New bombshell book reveals James Dean had to pay his disgruntled gay lover in exchange for his silence on their homoerotic affair

James Dean was blackmailed into paying disconnected a erstwhile person conscionable earlier his large interruption due to the fact that helium was terrified astir being outed arsenic gay.

A caller publication revealed that the movie fable paid $800 to Rogers Brackett successful 1954, days earlier the East of Eden premiere, successful an statement that has remained concealed for 7 decades.

Dean handed implicit the wealth adjacent though helium thought that Brackett, an older, affluent advertizing executive, had sexually exploited him during their year-long affair.

According to writer Jason Colavito, Dean was furious and snapped: 'I didn't cognize it was the w***e who paid – I thought it was the different mode around.'

In Jimmy: The Secret Life of James Dean, which is retired connected Tuesday, Colavito writes that Dean's estimation could person been destroyed arsenic homophobia ran rampant successful 1950's America.

So helium paid the equivalent of $14,500 contiguous to debar a 'public scandal' and marque it spell away.

Colavito told DailyMail.com: 'Implicit successful the correspondence and conversations betwixt Brackett's squad and Dean's is the menace that the suit mightiness go public, which some Brackett and Dean knew would destruct Dean's career.'

Dean's untimely decease astatine property 24 successful 1955 turned him into a tragic icon, but it ensured that his story – and involvement successful his beingness – has lived connected decades aft his passing.

He met Brackett aft dropping retired of UCLA successful 1951 and moving backmost to Santa Monica wherever helium was truthful broke helium couldn't spend his rent.

Through a friend, helium got a occupation arsenic a parking valet adjacent doorway to the CBS Studios wherever helium met Brackett, who astatine the clip was moving astatine advertizing bureau Foote, Cone & Belding, the steadfast that produced the play CBS day vigor play Alias Jane Doe, astir an undercover mag reporter.

Despite being gangly and handsome, Brackett was 'struck by the aureate quality of the younker who took his keys', who fto gaffe that helium was an actor.

They swapped numbers and Brackett said helium would support Dean successful caput for immoderate roles.

Soon Brackett was 'smitten' and offered Dean a portion successful Alias Jane Doe that July. Dean appeared successful 4 episodes and soon began to consciousness attached to his debonair caller boyfriend.

'Although these feelings frightened Dean, Brackett unlocked thing Dean had kept truthful intimately guarded that it had threatened to interruption him,' the publication says.

When Brackett recovered retired that Dean was astir to go homeless, helium 'took a gamble' and asked him to determination into his house

But contempt Brackett opening doors for Dean, his arrogance was his undoing with 1 screenwriter remarking that helium was 'absolute poison'.

Brackett aboriginal remarked: 'Jimmy was similar a child. He behaved severely conscionable to get attention…he was a kid I loved, sometimes parentally, sometimes not parentally.'

Tensions began to equine the longer they were unneurotic and portion Dean thought Brackett was his 'heroic equal', Brackett regarded Dean similar an 'unruly son'.

But Brackett did assistance Dean flooded 1 of his biggest threats: being drafted into the military.

In 1951 Dean got a missive from the United States Selective Service System saying helium had to study to a basal successful Marion, Indiana, successful October that year.

At Brackett's insistence, Dean wrote backmost saying helium was cheery and truthful ineligible for service.

As Colavito writes: 'Brackett utilized his powerfulness and wealthiness to support Dean safe. He sent him to a compliant psychiatrist for a bid of sham sessions to beryllium his homosexuality, but this tore astatine Dean's fragile masculinity.'

The narration struggled erstwhile Brackett moved to Chicago for enactment and Dean moved to New York, wherever helium lived successful poverty.

It was during this clip that Dean accepted the fiscal assistance which would aboriginal endanger to unmask his sexuality.

With 'great reluctance', Brackett spent much than $1,000 supporting Dean, paying $450 successful edifice bills and much than $700 connected gifts and loans.

Dean began to respect Brackett arsenic 'increasingly desperate' and 'manipulative' arsenic helium would present him to his well-connected friends who made unsubtle remarks astir wanting to person enactment with him.

Still, Brackett pulled immoderate strings to get Dean a portion successful See the Jaguar, the 1952 Broadway play that was a large interruption for him.

The adjacent fewer years would spot Dean look arsenic 1 of the astir talented actors of his generation, culminating successful his casting arsenic Cal Trask successful East of Eden.

Brackett drifted retired of Dean's beingness but successful the weeks earlier Eden was owed to beryllium screened, helium came backmost into his beingness 'unbidden and unwelcome', Colavito writes.

Now Brackett was 'on the warpath' and demanding Dean repay him the $1,200 helium had fixed him portion helium lived successful New York.

Brackett had mislaid his advertizing occupation and was abbreviated of currency portion readying an opera with composer Alec Wilder which was doomed from the start.

Colavito writes: 'Brackett imposed connected Dean for a portion and, striking a much conciliatory tone, asked him for wealth – a loan, helium called it.

'The brazenness of the petition shocked Dean, who had travel to judge his clip 'dancing' for Brackett's friends had been abusive.

'Sorry, pops,' helium said to Brackett arsenic helium refused to springiness him money. He told him that helium had outgrown him, that helium nary longer wished to spot him. But privately helium was furious.

Wilder reminded Dean that Brackett had fixed him the assistance that launched his career, the publication says.

'The undercurrent threatening nationalist ungraded should Dean garbage was obvious. He (Wilder) upbraided Dean for his unkindness, demanding Dean constitute a missive of apology and shouting that Brackett should writer Dean for each the enactment helium had fixed him implicit the years.'

Dean reluctantly signed the apology that Wilder wrote and hoped that was the extremity of it.

But Brackett took Wilder's proposal and sent a ceremonial ineligible request to Dean for the $1,200 helium had loaned him during their affair.

The missive came with an implied menace of vulnerability should Dean not 'liquidate your obligation' i.e. wage Brackett off.

Brackett's adjacent determination was to record suit for $1,100 successful New York's Municipal Court including $450 successful edifice bills.

Dean rapidly agreed to an $800 colony successful $100 play installments to 'avoid a ungraded erstwhile helium could slightest spend one'.

The histrion balked astatine paying Brackett backmost for edifice bills and Brackett accepted his $800 offer.

Had Dean failed to wage successful full, the tribunal could person recovered him liable for the afloat $1,100 but helium forked implicit the required sum six weeks early.

Dean's cause besides agreed to get Warner Bros to wage Brackett a sizable 'finder's fee' to guarantee his 'continued silence'.

The tribunal documents, copies of which look successful the book, gave nary hint of the explosive quality of the allegations they pertain to and simply authorities that successful the lawsuit of Rogers Brackett versus James Dean, some parties had stipulated to the agreement.

But adjacent the magnitude showed what was astatine stake: the median wage for men astatine the clip was $3,100 per twelvemonth – showing however immense that $800 was.

Had Dean's narration been exposed helium whitethorn ne'er person been chosen to look successful Rebel Without a Cause, his astir celebrated role, oregon Giant, earlier helium died successful 1955.

Colavito told DailyMail.com: 'This communicative has ne'er been told before, and each parties progressive worked hard to marque definite nary 1 ever recovered out.

'And for seventy years, nary 1 did. The lone crushed we cognize astir it contiguous is that Dean's cause secretly kept copies of his papers hidden distant for decades.'