My Take
Sal Mineo is one of those performers who burns so bright in your memory you almost forget how little time he actually had. His turn as the lonely, desperate Plato in Rebel Without a Cause is quietly heartbreaking — he was only sixteen when he filmed it, and somehow already understood anguish in a way most adult actors never manage. That performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor before he was even old enough to vote, which is extraordinary any way you cut it. He followed it up with strong work in Giant and Exodus, proving he wasn't just a one-film wonder, and he kept pushing into edgier theatrical roles on stage as his Hollywood opportunities narrowed. Murdered in 1976 at just 37, he left behind a body of work that still feels raw and real decades later. A genuinely underrated talent who deserved far more runway than he got.
Overview
Salvatore Mineo Jr. (January 10, 1939 – February 12, 1976) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as John "Plato" Crawford in the coming-of-age drama film Rebel Without a Cause (1955), which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor at age 17, making him the fifth-youngest nominee in the category.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Sal Mineo
- Name (Japanese)
- サル・ミネオ
- Reading
- さる・みねお
- Born
- January 10, 1939 – February 12, 1976
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Rabbit
- Origin
- New York City, New York, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 168 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- film actor / singer / stage actor / television actor / actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Christopher Columbus High School
- University
- Adelphi University
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Rebel Without a Cause | — | |
| Notable work | Giant | — | |
| Notable work | Exodus | — |
6. Links
- Official sitehttp://www.salmineo.com/
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B5%E3%83%AB%E3%83%BB%E3%83%9F%E3%83%8D%E3%82%AA
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.