Santa Monica College will pay tribute to actor James Dean, arguably its most famous alumnus, with a screening of the recently released documentary, James Dean: Forever Young.
Dean attended SMC (then known as Santa Monica City College) in 1949-50 before transferring to UCLA. He was also a member of the college basketball team.
Dean’s death at 24 made him an American icon and a Hollywood legend, though he made only three movies before his death — 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.
This latest Dean documentary premiered in May at the Cannes Film Festival and was shown shortly thereafter at London’s prestigious National Film Theatre. It includes rare footage that shows that his range as an actor was much wider than what he did in the three films.
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, in the SMC Concert Hall, 1900 Pico Boulevard. It’s free.The event is cosponsored by the SMC Communication/Cinema Department and the SMC Associates, a private organization that funds speakers and special events on campus.
