Sal Mineo

Born
January 10, 1939 · The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA
Died
February 12, 1976 · West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA (homicide)
Birth name
Salvatore Mineo Jr.
Nicknames
- The Switchblade Kid
- The Latin Lover
Height
5′ 6″ (1.68 m)

Many bizarre rumors floated around about his murder, but when his killer, Lionel Ray Williams, was caught, he turned out to be a drug-addled 17-year-old who had no idea who Mineo was and was only interested in the money he had on him. Williams was convicted of murder, and sentenced to life imprisonment, but was paroled (1990).
He was frequently cast as a humorless, jittery youth whose loneliness turns violent when he's cornered, but in reality, he was known for his easygoing, extroverted ways and his ability to see the positive and the humor in almost any situation.
Donated the drum he used in Drum Crazy (1959) to another teen idol, David Cassidy, the day after a dinner with David and his father, Jack Cassidy. David was 13 at the time.
John Lennon once put up the reward money to find Mineo's killer.
In 1957, at the height of Sal's fame, Bob Hope announced on a TV special that all public schools in the Bronx would be closed the following day in honor of Sal Mineo's birthday. Hope meant this as a joke, but many youngsters in the Bronx took it seriously, and there was record absenteeism in the borough's public schools the following day. Hope ultimately issued a public retraction and urged kids to stay in school.

[1975] I'll never be mistaken for Pat Boone.
[Explaining why he believed he lost an important role in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) (which filmed in Jordan), after completing work on Exodus (1960)] I lost because I had appeared in a pro-Jewish picture, played a sympathetic Jewish boy, and shot four Arabs.
No one ever said movies are for developing your range. Hardly anyone gets that opportunity. Which is why I think the stage is so good. It's less bread, but you can play different types, and you can initiate your own projects.
[on James Dean] We never became lovers, but we could have -- like that.
[on his father's death] Being in the same room with him and looking at him, I realized that one day I would be in the same position as he, facing death. Before it happens I mean to do the things I want to do. I will not end up saying, "I wish I had".