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.

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.
 * 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.

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

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 – (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 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 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 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 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
 * Bruce Altman, American actor
 * 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 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, English actor
 * 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)
 * 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!
 * Cloris Leachman – Kiss Me Deadly
 * 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
 * Joanne Woodward – Count Three and Pray