James Byron Dean an haife shi ne a ranar 8 ga Fabrairu, 1931, a gidan Seven Gables a kusurwar 4th Street da McClure Street a Marion, Indiana, kadai yaro na Mildred Marie (Wilson) da Winton Dean. Ya kasance na asali na Ingilishi, tare da ƙananan ƙididdigar Jamus, Irish, Scottish, da Welsh. Ya kuma yi iƙirarin cewa mahaifinsa ya kasance ɗan asalin Amurka ne, kuma mahaifiyarsa ta kasance daga "layin asalin mazauna da za a iya dawowa zuwa Mayflower".
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