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The year 1955 in film involved some significant events.

Top-grossing films (U.S.)

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

Top-grossing films by country

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

Events

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

Awards

1955 film releases

Top ten money making stars

Notable films released in 1955

United States unless stated

Serials

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

Short film series

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

Cartoon:

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

One-Reel:

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

Two-Reel:

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

Births

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

Deaths

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

Film Debuts

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

Notes

References

External links

• List of 1955 films at IMDb
• List of 1955 deaths at IMDb
• List of 1955 births at IMDb