The only actor to ever have a “perfect film career”, according to Nicolas Cage
There aren’t many actors out there who would call their own careers flawless, unless they’re a raging narcissist. It doesn’t matter if you try your hardest to pick out roles that you think will succeed, because really, you can never be sure what will do well, and what will end up an embarrassing flop.
Even Nicolas Cage can admit to having been in some duds, despite the fact that he considers himself to be a thespian, rather than your bog-standard actor. There are many bad movies you could pick out of Cage’s long filmography, not least the terrible remake of The Wicker Man, which simply became an internet meme rather than a respected piece of cinema.
And then there are all of those on-demand movies that he undertook when facing considerable levels of debt, although admittedly, some are a lot better than others. Still, he doesn’t half end up in some rubbish, but Cage believes that this is just a natural part of being a star: you’re always going to make a few missteps.
Cage argues that there is one actor out there, however, with a flawless filmography, although the only reason it was so perfect was that it was so short. Of course, he’s talking about James Dean. The Hollywood icon rose to fame almost as fast as he burned out, a mere flash in the industry’s timeline, appearing in just three movies, but he made enough of an impact for people to admire and discuss him today.
Namedropped in songs by everyone from Lana Del Rey and Taylor Swift to Lou Reed and Madonna, you would think that Dean had appeared in many more films, but part of his legacy resides in the fact that such a bright talent died when he was so young, at just 24 years old.
“He’s probably the only actor who has a perfect film career,” Cage once said. “Because he only made three movies. You stay in the game long enough, you have your ups and downs.” Dean tragically died in a car accident, but really, his career was only just beginning. He’d had five uncredited background roles in movies like Fixed Bayonets! and Has Anybody Seen My Gal?, but in 1955, he nabbed the leading role in Elia Kazan’s adaptation of John Steinbeck’s East of Eden.
That would be the only leading role that Dean would be alive for the release of. Later that year, Rebel Without a Cause would hit cinemas, and he’d become an iconic symbol of teenage rebellion, despite the fact that by this point, his recklessness had already resulted in his unfortunate and premature death. He was unforgettable as Jim Stark, though, and the image of Dean in a red jacket, a white t-shirt, and blue jeans is just indelible, to the point that it changed pop culture forever.
Dean’s third and final performance was in Giant by George Stevens, which emerged in 1956. He starred opposite some big stars, like Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson, and he wound up with a posthumous Academy Award nomination for his role.
The only other actor who frequently gets put into this ‘perfect filmography’ category is John Cazale, who starred in five movies in his life, and each one was a ‘Best Picture’ Oscar nominee. Yet, the only reason for such a short and perfect career coming to an end was, like Dean, due to his premature death. Perhaps being in some bad movies over a long career is slightly embarrassing, but at least those actors can say that they’re lucky enough to be alive to experience the ups and downs.
