Fifty-nine years ago (September 30, 1955), Hollywood legend James Dean was killed in a car accident. Along with the memorable performances in the three films that he starred in, his death at only age 24 quickly pushed him to an eternal iconic status of cool. He is the only actor to be nominated for Oscars twice posthumously — one for East of Eden in 1956 and Giant in 1957. He is also revered for being an early practitioner of method acting in film after attending the Actors Studio only a few years after it was established.
Dean’s most popular film remains Rebel Without a Cause, which was released less than one month after his death. The film’s poster features Dean striking a classic pose in his famous red jacket. However, in the original Warner Bros. screen test for the film you won’t see the bright red jacket, since it was filmed in black and white.
The screen test features Dean and his co-stars Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo (both of whom would also die young) doing a key scene in the film between the three characters. The screen test ends with the three posing together and goofing off a bit. Check out the screen test above!
