 1955, movie star James Dean dies at age 24 in a car
crash on a California highway. Dean was driving his Porsche 550
Spyder, nicknamed "Little Bastard," headed to a car race in Salinas,
California, with his mechanic Rolf Wuetherich, when they were involved
in a head-on collision with a car driven by a 23-year-old college
student named Donald Turnaspeed. Dean was taken to Paso Robles War
Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:59 p.m.
Wuetherich, who was thrown from the car, survived the accident and
Turnaspeed escaped with minor injuries. No charges were ever filed
against him.
James Byron Dean was born February 8, 1931, in Marion, Indiana. He
studied drama at the University of California, Los Angeles, before
moving to New York City, where he appeared in plays and TV shows and
took classes at the Actors Studio with legendary acting coach Lee
Strasberg.
Dean rose to stardom in 1955 with his role as Cal Trask in East of
Eden. He reportedly beat out Paul Newman for the part. Dean's
performance in the film, based on the John Steinbeck novel, earned him
a posthumous Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. It was the first
time in Oscar history that an actor was nominated after his death. The
young actor's next film was "Rebel Without a Cause," also released in
1955, in which he played a rebellious teen named Jim Stark. The film,
which co-starred Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo, turned Dean into the
poster boy for disaffected youth and cool. Dean's final film "Giant,"
released in 1956 after his death, was an epic tale of a Texas cattle
rancher and his family. Dean starred opposite Elizabeth Taylor and
Rock Hudson and was nominated posthumously for a second Oscar for his
performance as Jett Rink.
Dean's success as an actor enabled him to pursue his passion for
racing cars and motorcycles. Despite his short life and brief acting
career, he endures as a Hollywood icon. He is buried at Park Cemetery
in Fairmount, Indiana, where fans continue to flock to his grave every
year. People also pay tribute to Dean at a memorial located near the
accident site in Cholame, California.
history.com/tdih.do
1399 : Henry IV proclaimed
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5385
1938 : Munich Pact signed
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=7036
1954 : USS Nautilus commissioned
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5387
1962 : Riots over desegregation of Ole Miss
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5386
#########################################
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