About Sal Mineo
Salvatore Mineo Jr. (January 10, 1939 – February 12, 1976) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as John "Plato" Crawford in the coming-of-age drama film Rebel Without a Cause (1955), which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor at age 17, making him the fifth-youngest nominee in the category. Mineo also starred in films such as Crime in the Streets, Giant (both 1956), Exodus (1960), for which he won a Golden Globe and received a second Academy Award nomination; The Longest Day (1962), John Ford's final western Cheyenne Autumn (1964), and Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971). Mineo's performance resulted in an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and he became the fifth-youngest nominee in the category, at the age of 17. In March 1979, Lionel Ray Williams (born 1956), who had a long criminal record, was convicted and sentenced to 51 years in prison for killing Mineo, and for committing ten robberies. It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.