Actor James Dean was killed in a car crash on this day in 1955. James Dean was 24 years old. He had starred in only three movies- “Rebel Without A Cause” “East of Eden” and “Giant.” With his death he became a cultural icon. He was the first actor to be nominated for an Academy Award posthumously. I can’t help but wonder how we would look at him today if he had lived. He would be 81 now. What would his career have been like? I’ve never gotten the worship of the James Deans and the Marilyn Monroe’s.