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A: Good evening and welcome to tonight's edition of Legendary Lives. Our subject this evening is James Dean, actor and hero to the young people of his time. Edward Murray is the author of a new biography of Dean. Good evening, Edward.
B: Hello. Tina.
A: Edward, could you please tell us what you know about Dean's early life.
B: He was born in Indiana in 1931. but his parents moved to California when he was five. He wasn't there long. though. because when his mother passed away just four years later, Jimmy's father sent him back to Indiana to live with his aunt and uncle. While growing up there, he played baseball and basketball, rode horses, and played ice hockey. He used to ride his motorcycle all over the farmers' fields, speeding and chasing cows.
A: So. how did he get into acting?
B: Well. first, he acted in school plays at his high school, where he won a drama award. He also won arts and sports awards in high school, and a speech contest, too. He went to college in California, and that's where he seriously started to get into acting. He did modeling for advertisements and appeared in some TV shows. In 1951, he moved to New York to do more stage acting. In fact. he won an award as "Most Promising Newcomer" for 1954.
A: Well, when did his movie career really start?
B: 1955. His first starring role was in East of Eden. He was fabulous! James Dean became a huge success. But the movie that really made him famous was his second one. Rebel Without a Cause. That was about teenagers who felt like they didn't fit into society.
A: So, how many more movies did he make?
B: Just one more. Then he died in a car crash in California, in 1955. He loved driving fast. In fact, he was driving his Porsche on his way to take part in a car race when he died.
A: What a tragedy. He only made three movies, so what made him the legend he still is today?
B: Well, I guess his looks, his acting ability, his short life, and maybe the type of character he played in his movies. Many young people saw him as a symbol of American youth.
