Rebel Without a Cause (1955) And The Alleged Curse That Killed Its Lead Actors
Warner Bros PicturesSal Mineo, Natalie Wood, and James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause, an allegedly cursed film.
1955’s Rebel Without a Cause was the sort of film that only comes along once in a blue moon, perfectly encapsulating the era of its creation. It also starred two of the hottest Hollywood actors of the time, James Dean and Natalie Wood, alongside co-star Sal Mineo in his breakout role.
All three of Rebel’s lead actors would go on to die untimely deaths.
In fact, the film released less than a month after James Dean fatally crashed his Porsche on a California highway at the age of just 24.
Then, about a decade after Dean’s death, his friend Nick Adams, who also happened to have had a brief fling with Natalie Wood, died mysteriously in his own home. Adams’ death was ruled an accidental suicide.
Less than 10 years later, Sal Mineo was found dead in his West Hollywood home. He’d been stabbed to death by pizza deliveryman Lionel Ray Williams. Mineo had been one of the first openly gay actors in Hollywood, and over the years some speculated that Williams may have murdered him due to his sexuality. However, Williams denied knowing who Mineo was.
And finally, in 1981, Natalie Wood was found dead, floating in the ocean off the California coast in her nightgown. The circumstances surrounding her death have never been determined.
