James Dean

James Dean died on 30th September 1955, aged 24. At the time of his fatal accident he had just completed "Giant", his third film after "East of Eden" and "Rebel Without a Cause". Yet from this meagre career a legend was born that shows no sign of abating. He is a classic American icon, surpassed only by Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley, projecting an image of Fifties cool and tough-guy charm that has been vigorously mass-marketed via T-shirts, posters, calendars and countless fan clubs. This biolgraphy looks beyond the Hollywood manufactured cliche to the volatile polarities, conflicted sexuality and childhood trauma of the person himself. This portrait, based on many new and documented sources and featuring rare archive photographs, argues that Dean's angst-ridden compliance - in public - with rigid sexual mores helped fuel the fury and electricity of his acting.

“Well written... well reseached, and above all, interesting and honest.”

'The most definitive account of Dean's secret life' SUNDAY TIMES Vivid and readable' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 'Sensational' DAILY EXPRESS '' BIRMINGHAM POST 'Lots of fun.' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY 'A sleek and understanding portrait of the legend... a refreshing biography.' VOX

Paul Alexander is also the acclaimed biographer of Sylvia Plath and author of a book on the artist Andy Warhol's legacy.

No more than a promising actor with a handful of films to his name when he died in 1955, James Dean has since been elevated to an iconic status surpassed only by Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe. And his image - a blend of '50s cool and tough-guy charm - has been vigorously marketed in the race to cash in on a legend that, forty years later, shows no sign of abating. But until now, no serious biography has looked beyond the studio-manufactured cliches to the volatile polarities of this complex star. Was he bisexual or gay? A neurotic con-man or a lost boy trying to find himself? And to what extent did his sexuality fire his performances? Drawing on many new and documented sources, and featuring previously unpublished photographs, Paul Alexander's revisionist and passionate biography will explode many people's myths about a rare acting genius.

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