1955 in film

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The year 1955 in film involved some significant events.

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.^[1][2]
• March 20 - The film adaptation of Evan Hunter's novel Blackboard Jungle premieres 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 movie. 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.^[3]
• 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 ever 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.

Top-grossing films (U.S.)^[4]

Awards

Academy Awards:

Best Picture: Marty - Hecht-Lancaster, United Artists

Best Director: Delbert Mann - Marty

Best Actor: Ernest Borgnine - Marty

Best Actress: Anna Magnani - The Rose Tattoo

Best Supporting Actor: Jack Lemmon - Mister Roberts

Best Supporting Actress: Jo Van Fleet - East of Eden

Golden Globe Awards:

Drama:

Best Picture: East of Eden

Best Actor: Ernest Borgnine – Marty

Best Actress: Anna Magnani – The Rose Tattoo

Musical or comedy:

Best Picture: Guys and Dolls

Best Actor: Tom Ewell – The Seven Year Itch

Best Actress: Jean Simmons – Guys and Dolls

Other

Best Director: Joshua Logan – Picnic

Best Foreign Film: Ordet (The Word), Denmark

Best Foreign Film: Stella, Greece

Best Foreign Film: Sons, Mothers, and a General, West Germany

Best Foreign Film: Eyes of Children, Japan

Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):

Marty, directed by Delbert Mann, United States

Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival):

Ordet (The Word), directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer, Denmark

Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):

Die Ratten (The Rats), directed by Robert Siodmak, West Germany

Top ten money making stars

Notable films released in 1955

U.S.A. 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 Minelli, 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-F

• 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)
• 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.A./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)
• Othello, starring Sergei Bondarchuk - (U.S.S.R.)
• 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-Q

• 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
• 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)
• 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.A.)
• 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-V

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

• 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
• 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 6 - Rowan Atkinson, English comedian and actor
• January 9 - J. K. Simmons, American actor
• January 18 - Kevin Costner, American actor, producer and director
• January 20 - Wyatt Knight, American actor (d. 2011)
• February 7 - Miguel Ferrer, American actor
• February 15 - Christopher McDonald, American actor
• February 19 - Jeff Daniels, American actor
• March 9 - Ornella Muti, Italian actress
• March 17 - Gary Sinise, American actor, producer and director
• March 19 - Bruce Willis, American actor
• March 22 - Lena Olin, Swedish actress
• April 23 - Judy Davis, Australian actress
• May 16 - Debra Winger, American actress
• May 17 - Bill Paxton, American actor
• May 18 - Chow Yun-fat, Hong Kong actor
• May 31 - Susie Essman, American actress
• June 2 - Dana Carvey, American actor and comedian
• June 8 - Griffin Dunne, American actor and director
• June 27 - Isabelle Adjani, French actress
• July 9 - Jimmy Smits, American actor
• July 19 - Toborr Kristina Tomlinsen, American-Canadian voice actress
• July 21 - Béla Tarr, Hungarian director
• July 22 - Willem Dafoe, American actor
• August 4 - Billy Bob Thornton, American actor, director and screenwriter
• August 19 - Peter Gallagher, American actor
• August 27 - Diana Scarwid, American actress
• November 13 - Whoopi Goldberg, American actress and comedian
• December 3 - Melody Anderson, Canadian actress
• December 17 - Jim Doughan, American actor

Deaths

• 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
• 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
• 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 19 - John Hodiak, 41, American actor, Lifeboat, A Bell for Adano, heart attack
• 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, Brideless Groom, Malice in the Palace

Film Debuts

• James Cromwell - Daddy Long Legs
• Clint Eastwood - Revenge of the Creature
• Dennis Hopper - Rebel Without a Cause
• Shirley MacLaine - The Trouble with Harry
• Jayne Mansfield - Female Jungle
• Walter Matthau - The Kentuckian
• Melina Mercouri - Stella
• Elizabeth Montgomery - The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell

References