September 30th: The Day James Dean Died Aged 24

September 30th 1955 was a tragic day in the film industry with the premature death of the ultimate 'Rebel Without a Cause' and teen-idol movie star James Dean. Only appearing in three films over his entire life reiterates the devastating reality that Dean's potential career success was robbed from him in a car accident that took his life. James Dean became the first actor to receive an Academy Award for 'Best Actor' posthumously, and he was also nominated for two more awards after his death.
   With Dean's life ending in the midst of his early 20s, he remains the ultimate figure of youth and freedom, and his smoldering good looks and rebellious carefree attitude are therefore frozen in time. As an actor, young audiences worshipped him in their masses, heralding him a teenage symbol for the ideals of adolescence and the epitomy of 'coolness', as portrayed in his movies. Rebel Without a Cause, East of Eden and Giant all saw James take the protagonist role, but it was not until after his death that his acting skill was fully appreciated...as the case seems to be with most premature deaths of celebrities, most recently Amy Winehouse. Unlike Amy, however, Dean's death was not self-inflicted, although his personal life was always in the tabloids due to his fluctuating love affairs with both men and women. On the subject of his sexual orientation Dean said: 'No, I am not a homosexual. But I'm also not going to go through life with one hand tied behind my back.' This was the 1950s, so you can imagine the stir that must have caused!
   Dean's death has been commemorated by a multitude of ways over time, one of the most significant memorials was the James Dean Memorial Junction which was erected to pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of his death on September 30th 2005. What do you think about the brief but brilliant existence of James Dean? Is his legendary status in the film industry partly due to his premature death, or was he not wholly embraced by society due to his rebellious personal life?