L'OFFICIEL celebrates actor James Dean's 90th birthday with a retrospective on the late icon's life and career.

Handsome and damned, 90 years after his birth, James Dean continues to bear the moniker of a Hollywood legend, captivating the public with his films and fascinating story. A lover of cars and speed, the Hollywood actor&nbsp;suffered&nbsp;a fatal car accident on September 30, 1955&nbsp;that claimed the young actor&#39;s life at the age of 24.

Often seen in a white t-shirt, jeans, and a leather jacket&mdash;a&nbsp;uniform that defined the&nbsp;&#39;50s style icon&mdash;Dean&#39;s&nbsp;eternally young and rebellious history comes to life throughout his filmography.&nbsp;His role in Nicholas Ray&#39;s Rebel Without a Cause&nbsp;became&nbsp;a symbol in modern history for recounting the growing rebellion of teenagers after World War II. Controversial and mysterious, Dean was subject to many scandals, as well as being a heartthrob to countless women. Behind his blond hair, square face, and always-burning cigarette hide the mysteries of a timeless charm.&nbsp;

In the drama Texas-set drama alongside <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/beauty/old-hollywood-actress-beauty-tips-makeup-skincare-marilyn-monroe-audrey-hepburn" target="_blank">Elizabeth Taylor</a>, Dean&#39;s look consisted of a shirt, waistcoat, denim jeans&nbsp;supported by a proudly exhibited belt, suede gloves, and the signature cowboy hat that appears throughout the film.

James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor during the filming of "Giant" in 1956.

Rebel Without a Cause&nbsp;is James Dean&#39;s most famous film, inspired by psychiatrist Robert Lidner&#39;s 1944 book of the same name. His starring role in the film became the archetype of the men of the 1950s, a symbol for the rebellion of post-WWII teenagers. His character Jim Stark&#39;s essemble&mdash;white t-shirt, red bomber, and jeans&mdash;became synonymous with Dean&#39;s career&nbsp;and the mythology surrounding his legacy.&nbsp;The film&nbsp;was released in theaters a month after his&nbsp;death.&nbsp;

In East of Eden,&nbsp;Dean sports workwear dungarees, checked shirts turned up at the sleeves, and an iconic&nbsp;cream-colored V-neck sweater worn over a shirt and, of course, a&nbsp;pair of denim pants.

For his performance as Cal Trask, Dean earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

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Racing cars played an important role in Dean&#39;s life. The last car he&nbsp;owned was a Porsche 550 Spyder, baptized with the number 130 and the name &quot;Little Bastard.&quot; This&nbsp;was the car in which James Dean lost his life in a tragic and sudden accident in Cholame, California.

One aspect of Dean&#39;s life that never made it to screen was his&nbsp;alleged bisexuality. Though he was reported to have had flings with <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/marilyn-monroe-apology-note-to-joe-dimaggio-christies-auction" target="_blank">Marilyn Monroe</a>, Pier Angeli, and many other actresses,&nbsp;Tomorrow Never Comes, the book by Darwin Porter and Daforth Principe, also recounts the secret relationship between Dean and <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/men/robert-pattinson-dior-homme-cologne" target="_blank">Marlon&nbsp;Brando</a>. It&#39;s reported that&nbsp;their affair remained a secret at the time in light of negative public sentiment for queer relationships in the 1950s. According to the book, Brando called Dean&nbsp;&quot;puppy dog&quot;&nbsp;because he spent hours outside his apartment desperate waiting to be invited in.

The Story of Rebel Icon James Dean

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