Salvatore "Sal" Mineo, Jr. (January 10, 1939 – February 12, 1976) was an American movie and stage Actor, famous for his Academy Award-nominated performance opposite James Dean in the film Rebel Without a Cause. Mineo, born in The Bronx, New York City as the son of a Sicilian coffin maker, was enrolled by his mother in dancing and acting school at an early age.