Sal Mineo Story – Rebel With A Cause

Sal Mineo was an American film and theatre actor who began acting in the 1940’s opposite Yuhl Brenner on Broadway. However, it was ground breaking role in the 1955 James Dean’s classic, Rebel without a Cause, which made him a legend and earned him an Academy Award Nomination. His performance as Plato Crawford, opposite James Dean, was one of the first films to really give teenagers an identity. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for his role as a Holocaust survivor, Dov Landau in Exodus. In subsequent years, Sal Mineo acted in several pictures playing mostly juvenile delinquents that ultimately lead him to being typecast. Despite the difficulties, his strong love and passion for the work gave him vitality. In the late 1960’s, Mineo became one of the first major actors in Hollywood to publicly acknowledge his homosexuality. His coming out as an openly gay actor laid the foundation for generations that followed. Sal continued to work on stage and screen up until his tragic death