Salvatore Mineo Jr. better known to the world as Sal Mineo, was the baby-faced American actor whose legend and cult following largely stems from his iconic role as the doomed ‘Plato’ in Nicholas Ray’s 1955 classic of ‘switchblade cinema’ – ‘Rebel Without A Cause’. In the movie Mineo played a troubled high-school kid who emulates (actually as far as 50’s cinema could push that envelope) falls in love with James Dean’s character Jim Stark, although there are reports of a real-life love affair between the two off-set).This was the role for which he would earn the first of two Academy Award nominations.
In 1962 Jill Haworth Mineo’s “girlfriend” kicked open Mineo’s closet door, catching the 35-year-old actor bedding his buddy Bobby Sherman. (Yes. that Bobby Sherman.) “But he didn’t stop,” she said. “He kept going at it.” Rumors of Mineo’s sexuality circulated. He found serious work even more difficult to procure, predominantly because filmmakers saw him as an embarrassing relic of the 1950s.
On the night of February 12, 1976, actor Sal Mineo returned home following a rehearsal for the play P.S. Your Cat Is Dead. After parking his car in the carport below his West Hollywood apartment, the 37-year-old actor was stabbed in the heart by a mugger who quickly fled the scene. At first, the e police suspected that Mineo’s work for prison reform had put him in contact with a dangerous ex-con. Then their focus shifted to Mineo’s personal life. Investigators had discovered that his home was filled with pictures of nude men. But the gay pornography also failed to turn up any leads and later became the basis for a hotbed of rumors that Mineo was killed by a “trick gone wrong”
Out of the blue, Michigan authorities reported that Lionel Williams was arrested on bad check charges and was bragging to everyone that he had killed Mineo. Although he later retracted his stories at about the same time Williams’ his wife back in Los Angeles told police that he had come home the night of the murder drenched in blood. However, there was one major discrepancy in the case, Williams was black with an Afro and all of the eyewitnesses had described the perpetrator as a white man with long brown hair.
Fortunately, the police were able to unearth an old photo of Williams in which his hair had been dyed brown and processed so that it was straight and long. In addition, the medical examiner had made a cast of Mineo’s knife wound and police were able to match it to the description of the knife provided by Williams’ wife. Lionel Williams was eventually convicted and given a sentence of life in prison. He was paroled in the early 1990s but rearrested after committing other crimes. Today, Williams whereabouts is unknown or weather or not he is still even alive.
***NOTE: Because of the time period many are unsure of Mineo’s true sexuality. Some have said that Mineo was “bisexual” but because of the time period in the 1970’s many gay men used the claim of bisexuality as a stepping stone to fully “coming out”.
I lived on Vista Grande at Doheny1976. The area was known as “Boys Town” prior to incorporating as West Hollywood. Sal Munro, George McHarris, & other ‘industry’ personnel & actors lived & cruised for ‘tricks’ and hustlers along Santa Monica Blvd.
Good ole California-Lionel Williams 50 year + sentence for murder and numerous robberies was another early release: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000543/bio
Salvatore (Sal) Mineo Jr. was born to Josephine and Sal Sr. (a casket maker), … of February 12th when he was attacked and stabbed to death by a stranger. … convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the murder, but was paroled in 1990.
I am marcia who cares if sal mineo was gay he was murdered by a animal lional williams sal did not deserve to die that way i wish have i kknew him i lovef his acting and his strenth. To keep going he would have made a comback l think that bastered goy off to easy i have a lot of his movies oh how the world lost the grestest actor in the world my openion sal rest in peace GOD will give justice to the ones involved
Sorry i mispelled a lot my fingers slipped
I do NOT believe for one minute he murdered SAL, its was a white male who fled. THE END.
As always in those days they found away to blame hispanic or black men for crimes they did not commit. I am a fan of his work but I knew once I saw a darker skinned man, its was the same old same old.
Pro investigators proved this guy to be the killer whether he is blue or green or orange or has two heads and three feet doesnt matter…the jerks wife turned him in…..unfortunately blacks commit many crimes out of need to survive but need education to find other ways to be productive….it is up to our politicians to develop better schools for blacks to have a chance…..Sals death could have been from anything he was involved in that will never be told
He bragged about the killing you idiot
Like you know all the facts.
So his wife saying he came home covered in blood was a conspiracy. And Williams had a knife for no reason.
Sal was a top? Hmmmm James Dean was a bottom. Hmmmm interesting the possibilities.
Mmm how do you know this
Rest in Paradise Sal. ☀️
The Michaud biography of Sal is a pretty good read. (Even the minor tidbits like Sal smoking pot with an adult Jon Provost- Timmy from Lassie. Can you imagine ?)
Sal, you were taken far too early; your greatness hadn’t bloomed yet! You were a major influence on Marlon Vrando – oh, the possiblities of fascinating works by you are heartbreaking. ..! You are still sadly missed. May you, and Jimmy Dean live forever in God’s Paradise. ..!
That was Marlon Brando, folks – sorry for typo!
Considering God’s judgement of Sodomites I doubt Sal is enjoying any form of paradise. And so far as the cliche on the poir downtrodden minorities that are owed the special treatment I would like to say BS. Skin color should not be a get out of jail freebie or automatic winning lotto ticket. Until a man is just that “a man” – without color in front of it to decide his worth – you are ALL the TRUE racist!
Hey Mark aka troll. When you leave comments like that you also leave your IP number 68.83.211.136
mark.s.joy@navy.mil