High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! James Dean is a 2001 biographical television film based on the life of the American actor of the same name. James Franco plays James Dean under the direction of Mark Rydell, who chronicles Dean`s rise from a struggling actor to an A-list movie star in 1950s Hollywood. The film`s supporting roles included director Rydell, Michael Moriarty, Valentina Cervi, Enrico Colantoni, and Amy Rydell.