The man behind the legend and a knowing look at 1950s Hollywood are revealed in this dynamic biopic of the meteoric star whose troubled life echoed his gut-grabbing performances in East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant.
Acting
Franco's channeling is eerie—he studied Dean's mannerisms for months.
Production
Recreated Edens and Rebel sets with obsessive period detail.
Director
Mark Rydell
James Franco
James Dean
Michael Moriarty
Winton Dean
Valentina Cervi
Pier Angeli
Enrico Colantoni
Elia Kazan
Edward Herrmann
Raymond Massey
Joanne Linville
Hedda Hopper
John Pleshette
Billy Rose
Barry Primus
Nicholas Ray
David Proval
Daniel Mann
Amy Rydell
Christine White
Wendy Benson-Landes
Julie Harris
Karen Kondazian
Mrs. Pierangeli
David Parker
James Whitmore
Craig Barnett
George Stevens
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Franco was only 22 when he played Dean—four years older than Dean at death, but the same age Dean was during East of Eden.
TV biopic culture peaked in the early 2000s—this premiered on TNT months before 9/11, when we still made stars out of beautiful disasters.
US
