Autograph – James Dean (1931-1955) Signed Photograph depicts Dean looking through a camera, inscribed ‘Best Wishes James Dean’ in ink to the front, measures 23x18cm approx. James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931 – September 30, 1955) was an American actor from Indiana. He is remembered as a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement, as expressed in the title of his most celebrated film, Rebel Without a Cause (1955), in which he starred as troubled teenager Jim Stark.