Birthplace of James Dean

Birthplace of James Dean. . , James Byron Dean , Born on this site , February 8, 1931, Reverse: , James Dean , James Byron Dean was born on this site at 2 a.m. on February 8, 1931, the only child of Winton and Mildred Dean. The deans lived in Unit A of the Seven Gables, a 2-story, 4-unit apartment house that stood at this location., The family moved to nearby Fairmount, Indiana shortly after Jimmie was born and lived there until he was five years old at which time they relocated to Santa Monica, California. When his mother died at the early age of 29, nine year old Jimmie returned to Fairmount where he was raised by his Uncle Marcus Winton and Aunt Ortense Winton. Jimmie attended Fairmount schools and was an average student. He participated in sports and excelled in basketball and track. He was a member of the Debate Club and took part in all of the school plays., Upon graduating from Fairmount High School in 1949 he returned to California and attended Santa Monica City College and later UCLA where he was a theater major and performed in a production of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth (1950)., His first onscreen acting job was in a Pepsi-Cola commercial in 1951 for which he earned $30., He got bit parts in several films but strived for more important roles. In 1951 James Dean left Hollywood for New York City where he studied at The Actors Studio and appeared in over two dozen live TV dramas. , He made his Broadway debut in late 1952 in the play, See the Jaguar. It was in his second Broadway play, The Immoralist (1954), that he was spotted by director Elia Kazan who had him screen tested and flown back to Hollywood to star in the leading role as Cal Trask in John Steinbeck’s classic East of Eden. (1955). He next went on to star in his iconic role as John Stark in Rebel Without a Cause (1955)., His third and final film was in the role of Jett Rink in the Eden Ferber epic Giant (1955) opposite Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson., On the evening of Friday, September 30, 1955 at approximately 5:45pm James Dean was driving his brand new Porsche Spyder to a weekend race in Salinas when he was tragically killed in a collision at the intersection of Highways 41 and 46 near Cholame, California. He was just 24 years old., James Dean’s body was returned to Fairmount where he was laid to rest in Park cemetery on October 8, 1955., James Dean remains one of the most influential and remembered American actors of all time. , Designed and Dedicated by David Loehr , The James Dean Gallery , Fairmount, Indiana , In association with Main Street Marion , with special thanks to , Jim and Nedra Sutter , The Community Foundation of Grant County , The Grant County Convention and Visitors Bureau , September 30, 2015