James Dean Research Paper

James Byron Dean was born February 8, 1931, in Marion, Indiana, to parents Winton and Mildred Dean. He was their only child (notablebiographies.com). James Dean was nicknamed Jimmy Dean at an early age. Due to his father’s job, at age five, the Dean family was forced to move across country, to Los Angeles (Jamesdean.com). Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, California, Jimmy’s mother died of cervical cancer. Dean’s mother was a strong influence in his life, and her death would impact him greatly. Because Dean was not very fond of his father, after his mother’s death, he moved back to Indiana to live with his aunt and uncle.While living with his aunt and uncle, he attended high school and participated in extracurricular activities such as drama, basketball, and debate. Dean later graduated from Fairmount High School in 1949 and decided to continue his studies at a small community college (Jamesdean.com). After a year of attending Santa Monica City College, Dean transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles. Here he would pursue his studies in pre-law (Notablebiographies.com). The first acting job James Dean

Hollywoodunmasked.com says Dean was the first to glamorized rebel. This would be due to the Hays Code. They also say that Dean invoked a change in the postwar period. Many people say that he acted as a spokesman for their generation. Dean came and changed the meaning of being cool in the 1990s. In today’s society, it still stands true that James Dean in the true image of being a rebel teenager in America (Hollywoodunmasked.com). James Dean impacted the world of movies so heavily, people in today’s society still reference him. A few examples are a Taylor Swift song (Style), Family Guy, and poetry by Frank O’Hara (NYdailynews.com). I agree completely, that his movies were merited. The image of the rebel he created helped shape an image that would last for generations to