James Dean

James Dean, the gifted, erratic young actor whose recent portrayals of the sullen heroes of the "younger generation" had made him an idol of American teenagers, was killed last night in a head-on collision of his German sports car and another automobile. The 24-year-old actor met death in his cherished silver Porsche about two miles east of Cholame, Calif., a San Joaquin Valley junction point.

Read full obituary from The New York Times →