Voting Station

Winton Dean

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Celebrity's Relative

The Resume

    (January 17, 1907-February 21, 1995)
    Born in Fairmont, Indiana
    Dental technician
    Father of James Dean
    Middle name was Arlando
    Portrayed by Michael Moriarty in 'James Dean' with James Franco (2001)

Why he might be annoying:

    He was a dentist.
    He was famously not very demonstrative, which may have contributed to James' emotional neediness later in life.
    When his wife Mildred died, he sent Jimmy to accompany her casket on the train from Santa Monica back to Fairmount, traumatizing him. He did not attend his wife's funeral.
    He never visited his son after sending him to live with his sister in Fairmount.
    When Jimmy moved in with him at his Santa Monica home, he was not supportive of his son's theatrical ambitions (this remained the case even after he attained movie stardom).
    There is a persistent rumor circulated that he was, in fact, not James Dean's biological father but merely married to his birth mother, thereby explaining his distant attitude towards Jimmy (unproven).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was portrayed by Joseph Campanella.
    He traced his ancestry back to the settlers on the Mayflower.
    He lost his wife when she was only twenty-nine.
    His failure to attend his wife's funeral or visit Jimmy was largely a financial one (he was deeply in debt coming out of the Great Depression). He was then drafted into the Army during World War II, further complicating his plans.
    He was described as kindly and mild mannered by those who knew him.
    He had to accompany his son's casket on the train ride back to Park Cemetery in Fairmount.
    Even after his famous son's death, he was seldom interviewed.
    His decision to send Jimmy back to Fairmount proved a wise one - it provided him with a family and structure.
    His son became a cultural icon and a legend.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying