James Dean was an American actor who was hired to play the role of Jim Stark in Rebel Without a Cause. While filming the movie, Dean purchased a Porsche 356 Speedster convertible. After filming Rebel Without a Cause, Dean began working on the film Giant but continued driving his Porsche. On September 30, 1955, while driving his Porsche 550 Spyder nicknamed "Little Bastard", Dean was killed in a car crash at the age of 24 when his car collided with a Ford driven by a student at an intersection in California.