James Dean died on 30th September 1955, aged 24. At the time of his fatal accident he had just completed Giant, his third film after East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause. Yet from this meagre career a legend was born that shows no sign of abating. He is a classic American icon, surpassed only by Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley, projecting an image of Fifties cool and tough-guy charm that has been vigorously mass-marketed via T-shirts, posters, calendars and countless fan clubs. This biography looks beyond the Hollywood manufactured cliche to the volatile polarities, conflicted sexuality and childhood trauma of the person himself. This portrait, based on many new and documented sources and featuring rare archive photographs, argues that Dean's angst-ridden compliance - in public - with rigid sexual mores helped fuel the fury and electricity of his acting.