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Last updated 29 January 2001
Since the launch of James Dean
Is Not Dead, many users have sent in their questions about
James Dean. Some wanted personal information, some wanted to know
his likes and dislikes, among other things. In the interest of providing
a space in which you may find answers to your questions, James Dean
Is Not Dead has created an FAQ.
An FAQ is a list of Frequently Asked Questions people
may ask concerning a particular subject. In this case the subject
is James Dean. Forty years hasn’t stopped the flood of curiosity
that surrounds this talented late star, and fans both "young"
and "old" flock to our pages to discover and rediscover
information about their idol.
Just as more and more information is being discovered
and discussed about James Dean, a ton of questions arise about his
life. If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for
on this page or on the Web site, you can submit your questions using
the form found at the bottom of this page. When we receive your
email, we’ll send you a response and post the question and
the answer on this site as soon as possible.
| I heard that Jimmy
was a photographer. Its clear that he made movies, but did he
ever publish any single photos that he shot? |
Jimmy was not only a photographer,
but he was quite a talented one. As far as I know, he did
not publish any of his photographs while he was alive, however,
the occassional calendar and several books have published
photographs attributed to James Dean.
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| What was Jim's
favorite color? |
I don't have the information at this
point in time, although instinct is telling me red. As soon
as I have it, I'll post it.
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| James Dean wore
a silver identity bracelet with his name on it. Was his name
on the bracelet James, Jimmy or Jim? |
Excellent question! Unfortunately I
don't know. If anyone does, please feel free to email
me with the info.
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| Any news of Donald
Turnipseed, the stupid guy who pulled up in front of Jimmy's
car? Can you do a background check on this stupid guy? Did he
ever regret the incident for the rest of his life? I wonder
how his friends and co-workers would be treating him after the
incident. |
Wow. Got a lot of hostility towards Mr. Turnipseed,
eh?
I'm going to have to get back to you on what,
if anything, Don is up to at this point in time, if anything.
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| Did Jimmy smoke
pot or experiment with any drugs? |
I've seen an occassional mention in
a biography or two about possible recreational drug use by
Jimmy. Pot was hip amongst the hipsters that Jimmy admired,
however, whether or not Jimmy was a full-fledged pot-head
remains unknown.
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| Where would
I buy the type of cigarettes, Chesterfields, that Jimmy smoke? |
Chesterfields are still sold in stores.
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| Was James Dean
drunk when he had his car wreck or was he doing a stunt? |
No. According to eyewitnesses, the
only beverage James Dean had just shortly before his death
was a Coca Cola. He was not intoxicated. As for pulling a
stunt, he certainly did like speed, but he was reported to
have said just before the crash that he thought the driver
of the other vehicle, Donald Turnipseed, was going to see
them thus preventing the collision.
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| What are some admirable
traits about James Dean? |
Well, that's completely subjective.
Some fans admire his acting abilities. Others admire his sense
of commitment, or his thurst for knowledge. Some are favorable
to his looks. Every James Dean fan has an answer to that question,
so, to answer it concretely would ignore the millions who
adore their hero.
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| What was Jimmy's
blood type? |
Good question. I've yet to find the
answer! If anyone knows, drop me an email.
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| What was Jimmy's
ethnic background? |
Anglo-American.
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| Were Jimmy's teeth
real? |
No. Because of his urge to pull
stunts as a youth, Jimmy broke to of his front teeth. For
the rest of his life he had to wear a bridge, which was at
one point made by his father, who was a dental technician..
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| Did Jimmy dye his
hair? |
For a role, his hair would be
colored if needed, but Jimmy was a natural dark blonde.
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| Did Jimmy use contact
lenses? |
Contacts weren't invented during Jimmy's
lifetime. He had extremely poor eyesight which forced him
to wear glasses. Many times, especially during acting jobs,
he would not wear him. There were numerous reports that he
would pass by a friend without acknowledging them. Richard
Davolos said that he sat right in front of Jimmy during a
lunch break and that Jimmy had no clue Dick was there until
he spoke!
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| What were Jimmy's
jacket, waist and shirt sizes? |
At present, I do not have this information.
If anyone does, feel free to email
me.
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| What kind of car
did Jimmy die in? |
Jimmy died in a Porsche 550 Spyder,
which he owned.
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| Did James Dean
have a high school sweatheart? |
According to reports, Jimmy was a loner
in high school. He did not have a high school sweatheart.
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| What kind of jobs
did Jimmy hold besides acting? |
Before he became a short-lived movie
star, Jimmy held quite a few jobs to support himself. In 1950
he worked as an athletic instructor. In 1951 he worked as
a projectionist at UCLA, and also as an usher and as a parking
lot attendent at CBS Radio. Later that year in New York he
worked as a stunt tester for the TV game show "Beat the
Clock," and it was said as a bus boy.
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| Was James Dean
ever married? |
Nope. Jimmy was a life-long bachelor.
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| Does Jimmy have
any long lost children? |
No. Jimmy did not have any children.
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| Was Jimmy and Elizabeth
Taylor ever romantically involved? |
Nope.
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| What was Jimmy's
birth name? |
James Byron Dean.
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| When and where
was Jimmy born? When and where did he die? |
Jimmy Dean was born on 8 February
1931 in Marion, Indiana US. He was born at home and not in
hospital.
Jimmy died on 31 September 1955 at an intersection
of routes 466 and 41 near Chalame, California US immediately
upon impact with another vehicle (driven by Donald Turnipseed).
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| What were Jimmy’s
physical stats? |
According to his official Warner Bros. biography,
these where Jimmy’s physical statistics:
Born: February
8, 1931
Where:
Fairmount, Indiana
Height:
5' 10" (more like 5' 8")
Eyes:
Blue
Weight:
155 lbs.
Hair:
Blonde
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| When, where and
how did Jimmy’s mother die? How did her death affect him? |
Mildred Wilson Dean died of uterine
cancer on 14 April 1940 at home in Santa Monica, California
US with her husband, Winton, and Jimmy by her bedside.
According to biographers and friends of Jimmy,
the death of his mother affected him deeply. Many state
that Jimmy felt that,in some ways, he was responsible and
felt guilty for her death, and acted out accordingly.
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| What schools did
Jimmy attend and what are the dates of attendance? |
- McKinley School (California):
Sept. 1936-April 1940; First through fifth grades
- Fairmount Elementary School (Indiana): April 1940-June 1943
- Fairmount Junior High School (Indiana): Sept. 1943-June
1946
- Fairmount High School (Indiana): Sept. 1946-16 May 1949
- Santa Monica Community College (California): Spring Semester
1950
- UCLA (California): Fall 1950-January 1951
- Actors Studio (New York): 12 November 1952-??? [once a member,
always a member]
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| What sports did
Jimmy play when he was younger? |
Jimmy was on several different
teams in his youth. While at Fairmount High School, he was
on the basketball and baseball teams (both called "The
Quakers"), and at Santa Monica Community College he was
on the basketball team.
During his High School years, Jimmy broke
the pole vaulting record for his county. [no date as of
yet]
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| What brand of cigarettes
did Jimmy smoke? |
Chesterfields.
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| How many movies
did Jimmy make? |
Jimmy made a total of seven feature
films, of which he starred in three. For more information
on the movies he did, please check out James
Dean: Movies.
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| How many TV shows
did Jimmy appear in? |
Jimmy performed and starred in approximately
30 television programs in both California and New York. For
more information about the television programs he did, please
check out James Dean:
Television.
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| How many stage productions did Jimmy perform
in? Professional? Amateur? |
Jimmy worked on a number of stage productions,
both amateur and professional. You can find out more info
by checking out James Dean:
Biography and James Dean:
Theatre while I compile the statistics.
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| Was Jimmy gay?
Promiscuous? |
Several biographers have discussed
both Jimmy Dean’s sexuality and sexual orientation. Many
have stated that Jimmy at least engaged in homosexual sex,
and some have stated that his sexual appetite was more homosexual
than heterosexual. Jimmy did not comment on the matter, but
speculation about his sexual orientation still occurs.
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| With whom was Jimmy
romantically linked? |
Many people. Stay tuned for a listing.
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| Why is this Web
site called "James Dean Is Not Dead"? |
Back in the early 80's a young,
seclusive writer by the name of Steven Morrissey wrote a little
book called "James Dean Is Not Dead." The book is
hard to find, and the writer is the quite famous Morrissey.
I'm a huge fan of The Smiths and immediately thought of the
title of Moz's book when I decided to create a Web site in
honor of James Dean.
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