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James Dean: Boulevard of Broken Dreams
No more than a promising actor with a handful of films to his name when he died in 1955, James Dean has since been elevated to an iconic status surpassed only by Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe. And his image - a blend of '50s cool and tough-guy charm - has been vigorously marketed in the race to cash in on a legend that, forty years later, shows no sign of abating. But until now, no serious biography has looked beyond the studio-manufactured cliches to the volatile polarities of this complex star. Was he bisexual or gay? A neurotic con-man or a lost boy trying to find himself? And to what extent did his sexuality fire his performances? Drawing on many new and documented sources, and featuring previously unpublished photographs, Paul Alexander's revisionist and passionate biography will explode many people's myths about a rare acting genius.
336 pages, Paperback
First published July 21, 1994
6 people are currently reading
281 people want to read
About the author
Paul Alexander
124 books43 followersBesides the bestselling Kindle Singles Murdered, Accused, and Homicidal, Paul Alexander has published eight previous books of nonfiction: Ariel Ascending: Writings About Sylvia Plath; Rough Magic, a biography of Plath; Boulevard of Broken Dreams: The Life, Times, and Legend of James Dean, the bestseller that has been published in 10 countries; Death and Disaster: The Rise of the Warhol Empire and the Race For Andy’s Millions; Man of the People: The Life of John McCain; The Candidate, a chronicle of John Kerry’s presidential campaign; and Machiavelli’s Shadow: The Rise and Fall of Karl Rove.
A former reporter for Time, Alexander has published journalism in The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, New York, The Nation, The Village Voice, Salon, Worth, The New York Observer, George, Cosmopolitan, More, Interview, ARTnews, Mirabella, Premiere, Out, The Advocate, Travel & Leisure, The Los Angeles Times Book Review, Biography, Men’s Journal, Best Life, The New York Review of Books, The Daily Beast, and Rolling Stone.
Shane Salerno’s forthcoming feature documentary Salinger is based on Alexander’s biography of J.D. Salinger. Alexander is the author of the plays Strangers in the Land of Canaan and Edge, which he directed. Developed at The Actors Studio, Edge, the critically acclaimed one-woman play about Sylvia Plath, ran in New York, London, Los Angeles, among other cities. Edge toured Australia and New Zealand and enjoyed a second run in New York. In all, Torn performed Edge 400 times. Alexander is also the director of Brothers in Arms, a documentary film about John Kerry and Vietnam (First Run Features).
A graduate of The University of Alabama and The Writers’ Workshop at The University of Iowa, Alexander is a member of the Authors Guild and PEN American Center. In the fall of 2002, he was a Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He lives in New York City.
A former reporter for Time, Alexander has published journalism in The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, New York, The Nation, The Village Voice, Salon, Worth, The New York Observer, George, Cosmopolitan, More, Interview, ARTnews, Mirabella, Premiere, Out, The Advocate, Travel & Leisure, The Los Angeles Times Book Review, Biography, Men’s Journal, Best Life, The New York Review of Books, The Daily Beast, and Rolling Stone.
Shane Salerno’s forthcoming feature documentary Salinger is based on Alexander’s biography of J.D. Salinger. Alexander is the author of the plays Strangers in the Land of Canaan and Edge, which he directed. Developed at The Actors Studio, Edge, the critically acclaimed one-woman play about Sylvia Plath, ran in New York, London, Los Angeles, among other cities. Edge toured Australia and New Zealand and enjoyed a second run in New York. In all, Torn performed Edge 400 times. Alexander is also the director of Brothers in Arms, a documentary film about John Kerry and Vietnam (First Run Features).
A graduate of The University of Alabama and The Writers’ Workshop at The University of Iowa, Alexander is a member of the Authors Guild and PEN American Center. In the fall of 2002, he was a Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
March 19, 2010
This is the first full-length biography I've ever gotten around to reading about Dean, and I was not impressed. I know that his sexuality was subject to much speculation, but this book took it to a whole new level. I feel like the author is a fanboy with the hots for Dean, and he WANTS Dean to have been gay. Every relationship he had with a man is described as being "definitely" homosexual, and he describes some quite intimate details that there is no WAY he could have learned. On the other hand, every relationship he describes Dean having with a woman was "probably not" a "romantic" or "sexual" relationship, but he gives no evidence as to how he worked out all of these "definitely-s" and "probably-s."
I did learn a few new things, like the fact that Dean set fire to a cornfield in Fairmount with some of his childhood friends (an event quite similar to something my father did in San Fransisco in the 1950s) and that Francois Truffaut, my favorite French director, was writing that Dean was a genius in Cahiers du Cinema before he (Truffaut) shot his first film.
The photographs, some quite rare, complement the otherwise unimpressive text. I think I will make finding a well-researched, well-written, un-fanboy-ish Dean biography my new goal in life, and I will report back when I do find one.
I did learn a few new things, like the fact that Dean set fire to a cornfield in Fairmount with some of his childhood friends (an event quite similar to something my father did in San Fransisco in the 1950s) and that Francois Truffaut, my favorite French director, was writing that Dean was a genius in Cahiers du Cinema before he (Truffaut) shot his first film.
The photographs, some quite rare, complement the otherwise unimpressive text. I think I will make finding a well-researched, well-written, un-fanboy-ish Dean biography my new goal in life, and I will report back when I do find one.
October 27, 2025
I have given this biography four stars because when I read it years ago I enjoyed it and more to the point I found it well written and free of all the usual Hollywood 'style' elements that cause me to throw books across a room. The fact that I finished it demonstrates some quality. Clearly the reason I read it was in part the story of James Deans 'gay' side. Now it apparently is a cause of great upset to many when it is even hinted that Dean may have had anything less then a straight forward vanilla sex life and tastes. To me the arguments in the book seemed convincing and the author's use of the experiences of queer people growing up queer in the 1960s and 70s to provide context particularly good. Some people, unless you can provide photographs and signed, witnessed statements attesting to the sodomy practised by their favorite old time celebrity, will always regard such people as default 100% grade A heterosexuals. Unless something remarkable turns up you are never going to convince the doubters that Dean's eye, never mind his flesh, was attracted to another male.
I found this biography interesting and readable and certainly less sensationalist then most Hollywood books.
I found this biography interesting and readable and certainly less sensationalist then most Hollywood books.
May 9, 2018
Ich habe dieses Buch bei einem Bibliotheks-Abverkauf einst günstig erstanden, und dabei auch nicht auf den Klappentext geachtet, der ja schon verrät, dass diese Biographie vornehmlich die homosexuellen Aspekte im Leben von James Dean beleuchtet.
Was ja grundsätzlich gar nicht mal so 'schlimm' wäre, würde der Autor sich dabei auf einigermaßen belegbare Fakten stützen. Aber Paul Alexander wittert hinter jeder Bekanntschaft mit einem Mann eine sexuelle Beziehung! Im Grunde gab es keinen Mann, den James Dean je länger als ne halbe Stunde gekannt hat, und mit dem er nicht im Bett gewesen sein soll. Mit Ausnahme von seinem Vater und seinem Onkel. Das ist dann doch etwas zu viel des Guten und dadurch wirken dann auch alle Anekdoten, die Paul Alexander so erzählt (und bei denen er definitiv nicht dabeigewesen ist, und keine 'Zeugen' befragt hat [das hätte er sonst erwähnt, genauso wie er ja am Ende extra erwähnt dass er 2 Sätze mit James Dean Vater im Altersheim gewechselt hat und Deans erste Schauspiellehrerin besucht hat] somit sich zu 98% alles aus den Fingern saugt) recht unglaubwürdig. Paul Alexander beteuert dennoch bei jeder neuen Bekanntschaft, dass es sich bei Jimmy und [insert random male name] definitiv um ein Liebespaar gehandelt haben muss. Demnach war in den 50ern die New Yorker Künstlerszene und ganz Hollywood voll von schwulen Männern.
Bei den Frauen jedoch, die James Dean nachweislich (da gibt es ja diverse Fotos von Filmpremieren und Bällen) ausgeführt hat, handelte es sich laut dem Autor nur um reine PR, um ihn als Frauenschwarm in den Klatschblättern zu etablieren und um seine wahre Neigung zu verschleiern. Mmmh, möglich. Aber Pier Angeli zum Beispiel, mit der James Dean einige Monate lang mehrmals ausging, sagte selbst kurz vor ihrem Suizid, dass James Dean der einzige Mann war den sie je geliebt hat. Würde sie das wirklich über jemanden sagen, mit dem sie nur für die Kameras ausging, und der selbst schon über 15 Jahre tot war? Klar kann man sich auch 'unsterblich' in jemanden verlieben, der diese Gefühle nicht erwidert. Aber wie kurz & bündig der Autor diese (Liebes?)beziehung von James Dean in seiner Biographie abtut wirkte doch sehr 'parteiisch', wenn ich das mal so sagen darf. Und bewirkte bei mir nur, dass auch alles andere was er so aus dem Privatleben von James Dean zu berichten hatte eher unglaubwürdig klang. Wobei ich gar nicht sagen will, dass ich nicht glaube dass es die berüchtigte Besetzungscouch in Hollywood nicht damals schon gegeben hat, und dass wohl auch James Dean sich drauf legen musste. Das halte ich für durchaus plausibel. Und auch dass James Dean wirklich durch und durch schwul war, oder doch 'nur' bisexuell, oder ob er nur mit (einigen) Männern schlief um seine Karriere zu fördern, ob ob gar nichts davon stimmt - alles ist möglich, an dieser Stelle bringt dieses Buch gar keine Klärung. Denn ich glaube nicht, dass alles stimmt was Paul Alexander hier behauptet, und dadurch wird das gesamte Buch unglaubwürdig.
Dabei hat der Autor ja durchaus auch viel Interessantes zu berichten, weshalb ich dem Buch schließlich doch 3 Sterne gebe. (Und weil sehr viele, teilweise sehr seltene, Fotos enthalten waren!)
Da ich kein ausgewiesener Dean-Fan bin, und vorher nur die 3 Filme von ihm und die Umstände seines Todes kannte, war so gut wie alles neu für mich. Jimmys Kindheit und Jugend, seine Anfänge am Schultheater, dann der Schauspielunterricht am Actor's Studio in New York, später kleine Fernsehrollen, bevor dann mit "Jenseits von Eden" der große Durchbruch kam. Und dass er bereits vor seinem Tod ein von den Medien und den Zuschauern (und zwar nicht nur in den USA) gefeierter Star war. Obwohl doch sein erster großer Film gerade erst in den Kinos angelaufen war, und die beiden anderen, die ihn schließlich unsterblich machten, noch niemand gesehen hatte. Trotzdem wurde er schon überall erkannt und war überall beliebt.
Auch die Einflüsse auf seine Art zu Schauspielern werden dargelegt, und machten mich sehr neugierig, mir seine alten Filme unbedingt mal wieder anzuschauen. Und obwohl James Dean mittlerweile seit über 60 Jahren tot ist, ließ mich erst das Lesen dieser Biographie so richtig bedauern, dass die Nachwelt nicht in den Genuss von noch mehr Beispielen seiner außergewöhnlichen Schauspielkunst gekommen ist. Zudem der Unfall ja wohl absolut vermeidbar gewesen wäre, wenn der Unfallgegner nur ein klein wenig anders reagiert hätte. Soo schade. 24 ist für jeden Menschen viel zu jung zum Sterben!
Was ja grundsätzlich gar nicht mal so 'schlimm' wäre, würde der Autor sich dabei auf einigermaßen belegbare Fakten stützen. Aber Paul Alexander wittert hinter jeder Bekanntschaft mit einem Mann eine sexuelle Beziehung! Im Grunde gab es keinen Mann, den James Dean je länger als ne halbe Stunde gekannt hat, und mit dem er nicht im Bett gewesen sein soll. Mit Ausnahme von seinem Vater und seinem Onkel. Das ist dann doch etwas zu viel des Guten und dadurch wirken dann auch alle Anekdoten, die Paul Alexander so erzählt (und bei denen er definitiv nicht dabeigewesen ist, und keine 'Zeugen' befragt hat [das hätte er sonst erwähnt, genauso wie er ja am Ende extra erwähnt dass er 2 Sätze mit James Dean Vater im Altersheim gewechselt hat und Deans erste Schauspiellehrerin besucht hat] somit sich zu 98% alles aus den Fingern saugt) recht unglaubwürdig. Paul Alexander beteuert dennoch bei jeder neuen Bekanntschaft, dass es sich bei Jimmy und [insert random male name] definitiv um ein Liebespaar gehandelt haben muss. Demnach war in den 50ern die New Yorker Künstlerszene und ganz Hollywood voll von schwulen Männern.
Bei den Frauen jedoch, die James Dean nachweislich (da gibt es ja diverse Fotos von Filmpremieren und Bällen) ausgeführt hat, handelte es sich laut dem Autor nur um reine PR, um ihn als Frauenschwarm in den Klatschblättern zu etablieren und um seine wahre Neigung zu verschleiern. Mmmh, möglich. Aber Pier Angeli zum Beispiel, mit der James Dean einige Monate lang mehrmals ausging, sagte selbst kurz vor ihrem Suizid, dass James Dean der einzige Mann war den sie je geliebt hat. Würde sie das wirklich über jemanden sagen, mit dem sie nur für die Kameras ausging, und der selbst schon über 15 Jahre tot war? Klar kann man sich auch 'unsterblich' in jemanden verlieben, der diese Gefühle nicht erwidert. Aber wie kurz & bündig der Autor diese (Liebes?)beziehung von James Dean in seiner Biographie abtut wirkte doch sehr 'parteiisch', wenn ich das mal so sagen darf. Und bewirkte bei mir nur, dass auch alles andere was er so aus dem Privatleben von James Dean zu berichten hatte eher unglaubwürdig klang. Wobei ich gar nicht sagen will, dass ich nicht glaube dass es die berüchtigte Besetzungscouch in Hollywood nicht damals schon gegeben hat, und dass wohl auch James Dean sich drauf legen musste. Das halte ich für durchaus plausibel. Und auch dass James Dean wirklich durch und durch schwul war, oder doch 'nur' bisexuell, oder ob er nur mit (einigen) Männern schlief um seine Karriere zu fördern, ob ob gar nichts davon stimmt - alles ist möglich, an dieser Stelle bringt dieses Buch gar keine Klärung. Denn ich glaube nicht, dass alles stimmt was Paul Alexander hier behauptet, und dadurch wird das gesamte Buch unglaubwürdig.
Dabei hat der Autor ja durchaus auch viel Interessantes zu berichten, weshalb ich dem Buch schließlich doch 3 Sterne gebe. (Und weil sehr viele, teilweise sehr seltene, Fotos enthalten waren!)
Da ich kein ausgewiesener Dean-Fan bin, und vorher nur die 3 Filme von ihm und die Umstände seines Todes kannte, war so gut wie alles neu für mich. Jimmys Kindheit und Jugend, seine Anfänge am Schultheater, dann der Schauspielunterricht am Actor's Studio in New York, später kleine Fernsehrollen, bevor dann mit "Jenseits von Eden" der große Durchbruch kam. Und dass er bereits vor seinem Tod ein von den Medien und den Zuschauern (und zwar nicht nur in den USA) gefeierter Star war. Obwohl doch sein erster großer Film gerade erst in den Kinos angelaufen war, und die beiden anderen, die ihn schließlich unsterblich machten, noch niemand gesehen hatte. Trotzdem wurde er schon überall erkannt und war überall beliebt.
Auch die Einflüsse auf seine Art zu Schauspielern werden dargelegt, und machten mich sehr neugierig, mir seine alten Filme unbedingt mal wieder anzuschauen. Und obwohl James Dean mittlerweile seit über 60 Jahren tot ist, ließ mich erst das Lesen dieser Biographie so richtig bedauern, dass die Nachwelt nicht in den Genuss von noch mehr Beispielen seiner außergewöhnlichen Schauspielkunst gekommen ist. Zudem der Unfall ja wohl absolut vermeidbar gewesen wäre, wenn der Unfallgegner nur ein klein wenig anders reagiert hätte. Soo schade. 24 ist für jeden Menschen viel zu jung zum Sterben!
September 30, 2011
The first time I saw James Dean was in a poster in my friend's room years ago. It was the one where he's lounging with a cowboy hat, and although I didn't know who he was (my friend had a habit of plastering her walls with posters of people she didn't even know, just to hide the ripped wallpaper), I thought it looked pretty cool. Apparently Dean was a huge phenomenon in Finland back in the 50s, but I personally didn't hear about him until a couple of years ago. Now when I was perusing the film shelf of my local library, I thought I'd grab this biography and see what all the fuss is about.
Unfortunately, I couldn't have gone more wrong. There were two choices and I picked the crappy one. I'm quite confused as to why someone would choose to write a biography based on rumours. It's like taking excerpts from tabloids here and there, and compiling them into a huge mess of hearsay and novel-like dialogue. There were a lot of words like if, may have and probably. Alexander should learn more about how to shove his boyish fandom aside and learn to deal with facts, instead of things that support the idea of who you'd have wanted James Dean to be. I have no opinion regarding Dean's sexuality, but I do know that it's not a good idea to take someone's bragging about sleeping with him seriously, especially since Dean's dead so you can't take his word for it.
Nevertheless, although I think Dean was copying Brando a little and that his early death kind of blew his reputation out of proportion, I can't deny that he had this certain charisma and acting skills that could have developed even further had he lived longer. I once saw a guy on the street strutting with gorgeous James Dean hair, and he kind of made me do something I never do: turn my head around. So I will probably read a bit more about Dean, since he's quite interesting as a phenomenon and not just another pretty face.
Unfortunately, I couldn't have gone more wrong. There were two choices and I picked the crappy one. I'm quite confused as to why someone would choose to write a biography based on rumours. It's like taking excerpts from tabloids here and there, and compiling them into a huge mess of hearsay and novel-like dialogue. There were a lot of words like if, may have and probably. Alexander should learn more about how to shove his boyish fandom aside and learn to deal with facts, instead of things that support the idea of who you'd have wanted James Dean to be. I have no opinion regarding Dean's sexuality, but I do know that it's not a good idea to take someone's bragging about sleeping with him seriously, especially since Dean's dead so you can't take his word for it.
Nevertheless, although I think Dean was copying Brando a little and that his early death kind of blew his reputation out of proportion, I can't deny that he had this certain charisma and acting skills that could have developed even further had he lived longer. I once saw a guy on the street strutting with gorgeous James Dean hair, and he kind of made me do something I never do: turn my head around. So I will probably read a bit more about Dean, since he's quite interesting as a phenomenon and not just another pretty face.
October 14, 2024
Okay so the reason this is two starts; we will start with the negatives, is because at least more than have the book was Alexander going into unnecessary, unreliable detail about Dean’s sexuality.
Now if Dean was or wasn’t gay, it doesn’t matter to me I adore him either way, the fact he isn’t/wasn’t alive to deny or confirm so much gossip and rumours spread about him is what makes me sad. And it was emphasised WAY too much in a way that is tbh disrespectful.
The other point is that Alexander refers to his sources is a way too nonchalant way like I don’t think majority of the information in this book was actually factual.
What I’m glad I got out of this book was learning the basic’s of Dean, how he grew up, where, what his schooling was like and how he got into acting - I was so interested in his life because he certainly had it tough in many aspects but was so headstrong.
I really loved reading about how Brando and him were intertwined in Hollywood - even Wood and Taylor being mentioned (I had no idea they were his co-stars in the movies he starred in because I actually haven’t watched any)
I did learn a lot of amazing things about Jimmy, it was more the authors writing that I couldn’t stand and why it took me so long to read (as well as not reading it for like 6 months)
I did also enjoy the photos that were in the book (except for the ones of him post crash?! WHY WERE THEY TAKEN AND INCLUDED, disrespect ONCE AGAIN) and I also wish the photos has little blurbs under them so I could actually have more knowledge of them, Alexander does mention them in the book but it would be just easier if he did little notes ANYWAYS
I love you James Dean - you deserve the world
Now if Dean was or wasn’t gay, it doesn’t matter to me I adore him either way, the fact he isn’t/wasn’t alive to deny or confirm so much gossip and rumours spread about him is what makes me sad. And it was emphasised WAY too much in a way that is tbh disrespectful.
The other point is that Alexander refers to his sources is a way too nonchalant way like I don’t think majority of the information in this book was actually factual.
What I’m glad I got out of this book was learning the basic’s of Dean, how he grew up, where, what his schooling was like and how he got into acting - I was so interested in his life because he certainly had it tough in many aspects but was so headstrong.
I really loved reading about how Brando and him were intertwined in Hollywood - even Wood and Taylor being mentioned (I had no idea they were his co-stars in the movies he starred in because I actually haven’t watched any)
I did learn a lot of amazing things about Jimmy, it was more the authors writing that I couldn’t stand and why it took me so long to read (as well as not reading it for like 6 months)
I did also enjoy the photos that were in the book (except for the ones of him post crash?! WHY WERE THEY TAKEN AND INCLUDED, disrespect ONCE AGAIN) and I also wish the photos has little blurbs under them so I could actually have more knowledge of them, Alexander does mention them in the book but it would be just easier if he did little notes ANYWAYS
I love you James Dean - you deserve the world
August 5, 2014
What to say about this . . . thing? Well, here are the positives:
1.) There are a decent amount of nice photos of Dean included in this bio
2.) There is an interesting encounter between the author and Dean's own aging father near the end of the book. (Page 302)
Now for the negatives . . .
1.) Over and over, the author spins tales of Dean's homosexual relationships, complete with pornographic details. Obviously, since his death there has been much debate over Dean's sexual orientation. The detailed descriptions of Dean's supposed activities are a bit much. Alexander clearly believes he was gay, and almost entirely ignores the accounts given by Dean's many friends, both male and female, who have sworn that he had romantic relationships with women.
2.) This book is filled with quotes from "someone who knew him", or "someone at a party", or "someone working at the studio at the time". It reminded me of tabloids like US or In Touch, who make the most outrageous assertions, and then simply cite "a source close to the star". Um, yeah. Sounds like the editor to me.
3.) The specific incidents from Dean's life before he got famous, the "affairs" he supposedly had with men, and the conversations that are given as facts in this book, quite frankly, challenge a reader's intelligence. How could any biographer, no matter what kind of research he undertook, unearth so much private information? He is either psychic, or he is simply taking the word of people claiming to know Dean, or, which I suspect, he is not altogether grounded in reality -- and rather than write a fair and balanced biography, chose to instead play out his own sexual fantasies about Dean in public. (See Goodreads member Kristin's review . . . she hit the nail on the head.)
I have to say: I don't know if James Dean was a closeted homosexual. Or if he was bisexual. Or if he was an alien sent from another planet to gather information on just how much gossip the human race will actually allow themselves to produce. One could argue that all biographies are, essentially, gossip . . . but that is the very reason a biographer should try to remain respectful and objective, and offer facts from all sides of the story. And they should definitely make every effort to avoid going off on perverse or bawdy tangents that make the reader feel as though they should put the book down and quietly back out of the room so as to allow the book an amorous moment alone with itself.
Let's say, to be generous, I'm giving this thing 1 1/2 stars! I do like to see a few pictures of James Dean, after all! :)
1.) There are a decent amount of nice photos of Dean included in this bio
2.) There is an interesting encounter between the author and Dean's own aging father near the end of the book. (Page 302)
Now for the negatives . . .
1.) Over and over, the author spins tales of Dean's homosexual relationships, complete with pornographic details. Obviously, since his death there has been much debate over Dean's sexual orientation. The detailed descriptions of Dean's supposed activities are a bit much. Alexander clearly believes he was gay, and almost entirely ignores the accounts given by Dean's many friends, both male and female, who have sworn that he had romantic relationships with women.
2.) This book is filled with quotes from "someone who knew him", or "someone at a party", or "someone working at the studio at the time". It reminded me of tabloids like US or In Touch, who make the most outrageous assertions, and then simply cite "a source close to the star". Um, yeah. Sounds like the editor to me.
3.) The specific incidents from Dean's life before he got famous, the "affairs" he supposedly had with men, and the conversations that are given as facts in this book, quite frankly, challenge a reader's intelligence. How could any biographer, no matter what kind of research he undertook, unearth so much private information? He is either psychic, or he is simply taking the word of people claiming to know Dean, or, which I suspect, he is not altogether grounded in reality -- and rather than write a fair and balanced biography, chose to instead play out his own sexual fantasies about Dean in public. (See Goodreads member Kristin's review . . . she hit the nail on the head.)
I have to say: I don't know if James Dean was a closeted homosexual. Or if he was bisexual. Or if he was an alien sent from another planet to gather information on just how much gossip the human race will actually allow themselves to produce. One could argue that all biographies are, essentially, gossip . . . but that is the very reason a biographer should try to remain respectful and objective, and offer facts from all sides of the story. And they should definitely make every effort to avoid going off on perverse or bawdy tangents that make the reader feel as though they should put the book down and quietly back out of the room so as to allow the book an amorous moment alone with itself.
Let's say, to be generous, I'm giving this thing 1 1/2 stars! I do like to see a few pictures of James Dean, after all! :)
March 20, 2016
"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is one of the worst books ever written.
Its full of lies , unfounded claims and unnamed sources.
The book is an insult to the memory of James Dean and to him as a person.
The author is an opportunistic ghoul as he proved when he used an aged Adeline Nall to gain access to and access Jimmy's ailing,Alzheimer's stricken Father in the the care home where he was living against the wishes and efforts of the Dean family to protect him in his old age.
I am not anti gay and my there is no prejudice as a motivation behind this review.
I can admit that from the evidence it seems as though Jimmy had experimented a few times but to me there are too many rumors and innuendo to determine how far his bisexuality went or if he would have indeed been bisexual if he had lived longer.
My objection to this book is that I despise seeing such lies being written about a young man who had been dead over 40 years at the time of this writing and therefore is unable to defend himself.
Shame on you, Mr. Alexander.
Its full of lies , unfounded claims and unnamed sources.
The book is an insult to the memory of James Dean and to him as a person.
The author is an opportunistic ghoul as he proved when he used an aged Adeline Nall to gain access to and access Jimmy's ailing,Alzheimer's stricken Father in the the care home where he was living against the wishes and efforts of the Dean family to protect him in his old age.
I am not anti gay and my there is no prejudice as a motivation behind this review.
I can admit that from the evidence it seems as though Jimmy had experimented a few times but to me there are too many rumors and innuendo to determine how far his bisexuality went or if he would have indeed been bisexual if he had lived longer.
My objection to this book is that I despise seeing such lies being written about a young man who had been dead over 40 years at the time of this writing and therefore is unable to defend himself.
Shame on you, Mr. Alexander.
September 15, 2011
I loved the book because there were a lot of 'new' pics of Dean I'd never seen before, including one where Dean is completely naked & masturbating up in a tree. I kid you not. When I say I loved the book I mean I loved reading about Dean and seeing new pics. But this book seemed to be some kind of Slash Fiction (gay fanfic according to wikipedia).
The author describes the size of Dean's genital area, the positions he took with various men in bed, and so on. In this book Dean couldn't meet a man without having a sexual relationship with him. I DID like how in depth the author explored the relationship Dean had with his father, Winton. But at some points I felt that even "that" was embellished. It was an interesting read, though. If you like good slash fic, you're gonna love this. Also, this new, nude cover of Dean like this with the cowboy hat on just confirms that this is selling fictional sex he supposedly had and calling it bio. It shouldn't called be a bio because it's too speculative. Anyway, peace out. xoxo
The author describes the size of Dean's genital area, the positions he took with various men in bed, and so on. In this book Dean couldn't meet a man without having a sexual relationship with him. I DID like how in depth the author explored the relationship Dean had with his father, Winton. But at some points I felt that even "that" was embellished. It was an interesting read, though. If you like good slash fic, you're gonna love this. Also, this new, nude cover of Dean like this with the cowboy hat on just confirms that this is selling fictional sex he supposedly had and calling it bio. It shouldn't called be a bio because it's too speculative. Anyway, peace out. xoxo
January 12, 2026
while read this book i came to the realization that i struggle with viewing james dean as a real person because he feels so sensationalized to me. the fifties feel like such a different time and i struggle to match up bits with my own, and i end up viewing him more as some shakespeare esque tragedy than a real guy who lived. someone else who has this issue is paul alexander (who i found out has the same name as that guy who lived nearly his entire life in the iron lung, lol).
alexander really wants to fuck dean, or at least idolizes him to the max. i enjoy a good speculation towards a celebrities sexuality, but alexander spends...i want to say at least fourty percent of this book hammering the reader over the head with suggestion that dean wasn't bisexual, but gay. if this was a viewpoint he wanted, i would take interest in seeing it. i think all biographies and autobiographies should be read with a certain air of hesitance, because i dont think there's a single one out there that is completely factual. i think embellishing and lying is human nature, but there were points of this novel that got so ridiculous i had to pause. like...
there's this one point where alexander is mentioning that the night before he died, dean was supposed to go to a party with some friends, but there's debate over if he actually did, however evidence suggests he was at least out somewhere that night. alexander pauses here and suggests that maybe the reason he didn't go was because maybe this friend knew he was gay and they were in disagreement about it. there's no evidence to suggest that the reason he didn't go was because of this, he just pulls it out and throws it there for people to think about it. it's so fucking ridiculous i kind of laughed. he also includes this one venture about dean having a sexual relationship with a dancer in new york, and there's at least two pages that are just a straight up porno between dean and this dancer, who is never named nor is it ever explained how alexander knew of this or how he would know these details about dean and him fucking. he's so obsessed with the idea of dean being fully gay that he ends up making himself sound completely ridiculous and it really takes away from parts of this.
overall i thought it was a pretty decent read, lot of fun stuff in here, but you can tell this author is, like, really emotionally invested in dean's life. a passion project for sure....lol.
alexander really wants to fuck dean, or at least idolizes him to the max. i enjoy a good speculation towards a celebrities sexuality, but alexander spends...i want to say at least fourty percent of this book hammering the reader over the head with suggestion that dean wasn't bisexual, but gay. if this was a viewpoint he wanted, i would take interest in seeing it. i think all biographies and autobiographies should be read with a certain air of hesitance, because i dont think there's a single one out there that is completely factual. i think embellishing and lying is human nature, but there were points of this novel that got so ridiculous i had to pause. like...
there's this one point where alexander is mentioning that the night before he died, dean was supposed to go to a party with some friends, but there's debate over if he actually did, however evidence suggests he was at least out somewhere that night. alexander pauses here and suggests that maybe the reason he didn't go was because maybe this friend knew he was gay and they were in disagreement about it. there's no evidence to suggest that the reason he didn't go was because of this, he just pulls it out and throws it there for people to think about it. it's so fucking ridiculous i kind of laughed. he also includes this one venture about dean having a sexual relationship with a dancer in new york, and there's at least two pages that are just a straight up porno between dean and this dancer, who is never named nor is it ever explained how alexander knew of this or how he would know these details about dean and him fucking. he's so obsessed with the idea of dean being fully gay that he ends up making himself sound completely ridiculous and it really takes away from parts of this.
overall i thought it was a pretty decent read, lot of fun stuff in here, but you can tell this author is, like, really emotionally invested in dean's life. a passion project for sure....lol.
May 19, 2012
This is the first biography I have read about James Dean. Beginning with the story of his parents and ending with the legend of James Dean after his death, Boulevard of Broken Dreams gives all of the truths about James Dean and most interestingly, details his rise to fame.
I read this book quickly and found much of the information to be interesting and reliable. But sadly it seems that at times Paul Alexander was rather subjective and speculative and this ultimately makes the book seem less authentic. He focuses a lot on dismissing Dean's heterosexual relationships to the point in which he details the actor's gay "affairs" explictly as if he wants James Dean to have been gay, and so wrote the book just so he could prove that the actor was indeed homosexual. This is something he never does because he lists his sources as 'friends of James' and never really persuades the reader intelligently. To call this book 'definitive' would be overestimating its effectiveness.
I am going to look for other James Dean biographies and see what I think. If only the man was still alive to prove all of these things to be wrong or right. This is a good effort, but I am sure there are better works available on this fascinating and tragic life.
I read this book quickly and found much of the information to be interesting and reliable. But sadly it seems that at times Paul Alexander was rather subjective and speculative and this ultimately makes the book seem less authentic. He focuses a lot on dismissing Dean's heterosexual relationships to the point in which he details the actor's gay "affairs" explictly as if he wants James Dean to have been gay, and so wrote the book just so he could prove that the actor was indeed homosexual. This is something he never does because he lists his sources as 'friends of James' and never really persuades the reader intelligently. To call this book 'definitive' would be overestimating its effectiveness.
I am going to look for other James Dean biographies and see what I think. If only the man was still alive to prove all of these things to be wrong or right. This is a good effort, but I am sure there are better works available on this fascinating and tragic life.
March 12, 2018
DNF at 33% (It eats at me, it really does. DNF sets my OCD into overdrive!)
I've labelled this as a Bio because that is what it is categorised as, apparently. That, right there is my beef. A Bio about James Dean, yeah cool! Right? Wrong!
This is fan lit, written by, what seems like, someone who has closet fantasies about Dean. I am not saying this to be mean or rude. That is exactly how it comes across. There are a lot of could haves and must haves about Dean's sexual life. How the heck could anyone know that, in detail? He can't, it's all based on conjecture.
It does, however, have some very rare photographs, which is pretty cool.
I'm interested so I will be looking into other Dean biographies.
I've labelled this as a Bio because that is what it is categorised as, apparently. That, right there is my beef. A Bio about James Dean, yeah cool! Right? Wrong!
This is fan lit, written by, what seems like, someone who has closet fantasies about Dean. I am not saying this to be mean or rude. That is exactly how it comes across. There are a lot of could haves and must haves about Dean's sexual life. How the heck could anyone know that, in detail? He can't, it's all based on conjecture.
It does, however, have some very rare photographs, which is pretty cool.
I'm interested so I will be looking into other Dean biographies.
February 2, 2015
The author spends an awful lot of time discussing James' sexual exploits and endeavors, which I'm unsure of how he knew. I found myself wanting to learn more about James after reading this book because it mostly focused on the possibility of Dean's sexual fluidity. It was somewhat odd and made me feel a bit uncomfortable. It just seemed seedy. Many of his fans want to get closer to his identity and characteristics not details of his alleged romps which include standing naked in a doorway, tied up, getting burned with cigarettes.
October 1, 2025
Paul Alexander writes the definitive biography of the real man behind the legend. James Dean: a lonely and sometimes troublesome teenager, a talented actor that challenged the theory of acting with his unique style, and the gay man that would always find it hard to balance his need for male affection with his desire to try anything there is to try in homosexual sex. It is the story of this latter side of Dean that sets Alexander's book apart from the other biographies of the actor. For once we see a real man and not a manufactured Hollywood image of a star.
February 15, 2011
Most of the things that he wrote about he couldn't have known. Especially the time when Jimmy was just trying to make it in the business. He has no proof of what he's saying. Only wishfull thinking.
August 19, 2011
Poorly written and far too often conjectural
December 6, 2018
Writing some 40 years after the crash that snuffed out James Dean's life at 24, Alexander pieces together fragmentary evidence to present the actor as primarily homosexual, rather than bisexual. The author traces the gay roots back to the death of Dean's mother when Dean was just a child and his father's decision to let the boy be raised by an aunt and uncle. During his teen years, seeking a father figure, Dean is seduced by a minister in his rural Indiana hometown and discovers the magic of acting in his high school speech class. The adolescent years are left sketchy -- he played basketball but apparently had few close friends and lived a decidedly non-rebellious adolescence. It wasn't until he finished high school and moved to Los Angeles that he began to explore a more bohemian life as a poorly paid, part-time actor. At this juncture, Alexander contends, Dean resorts to the casting couch to "make contacts" and pick up bit parts in commercials. Eventually, Dean starts rooming with and having sex with male actors his own age. As he launches his short but spectacular movie career with East of Eden, studio bosses make him date actresses such as Ursula Andress and Pier Angeli for publicity purposes. But Alexander surmises these encounters with women were mostly platonic and Dean never seriously considered marriage. In contrast, the author recounts in vivid detail Dean's bedroom adventures with Jonathan Gilmore, Jack Simmons and others. Which way would Dean have swung if he had lived a few more years? This amply illustrated biography suggests it would have been the Rock Hudson path.
May 16, 2023
this is an incredibly comprehensive and detailed account of james dean’s life, so detailed in fact that at times it almost strayed into fiction with certain passages being almost too intimate, especially in terms of his most private relationships.
i must say though, it’s a fantastic read and a great point of reference for anything and everything to do with jim’s life. it’s a moving story of loss, love, connection, identity and an exploration of the lifelong hold the arts had on him.
at no point did this account feel cliche or pandering, often times this book showed the flaws and turbulence of jim and what it meant to be close to him - the erratic behaviour, the deep sadness he felt, his promiscuity but also his real love for performing and his determination to dedicate his life to the craft of acting.
the attentive focus of jim’s sexuality was eye opening; i had known his sexuality was up for debate but after reading this i am shocked that it is not common knowledge that, for all intents and purposes, he was a young gay man. his scrappy, introspective and innovative way of being is on full display in this book showcasing all sides of his being.
this book broke my heart and subsequently mended it, at times making me want to give that young boy from fairmount indiana a hug.
“if a man can bridge the gap between life and death, i mean, if he can live on after he’s died, then maybe he was a great man… to have your work remembered in history, to leave something in this world that will last for centuries, that’s greatness” - james dean
i must say though, it’s a fantastic read and a great point of reference for anything and everything to do with jim’s life. it’s a moving story of loss, love, connection, identity and an exploration of the lifelong hold the arts had on him.
at no point did this account feel cliche or pandering, often times this book showed the flaws and turbulence of jim and what it meant to be close to him - the erratic behaviour, the deep sadness he felt, his promiscuity but also his real love for performing and his determination to dedicate his life to the craft of acting.
the attentive focus of jim’s sexuality was eye opening; i had known his sexuality was up for debate but after reading this i am shocked that it is not common knowledge that, for all intents and purposes, he was a young gay man. his scrappy, introspective and innovative way of being is on full display in this book showcasing all sides of his being.
this book broke my heart and subsequently mended it, at times making me want to give that young boy from fairmount indiana a hug.
“if a man can bridge the gap between life and death, i mean, if he can live on after he’s died, then maybe he was a great man… to have your work remembered in history, to leave something in this world that will last for centuries, that’s greatness” - james dean
June 25, 2018
Boulevard is everything that's bad about biographical writing. When you read a biography, you are reading a "history" and as such it should be treated as truthful and fact based. It should be even handed, without an agenda. Alexander's book is a Kitty Kelly book. Its a basic biography that has edited in every bit of gossip, hearsay and innuendo that Alexander could find. I have read Dean biographies since I was 9, when I bought "Too Young to Die" by Patricia Fox Sheinwold at a garage sale for 25 cents. This one is definitely one of the worst. Alexander is a good writer technically, but it feels like a 300 page article from the National Enquirer. Many of the "juicy bits" he had to know were false, because a scant bit of research would proven them false.
December 10, 2017
The content was interesting and important but the delivery was so informal and annoying.
June 10, 2018
I have never really understand the James Dean phenomenon. I did discover quite a lot about the man, that I did not know before reading this book, but not really any closer to understanding.
September 26, 2018
This is the sixth time I have read this book, and I find that each time I still am so hopeful that he won’t die. Oh how I wish it were fiction.
December 21, 2018
This book felt like more of a gossip column than a biography.
December 26, 2019
I find James Dean such a fascinating individual, so I'm biased.
January 27, 2020
An interesting read, though I found the author more interested in Dean's sexuality than his acting and what he was about X
May 21, 2020
I wanted to read a nice biography, what I got was a salacious, graphic sex filled tome that it seems to me the author would have had to imagine unless he were present at the time.
September 11, 2020
Dean’s story is interesting for sure. But for whatever reason this one wasn’t a page turner for me.
December 7, 2022
but I like gay conjecture
March 23, 2024
A great read 📚
May 11, 2025
No llegué a terminar
January 4, 2024
The Boulevard of Broken Dreams: the Life, the Times, and Legend of James Dean, which is a mouthful of a title, is my third James Dean biography and unfortunately, I liked it less than the others I’ve read. I guess they can’t all be great.
Here are some things I liked:
The Boulevard of Broken Dreams not once shies away from Dean’s sexuality. Paul Alexander doesn’t hold back from describing his relationships with men or using explicit language when talking about it. One thing that occasionally grates on my nerves is when people—in the interest of being politically correct and/or kowtowing to the beliefs of conservative Dean fans—completely avoid talking about his sexuality. I think it does his memory a real disservice for not even allowing him to be remembered authentically even in death. Additionally, this biography is very honest about Dean’s promiscuous history of hustling for money or roles. There are many varying opinions on this, and it’s hard to know exactly because of the secretive nature many of these relationships would have taken on, but Alexander makes it clear that whatever the case, Dean should not be posthumously shamed.
Another thing I liked was the historical context Alexander provided. It was nice to hear about movements that were happening at the time Dean was alive, such as the beginning of the sexual revolution. It was interesting to hear about what may have influenced James Dean during his life.
Into the things I didn’t appreciate as much.
This biography seems to be the most speculative one I’ve read (because I have not yet read Darwin Porter’s, I’m not counting it). It relies a lot on rumor and presents things as facts that many Dean fans have accepted to either be false or heavily exaggerated. There’s also a degree of sexualizing Dean that is done here. I found it disturbing at times how the author so confidently described certain things about him, particularly his body, in which there is no way to know or verify. There is also a nude photo present near the end which Alexander claims is Dean. The photo is presented without warning in the middle of a heartfelt remembrance from Sal Mineo, one of Dean’s former co-stars. There are varying accounts as to whether that photo is him---granted, it does look a lot like him---nevertheless I don’t think it should have been included. It was clearly a very personal thing, and I am unsure how Alexander even got access to it.
Furthermore, Alexander relied on a lot of filling in the gaps when it came to actual, documented relationships. He was even taken to court over it by William Bast, Dean’s friend, romantic partner, and later biographer (the suit was later dropped). This was before Bast had come out about him and Dean’s relationship. I’ve read Bast’s Dean tell-all, Surviving James Dean, and even though Alexander was right about some things, there was still a lot of speculation about very personal matters that had not been stated publicly yet.
Another thing that grated on my nerves was how Dean’s relationship with James Deweerd (I believe that’s how you spell it; I don’t have enough respect for the man to check). There has been a lot of debate surrounding Deweerd, and I’m not even completely sure where I stand. Elizabeth Taylor, someone who was very close to Dean before his death, claims he confessed to her he was groomed by his minister during his adolescence, and many believe that minister to be Deweerd, although his name was never specifically mentioned. Regardless of how you believe, the way Alexander handled the delicate situation was inappropriate. He is of the belief that a “relationship” developed between the two, which is not a totally out-there assertion, but he speaks about it as if it were completely consensual and normal. In my opinion, it was not. It got to the point where I was genuinely annoyed at the lack of care that was being taken on this issue.
Overall, it’s certainly not the worst, but it’s far from the best. I would recommend Surviving James Dean by William Bast, Live Fast Die Young by Jonathan Gilmore, and/or James Dean: The Biography by Val Holley for well researched, accurate books about the late actor.
Here are some things I liked:
The Boulevard of Broken Dreams not once shies away from Dean’s sexuality. Paul Alexander doesn’t hold back from describing his relationships with men or using explicit language when talking about it. One thing that occasionally grates on my nerves is when people—in the interest of being politically correct and/or kowtowing to the beliefs of conservative Dean fans—completely avoid talking about his sexuality. I think it does his memory a real disservice for not even allowing him to be remembered authentically even in death. Additionally, this biography is very honest about Dean’s promiscuous history of hustling for money or roles. There are many varying opinions on this, and it’s hard to know exactly because of the secretive nature many of these relationships would have taken on, but Alexander makes it clear that whatever the case, Dean should not be posthumously shamed.
Another thing I liked was the historical context Alexander provided. It was nice to hear about movements that were happening at the time Dean was alive, such as the beginning of the sexual revolution. It was interesting to hear about what may have influenced James Dean during his life.
Into the things I didn’t appreciate as much.
This biography seems to be the most speculative one I’ve read (because I have not yet read Darwin Porter’s, I’m not counting it). It relies a lot on rumor and presents things as facts that many Dean fans have accepted to either be false or heavily exaggerated. There’s also a degree of sexualizing Dean that is done here. I found it disturbing at times how the author so confidently described certain things about him, particularly his body, in which there is no way to know or verify. There is also a nude photo present near the end which Alexander claims is Dean. The photo is presented without warning in the middle of a heartfelt remembrance from Sal Mineo, one of Dean’s former co-stars. There are varying accounts as to whether that photo is him---granted, it does look a lot like him---nevertheless I don’t think it should have been included. It was clearly a very personal thing, and I am unsure how Alexander even got access to it.
Furthermore, Alexander relied on a lot of filling in the gaps when it came to actual, documented relationships. He was even taken to court over it by William Bast, Dean’s friend, romantic partner, and later biographer (the suit was later dropped). This was before Bast had come out about him and Dean’s relationship. I’ve read Bast’s Dean tell-all, Surviving James Dean, and even though Alexander was right about some things, there was still a lot of speculation about very personal matters that had not been stated publicly yet.
Another thing that grated on my nerves was how Dean’s relationship with James Deweerd (I believe that’s how you spell it; I don’t have enough respect for the man to check). There has been a lot of debate surrounding Deweerd, and I’m not even completely sure where I stand. Elizabeth Taylor, someone who was very close to Dean before his death, claims he confessed to her he was groomed by his minister during his adolescence, and many believe that minister to be Deweerd, although his name was never specifically mentioned. Regardless of how you believe, the way Alexander handled the delicate situation was inappropriate. He is of the belief that a “relationship” developed between the two, which is not a totally out-there assertion, but he speaks about it as if it were completely consensual and normal. In my opinion, it was not. It got to the point where I was genuinely annoyed at the lack of care that was being taken on this issue.
Overall, it’s certainly not the worst, but it’s far from the best. I would recommend Surviving James Dean by William Bast, Live Fast Die Young by Jonathan Gilmore, and/or James Dean: The Biography by Val Holley for well researched, accurate books about the late actor.
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