James Dean
James Dean has become synonymous with the kind of social alienation and teenage angst embodied by Jim Stark. He also had a major influence on the way in which the scenes were blocked and performed. Nicholas Ray gave Dean and others in the film the license to improvise on set, and wanted his actors to bring a sense of spontaneity and naturalism to their roles before rolling the cameras. Dean also made key suggestions such as the film's opening sequence, in which he plays with a toy monkey while lying down on the sidewalk. Dennis Hopper has remarked that the film was directed as much by Dean as by Ray. Dean passed away in a car accident a month before the release of Rebel Without A Cause.
Natalie Wood
Natalie Wood plays Judy, a teenager disturbed by the fact that her maturing womanhood has made her an object of her father's fury. Wood had been a child actor whom Nicholas Ray was initially skeptical to cast as Judy, given her wholesome image. Wood pursued the role and was able to convince Ray of her ability to capture the character, and went on to earn an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of the rebellious teen.
Sal Mineo
Sal Mineo, who was only 16 years old at the time of production, plays John "Plato" Crawford with quiet intensity and dreamlike innocence. Critics of the film have noted the desirous look that Plato continually directs toward Jim, and much has been written about the homoerotic tension between Plato and Jim throughout the film. The script explains Plato's desire for Jim by stipulating that Plato sees Jim as a father figure, although they are meant in the film to be roughly the same age. Plato's sensitivity to trauma leads to the film's tragic conclusions, in which the authority figures fail to understand his plight, and instead bring about the circumstances of his death.
Corey Allen
Corey Allen plays Buzz, the leader of the Dawson High gang that goes after Jim on the first day of school. Allen was a theater actor before earning the role in Ray’s film. Allen lends Buzz a degree of complexity that belies stereotypes about leather-jacket-wearing bullies—neither evil nor benevolent, Buzz does what he feels like he must do in order to protect his reputation, much like Jim does. This similarity is emphasized when Jim and Buzz share a cigarette before their ‘chickie run.’
Jim Backus
Jim Backus plays Frank Stark, Jim’s father in the film. Best known for his role on Gilligan’s Island, Backus here plays a man that loves his son deeply but fails to impart the advice necessary for him to thrive in a harsh, competitive world. Backus, who was also the voice of Mr. Magoo, taught James Dean the Mr. Magoo voice, who used it in the mansion sequence when Jim delivers the line, "Drown them like puppies." Backus plays Frank Stark as a man unable to assert his authority in the household, choosing to passively endure the torrent of invective from Jim's mother, rather than stand up for either himself or Jim.
