# 1955 in film

The year 1955 in film involved some significant events.

## Top-grossing films (U.S.)

The top-grossing hits of 1955 in the United States.
Highest-grossing films of 1955 :
| Rank | Title | Distributor | Domestic rentals |
| 1 | Cinerama Holiday | Cinerama Releasing | $10,000,000 |
| 2 | Mister Roberts | Warner Bros. | $8,500,000 |
| 3 | Battle Cry | Warner Bros. | $8,100,000 |
| 4 | Oklahoma! | RKO | $7,100,000 |
| 5 | Guys and Dolls | MGM | $6,801,000 |
| 6 | Lady and the Tramp | Buena Vista | $6,500,000 |
| 7 | Picnic | Columbia | $6,300,000 |
| 8 | Not as a Stranger | United Artists | $6,200,000 |
| 9 | Strategic Air Command The Seven Year Itch The Sea Chase | Paramount 20th Century Fox Warner Bros. | $6,000,000 |
| 10 | I'll Cry Tomorrow | MGM | $5,873,000 |

## Top-grossing films by country

The highest-grossing 1955 films from countries outside of North America.
| Country | Title | Studio | Gross |
| India | Shree 420 | R. K. Films | $1,190,000 |
| Soviet Union | Private Ivan | Gorky Film Studio | $2,520,000 |

## Events

* January 7 – UK 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.
* 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.
* 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

| Category/Organization | 13th Golden Globe Awards February 23, 1956 | 13th Golden Globe Awards February 23, 1956 | 28th Academy Awards March 21, 1956 |
| Category/Organization | Drama | Comedy or Musical | 28th Academy Awards March 21, 1956 |
| Best Film | East of Eden | Guys and Dolls | Marty |
| Best Director | Joshua Logan Picnic | Joshua Logan Picnic | Delbert Mann Marty |
| Best Actor | Ernest Borgnine Marty | Tom Ewell The Seven Year Itch | Ernest Borgnine Marty |
| Best Actress | Anna Magnani The Rose Tattoo | Jean Simmons Guys and Dolls | Anna Magnani The Rose Tattoo |
| Best Supporting Actor | Arthur Kennedy Trial | Arthur Kennedy Trial | Jack Lemmon Mister Roberts |
| Best Supporting Actress | Marisa Pavan The Rose Tattoo | Marisa Pavan The Rose Tattoo | Jo Van Fleet East of Eden |
| Best Foreign Language Film | Children, Mother, and the General Dangerous Curves Eyes of Children Ordet Stella | Children, Mother, and the General Dangerous Curves Eyes of Children Ordet Stella | Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto |

## 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 1
*** Magdana's Donkey (Georgia)
** 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

| Rank | Actor/Actress |
| 1. | James Stewart |
| 2. | Grace Kelly |
| 3. | John Wayne |
| 4. | William Holden |
| 5. | Gary Cooper |
| 6. | Marilyn Monroe |
| 7. (tie) | Dean Martin Jerry Lewis |
| 8. | Marlon Brando |
| 9. | Humphrey Bogart |
| 10. | Clark Gable |

## 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

* Magdana's Donkey, directed by Tengiz Abuladze and Revaz Chkheidze – (Georgia)
* 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 8 – Harriet Sansom Harris, American actress
* January 9 – J. K. Simmons, American actor
* January 15 – Sam Mercer, American producer (d. 2024)
* 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
** Shun Sugata, Japanese actor
* 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 26 - Paul Lazar, American actor
* March 28 – Reba McEntire, American country singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer
* March 29
** Brendan Gleeson, Irish actor and film director
** Christopher Lawford, American actor (d. 2018)
** Marina Sirtis, American-English actress
* April 3 – Tomas Arana, American actor
* April 4 – Casey Biggs, American actor
* April 5 – Akira Toriyama, Japanese manga artist (d. 2024)
* April 6 – Michael Rooker, American actor
* April 8 – Kane Hodder, American actor and stuntman
* April 17 - David Lowe, English actor and director
* 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 1 – Eric Goldberg, American animator, voice actor, director and producer
* 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 23 – Kristin Rudrüd, American actress
* 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
** Vickilyn Reynolds, American actress and singer
* 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
** Bruce Altman, American actor
** Jesse Corti, American actor
** Vince Martin, Dutch-Australian actor, editor, director and musician
* July 7 – Rolf Saxon, American actor and voiceover artist
* July 8 – Lena Endre, Swedish actress
* July 9
** Lisa Banes, American actress (d. 2021)
** Jimmy Smits, American actor
* July 13 – Lance E. Nichols, American actor
* July 21 – Béla Tarr, Hungarian director
* July 22 – Willem Dafoe, American actor
* July 25 – Iman, Somali-American model and actress
* July 27 – Roger Guenveur Smith, American actor, director and writer
* 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 20
** Betsy Brantley, American actress
** David Haig, British actor and playwright
* September 21 – Rick Aiello, American actor (d. 2021)
* September 26 – Mark Nelson, American actor and director
* October 3 - Tommy Wiseau, 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 11 - Stephen Lee, American actor (d. 2014)
* 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)
** Malgorzata Gebel, Polish actress
* 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, 51, 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, 73, 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
* Ed Devereaux – Little Red Monkey
* Sunil Dutt – Railway Platform
* Clint Eastwood – Revenge of the Creature
* Jamie Farr – Blackboard Jungle
* Shirley Anne Field – Simon and Laura
* Liz Fraser – Touch and Go
* Kathy Garver – The Night of the Hunter
* Dennis Hopper – Rebel Without a Cause
* Jill Ireland – No Love for Judy
* L. Q. Jones – Battle Cry
* Shirley Jones – Oklahoma!
* George Leech – The Ladykillers
* Len Lesser – Shack Out on 101
* Tanya Lopert – Summertime
* Shirley MacLaine – The Trouble with Harry
* Walter Matthau – The Kentuckian
* Jody McCrea – Lucy Gallant
* Patrick McGoohan – Passage Home
* Dick Miller – Apache Woman
* Sandra Milo – The Bachelor
* Vic Morrow – Blackboard Jungle
* Simon Oakland – The Desperate Hours
* Jerry Orbach – Marty
* Leslie Parrish – A Man Called Peter
* 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
* Tomisaburo Wakayama – Gyakushû Orochimaru
* Joanne Woodward – Count Three and Pray