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v t e

The year 1955 in film involved some significant events.

Top-grossing films (U.S.)

The top-grossing hits of 1955 in the United States.

Top-grossing films by country

The highest-grossing 1955 films from countries outside of North America.

Events

• January 7 – U.K. release of the Halas and Batchelor film animation of George Orwell's Animal Farm (completed April 1954), the first full-length British-made animated feature on general theatrical release.^[8][9]
• February 24 - 12th Golden Globe Awards announced: On The Waterfront, Marlon Brando, & Judy Garland win
• March 18 – The film adaptation of Evan Hunter's novel Blackboard Jungle previews in New York City, featuring the single "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets over the opening credits, the first use of a rock and roll song in a major film. Teenagers jump from their seats to dance to it.
• June 1 – Premiere of Billy Wilder's film of The Seven Year Itch featuring an iconic scene of Marilyn Monroe standing on a New York City Subway grating as her white dress is blown above her knees.^[10]
• June 16 – Lady and the Tramp, the Walt Disney company's 15th animated film, premieres in Chicago, the first animated feature filmed in the CinemaScope widescreen process. Peggy Lee co-writes and sings the songs.
• June 27 – The last Republic serial, King of the Carnival, is released.
• July 18 – Disneyland opens to the public in Anaheim, California.
• September 30 – American actor James Dean dies in an automobile collision near Cholame, California, age 24. On October 27, the film Rebel Without a Cause, in which he stars, is released.
• October 11 – Theatrical release in the United States of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical film Oklahoma!, the first feature photographed in the Todd-AO 70 mm widescreen process.
• November 3 – The musical film Guys and Dolls, starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, is premiered in New York City.
• November 22 – The death of Shemp Howard requires use of a Fake Shemp to complete The Three Stooges films which he has commenced.
• December – United Artists quit the Motion Picture Association of America over the decision to deny The Man With the Golden Arm a Production Code seal.
• December 7 – The film Picnic starring William Holden and Kim Novak is released.

Awards

1955 film releases

January–March

• January 1955
  • January 1
    • Young at Heart
  • January 26
    • The Violent Men
  • January 29
    • The Americano
  • January 31
    • Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops
• February 1955
  • February 2
    • Battle Cry
  • February 8
    • Cinerama Holiday
• March 1955
  • A Man Called Peter
  • March 1
    • Untamed
  • March 4
    • Hit the Deck
  • March 20
    • Blackboard Jungle
  • March 23
    • Revenge of the Creature
  • March 24
    • The Glass Slipper
  • March 25
    • Strategic Air Command

April–June

• April 1955
  • April 9
    • Escape to Burma
  • April 10
    • East of Eden
    • Marty
  • April 13
    • Rififi (France)
  • April 20
    • Violent Saturday
  • April 24
    • Godzilla Raids Again (Japan)
• May 1955
  • May 6
    • The Prodigal
  • May 11
    • Bride of the Monster
  • May 25
    • Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier
  • May 30
    • Cult of the Cobra
• June 1955
  • June 1
    • Son of Sinbad
  • June 3
    • The Seven Year Itch
  • June 4
    • The Sea Chase
  • June 10
    • 5 Against the House
    • This Island Earth
  • June 15
    • The Beast with a Million Eyes
  • June 17
    • King Dinosaur
  • June 22
    • Lady and the Tramp
    • Land of the Pharaohs
  • June 23
    • Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy
  • Date unknown
    • Footsteps in the Fog

July–September

• July 1955
  • July 7
    • We're No Angels
  • July 13
    • Foxfire
  • July 22
    • How to Be Very, Very Popular
    • The Night of the Hunter
  • July 30
    • Mister Roberts
    • Pete Kelly's Blues
  • Dates Unknown
    • Not as a Stranger
    • It Came From Beneath the Sea
• August 1955
  • August 3
    • To Catch a Thief
  • August 5
    • Journey to the Beginning of Time
    • The King's Thief
  • August 14
    • Half Human (Japan)
  • August 17
    • To Hell and Back
  • August 25
    • You're Never Too Young
  • August 26
    • The Quatermass Xperiment
• September 1955
  • September 22
    • The Tall Men
  • September 30
    • The Trouble with Harry

October–December

• October 1955
  • October 7
    • Trial
  • October 11
    • Oklahoma!
  • October 19
    • The Treasure of Pancho Villa
  • October 29
    • Rebel Without a Cause
• November 1955
  • November 3
    • Guys and Dolls
  • November 7
    • Artists and Models
  • November 23
    • The Adventures of Quentin Durward
• December 1955
  • December 7
    • Picnic
    • The Last Frontier
  • December 12
    • The Rose Tattoo
  • December 13
    • Richard III
  • December 15
    • The Man with the Golden Arm
  • December 22
    • The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell
    • Tarantula!
  • December 25
    • All That Heaven Allows
    • I'll Cry Tomorrow
  • Date unknown
    • Day the World Ended
    • The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues

Top ten money making stars

Notable films released in 1955

United States unless stated

#

• 5 Against the House, starring Kim Novak, Guy Madison, Brian Keith

A

• Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, featuring an appearance by Mack Sennett
• Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello
• Above Us the Waves, starring John Mills – (GB)
• The Adventures of Quentin Durward, starring Robert Taylor, Kay Kendall
• Ain't Misbehavin', starring Piper Laurie, Rory Calhoun, Mamie Van Doren
• All That Heaven Allows, directed by Douglas Sirk, starring Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson
• The Americano, starring Glenn Ford
• Le Amiche (The Girlfriend), directed by Michelangelo Antonioni – (Italy)
• Anděl na horách (Angel in the Mountains) – (Czechoslovakia)
• Apache Ambush, starring Richard Jaeckel
• Artists and Models, starring Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Dorothy Malone, Shirley MacLaine
• Azaad, starring Dilip Kumar – (India)

B

• Bad Day at Black Rock, directed by John Sturges, starring Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Walter Brennan
• Battle Cry, starring Van Heflin, Aldo Ray, Anne Francis
• The Beast with a Million Eyes
• Bedevilled, starring Anne Baxter and Steve Forrest
• The Big Combo, starring Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte, Brian Donlevy, Jean Wallace
• The Big Knife, starring Jack Palance, Ida Lupino, Jean Hagen, Rod Steiger, Shelley Winters
• Blackboard Jungle, starring Glenn Ford, Anne Francis, Louis Calhern, Sidney Poitier, Vic Morrow, Richard Kiley
• Blood Alley, starring John Wayne and Lauren Bacall
• A Bullet for Joey, starring Edward G. Robinson and George Raft

C

• Captain Lightfoot, starring Rock Hudson
• Carrington V.C., starring David Niven – (GB)
• Cast a Dark Shadow, starring Dirk Bogarde – (GB)
• Chief Crazy Horse, starring Victor Mature
• Cinerama Holiday
• Ciske de Rat (aka A Child Needs Love) – (Netherlands)
• The Cobweb, directed by Vincente Minnelli, starring Richard Widmark, Gloria Grahame, Lauren Bacall, Charles Boyer, Lillian Gish
• The Cockleshell Heroes, directed by and starring José Ferrer, with Trevor Howard – (GB)
• The Colditz Story, directed by Guy Hamilton, starring John Mills and Eric Portman – (GB)
• Confession, directed by Ken Hughes, starring Sydney Chaplin – (GB)
• The Constant Husband, starring Rex Harrison, Margaret Leighton, Kay Kendall – (GB)
• Count Three and Pray, starring Van Heflin, Joanne Woodward and Raymond Burr
• The Counterfeit Coin (Istoria mias kalpikis liras) – (Greece)
• The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell, directed by Otto Preminger, starring Gary Cooper, Ralph Bellamy, Rod Steiger, Elizabeth Montgomery
• El Coyote
• Crashout, starring Arthur Kennedy and William Bendix
• The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz (Ensayo de un Crimen), directed by Luis Buñuel – (Mexico)

D

• Daddy Long Legs, starring Fred Astaire and Leslie Caron
• The Dam Busters, starring Richard Todd and Michael Redgrave, with an early role by Robert Shaw – (GB)
• Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier, starring Fess Parker and Buddy Ebsen
• Death of a Cyclist (Muerte de un ciclista), directed by Juan Antonio Bardem – (Spain)
• The Deep Blue Sea, starring Vivien Leigh – (GB)
• The Desperate Hours, starring Humphrey Bogart and Fredric March
• Devdas, based on novel with same name, starring Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, Suchitra Sen – (India)
• Les Diaboliques (The Devils), directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, starring Simone Signoret – (France)
• Dreams (Kvinnodröm), directed by Ingmar Bergman, starring Eva Dahlbeck – (Sweden)

E

• East of Eden, directed by Elia Kazan, starring Julie Harris, James Dean (in his first major role), Raymond Massey
• The Enchanted Boy (Zakoldovanyy malchik) – (USSR)
• Escuela de vagabundos (School for Tramps), starring Pedro Infante – (Mexico)

F

• The Far Horizons, starring Fred MacMurray, Charlton Heston, Donna Reed, Barbara Hale
• The Fast and the Furious, starring John Ireland and Dorothy Malone
• Female on the Beach, starring Joan Crawford, Jeff Chandler, Jan Sterling
• Fire in the Night (Det brenner i natt!) – (Norway)
• Floating Clouds (Ukigumo) – (Japan)
• Footsteps in the Fog, starring Stewart Granger and Jean Simmons – (GB)
• Foxfire, starring Jane Russell
• Francis in the Navy, starring Donald O'Connor and Martha Hyer, with Clint Eastwood in an early role

G

• Galapagos, a documentary by Thor Heyerdahl – (Norway)
• A Generation (Pokolenie), directed by Andrzej Wajda – (Poland)
• The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing, directed by Richard Fleischer, starring Ray Milland, Joan Collins, Farley Granger – (U.S.)
• The Girl Rush, starring Rosalind Russell, Fernando Lamas, Gloria DeHaven
• Godzilla Raids Again (Gojira no Gyakushū) – (Japan)
• Good Morning, Miss Dove, starring Jennifer Jones and Robert Stack
• The Good Soldier Schweik, animation directed by Jiří Trnka – (Czechoslovakia)
• Guys and Dolls, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, starring Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra, Vivian Blaine

H

• Hell on Frisco Bay, starring Alan Ladd and Edward G. Robinson
• Hell's Island, starring John Payne and Mary Murphy
• Heroes of Shipka (Geroite na Shipka) – (Bulgaria/USSR)
• The Hidden One (La Escondida), starring Pedro Armendáriz – (Mexico)
• Hit the Deck, directed by Roy Rowland, starring Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds, Ann Miller, Tony Martin, Vic Damone
• House of Bamboo, starring Robert Ryan
• How to Be Very, Very Popular, starring Betty Grable in her final film role

I

• I Am a Camera, starring Julie Harris and Laurence Harvey – (GB)
• I Died a Thousand Times, starring Jack Palance, Shelley Winters, Earl Holliman, Lee Marvin
• I Live in Fear (Ikimono no kiroku), directed by Akira Kurosawa – (Japan)
• I'll Cry Tomorrow, starring Susan Hayward
• Illegal, a film noir starring Edward G. Robinson and Jayne Mansfield
• Interrupted Melody, starring Eleanor Parker and Glenn Ford
• It Came from Beneath the Sea, starring Kenneth Tobey and Faith Domergue, with special effects by Ray Harryhausen
• It Happened on July 20th (Es geschah am 20. Juli), directed by G. W. Pabst, starring Bernhard Wicki – (Austria)
• It's Always Fair Weather, starring Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, Michael Kidd, Cyd Charisse

J

• Jedda, directed by Charles Chauvel – (Australia)
• John and Julie, starring Moira Lister and Sid James – (GB)
• Journey to the Beginning of Time (Cesta do Pravěku) – (Czechoslovakia)
• Jupiter's Darling, directed by George Sidney, starring Esther Williams and Howard Keel

K

• Kanyasulkam, starring N. T. Rama Rao – (India)
• The Kentuckian, directed by and starring Burt Lancaster, featuring film debut of Walter Matthau
• Killer's Kiss, directed by Stanley Kubrick
• The King's Thief, starring Ann Blyth and David Niven
• Kiss Me Deadly, directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Ralph Meeker as Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer

L

• Lady and the Tramp, an animated Disney musical featuring voice of Peggy Lee
• Lady Godiva of Coventry, starring Maureen O'Hara
• The Ladykillers, directed by Alexander Mackendrick, starring Alec Guinness, Cecil Parker, Herbert Lom, Peter Sellers – (GB)
• Land of the Pharaohs, starring Joan Collins and Jack Hawkins
• The Last Frontier, directed by Anthony Mann, starring Victor Mature, Robert Preston, Anne Bancroft
• The Last Ten Days (Der letzte Akt), directed by G. W. Pabst – (Austria/West Germany)
• The Left Hand of God, starring Humphrey Bogart and Gene Tierney
• Little Red Monkey, directed by Ken Hughes – (Britain)
• Lola Montès, directed by Max Ophüls – (France)
• The Long Gray Line, starring Tyrone Power and Maureen O'Hara
• Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing, starring William Holden and Jennifer Jones
• Love Me or Leave Me, starring Doris Day and James Cagney
• Love Never Dies (El Amor nunca muere) – (Argentina)
• Lucy Gallant (reissued as Oil Town), starring Jane Wyman

M

• Magic Fire, starring Alan Badel
• Mambo, directed by Robert Rossen, starring Silvana Mangano, Vittorio Gassman, Shelley Winters – (U.S./Italy)
• A Man Alone, directed by and starring Ray Milland, with Mary Murphy
• The Man from Laramie, directed by Anthony Mann, starring James Stewart
• The Man Who Loved Redheads, starring Moira Shearer – (GB)
• The Man with the Golden Arm, directed by Otto Preminger, starring Frank Sinatra, Eleanor Parker, Darren McGavin, Kim Novak, Arnold Stang
• Man with the Gun, starring Robert Mitchum
• Man Without a Star, starring Kirk Douglas and William Campbell
• Marty, directed by Delbert Mann, starring Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair, Joe Mantell, Frank Sutton, Jerry Paris
• The McConnell Story, starring Alan Ladd and June Allyson
• The Mill of Good Luck (La 'Moara cu noroc') – (Romania)
• Miracle of Marcelino (Marcelino Pan Y Vino) – (Spain)
• Missamma, starring N. T. Rama Rao – (India)
• Mister Roberts, co-directed by John Ford and Mervyn LeRoy, starring Henry Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell, Jack Lemmon
• Moonfleet, starring Stewart Granger and Joan Greenwood
• Mr. & Mrs. '55, starring Guru Dutt and Madhubala – (India)
• Mr. Arkadin, directed by and starring Orson Welles – (France/Spain/Switzerland)
• My Sister Eileen, starring Janet Leigh and Betty Garrett

N

• New York Confidential, starring Broderick Crawford, Richard Conte, Marilyn Maxwell, Anne Bancroft
• Night and Fog, a documentary directed by Alain Resnais – (France)
• The Night My Number Came Up, starring Michael Redgrave – (GB)
• The Night of the Hunter, directed by Charles Laughton, starring Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, Peter Graves
• Not as a Stranger, starring Robert Mitchum, Olivia de Havilland, Frank Sinatra, Gloria Grahame, Broderick Crawford, Lon Chaney Jr.

O

• Oh, Ibuku (O, My Mother), directed by Ali Joego, debuting Aminah Cendrakasih – (Indonesia)
• Oklahoma! (first film shot in widescreen process known as Todd-AO), starring Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones, Rod Steiger, Gloria Grahame
• Ordet (The Word), directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer – (Denmark)
• Our Best Days (Ayyamna al-Holwa), starring Omar Sharif – (Egypt)
• Out of the Clouds, directed by Basil Dearden, starring Anthony Steel, Robert Beatty – (U.K.)

P

• Passage Home, directed by Roy Ward Baker, starring Anthony Steel, Peter Finch, Diane Cilento – (U.K.)
• Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road), directed by Satyajit Ray – (India)
• Pete Kelly's Blues, starring Jack Webb, Janet Leigh, Edmond O'Brien, Peggy Lee
• The Phenix City Story, starring Richard Kiley, John McIntire, John Larch, James Edwards, Edward Andrews
• Picnic, directed by Joshua Logan, starring William Holden, Kim Novak, Cliff Robertson, Rosalind Russell
• Prince of Players, starring Richard Burton
• Princess Yang Kwei-Fei (aka Yôkihi) – (Japan)
• The Prisoner, directed by Peter Glenville, starring Alec Guinness and Jack Hawkins – (GB)
• The Private War of Major Benson, starring Charlton Heston
• The Prodigal, starring Lana Turner

Q

• The Quatermass Xperiment – (GB)
• Queen Bee, starring Joan Crawford

R

• The Racers, starring Kirk Douglas, Gilbert Roland, Bella Darvi
• Radio Stories (Historias de la radio) – (Spain)
• Die Ratten (The Rats), starring Maria Schell and Curd Jürgens – (West Germany) – Golden Bear award
• Rage at Dawn, starring Randolph Scott
• The Rains of Ranchipur, starring Lana Turner and Richard Burton
• Rebel Without a Cause, directed by Nicholas Ray, starring James Dean, Sal Mineo, Natalie Wood
• Red Fish (Los peces rojos), starring Arturo de Córdova – (Spain)
• Richard III, directed by and starring Laurence Olivier, with Ralph Richardson, Claire Bloom, John Gielgud – (GB)
• Rififi (Du rififi chez les hommes), directed by Jules Dassin – (France)
• A Ripple in the Pond (Ena votsalo sti limni) – (Greece)
• Romeo and Juliet (Romeo i Dzhulyetta), starring Yuri Zhdanov and Galina Ulanova – (USSR)
• Roots (Raíces) – (Mexico)
• The Rose Tattoo, starring Anna Magnani and Burt Lancaster
• Run for Cover, starring James Cagney, John Derek, Ernest Borgnine

S

• Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple (Zoku Miyamoto Musashi: Ichijōji no kettō) – (Japan)
• Scandal in Sorrento (Pane, amore e...), starring Vittorio De Sica and Sophia Loren – (Italy)
• The Scarlet Coat, starring Cornel Wilde, George Sanders, Anne Francis
• The Sea Chase, starring John Wayne and Lana Turner
• Seagulls Die in the Harbour (Meeuwen sterven in de haven) – (Belgium)
• Seema, starring Nutan – (India)
• Seven Angry Men, starring Raymond Massey
• The Seven Little Foys, starring Bob Hope, featuring James Cagney reprising role of George M. Cohan from Yankee Doodle Dandy
• The Seven Year Itch, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell
• Shree 420, directed by and starring Raj Kapoor, with Nargis – (India)
• The Shrike, directed by and starring José Ferrer
• The Sign of Venus (Il segno di Venere), starring Sophia Loren and Vittorio De Sica – (Italy)
• Simba, starring Dirk Bogarde – (GB)
• Sissi, starring Romy Schneider – (Austria)
• Six Bridges to Cross, starring Tony Curtis
• Smiles of a Summer Night (Sommarnattens leende), directed by Ingmar Bergman – (Sweden)
• Son of Sinbad
• So This Is Paris, starring Tony Curtis and Gloria DeHaven
• The Spoilers, starring Anne Baxter and Jeff Chandler
• Strategic Air Command, starring James Stewart
• Stella, directed by Michael Cacoyannis, starring Melina Mercouri – (Greece)
• Storm Over the Nile, starring Anthony Steel and Laurence Harvey – (U.K.)
• Summertime, directed by David Lean, starring Katharine Hepburn, Rossano Brazzi, Darren McGavin – (Britain/U.S.)
• The Swindle (Il bidone), directed by Federico Fellini, starring Broderick Crawford – (Italy)

T

• Taira Clan Saga (Shin Heike Monogatari), directed by Kenji Mizoguchi – (Japan)
• Tall Man Riding, starring Randolph Scott and Dorothy Malone
• The Tall Men, starring Clark Gable, Jane Russell, Robert Ryan
• Tarantula, directed by Jack Arnold, starring John Agar, Mara Corday, with Clint Eastwood in a bit part
• The Tender Trap, starring Frank Sinatra, Debbie Reynolds, David Wayne, Celeste Holm
• That Lady, starring Olivia de Havilland – (GB/Spain)
• This Island Earth, directed by Joseph M. Newman, starring Jeff Morrow, Rex Reason, Faith Domergue, Russell Johnson
• Three for the Show, starring Betty Grable
• Tight Spot, starring Ginger Rogers, Edward G. Robinson, Brian Keith, Lorne Greene
• To Catch a Thief, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly
• To Hell and Back, starring Audie Murphy, Marshall Thompson, Charles Drake, David Janssen
• The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues, starring Kent Taylor, Cathy Downs, Michael Whalen
• The Treasure of Pancho Villa, starring Rory Calhoun and Shelley Winters
• Trial, starring Glenn Ford
• The Trouble with Harry, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Edmund Gwenn, John Forsythe, Shirley MacLaine

U

• Unknown Soldier (Tuntematon sotilas) – (Finland)
• Unchained, starring Barbara Hale
• Underwater!, starring Jane Russell
• Untamed, starring Tyrone Power and Susan Hayward

V

• The Violent Men, starring Glenn Ford, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson, Brian Keith
• Violent Saturday, starring Victor Mature, Ernest Borgnine, Lee Marvin
• The Virgin Queen, starring Bette Davis, Richard Todd, Joan Collins

W

• We're No Angels, starring Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov, Aldo Ray, Basil Rathbone
• White Feather, starring Robert Wagner, Jeffrey Hunter, Debra Paget
• Wichita, starring Joel McCrea
• The Woman in the Painting (Amici per la pelle) – (Italy)
• Women's Prison, starring Ida Lupino, Jan Sterling, Audrey Totter, Phyllis Thaxter

Y

• You're Never Too Young, starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis

Serials

• The Adventures of Captain Africa
• King of the Carnival
• Panther Girl of the Kongo

Short film series

• Looney Tunes (1930–1969)
• Terrytoons (1930–1964)
• Merrie Melodies (1931–1969)
• Popeye (1933–1957)
• Donald Duck (1934–1956)
• The Three Stooges (1934–1959)
• Tom and Jerry (1940–1958)
• Bugs Bunny (1940–1962)
• Mighty Mouse (1942–1955)
• Chip 'n' Dale (1943–1956)
• Droopy (1943–1958)
• Yosemite Sam (1945–1963)
• Ranger Don (1953–1956)
• Speedy Gonzales (1953–1968)

Cartoon:

• Good Will to Men (MGM Cartoon Series) (Frederick Quimby, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, producers; MGM)
• The Legend of Rockabye Point (Walter Lantz Productions; Universal-International)
• No Hunting (Donald Duck Series) (Walt Disney Productions; RKO Radio)
• Speedy Gonzales (Merrie Melodies Series) (Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc.; Warner Bros.)

One-Reel:

• Gadgets Galore (Warner Varieties Series) (Robert Youngson, producer; Warner Bros.)
• Survival City (Movietone CinemaScope Series) (Edmund Reek, producer; Twentieth Century-Fox)
• 3rd Ave. El (Carson Davidson Productions; Ardee Films)
• Three Kisses (Topper Special Series) (Justin Herman, producer; Paramount)

Two-Reel:

• The Battle of Gettysburg (Dore Schary, producer; MGM)
• The Face of Lincoln (University of Southern California Presentation; Cavalcade Pictures, Inc.)
• On The Twelfth Day...(United Kingdom Series) (Go Pictures, Inc.; George Brest and Associates)
• Switzerland (People and Places Series) (Walt Disney Productions; Buena Vista)
• 24-Hour Alert (Cedric Francis, producer; Warner Bros.)

Births

• January 4 - Sergei Kolesnikov, Soviet-Russian actor (d. 2023)
• January 6 – Rowan Atkinson, English comedian and actor
• January 9 – J. K. Simmons, American actor
• January 16 - Steven Weisberg, American editor (d. 2023)
• January 18 – Kevin Costner, American actor, producer and director
• January 19 - Paul Rodriguez, Mexican-American actor and stand-up comedian
• January 20 – Wyatt Knight, American actor (d. 2011)
• January 28 - Lorenzo Caccialanza, American actor
• February 5 - Kenji Ohba, Japanese actor
• February 7 – Miguel Ferrer, American actor (d. 2017)
• February 8 - Ethan Phillips, American actor
• February 9 - Jim J. Bullock, American actor and comedian
• February 14 - James Eckhouse, American actor
• February 15 – Christopher McDonald, American actor
• February 17 - Ellie Haddington, Scottish actress
• February 19 – Jeff Daniels, American actor
• February 21 – Kelsey Grammer, American actor and comedian
• February 28 – Gilbert Gottfried, American stand-up comedian, actor and voice actor (d. 2022)
• March 2 - William Hope, Canadian actor
• March 3 – Riina Hein, Estonian actress, director, producer and screenwriter
• March 6
  • Larry Cedar, American actor
  • James Saito, Japanese-American actor
  • Alberta Watson, Canadian actress (d. 2015)
• March 9 – Ornella Muti, Italian actress
• March 13 - Glenne Headley, American actress (d. 2017)
• March 16 - Kuh Ledesma, Filipino actress and singer
• March 17
  • Mark Boone Junior, American character actor
  • Gary Sinise, American actor, producer and director
• March 19 – Bruce Willis, American actor
• March 22 – Lena Olin, Swedish actress
• March 28 - Reba McEntire, American country singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer
• March 29
  • Brendan Gleeson, Irish actor and film director
  • Marina Sirtis, American-English actress
• April 3 - Tomas Arana, American actor
• April 6 – Michael Rooker, American actor
• April 8 - Kane Hodder, American actor and stuntman
• April 23 – Judy Davis, Australian actress
• April 24 – Michael O'Keefe, American actor
• April 29
  • Leslie Jordan, American actor, comedian, writer and singer (d. 2022)
  • Kate Mulgrew, American actress
• April 30 – Zlatko Topčić, Bosnian screenwriter
• May 5 - Lisa Jane Persky, American actress
• May 8 - Raoul Trujillo, American actor
• May 9 - Kevin Peter Hall, American actor (d. 1991)
• May 10 - Larry "Flash" Jenkins, American actor, director, producer and screenwriter (d. 2019)
• May 13 - María Cecilia Botero, Colombian actress and television presenter
• May 15 - Lee Horsley, American actor
• May 16 – Debra Winger, American actress
• May 17
  • Francesco Nuti, Italian actor, director and screenwriter (d. 2023)
  • Bill Paxton, American actor (d. 2017)
• May 18 – Chow Yun-fat, Hong Kong actor
• May 27 - Richard Schiff, American actor and director
• May 31
  • Susie Essman, American actress
  • Julio Oscar Mechoso, American actor (d. 2017)
• June 2 – Dana Carvey, American actor and comedian
• June 6 - Cheryl Smith, American actress and musician (d. 2002)
• June 7 – William Forsythe, American actor
• June 8
  • Griffin Dunne, American actor and director
  • Andrew Stevens, American actor and producer
• June 14 - Paul O'Grady, English comedian, broadcaster, actor and writer (d. 2023)
• June 15
  • Polly Draper, American actress, writer, producer and director
  • Julie Hagerty, American actress
  • Andy Tennant, American screenwriter, director and actor
• June 16 – Laurie Metcalf, American actress
• June 25 - Michael McShane, American actor, singer and improvisational comedian
• June 26 - Gedde Watanabe, American actor and comedian
• June 27 – Isabelle Adjani, French actress
• July 2 - Andrew Divoff, American actor and producer
• July 3
  • Jesse Corti, American actor
  • Vince Martin, Dutch-Australian actor, editor, director and musician
• July 8 - Lena Endre, Swedish actress
• July 9
  • Lisa Banes, American actress (d. 2021)
  • Jimmy Smits, American actor
• July 21 – Béla Tarr, Hungarian director
• July 22 – Willem Dafoe, American actor
• July 25 - Iman, Somali-American model and actress
• July 28
  • Maria Vacratsis, Canadian actress
  • Dey Young, American actress
• August 3 – Corey Burton, American voice actor
• August 4 – Billy Bob Thornton, American actor, director and screenwriter
• August 7 – Wayne Knight, American actor and comedian
• August 13 - Paul Greengrass, British director, producer and screenwriter
• August 19 – Peter Gallagher, American actor
• August 20 - Jay Acovone, American actor
• August 22 - Gordon Liu, Chinese actor and martial artist
• August 24 - Kevin Dunn, American actor
• August 27 – Diana Scarwid, American actress
• September 9 - Edward Hibbert, American-born British actor
• September 10 - Giannina Facio, Costa Rican actress
• September 12 - Peter Scolari, American actor (d. 2021)
• September 17 - Charles Martinet, American actor and voice actor
• September 18 - Bob Papenbrook, American voice actor (d. 2006)
• September 20 - Betsy Brantley, American actress
• September 21 - Rick Aiello, American actor (d. 2021)
• September 26 - Mark Nelson, American actor and director
• October 17 - Sam Bottoms, American actor and producer (d. 2008)
• October 20 – Thomas Newman, American composer
• October 21 - Catherine Hardwicke, American director and screenwriter
• October 22 - Bill Condon, American director and screenwriter
• October 27 - Michael Shamus Wiles, American character actor
• November 5 - Nestor Serrano, American actor
• November 9
  • Karen Dotrice, British actress
  • Thomas F. Duffy, American actor
• November 10
  • Roland Emmerich, German director, screenwriter and producer
  • Clare Higgins, English actress
• November 13 – Whoopi Goldberg, American actress and comedian
• November 15 - Jun Kunimura, Japanese actor
• November 23 - Peter Douglas, American actor and producer
• November 25 - Bruce Hopkins, New Zealand actor
• November 27 - Bill Nye, American television presenter
• November 30 - Kevin Conroy, American actor (d. 2022)
• December 2 – Dennis Christopher, American actor
• December 3
  • Melody Anderson, Canadian actress
  • Steven Culp, American actor
• December 6 - Steven Wright, American stand-up comedian, actor, writer and film producer
• December 8 - Kevin McNulty, Canadian actor
• December 9 - Hiroyuki Watanabe, Japanese actor (d. 2022)
• December 11 - Donna Bullock, American actress
• December 16 - Xander Berkeley, American actor
• December 17 - Richard Young, American character actor, filmmaker and screenwriter
• December 21 – Jane Kaczmarek, American actress
• December 24
  • Clarence Gilyard, American actor (d. 2022)
  • Grand L. Bush, American former actor

Deaths

• February 11 – Ona Munson, 55, American actress, Five Star Final, Gone with the Wind
• February 12
  • Tom Moore, 71, Irish-American actor, Forever Amber, Road House
  • S. Z. Sakall, 72, Hungarian actor, Casablanca, Yankee Doodle Dandy
• April 7 – Theda Bara, 69, American silent film actress, A Fool There Was, Cleopatra
• April 25 – Constance Collier, 77, British actress, Stage Door, Rope
• May 4 – Robert Kent, 46, American actor, Blonde Comet, The Phantom Rider
• May 13 – Betty Ann Davies, 44, British actress, My Old Duchess, The Man in Black
• May 22 - Richard "Skeets" Gallagher, 63, American actor, Possessed, Idiot's Delight
• June 11 – Walter Hampden, 75, American actor, Sabrina, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
• July 31 – Robert Francis, 25, American actor, The Caine Mutiny, The Long Gray Line, airplane accident
• August 5 – Carmen Miranda, 46, Brazilian singer and actress, Copacabana, The Gang's All Here
• August 6 – Janet Beecher, 70, American actress, The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle, The Mark of Zorro
• August 10 – Jane Murfin, 70, American screenwriter, What Price Hollywood?, The Women
• August 12 – Lynne Carver, 38, American actress, Everybody Sing, Young Dr. Kildare
• September 20 –
  • Robert Riskin, 58, American screenwriter, It Happened One Night, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
  • Noel M. Smith, 60, American director, Secret Service of the Air, Cattle Town
• September 30 – James Dean, 24, American actor, Rebel Without a Cause, East of Eden, automobile accident
• October 1 – Charles Christie, 75, Canadian pioneer film studio owner
• October 9 – Alice Joyce, 65, American actress, The Green Goddess, White Man
• October 19 – John Hodiak, 41, American actor, Lifeboat, A Bell for Adano, heart attack
• October 20 – Frank Darien, 79, American actor, The Grapes of Wrath, Under Fiesta Stars
• November 9 – Tom Powers, 65, American actor, Double Indemnity, The Blue Dahlia
• November 14 – Robert E. Sherwood, 59, American screenwriter, The Best Years of Our Lives, Rebecca
• November 15 – Lloyd Bacon, 65, American director, The Oklahoma Kid, Knute Rockne, All American
• November 22 – Shemp Howard, 60, American actor, comedian of The Three Stooges, The Bank Dick, Pittsburgh
• November 27 – William Nigh, 74, American director, Mr. Wong, Detective, The Gay Cavalier
• December 5 – Paul Harvey, 73, American actor, April in Paris, Calamity Jane
• December 24 – Nana Bryant, 67, American actress, Public Enemies, Bathing Beauty

Film Debuts

• Lorella De Luca – Il Bidone
• Clint Eastwood – Revenge of the Creature
• Jamie Farr – Blackboard Jungle
• Shirley Anne Field – Simon and Laura
• Dennis Hopper – Rebel Without a Cause
• Jill Ireland – No Love for Judy
• L. Q. Jones – Battle Cry
• Shirley Jones – Oklahoma!
• Cloris Leachman – Kiss Me Deadly
• George Leech – The Ladykillers
• Len Lesser – Shack Out on 101
• Shirley MacLaine – The Trouble with Harry
• Walter Matthau – The Kentuckian
• Patrick McGoohan – Passage Home
• Dick Miller – Apache Woman
• Sandra Milo – The Bachelor
• Vic Morrow – Blackboard Jungle
• Jerry Orbach – Marty
• Oliver Reed – Value for Money
• Claude Rich – The Grand Maneuver
• Maximilian Schell – Children, Mother, and the General
• Paul Scofield – That Lady
• James Sikking – Five Guns West
• Lois Smith – East of Eden
• George Takei – Godzilla Raids Again
• Concha Velasco – The Moorish Queen
• Joanne Woodward – Count Three and Pray