Dennis Stock - James Dean, USA 1955

Steve McCurry
Signed photograph by Dennis Stock
James Dean around Times Square. For an aspiring actor in the 1950s, this was the place to be. The Actors Studio, then led by Lee Strasberg, was at its peak and just a block away. New York City, USA. 1955.

James Dean was not a star when this photo was taken. Days had passed since the release of his successful film. He had a passion, but he had no idea what it was, or if anything would ever come of it. Certainly, he didn't know that fame was about to arrive. Things didn't look promising at that moment; it was a rainy, gloomy day. He was a small, lonely nobody on his journey, walking through Times Square, with towering buildings looming in the background. Dennis called him 'every man.' He said: 'It's all of us, wondering what the hell the future holds.'

Susan Richards, widow of Dennis Stock