Salvatore Mineo Jr. (January 10, 1939 – February 12, 1976) was an American actor, singer, and director. He is best known for his role as John "Plato" Crawford in the drama film "Rebel Without a Cause" (1955), which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, 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", and "Escape from the Planet of the Apes" (1971).

Mineo was born in New York City, the son of coffin makers Josephine (née Alvisi) and Salvatore Mineo Sr. He was of Sicilian descent; his father was born in Italy and his mother, of Italian origin, was born in the United States. Mineo was the brother of actress Sarina Mineo and actors Michael Mineo and Victor Mineo. He attended the Quintano School for Young Professionals.

On the night of February 12, 1976, Mineo returned home from a rehearsal for the play "P.S. Your Cat Is Dead". After parking his car in the carport below his West Hollywood apartment, he was stabbed in the heart by a mugger. Lionel Ray Williams, a young pizza delivery man with a long criminal record, was convicted and sentenced in March 1979 to 57 years in prison for killing Mineo and for committing ten robberies.

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