Sal Mineo Timeline

Jan. 10, 1939: Salvatore Mineo, Jr. is born in the Bronx to Josephine Mineo and Sal Mineo, Sr. His father is a coffin maker from Sicily.

1950: Mineo's first stage appearance, at the age of 11, is in a Broadway production of Tennessee Williams' The Rose Tattoo with Maureen Stapleton and Eli Wallach.

1955: Appears in the film Six Bridges to Cross with Tony Curtis.

1955: Stars in Rebel Without a Cause with James Dean and Natalie Wood. After the film is released, Mineo is mobbed on a regular basis by female fans. This phenomenon is dubbed "Mineo Mania."

1956: Is nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Rebel Without a Cause.

1957: Mineo releases two rock 'n' roll singles: "Start Movin' (In My Direction)" finds a home on the Top 40 in the U.S. for 13 weeks. "Lasting Love" stays on the Top 40 for 3 weeks and goes as high as #27. The subsequent album sells over a million copies.

1959: Bob Hope jokes on his TV show: "No school tomorrow kids. It’s Sal Mineo’s birthday. All those in the Bronx can stay home." The following day, Bronx schools report record absences.

1960: Stars in the film Exodus.

1961: Wins a Golden Globe award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Exodus.

1964: Plays a stalker in Who Killed Teddy Bear?

1971: Plays the role of Dr. Milo in Escape from the Planet of the Apes.

1973: Stars in Such Dust As Dreams Are Made On.

1976: Plays a gay burglar in the San Francisco run of the play, P.S. Your Cat Is Dead.

Feb. 12, 1976: Returning from rehearsal for P.S. Your Cat Is Dead, Mineo is stabbed in an alley behind a West Hollywood apartment building and dies at the age of 37.

1979: Lionel Ray Williams is convicted and sentenced to life in prison for Mineo's murder.