James Dean’s Love Life: All of the Major Romances of the Brooding Actor’s Shortened Life

James Dean exploded onto the scene as a 1950s icon of teenage rebellion and angst. He stole hearts with his enigmatic persona and memorable looks, and although he only starred in three major movies before his untimely death at age 24, Dean was on the verge of superstardom.

After his first major role in East of Eden (1955), Dean burst onto the scene, eventually scoring roles in his most popular films, Rebel Without A Cause (1955) and Giant (1956), both of which were released posthumously. He was sadly killed in a car accident in 1955. 

Given his status as a Hollywood heartthrob, James Dean had the ability to date almost anyone he wanted, and he certainly had some memorable relationships.  

Dive deep into James Dean’s love life and learn about the actor’s most famous romances throughout his short 24 years of life.

Liz Sheridan

Dean had a short-lived romance with actress Liz Sheridan, a relationship she recounted in her book, Dizzy & Jimmy: My Life With James Dean: A Love Story. According to Sheridan, she met the brooding actor while working as a dancer at different nightclubs in New York City in the days before Dean gained major attention.

Sheridan explained that their time together was “just kind of magical. It was the first love for both of us.” She also shared that she and the actor eventually lived together in an apartment on the Upper West Side and that they were briefly engaged.

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But when Dean’s fame began to grow, the pair split up. Not much has been shared about their relationship aside from what Sheridan has written, as Dean died only three years after their split, which completely shocked Sheridan.

“I was numb,” she said. “I didn’t believe it. I still don’t—I keep thinking he’s going to call.”

Alice Denham

Dean met actress Alice Denham through a mutual friend while they were both in New York. The two formed a friendship that eventually turned intimate prior to Dean’s extreme fame. Denham later described their relationship as an “almost innocent if intimate friendship.”

They remained close in this in-between relationship until Dean fell hard for Pier Angeli.

William Bast – Rumored

There were rumors aplenty surrounding Dean, ranging from his supposedly dating Marilyn Monroe to the idea that he might have been bisexual and involved romantically with Marlon Brando and Paul Newman, though none of this has ever been confirmed. What is true is that there was a close connection between him and screenwriter William Bast. 

The duo first met when they were 19 years old and attending the theater program at UCLA. They became close friends and roommates while in school and later lived together in New York. For quite some time, many questioned whether Dean was attracted to men and years later, Bast shared their relationship became romantic at one point.  

Bast wrote in his memoir, Surviving James Dean, that their relationship did change but that they kept it private due to Dean’s burgeoning fame. Meanwhile, Dean continued to date women in Hollywood.    

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Pier Angeli

One of his most memorable relationships was with Italian actress Pier Angeli. The two initially encountered each other in 1954 while Dean was filming East of Eden (1955) and Angeli was filming The Silver Chalice (1954). Soon after meeting, Dean and Angeli began to date in secret. 

“We used to go to the California coast and stay there secretly in a cottage on a beach far away from prying eyes,” Angeli shared in James Dean: The Mutant King.

After six months of seeing each other, Dean proposed to Angeli, but it wasn’t without issue. Although Angeli said yes, her mother didn’t approve, so two days later she said no to Dean. Angeli quickly moved on, marrying singer Vic Damone just a few weeks later. 

“[James Dean] is the only man I ever loved as deeply as a woman should love a man. I tried to love my husbands, but it never lasted. I would wake up in the night and find I had been dreaming of Jimmy.”

Ursula Andress

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Dean and actress/model Ursula Andress had a brief but passionate affair during the last year of his life. According to Andress, on the pair’s first date, he left her to play the bongos at a nightclub.

During their time together, Dean and Andress were photographed at various events in 1955, about a month before his death.

“Although he was a very aggressive, ambitious actor, he was very sensitive, with beautiful feelings,” Andress shared.