Editing Sal Mineo (section)

===Child actor===
Mineo's mother enrolled him in dancing and acting school at an early age.<ref name="Noe">
{{cite web
  | url = http://www.crimemagazine.com/salmineo.htm
  | last = Noe   | first = Denise
  | title = The Murder of Sal Mineo
  | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080606191553/http://www.crimemagazine.com/salmineo.htm
  | archive-date= June 6, 2008}}</ref> He had his first stage appearance in [[Tennessee Williams]]'s play ''[[The Rose Tattoo]]'' (1951).<ref name="Holliday">{{cite glbtq.com
 |last         = Holliday
 |first        = Peter J.
 |article      = Mineo, Sal (1939–1976)
 |article-url  = http://www.glbtq.com/arts/mineo_s.html
 |date         = November 8, 2008
|orig-year    = 2002
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120525114314/http://www.glbtq.com/arts/mineo_s.html
 |archive-date = May 25, 2012
}}</ref> He also played the young prince opposite [[Yul Brynner]] in the stage [[musical theater|musical]] ''[[The King and I]]''. Brynner took the opportunity to help Mineo better himself as an actor.<ref name="Bell">{{cite web
 |last        = Bell
 |first       = Rachael
 |title       = The Switchblade Kid: The Life and Death of Sal Mineo
 |url         = http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/celebrity/sal_mineo/2.html
 |access-date  = July 20, 2008
|url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080629084259/http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/celebrity/sal_mineo/2.html
 |archive-date = June 29, 2008
}}</ref>

On May 8, 1954, Mineo portrayed the Page (lip-synching to the voice of [[mezzo-soprano]] Carol Jones) in the [[NBC]] Opera Theatre's production of [[Richard Strauss]]'s ''[[Salome (opera)|Salome]]'' (in English translation), set to [[Oscar Wilde]]'s [[Salome (play)|play]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kirksvilledailyexpress.com/article/20120310/BLOGS/303109930|title=Comet Over Hollywood's Gone Too Soon: Sal Mineo|website=Kirksville Daily Express – Kirksville, MO|access-date=June 13, 2020|archive-date=June 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613064136/https://www.kirksvilledailyexpress.com/article/20120310/BLOGS/303109930|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dTKfEQmAnFkC&q=sal+mineo+salome&pg=PA390|title=Sal Mineo: A Biography|first=Michael Gregg|last=Michaud|date=June 13, 2011|publisher=Three Rivers Press|isbn=9780307716675|via=Google Books}}</ref> [[Elaine Malbin]] performed the title role, and [[Peter Herman Adler]] conducted [[Kirk Browning]]'s production.

As a teenager, Mineo appeared on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s musical quiz program ''Jukebox Jury''. Mineo made several television appearances before making his screen debut in the [[Joseph Pevney]] film ''[[Six Bridges to Cross]]'' (1955). He beat out [[Clint Eastwood]] for the role.<ref>{{cite book |last= McGilligan |first= Patrick |title= Clint: The Life and Legend |publisher= [[HarperCollins]] |year=1999|isbn=0-00-638354-8|location=London|page=63}}</ref> Mineo also successfully auditioned for a part in ''[[The Private War of Major Benson]]'' (1955), as a cadet colonel opposite [[Charlton Heston]].<ref name="EllisEllis2005">{{cite book|last1=Ellis|first1=Chris|last2=Ellis|first2=Julie|title=The Mammoth Book of Celebrity Murder: Murder Played Out in the Spotlight of Maximum Publicity|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V9pAof9Hs2YC&pg=PA415|access-date=January 14, 2011|date=July 27, 2005|publisher=Berghahn Books|isbn=978-1-57181-140-0|page=415}}</ref>