Havg released jt three major films before he was tragilly killed a r accint 1955, Jam Dean was able to leave an lible mark on history. He was nomated for two Amy Awards followg his ath (the first Osr nomatns to be award for Bt Actor posthumoly), and he fed a generatn of youth wh his portrayals of angst and anguish. Addg to the fascatn wh Dean’s legend are stori of his same-sex love affairs. The var acunts claim Dean was eher gay or bisexual. Dean’s close iend, William Bast, revealed he and Dean “experimented,” while Dean’s relatnship wh fluential rad producer Rogers Brackett has been ed as an example of how the young actor may have slept wh gay men to further his reer. In his Marlon Brando bgraphy, wrer Darw Porter asserted that Dean and Brando had a tumultuo romantic relatnship that spanned years. Hollywood players of the time, like screenwrer Gav Lambert and Rebel Whout A Cse Director Nicholas Ray, have scribed Jam Dean as gay. Bgrapher Val Holley put thly: “There's been que an evolutn the thkg sce Dean's ath 1955, movg om ‘Jam Dean was straight’ to ‘Dean had sex wh men but only to advance his reer’ to ‘Dean had sex wh women but only to advance his reer.’” We may never know for certa if Dean intified as gay, straight, bisexual, but, regardls, what he’s e to reprent still ronat wh many LGBT dienc. His most well-known rol are that of outsirs, non-formists and misunrstood youth. His powerful performanc refed masculy, showsg how a tough guy uld be so open wh his emotns. His sense of style and good looks also didn’t hurt his standg wh the gay muny (and helped tablish him as a butch lbian in as well). See some of our favore Jam Dean clips, AFTER THE JUMP …
Contents:
- GAY INS: JAM DEAN, MARLON BRANDO, WALLY COX, ROCK HUDSON
- GAY INOGRAPHY: THE HOLLYWOOD LEGEND OF JAM DEAN
GAY INS: JAM DEAN, MARLON BRANDO, WALLY COX, ROCK HUDSON
Tony Guadagno discs legendary gay ins Jam Dean, Marlon Brando, Wally Cox, and Rock Hudson his May lumn about gay ins. * james dean marlon brando gay *
His last movie, Giant, h theaters sixty-five years ago this culture has endlsly reimaged Jam Dean om the moment he died—he is straight, bisexual, and gay; sensive and aggrsive; misunrstood and manipulative; victim and predator; the bt of and the worst. Ple Kael, then a risg film cric, plaed 1955 that watchg him was like stumblg onto the vulgar eroticism of homosexual cisg grounds—“grossly explic, ” too dulgent of boys and their “toerotic” fixatns.
Too often, his negative experienc epted , aggrsive, or dangero behavr, what Bast spected was Dean’s way of takg revenge on a society that wronged Hollywood mors started as soon as Dean ma the papers, whispers that he was bisexual or gay. His stud, Warner Bros., promoted him alongsi Rock Hudson and Tab Hunter, two closeted gay men, as their most eligible bachelor. Much k would be spilled over the years tryg to p down his sexualy—straight, bisexual, gay, asexual all found their advot—but he risted labels, not least bee the labels were tied up bigger qutns of masculy and manhood.
In those days, “homosexual” was synonymo wh a mpy, effemate stereotype he uldn’t intify wh. “I’m not a homosexual, ” he told a reporter who asked if he was gay, “but I’m not gog through life wh one hand tied behd my back.
GAY INOGRAPHY: THE HOLLYWOOD LEGEND OF JAM DEAN
Our celebratn of post-war gay, bisexual, and straight movie stars wearg next to nothg at all. * james dean marlon brando gay *
In the heart of the homophobic ’50s, he and director Nicholas Ray quietly weaved a queer love story to his most famo film, Rebel whout a Cse, a movie filled wh qutns about what masculy meant the postwar world. ” Roger Ebert only acknowledged s homoeroticism prt 2005, and mimally at that. Somerset Mgham read and unrstood, as did future gay activist Jack Frscher.
“Jam Dean was mascule; he was blond; he was hot; he was California; he was Amerin; he was gay, ” Fristcher relled of his teenage fatuatn. ”“I’m not a homosexual, ” he told a reporter who asked if he was gay, “but I’m not gog through life wh one hand tied behd my back.