Actor James Dean came to New York City in 1951, took television roles on The Web, Studio One and Lux Video Theatre, and gained admission to the Actors Studio. His first starring role on Broadway was in See the Jaguar (1952), and he appeared in The Immoralist in 1954. East of Eden (1955) was the only film released in his lifetime, followed by Rebel Without a Cause (1955) and Giant (1956). East of Eden and Giant brought him two posthumous Academy Award nominations for Best Actor, the only actor with two. He died on September 30, 1955.
A certificate copy, and two night times behind it
The Astro-Databank source note says: "On March 28, 2006, Steven Przybylowski contacted PT with news that he had recently obtained the birth certificate which showed 9 AM. A copy of the certificate is now in hand."
The entry was once rated B. Its notes give 2:11 a.m., quoted from his mother in Mary Jo Pace's biography, and 2:00 a.m. from V. Herndon; George Perry's book says the certificate reads 2 a.m. Both give Sagittarius rising, 4°32′ and 6°45′, under a Virgo midheaven, and the Moon stays in Scorpio in all three rows.
| Birth time | Where it came from | Rising sign | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 a.m. | birth certificate and baby card; rated AA | ♈︎ Aries 12°13′ | Scorpio |
| 2:00 a.m. | V. Herndon; George Perry reads the certificate as 2 am | ♐︎ Sagittarius 4°32′ | Scorpio |
| 2:11 a.m. | his mother, quoted in the Pace biography | ♐︎ Sagittarius 6°45′ | Scorpio |
| Point | Sign at birth | In that sign | Before and after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rising sign | ♈︎ Aries | 8:32 a.m. to 9:43 a.m. | Pisces before, Taurus after |
| Midheaven | ♑︎ Capricorn | 8:32 a.m. to 10:40 a.m. | Sagittarius before, Aquarius after |
| Moon | ♏︎ Scorpio | all day | n/a |
Rising sign, midheaven and Moon calculated by us for each time, Marion, Indiana, Central Standard Time (UTC-6).
Uranus 0°14′ past the ascendant, with Jupiter square it
Uranus at 12°27′ of Aries sits in the 1st house whatever the method. A planet this close to the rising degree counts as part of the first impression, and Uranus is the planet of sudden breaks from the expected.
Retrograde Jupiter at 11°36′ of Cancer squares Uranus within 0°51′, the narrowest orb in the chart, and so falls within 0°37′ of a square to the ascendant. The Aquarius Sun sextiles Uranus, 6°27′ from exact, in the 11th house of groups and hopes. At 2:00 or 2:11 a.m. the ascendant would sit in another sign.
Our pages: Uranus in Aries · Jupiter in Cancer · Aquarius · 1st house · 11th house.
Aries on the horizon from 8:32 a.m. to 9:43 a.m.
The recorded minute falls 28 minutes into the Aries stretch, with 43 left before Taurus. The ascendant at 12°13′ Aries goes with a direct, quick-starting first impression. Mars, which governs Aries, is retrograde at 2°25′ of Leo in the 5th house.
Mars squares the Moon within 3°19′ and opposes Mercury, 6°23′ from exact. The night rows would replace Aries with Sagittarius, 4°32′ Sagittarius and 6°45′ Sagittarius.
Our pages: Aries rising · Sagittarius rising · Mars in Leo · 5th house · rising sign calculator.
Venus, Saturn and Mercury around a Capricorn midheaven
The midheaven is 6°30′ Capricorn, held by Capricorn from 8:32 a.m. to 10:40 a.m. Venus at 2°12′ stands 4°18′ short of it, a 9th-house planet for Placidus and a 10th-house one for Whole Sign. Saturn at 18°09′ and Mercury at 26°02′ take the 10th either way.
Three planets under the sign of the public summit put weight on craft and long effort. Venus sextiles the Moon within 3°32′, a link between the summit and the Scorpio Moon far below.
Our pages: Midheaven in Capricorn · Venus in Capricorn · Saturn in Capricorn · Mercury in Capricorn · 10th house.
A Scorpio Moon that arrived the night before
Scorpio took the Moon at 11:05 p.m. on February 7, 9.9 hours ahead of the birth, and kept it all day. At 5°44′ it counts as a 7th-house Moon in Placidus and an 8th-house Moon in Whole Sign.
A Scorpio Moon points to intense, private feeling. Its closest aspect is a sextile to Neptune, 0°54′ from exact, with Neptune retrograde at 4°50′ of Virgo.
Our pages: Moon in Scorpio · Neptune in Virgo · 7th house · 8th house · moon sign calculator.
Saturn across from Pluto, base against summit
Saturn in the 10th opposes retrograde Pluto at 19°13′ of Cancer in the 4th, 1°04′ from exact, so the line runs from the base of the chart to its summit. Jupiter, also in the 4th, joins Pluto within 7°37′. Six planets stand in cardinal signs, which astrologers tie to drive.
Our pages: Pluto in Cancer · Saturn in Capricorn · 4th house · Sun, Moon and rising together.
All major aspects between the planets in James Dean's chart
- Jupiter square Uranus orb 0°51′
- Moon sextile Neptune orb 0°54′
- Saturn opposition Pluto orb 1°04′
- Venus trine Neptune orb 2°38′
- Moon square Mars orb 3°19′
- Moon sextile Venus orb 3°32′
- Saturn square Uranus orb 5°43′
- Moon trine Jupiter orb 5°52′
- Mercury opposition Mars orb 6°23′
- Sun sextile Uranus orb 6°27′
- Jupiter opposition Saturn orb 6°33′
- Uranus square Pluto orb 6°46′
- Mercury opposition Pluto orb 6°49′
- Jupiter conjunction Pluto orb 7°37′
- Mercury conjunction Saturn orb 7°52′
- Moon square Mercury orb 9°42′
Orbs: 8° for conjunction, opposition, square and trine, 6° for sextile, 2° more when the Sun or Moon is involved; Node, Lilith, Ascendant and Midheaven not counted. Same rules as our birth chart calculator.
Questions about James Dean's chart
Which sign rises for James Dean?
Aries, at 12°13′ Aries, per the 9 a.m. on his certificate.
Is his Sun in Aquarius?
Yes, at 18°54′, in the 11th house.
What sign holds his Moon?
Scorpio, at 5°44′, all day.
When and where was he born?
February 8, 1931, in Marion, Indiana.
Do the 2 a.m. times change the rising sign?
Both move it to Sagittarius, with the Moon still in Scorpio.
Which aspect is tightest?
Jupiter square Uranus, 0°51′ off.
Sources
- Astronomy Engine: the open-source ephemeris library behind our planet positions, dates and statistics
- Astro-Databank (Astrodienst): published birth charts we test the calculation against
- How we create our readings: our own calculation of sign dates, positions and the 1930 to 2025 statistics
More celebrity birth charts
Charts closest to this one, sharing the Sun sign, the rising sign or the Moon: Shakira · Hudson Williams · The Weeknd · Bob Marley · Beyoncé · Michael B. Jordan · Jennifer Aniston · Michael Jordan · Oprah Winfrey · Justin Timberlake · James Spader. All 143 charts with their sources and Rodden ratings: celebrity birth charts.
Astrology is a symbolic tradition, not a science. This page explains what the tradition says about the placements in a published chart; it makes no claims about James Dean's character, health or private life. Birth data: Astro-Databank (Astrodienst), checked October 20, 2026. Positions: our calculation with the astronomy-engine ephemeris; it matches the Sun, Moon and ascendant degrees Astro-Databank publishes for this chart to within one arc minute.