New Details Surface about James Dean’s Alleged Gay Affair

James Dean & Rogers Brackett

It’s been over a month since it was announced that a new James Dean biopic is in the works, which will explore his rumored gay romance. Now, more details about the Old Hollywood superstar’s alleged gay affair are surfacing!

Author James Colavito reveals in a new biography titled ‘Jimmy: The Secret Life of James Dean’ new information based on exhaustive research that sheds light on the actor’s life as a queer man. According to the book, Dean’s “gay affair” was a mix of love, blackmail, and betrayal between him and another man, Rogers Brackett, a closeted radio director and TV producer who allegedly “discovered” Dean.

The story began when Dean dropped out of the UCLA theater program and worked as a parking attendant at the CBS Studios lot. There, Brackett took notice of him and became “smitten” with the young man who would soon become a superstar. Brackett offered Dean a role in a radio series and later took him into his home when he learned that Dean was about to become homeless.

Their relationship was both paternal and sexual in nature. Brackett once referred to Dean, whom he affectionately called “Jimmy,” as “like a child” who “behaved badly just to get attention.” He admitted to loving him “sometimes paternally, sometimes not paternally.”

Brackett also allegedly helped Dean avoid military service when he received his draft letter in 1951. He encouraged Dean to tell the authorities he was gay, even conspiring with a psychiatrist to sign papers to “prove” his homosexuality. However, as Dean’s career skyrocketed, tensions grew between them, and Brackett became less central to Dean’s life.

Before the classic film ‘East of Eden’ began screening, Brackett returned, this time jobless and short on cash, asking composer Alec Wilder, who had given Dean the iconic movie role, for money, which Brackett considered a “fair paycheck.” According to Colavito’s research, Dean had already realized his relationship with Brackett was abusive. He initially refused to pay, but eventually agreed to avoid a public scandal. Dean signed a letter of apology, though the two reportedly had an “explosive argument,” with Dean shouting, “I didn’t know it was the whore who paid — I thought it was the other way around.”

But that wasn’t the end of Brackett’s blackmail. He also demanded $1,200 for their secret affair, which included hotel bills and gifts he had bought for the actor. This was a heavy threat, implying that Brackett would expose Dean’s homosexuality to ruin his career.

Dean agreed to pay $800 in $100 weekly installments, which would be equivalent to $10,000 today. Brackett also successfully pressured Warner Bros., Dean’s agency, to pay a “finder’s fee” to ensure he wouldn’t reveal Dean’s secrets.

Although the upcoming James Dean biopic won’t be based on Colavito’s book, ‘Jimmy: The Secret Life of James Dean’ offers a new and rather dark picture of the actor’s relationship with Brackett, the person often credited with setting Dean on the path to success.

 

Sources: (1) (2)

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