2. Naming his movies would probably make this a give-away. So which actor died in 1955 in a car crash, at the wheel of a Porsche Spyder?
From Quiz Why Did They Die So Young?
Answer:
James Dean
James Dean was born in Marion, Indiana in 1931. He did not finish his university studies, and picked up an acting career in 1951. He appeared in some episodes of several TV shows, and played on stage in five theatre productions. But neither his TV work, his stage roles or the few movies in which he appeared as an extra, can compare to his three big roles on the silver screen: Cal Trask, the protagonist in "East of Eden" (1954); Jim Stark, the protagonist in "Rebel Without a Cause" (1954); and Jett Rink, a supporting role in "Giant" (1955). For these three movies James was nominated twice for the Oscars and twice for the BAFTA Awards.
A few months after completing "Giant", James Dean decided to drive his newest Porsche sports car to a racing event some 300 miles up north. A bit past halfway, he crashed at high speed into another car and died en route to the hospital.
Neither of the red herrings died in a car crash.
Brad Renfro (1982-2008) was credited for 21 movies, among which "Ghost World" (2001).
Bobby Darin (1936-1973) acted in twenty-odd movies, but is best known for the soundtrack of over one hundred movies and TV series. He also composed the music for "Gunfight in Abilene" (1967).
Joey Kovar (1983-2012) appeared in 14 episodes of the TV reality show "The Real World" and 9 episodes of the TV series "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew".