1956 in film
The following is an overview of 1956 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths.
February 5 – First showing of by the Free Cinema movement, at the National Film Theatre, London.
documentary films
February 23 – and Robert Benjamin acquire Mary Pickford's interest in United Artists for $3 million giving them full ownership of UA.
Arthur B. Krim
February – sells much of its pre-1950 library to Associated Artists Productions (a.a.p.); after a series of mergers the films return to WB 40 years later.
Warner Bros.
February – announces his resignation as head of production of 20th Century Fox after 20 years as the studio head. He is later replaced by Buddy Adler.[4]
Darryl F. Zanuck
April 18 – marries Prince Rainier III and becomes Princess consort of Monaco. She stops acting. Her last feature film, High Society, is released in July.
Grace Kelly
May 30 – release Trapeze which becomes their highest-grosser until surpassed by Around the World in 80 Days the following year.
United Artists
July – and Albert Warner sell their stock in Warner Bros. Jack L. Warner retains his and becomes president.
Harry
July 25 – The comedy partnership between ends. Their last film together, Hollywood or Bust, is released later in the year.
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis
October 5 – opens in cinemas. It was the most expensive film of all time with a cost of $13 million and becomes one of the most successful and popular films of all time, currently ranking 6th on the list of all time moneymakers (when adjusted for inflation). It was director Cecil B. DeMille's last film.
The Ten Commandments
October 17 – 's Around the World in 80 Days is released and goes on to become United Artists' highest-grossing film.
Mike Todd
November 1 – The film , released in 1955 to select cities in Todd-AO, now receives a U.S. national release in CinemaScope, since not all theatres are yet equipped for Todd-AO. To accomplish this, the film has actually been shot twice, rather than printing one version in two different film processes, as is later done.
Oklahoma!
And God Created Woman
The Lieutenant Wore Skirts
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Forbidden Planet
Perils of the Wilderness
Ending this year
January 1 - , Canadian actress and singer
Sheila McCarthy
January 3 – , American Irish actor and director
Mel Gibson
January 7 – , American actor
David Caruso
Imelda Staunton
January 13 - , American actress
Janet Hubert
January 20 - , American comedian, writer, producer, actor and television host
Bill Maher
Geena Davis
January 24 - , English actor, screenwriter and stuntman
Peter Woodward
January 25 – , American actress and director
Dinah Manoff
Susan Blakeslee
January 30 - , American actress
Ann Dowd
February 3 – , American actor
Nathan Lane
February 12 – , American comedian, actor and talk show host
Arsenio Hall
February 13 - , Scottish actor
Jimmy Yuill
February 14 - , Canadian-Australian actor and singer
Tom Burlinson
February 15 - , American actress and singer
Olga Merediz
February 17 – , American actor
Richard Karn
February 19 – , American actress
Kathleen Beller
February 26 - , American actor, director, producer and writer
Jonathan Schmock
February 28 – , American voice actor
Lloyd Sherr
March 1 – , American actor
Tim Daly
March 5 - , Mexican actress
Adriana Barraza
March 7 – , American actor and director
Bryan Cranston
March 8 - , Canadian actor
John Kapelos
March 11 – , American voice actor
Rob Paulsen
March 12 – , English Actress
Lesley Manville
March 13 – , American actress
Dana Delany
March 16 - , American actor
Clifton Powell
March 26 – , Estonian actress
Erika Kaljusaar
March 27 - , American actor
Michael Harney
March 30 - , American comedian, actor and musician
Paul Reiser
April 8 - , English actor, producer and writer
Jim Piddock
April 12 – , Cuban-American actor
Andy García
April 14 - , American character actor
Chris Ellis
April 17 - , English actor and producer
Vyto Ruginis
April 18 – , American actor
Eric Roberts
April 20 - , Scottish actress
Georgie Glen
April 22 - , American actor, writer and screenwriter
Bruce A. Young
April 27 - , English actor and writer
Kevin McNally
April 30 – , Danish director
Lars von Trier
May 4 - , American actor
Ralph Seymour
May 5 – , American actress
Lisa Eilbacher
May 7 – , American voice actor
S. Scott Bullock
May 9 – , Canadian actress
Wendy Crewson
Paige O'Hara
May 12 – , Japanese actress
Kimiko Yo
May 13 - , American actor, comedian and writer
Fred Melamed
May 19 - , American actor
Steven Ford
June 1 - , American actor
Tom Irwin
June 4 – , American actor
Keith David
Ava Cadell
June 18 - , American producer
Marsha Garces Williams
June 22 - , American actor, director, screenwriter and musician
Tim Russ
June 25 - , American actress
Chloe Webb
June 27 - , American actor
John Michael Bolger
June 30 - , American actor, singer and comedian
David Alan Grier
July 1 – , American actor
Alan Ruck
July 2 - , American actress and model
Jerry Hall
July 9 – , American actor and director
Tom Hanks
July 11 – , American actress
Sela Ward
July 16 - , American author, playwright and screenwriter
Tony Kushner
July 19 - , American retired actor
Peter Barton
July 25 - , American actor and musician
Roger Clinton Jr.
Michael Biehn
August 12 – , Canadian actor
Bruce Greenwood
August 17 – , Sri Lankan actor
Mahendra Perera
August 19 - , American actor and director
Adam Arkin
August 20 – , American actress
Joan Allen
August 21 – , English-born Canadian actress
Kim Cattrall
August 23 - , American actor
Skipp Sudduth
August 24 - , American actor
Kevin Dunn
August 26 - , American actor
Brett Cullen
August 28 – , Puerto Rican character actor
Luis Guzman
September 5 - , American actress
Debbie Turner
September 7 - , Canadian-American actor
Michael Beattie
Tony Gilroy
September 16 - , Scottish actor
Jimmy Chisholm
September 18 - , English actor
Tim McInnerny
September 20 – , American actor
Gary Cole
September 26 – , American actress
Linda Hamilton
September 28 - , Kenyan-Indian actor and stunt double
Kiran Shah
September 29 - , American actor
Stuart Charno
October 2 - , American voice actor and voice director
Charlie Adler
October 3 - , Canadian actor, director, screenwriter and producer
Hart Bochner
October 4 – , Austrian-German actor
Christoph Waltz
Amanda Burton
October 20 – , English director and producer
Danny Boyle
October 23 - , American singer-songwriter, actor and filmmaker
Dwight Yoakam
October 26 – , American actress and producer
Rita Wilson
October 30 - , English actress
Juliet Stevenson
November 3 - , American director, writer and producer
Gary Ross
November 8 – , New Zealand-born British director and screenwriter
Richard Curtis
November 9 - , American-Australian actor
Tyler Coppin
Matt Craven
November 13 - , American actor
Rex Linn
November 16 - , American actor, director and writer
Dan Shor
November 17 - , American actor and voice director
Kelly Ward
November 20 – , American actress and model
Bo Derek
November 21 - , American actor, producer and screenwriter
Timothy Stack
November 22 – , American actor and voice actor
Richard Kind
November 24 - , American actor and director
Ruben Santiago-Hudson
November 26 - , Canadian actor and writer
Don Lake
November 27 - , American actor
William Fichtner
December 2 - , Cuban-born American actor
Steven Bauer
December 7 - , American character actor
Mark Rolston
December 8 – , British actor
Michael C. Burgess
December 10 - , American actress
Catherine Parks
December 17 – , American film director
Peter Farrelly
December 20 - , American actress and filmmaker
Blanche Baker
December 22 - , Hong Kong actor
Ray Lui
January 9 – , 74, American early silent actress, The Prussian Spy, The Gibson Goddess
Marion Leonard
January 23 – , 62, Hungarian film director, the founder of London Films, That Hamilton Woman, The Private Life of Henry VIII
Alexander Korda
Bob Burns
April 15 – , 71, Canadian-American opera singer and actress, It's a Gift, Ball of Fire
Kathleen Howard
April 21 – , 60, American screenwriter and playwright, Wuthering Heights, His Girl Friday
Charles MacArthur
November 10 – , 56, American composer, Around the World in 80 Days, For Whom the Bell Tolls
Victor Young
November 26 – , 56, American musician, The Fabulous Dorseys, DuBarry Was a Lady, Ship Ahoy
Tommy Dorsey
November 30 – , 81, Danish actor, Doctor Nicholson and the Blue Diamond, Røverne fra Rold