70 years ago today, the violent death of a young star rocked Hollywood. This is the legacy of James Dean

by

Today marks the 70th anniversary of the death of actor James Dean. He died in a car accident while driving his sports car on a lonely highway in Central California.

Although Dean only appeared in three movies, he quickly became a famous actor. He was known for playing complex, thoughtful characters, which was different from many of the heroes seen in the 1950s. Sadly, he died at the young age of 24, and this contributed to his lasting legend.

Carroll Baker, who acted alongside Dean in his final film, “Giant,” remembered how the cast found out about his passing. She was in a screening room at the Warner Bros. studio with other cast members when director George Stevens “suddenly seemed to lose all color,” Baker shared with The Times in 1996. “He then composed himself and announced, ‘Jimmy Dean has just died.’”

Here is more from the pages of The Times.

The obituary

Here is how The Times reported on his death on Oct. 1, 1955:

James Dean, a rising star in Hollywood at just 24 years old, died in a car crash late last night. The accident happened near the small town of Cholame, roughly 19 miles east of Paso Robles, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The promising young actor died in a crash while driving his German-made Porsche sports car on the way to races in Salinas. According to police, Dean was pronounced dead when he arrived at Paso Robles War Memorial Hospital after the accident at the intersection of State Highway 41 and U.S. 466.

Rolph Wuetherich, the victim’s mechanic – a man around 27 years old from Hollywood, according to the California Highway Patrol – sustained a broken jaw, a broken hip, and cuts and bruises. Authorities reported his condition as “moderately serious.”

According to the California Highway Patrol office in San Luis Obispo, a vehicle driven by Donald Turnupseed from Tulare turned left on Highway 41 while heading east, resulting in a near head-on collision with a small sports car driven by Dean. Authorities reported that Turnupseed sustained minor injuries.

According to a doctor present at the scene, Dean died immediately around 5:30 p.m. due to a fractured neck, multiple broken bones, and extensive cuts all over his body.

Memorials

  • Last year, Times reporter Hailey Branson Potts went to Dean’s last stop before his death and found that the actor still looms large even though memories are fading:

A good-looking young man is gazing out at Highway 46. He’s wearing a jacket with the collar turned up, and his hair is neatly combed back. His blue eyes and slightly open lips give the impression he’s trying to attract someone’s attention.

He points to a sign for a gas station — and the East of Eden Fudge Factory.

You know, as a movie fan, I always get a little chill when I drive past Blackwell’s Corner. It’s this gas station where they have a huge wooden cutout of James Dean. It’s a bit eerie, but cool, knowing that it was the last place the 24-year-old star of “Rebel Without a Cause” stopped before that tragic car crash in 1955. He’s definitely a legend.

The site held so much meaning for movie lovers, even after the original structure was destroyed by fire, that people were constantly found attempting to take fragments of the remaining foundation as keepsakes.

It’s been 68 years, and recollections are becoming less clear. While customers occasionally still ask the cashiers about Jimmy Dean, it doesn’t happen as often as it once did.

  • In 2005, Times reporter Steve Chawkins went to the area for a 50th anniversary memorial and found a key player in the original crash:

Comfortably seated on the grass beneath a tree, 87-year-old Ron Nelson kindly agreed to share his memories of that day with another curious person who asked.

The former California Highway Patrol officer explained that he and his partner had just finished a coffee break in Paso Robles when they received the emergency call. Arriving at the scene, he found Dean being put into an ambulance and struggling to breathe-which, he believed, indicated a serious brain injury.

Nelson, a large man wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a Panama hat, explained that he receives calls from around the globe every year as September 30th approaches. Journalists, writers of his biographies, and dedicated fans all seek his thoughts on the matter.

“It’s funny, I hadn’t ever heard of James Dean as an actor until after the crash,” he explained. “I actually wondered if it was Jimmy Dean, the country music artist.”

  • In 2008, Times columnist Al Martinez surveyed the scene and ended his piece this way:

“As we drove away from Jack Cafe, we saw a smaller memorial to James Dean, located opposite where he died in the crash. I looked at it in the rearview mirror as it faded from view, becoming distant and a memory of the past, yet remaining fresh in the minds of those who still mourn him.”

Legacy

  • Discussing Dean’s death in 2005, Times critic Kenneth Turan said the accident “catapulted Dean into a level of “live fast, die young” fame so extraordinary — including an unprecedented and unequaled two posthumous Oscar nominations — even the ambitious actor himself could not have imagined it … Dean’s young age and his good looks, his acting ability and what he was most skilled at, all combined with the cataclysmic way he died to cause an uproar that has yet to quiet down.”

He continued:

Setting aside the shocking and untimely death that occurred just as he was becoming famous, what explains Dean’s enduring appeal? What has allowed him to remain in the public consciousness for so long, as the fan magazines suggest – to live on, in a way, even after his death?

It begins with simple elements – a straightforward name, much like his minimalist online presence, and Dean’s classically handsome, almost gender-neutral appearance. This appeal extends beyond his work on screen.

Although other actors, like Elizabeth Taylor, his co-star in “Giant,” looked just as good in movies, it’s hard to find another star who left such a lasting impression through his photographs. Dean was photographed constantly, and he appears stunning in almost every picture. This wasn’t a coincidence.

Unlike many celebrities who prefer not to be photographed when they’re not working, Dean was unusually skilled at managing his public image and actually enjoyed the attention.

Read More

2025-09-30 21:01