By Daily Press staff
Santa Monica College will pay tribute to actor James Dean — one of its most famous alumni — with a screening of the recently released documentary “James Dean: Forever Young” and a talk by its maker, Michael J. Sheridan.
SMC’s “James Dean: A 50th Anniversary Tribute” will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, the 50th anniversary of the actor’s death in a car accident in central California.
The free event will be held in the SMC Concert Hall, 1900 Pico Blvd. Dean attended SMC, then known as Santa Monica City College, in 1949-50 before transferring to UCLA. While a student at SMC, he also was on the basketball team.
Dean became a legendary and tragic figure who was catapulted to fame even though he made only three movies before his death at 24 years old — “East of Eden” and “Rebel Without a Cause,” both released in 1955, and “Giant” in 1956. He was nominated posthumously for two Academy Awards for “East of Eden” and “Giant.”
The documentary on Dean premiered in May at the Cannes Film Festival and was shown shortly thereafter at London’s National Film Theatre. It includes rare footage of the actor that reveals Dean’s wide range of skills as a performer.
The event is co-sponsored by the SMC communication/cinema department and the SMC Associates, a private organization that funds speakers and special events on campus. For information, call (310) 434-4303.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 22, 2005. Read the original PDF.