America's most enduring symbol of rebellious youth, James Dean has continuously held the world's fascination since his tragic death at the age of twenty-four more than forty years ago. In the first complete, fully documented biography of this enigmatic hero, internationally celebrated author Donald Spoto offers a startlingly revelatory look at the short, greatly misundertood life of an icon who remains frozen in time.
From the dusty roads of rural Indiana to the college campuses of California, from Broadway to Burbank, from Manhattan's gay culture to the winding roads of the Hollywood hills, James Dean comes vividly to life as Spoto reveals the brilliant, gifted and troubled young man. With the cooperation of dozens of family members, friends, lovers, directors, costars, the whole picture emerges at last: the forced marriage of Dean's parents; the tragic death of Jimmy's mother when he was nine; his tumultuous relationship with his faterh, which later was partly responsible for the creation of the angry young man in American culture; and Dean's electrifying rise to stardon in New York and Hollywood.
From the dusty roads of rural Indiana to the college campuses of California, from Broadway to Burbank, from Manhattan's gay culture to the winding roads of the Hollywood hills, James Dean comes vividly to life as Spoto reveals the brilliant, gifted and troubled young man. With the cooperation of dozens of family members, friends, lovers, directors, costars, the whole picture emerges at last: the forced marriage of Dean's parents; the tragic death of Jimmy's mother when he was nine; his tumultuous relationship with his faterh, which later was partly responsible for the creation of the angry young man in American culture; and Dean's electrifying rise to stardon in New York and Hollywood.
