Had he not been stabbed to death outside his apartment on Feb. 12, 1976, actor and 1950s teen idol Sal Mineo might well have lived to see his 73rd birthday. But as often happens in Hollywood, Mineo's story didn't have a happy ending.
He was born 73 years ago today in The Bronx and began acting at nine years old after being discovered by a talent scout. Mineo studied Method acting and made a name on Broadway before making the transition to film.
After a couple of small parts, Mineo's popularity skyrocketed when he played the love-starved best friend of James Dean in 1955's Rebel Without a Cause, a film that transformed both actors into overnight sensations. He would go on to co-star with Dean and Elizabeth Taylor in Giant, only to be the unfortunate beneficiary of Dean's sudden death - a tragedy that propelled his fame to unprecedented heights.
The loss of his close friend shook Mineo to his core, but he maintained his high-level of output with critically praised turns in Crime in the Streets, Dino and The Gene Krupa Story, in which he delivered an acclaimed performance as the troubled jazz drummer.
Following a supporting role opposite Paul Newman in Otto Preminger's Exodus, Mineo struggled to make the transition to more adult roles and saw his popularity crumble. His last film performance was as the ape Dr. Milo in 1971's Escape from the Planet of the Apes.
He attempted a comeback and looked to be well on his way until he was fatally stabbed by pizza delivery driver, Lionel Ray Williams, while returning home from rehearsals for the play P.S. Your Cat is Dead. He was 37 and left behind only the promise of what could have been.
Sal Mineo and James Dean in 'Rebel Without a Cause'/Warner Bros.
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