About Nick Adams (actor, born 1931)
Nicholas Aloysius Adamshock (July 10, 1931 – February 7, 1968), better known as Nick Adams, was an American film and television actor and screenwriter. He was noted for his roles in several Hollywood films during the 1950s and 1960s, including Rebel Without a Cause along with his starring role in the ABC television series The Rebel (1959–1961). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Twilight of Honor (1963). He also led the cast of several Japanese productions, including Frankenstein Conquers the World, Invasion of Astro-Monster and The Killing Bottle. Decades after his death from a prescription drug overdose at the age of 36, Adams' widely publicized friendships with James Dean and Elvis Presley would stir speculation about both his private life and the circumstances of his death. In an AllMovie synopsis for Adams' last film Fever Heat, reviewer Dan Pavlides wrote, "Plagued by personal excesses, he will be remembered just as much for what he could have done in cinema as what he left behind." He served until 1955, attaining the rank of Petty Officer Second Class and was awarded the National Defense and Korean War Service Medals. The manuscript was discovered 45 years later by Adams's daughter and initially published in 2012.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.