James Dean died in 1955 at the age of 24. Six decades later, he is still revered as a distant myth, puzzled over by a generation that hardly knows him. His film career lasted only sixteen months, but it produced three cinematic greats: East Of Eden, Rebel Without A Cause and Giant. The titles alone evoke epic visions, and all three films live up to their promise, constituting a three-part heroic poem on atomic age youth, its beauties and its frustrations.

Dean’s public image was carefully constructed and maintained by the Warner Brothers studio through much publicised dates with Hollywood actresses. Recently however, revelations about Dean’s sex life - that he was a promiscuous homosexual who slept with many other actors and casting directors - have flown in the face of his traditional image, and revealed a side of Dean that was shocking to many who saw him as a clean-cut, if rebellious, American hero. The opening of the Warner Brothers archive containing letters and other documents surrounding Dean’s original casting and the making of his films have also provided an insight into his behaviour and revealed the real opinions of those who worked with him. John Howlett has interviewed many actors, lovers and girlfriends who knew Dean in New York and Hollywood and has incorporated significant new material. In this biography he brings to light graphic details of James Dean’s private life, reassessing the legacy of one of the greatest icons of the twentieth century.