Who was better-looking in their prime: James Dean or Rob Lowe?

Rob Lowe, no question about it.

Lowe has a ridiculous little nose and an empty head.

Dean had terrible bags under his eyes.

R2, who do you consider to be goodlooking then?

James Dean, of course. Rob Lowe seems so homely compared to him.

LOL. They are from two different eras and embodied two different appeals. Rob Lowe was the typical upwardly mobile yuppie pretty boy in vein of Michael J Fox and Tom Cruise whose image evoked that of Reagan era conspicuous consumption and white suburban exceptionalism. While James Dean was anti-establishment rebel who mimicked method actors like Montgomery Clift and Marlon Brando and was acting in reaction towards the consumeristic and conformist attitude of postwar America.

James Dean would have evolved into this if he knew how to operate a motor car.

James Dean worked on a farm, worked on cars, drove motorcycles and overall worked hard for everything. He was masculine and rugged which is hot. He was not a soft pretty boy like Rob who never worked for anything in his life. Also Dean was gay or at least bisexual. Rob is a hetero.

Brando.

Rob Lowe. Incredibly gorgeous man. Now and then.

James Dean had a big womanly butt and looked like he cried a lot.

They were both punks who did what they were told to get fame and fortune.

Paul Newman had a longer prime period. He looked good most of his life. Same with Tab Hunter.

Brando looked like shit once the 60s hit and became obese in the 80s. Rob Lowe looks so womanly now, he was only really hot in the 80s and 90s. James Dean benefited from dying young because he may not have aged well and ended up looking a worn out like Montgomery Clift and Sal Mineo before they died.

R11 I think James Dean would have aged like Dennis Hopper, interpret that as you wish.

Dennis Hopper had bones in his face which supporting the sagging flesh as he aged.

Dean had no bones.

Rob Lowe has cosmetic surgeons.

R13 I guess I should have just said.... "not terrible." I don't think he would have aged as poorly as Monty.

I prefer Sal Mineo in Rebel Without A Cause

R9 Rob Lowe was a child actor who transitioned to teen films and then tried to become a Hollywood star until the sex tape scandal which curtailed his career. He ended up doing TV instead and found his niche there. He could never act, has no charisma and his looks helped him tremendously. It helps he can make fun of himself and has a sense of humor. Rob had money and looks from the get go. James Dean grew up working-class in a small Indiana town and his mother died young and his father basically abandoned him. Dean was short and dorky looking before he gave himself a Hollywood makeover and created his persona. Hardly can you compare them.

Given how James Franco and Brad Pitt are still handsome (albeit unkempt) men and they get compared to James Dean a lot in looks. I think it's fair to assume James Dean could have aged well. And Pitt and Franco are smokers too

Montgomery Clift, a brooding complex demeanor, totally dreamy, and very sexy. This was in his prime before the smoking, drinking and car accident took its toll on his beautiful features...

[quote] I think it's fair to assume

No, it isn't.

[quote] and then tried to become a Hollywood star

He didn't just "try," he actually had a fairly successful run: The Outsiders, Class, The Hotel New Hampshire, Oxford Blues, St. Elmo's Fire, Youngblood, About Last Night.

All of those R20 are eminently forgettable.

Stamos

R20 Those are teen movies though. Nothing like Terminator, Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop, etc.

Rob was never seemed in the league of Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, Keanu Reeves, Kevin Bacon, John Cusack and Michael J. Fox.

I've never found James Dean sexy but Rob Lowe was one of my regular wank fantasies in my teens, around the time of St. Elmo's Fire and Youngblood. However by the early 90s he'd lost his hotness completely in my eyes. I find him revolting now.

Rob was only hot in the 80s. He does not look good at all now, just a plastic Ken doll on life support. He looked amazing when young because he had that right mix of masculinity and femininity, now he just looks fem. His vanity and obsession with his looks is a turn off too.

"He was not a soft pretty boy like Rob "

But I like soft pretty boys :)

Ok, Rob Lowe or Matt Dillon ?

Matt Dillon would make more sense because he was marketed as sort of the 80s answer to James Dean, typecast as delinquents. He also went for more artsy and indie roles and rubbed shoulders with many NYC artists. He's also an outspoken liberal.

^ "He's also an outspoken liberal. "

Well, except for the little "fag" thing he did

R30 Sure you're not talking about Matt Damon? It's okay I mix them up too. Both Dillon and Damon have gay rumors

Neither were ever attractive to me. Dean had a star factor (not a very good actor yet, I think he could have improved over time) and good choice of film projects which places him over Lowe.

[quote] He could never act, has no charisma and his looks helped him tremendously. It helps he can make fun of himself and has a sense of humor.

The same could be said of Bob Wagner. Didn't they both appear in the Austin Powers series?

@r31, Yeah, my bad, I got my Matts mixed up

James Dean.

Rob Lowe hard burn victim skin, too fucking bright and shiny and weird in texture, like an old man's ballsac pulled taut.

And he had that thin lipped Joker mouth.

He was an odd looking creature at best and for many years a reminder of the word crepey everytime he reappears. Like Dean, he's not a very good actor; unlike him, he has zero sex appeal.

R18 Monty probably got all the rough trade dick he wanted and more in his prime. He had a great little body too.

Dean was dreadful-looking and would not have aged well. Lowe was, and is still gorgeous.

Sal Mineo was very hot in the late 50s and 60s. That bubble butt in Who Killed Teddy Bear. He started looking like shit in the 70s, the awful fashion ad long hair did him no favors.

Bruce Weber and Paul Morrissey discovered all the 80s hotties like Richard Ulacia, Rodney Harvey, Michael Schoeffling and Sasha Mitchell.

James

R5 LOL are you able to look at photos? Did the OP ask about personalities, traits, etc.? No. Simple question, fatass.

James Dean, in my opinion

R40 Ok, and that applies to the specific question?

R42 The era of the time they came about informed their looks though. Rob looks like a overprivileged 80s Orange County teenager. Dean looks like a rough blue-collar farm boy from the Midwest. It depends on one's preference. Calm your tits.

R45 You seem "special" as they say.

R44 OK why the anger? We can add a third option. Stop being so judgmental and shut up. Plus unless there is a poll, of course it will go off-topic. Go to Reddit if you expect things to be on topic.

James Dean.

R46 Hmmm.... well I'd rather be "special" than get overly offended by an anonymous Internet comments. I think you'd fit better on Reddit than here.

R49 Bless your heart. You're going to be ok, sweetie!

Which one has Lindsey Graham eyes?

Must have a standard for comparisons.

I watched Roman Holiday recently and none of them compare to Gregory Peck.

James Dean... especially if he wore his glasses.

Oh, dear

[quote] James Dean had a big womanly butt

His butt was not womanly in the least. It was rather flat.

I met Rob Lowe in 1988 and he was beautiful. Seriously gorgeous.

I'm taking a poll. Who is prettier, Florence Henderson or Shirley Jones?

@r55, Looks like he was doing a Calvin Klein ad Ala Brook Shields

I walked over this photo a million times as a teenager.

^^^wanked not walked lol

Rob was like Michael Landon and was sexy when young and became even hotter as he aged.

James Dean was gorgeous and a gifted young actor with a lot of potential.

William Frawley. Thread closed.

R36 your point of view on old men's ball sacs is interesting to say the least.

They were both lame

I prefer Rian Garrick.