1965 in film

Top-grossing films (U.S.)

Events

• February 15 – George Stevens' production of The Greatest Story Ever Told, a retelling of the account of Jesus Christ, premieres in New York City, New York. It was such a flop with critics and audiences that its failure discouraged production of religious epics for many years. It is considered notable in the 21st century for its astonishing landscapes, powerful and provocative cinematography, Max von Sydow's debut acting performance in an American film, and the final film performance of Claude Rains.
• March 2 – The Rodgers and Hammerstein film adaptation of The Sound of Music, directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, premieres. It quickly became a worldwide phenomenon and an instant classic. It successfully displaced Gone with the Wind to become, at the time, the highest-grossing film of all-time. The Sound of Music is credited as the film that saved and restored Twentieth Century-Fox from bankruptcy after it suffered from extremely high production costs of Cleopatra two years prior.
• July 1 – Blake Edwards's epic comedy The Great Race, starring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Natalie Wood, Peter Falk, and Keenan Wynn, premieres. Initially a flop with critics and audiences, some do admire Edwards' direction, the acting by its ensemble cast, Henry Mancini's music and its climactic pie fight.
• December 22 – David Lean's film adaptation of Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago, starring Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Rod Steiger, and Alec Guinness, premieres and, like The Sound of Music, quickly became a worldwide phenomenon. Its moral story and message of a love and human spirit that defied the communist Soviet Union have made the film a true classic with critics and audiences. It was included among top films by the American Film Institute. In a decade of very difficult times for its studio, Zhivago became the most successful and acclaimed Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film since How the West Was Won; it was the greatest MGM film since Ben-Hur.

  Awards

1965 film releases

January–March

• January 1965
• *January 8
• **Dear Brigitte
• *January 15
• **Baby the Rain Must Fall
• *January 28
• **36 Hours
• February 1965
• *February 10
• **Strange Bedfellows
• **Sylvia
• *February 15
• **Lord Jim
• *February 23
• **Dr. Terror's House of Horrors
• *February 24
• **Love Has Many Faces
• March 1965
• *March 2
• **The Sound of Music
• *March 5
• **The Rounders
• *March 6
• **Nightmare in the Sun
• *March 15
• **Major Dundee
• *March 21
• **Die! Die! My Darling!
• *March 24
• **John Goldfarb, Please Come Home!
• *March 31
• **The Truth About Spring

  April–June

• April 1965
• *April 3
• **The Man from Button Willow
• *April 6
• **In Harm's Way
• *April 7
• **Bus Riley's Back in Town
• **Girl Happy
• *April 8
• **The World of Abbott and Costello
• *April 9
• **The Greatest Story Ever Told
• *April 14
• **Beach Blanket Bingo
• **The Satan Bug
• May 1965
• *5 May
• **Alphaville
• **Brainstorm
• *7 May
• **Joy in the Morning
• *14 May
• **Harlow
• *26 May
• **Mirage
• June 1965
• *June 2
• **What's New Pussycat?
• *June 3
• **Shenandoah
• *June 9
• **Up from the Beach
• *June 18
• **I'll Take Sweden
• *June 23
• **Genghis Khan
• **The Hallelujah Trail
• **Harlow
• **Von Ryan's Express
• **Willy McBean and his Magic Machine
• *June 24
• **Cat Ballou
• *June 30
• **Ski Party
• **Tickle Me

  July–September

• July 1965
• *July 1
• **The Family Jewels
• **The Great Race
• **The Sons of Katie Elder
• *July 14
• **How to Stuff a Wild Bikini
• *July 21
• **I Saw What You Did
• *July 29
• **Ship of Fools
• August 1965
• *August 1
• **Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet
• *August 3
• **You Must Be Joking!
• *August 9
• **The Brigand of Kandahar
• *August 14
• **A Very Special Favor
• *August 18
• **Catch Us If You Can
• **The Monkey's Uncle
• **Sergeant Deadhead
• *August 23
• **Dr. Who and the Daleks
• *August 25
• **Morituri
• **That Funny Feeling
• **Wild on the Beach
• September 1965
• *September 1
• **Billie
• *September 3
• **The Battle of the Villa Fiorita
• *September 8
• **Operation C.I.A.
• *September 20
• **How to Murder Your Wife
• *September 24
• **Marriage on the Rocks
• *September 27
• **Mickey One

  October–December

• October 1965
• *October 6
• **Who Killed Teddy Bear
• *October 7
• **The Agony and the Ecstasy
• *October 11
• **The Bedford Incident
• *October 13
• **Situation Hopeless... But Not Serious
• *October 15
• **The Cincinnati Kid
• *October 17
• **Sting of Death
• *October 27
• **King Rat
• November 1965
• *November 4
• **Never Too Late
• *November 6
• **Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine
• *November 10
• **The War Lord
• *November 18
• **For a Few Dollars More
• *November 19
• **Return from the Ashes
• *November 24
• **Harum Scarum
• *November 25
• **Lady L
• December 1965
• *December 2
• **That Darn Cat!
• *December 10
• **A Patch of Blue
• *December 13
• **A Thousand Clowns
• *December 15
• **The Flight of the Phoenix
• *December 16
• **Battle of the Bulge
• *December 19
• **Invasion of Astro-Monster
• *December 22
• **Doctor Zhivago
• *December 23
• **The Slender Thread
• *December 24
• **Bad Girls Go to Hell
• *December 29
• **Thunderball

  Notable films released in 1965

#

• The 10th Victim, starring Marcello Mastroianni and Ursula Andress –
• 36 Hours, starring James Garner, Rod Taylor and Eva Marie Saint
• The 317th Platoon –

  A

• Abashiri Prison, starring Ken Takakura –
• Adventures of a Dentist, directed by Elem Klimov –
• The Adventures of the Smurfs –
• The Agony and the Ecstasy, directed by Carol Reed, starring Charlton Heston and Rex Harrison
• The Alphabet Murders, directed by Frank Tashlin, starring Tony Randall and Anita Ekberg
• Alphaville, directed by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Eddie Constantine – Golden Bear winner –
• Always Further On –
• The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders, starring Kim Novak, Richard Johnson, Angela Lansbury
• The Art of Love, directed by Norman Jewison, starring James Garner, Angie Dickinson, Elke Sommer, Dick Van Dyke
• Arzoo, starring Sadhana –
• The Ashes, directed by Andrzej Wajda –

  B

• Baby the Rain Must Fall, starring Steve McQueen and Lee Remick
• Bad Girls Go to Hell, directed by Doris Wishman
• Battle of the Bulge, starring Henry Fonda, Robert Shaw, Robert Ryan, Charles Bronson, Ty Hardin, Pier Angeli
• The Battle of the Villa Fiorita, directed by Delmer Daves, starring Maureen O'Hara, Rossano Brazzi, Olivia Hussey
• Beach Blanket Bingo, directed by William Asher, starring Annette Funicello, Frankie Avalon, Deborah Walley, Don Rickles
• The Bedford Incident, starring Richard Widmark and Sidney Poitier –
• Behind the Mask of Zorro
• Billie, starring Patty Duke
• Black Humor
• Black Wind –
• Boeing Boeing, starring Jerry Lewis and Tony Curtis
• La Bohème –
• Brainstorm, directed by William Conrad, starring Anne Francis and Jeffrey Hunter
• The Brigand of Kandahar, starring Oliver Reed and Yvonne Romain
• Bunny Lake Is Missing, directed by Otto Preminger, starring Laurence Olivier and Carol Lynley –
• Bus Riley's Back in Town, starring Ann-Margret and Michael Parks

  C

• The Camp Followers, starring Anna Karina –
• Carry On Cowboy, starring Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Jim Dale –
• Casanova 70, starring Marcello Mastroianni and Virna Lisi –
• Cat Ballou, starring Jane Fonda and Lee Marvin
• Catch Us If You Can, a.k.a. Having a Wild Weekend, starring The Dave Clark Five
• Chronicle of a Boy Alone –
• The Cincinnati Kid, directed by Norman Jewison, starring Steve McQueen, Edward G. Robinson, Ann-Margret, Karl Malden, Tuesday Weld, Joan Blondell
• City Under the Sea , starring Vincent Price and Tab Hunter
• Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion, starring Marshall Thompson and Betsy Drake
• The Collector, directed by William Wyler, starring Terence Stamp and Samantha Eggar –
• Cup Fever, starring Bernard Cribbins –
• Curse of the Fly, starring Brian Donlevy, George Baker, Carole Gray

  D

• Darling, directed by John Schlesinger, starring Laurence Harvey, Dirk Bogarde, Julie Christie –
• Dear Brigitte, starring James Stewart, Bill Mumy, Glynis Johns, Ed Wynn, Brigitte Bardot
• A Devilish Homicide –
• Die! Die! My Darling!, starring Tallulah Bankhead and Stefanie Powers
• Dingaka, starring Stanley Baker –
• Doctor Zhivago, directed by David Lean, starring Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Geraldine Chaplin, Rod Steiger, Alec Guinness—winner of 5 Academy Awards –
• Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine, starring Vincent Price and Frankie Avalon
• Dr. Terror's House of Horrors, starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee –
• Dr. Who and the Daleks, starring Peter Cushing –

  E-F

• The Early Bird, starring Norman Wisdom –
• The Family Jewels, starring Jerry Lewis
• Fantômas se déchaîne, starring Jean Marais –
• Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, directed by Russ Meyer
• Ferry Cross the Mersey, starring Gerry and the Pacemakers –
• Fists in the Pocket –
• The Flight of the Phoenix, directed by Robert Aldrich, starring James Stewart, Richard Attenborough, Hardy Krüger, Ernest Borgnine, Peter Finch
• For a Few Dollars More, directed by Sergio Leone, starring Clint Eastwood –
• Funny Things Happen Down Under, starring Olivia Newton-John –

  G

• Il Gaucho, starring Vittorio Gassman and Nino Manfredi –
• Genghis Khan , starring Omar Sharif, Stephen Boyd, James Mason
• Girl Happy, starring Elvis Presley
• The Glory Guys, directed by Arnold Laven, starring Tom Tryon and Harve Presnell
• Goldstein, comedy ensemble film, with actors from The Second City, including Severn Darden
• The Great Race, directed by Blake Edwards, starring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Natalie Wood, Peter Falk, Ross Martin
• The Greatest Story Ever Told, directed by George Stevens, starring Max von Sydow, Charlton Heston, Dorothy McGuire, David McCallum, Martin Landau, Telly Savalas
• Guide, directed by Vijay Anand, starring Dev Anand –
• Gumnaam, starring Manoj Kumar –

  H

• The Hallelujah Trail, directed by John Sturges, starring Burt Lancaster, Lee Remick, Jim Hutton, Pamela Tiffin
• Happiness, directed by Agnès Varda –
• Harlow, starring Carroll Baker, Peter Lawford, Red Buttons, Mike Connors, Leslie Nielsen, Angela Lansbury
• Harlow, starring Carol Lynley, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Barry Sullivan, Hurd Hatfield, Ginger Rogers
• Harum Scarum, aka Harem Holiday, starring Elvis Presley, Mary Ann Mobley, Fran Jeffries
• Help!, directed by Richard Lester, starring The Beatles –
• The Heroes of Telemark, starring Kirk Douglas and Richard Harris
• A High Wind in Jamaica, starring Anthony Quinn and James Coburn –
• The Hill, directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Sean Connery, Ian Bannen, Ossie Davis –
• The Hour and Turn of Augusto Matraga –
• How to Murder Your Wife, starring Jack Lemmon and Virna Lisi
• How to Stuff a Wild Bikini, starring Annette Funicello, Dwayne Hickman, Buster Keaton, Beverly Adams, Mickey Rooney

  I

• I Knew Her Well, starring Stefania Sandrelli, Nino Manfredi, Franco Nero –
• I'll Take Sweden, starring Bob Hope, Dina Merrill, Frankie Avalon, Tuesday Weld
• Impossible on Saturday –
• In Harm's Way, directed by Otto Preminger, starring John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Patricia Neal, Brandon deWilde, Paula Prentiss, Henry Fonda
• Inside Daisy Clover, starring Natalie Wood, Robert Redford, Christopher Plummer
• Inside the Forbidden City –
• Intimate Lighting, directed by Ivan Passer –
• Invasion of Astro-Monster, directed by Ishirō Honda –
• The Ipcress File, directed by Sidney J. Furie, starring Michael Caine – BAFTA Award for Best British Film –
• I Saw What You Did, starring Joan Crawford

  J

• John Goldfarb, Please Come Home!, starring Shirley MacLaine, Richard Crenna, Peter Ustinov
• Joy in the Morning, starring Richard Chamberlain and Yvette Mimieux
• Juliet of the Spirits, directed by Federico Fellini –

  K

• King Rat, starring George Segal, Tom Courtenay, James Fox
• The Knack...and How to Get It, directed by Richard Lester, starring Ray Brooks, Rita Tushingham, Michael Crawford – Cannes Grand Prize –

  L

• Lady L, directed by Peter Ustinov, starring Sophia Loren, Paul Newman, David Niven
• Licensed to Kill, starring Tom Adams-
• Life at the Top, starring Laurence Harvey and Jean Simmons –
• The Liquidator, directed by Jack Cardiff and starring Rod Taylor and Trevor Howard
• La Loba –
• Lord Jim, starring Peter O'Toole –
• Love Has Many Faces, starring Lana Turner, Hugh O'Brian, Cliff Robertson, Ruth Roman, Stefanie Powers
• The Loved One, directed by Tony Richardson, starring Robert Morse, Anjanette Comer, Jonathan Winters, Rod Steiger, Paul Williams, Liberace
• Loves of a Blonde, directed by Miloš Forman –

  M

• A Maiden for a Prince, directed by Pasquale Festa Campanile, starring Virna Lisi and Vittorio Gassman
• Major Dundee, directed by Sam Peckinpah, starring Charlton Heston, Richard Harris, James Coburn, Jim Hutton
• The Man from Button Willow
• Man Is Not a Bird –
• Marriage on the Rocks, starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Deborah Kerr
• McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force
• Mickey One, directed by Arthur Penn, starring Warren Beatty
• Mirage, directed by Edward Dmytryk, starring Gregory Peck, Diane Baker and Walter Matthau
• The Money Trap, starring Glenn Ford, Rita Hayworth, Ricardo Montalbán, Joseph Cotten, Elke Sommer
• The Monkey's Uncle, starring Annette Funicello and Tommy Kirk
• Morituri'', starring Marlon Brando and Yul Brynner

  N

• The Nanny, starring Bette Davis –
• The Naked Prey, directed by and starring Cornel Wilde –
• Never Too Late, starring Paul Ford, Maureen O'Sullivan, Connie Stevens, Jim Hutton
• Nightmare Castle, starring Barbara Steele –
• Nightmare in the Sun, starring Ursula Andress, John Derek, Aldo Ray, Sammy Davis, Jr.
• None but the Brave, directed by and starring Frank Sinatra, with Clint Walker, Tommy Sands

  O

• Once a Thief, starring Alain Delon and Ann-Margret –
• Operation C.I.A., starring Burt Reynolds and Danielle Aubry
• Operation Crossbow, starring Sophia Loren –
• Operation Y and Shurik's Other Adventures, starring Aleksandr Demyanenko –
• Othello, directed by Stuart Burge, starring Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Frank Finlay –

  P

• A Patch of Blue, starring Sidney Poitier, Elizabeth Hartman, Shelley Winters
• Pierrot le Fou, directed by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina –
• Planet of the Vampires, directed by Mario Bava –
• Promise Her Anything, directed by Arthur Hiller, starring Warren Beatty and Leslie Caron

  R

• The Rabbit Is Me –
• The Railrodder, a comedy short starring Buster Keaton in his last film –
• Răscoala –
• Red Beard, directed by Akira Kurosawa, starring Toshiro Mifune –
• Repulsion, directed by Roman Polanski, starring Catherine Deneuve –
• Return from the Ashes, starring Maximilian Schell and Samantha Eggar
• The Return of Mr. Moto, starring Henry Silva –
• The Round-Up, directed by Miklós Jancsó –
• The Rounders, directed by Burt Kennedy, starring Glenn Ford and Henry Fonda

  S

• Samurai Spy –
• Sandra, directed by Luchino Visconti, starring Claudia Cardinale –
• São Paulo, Sociedade Anônima –
• The Saragossa Manuscript, starring Zbigniew Cybulski –
• The Sandpiper, directed by Vincente Minnelli, starring Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and Eva Marie Saint
• Sands of the Kalahari, starring Stuart Whitman, Stanley Baker, Susannah York –
• The Satan Bug, starring George Maharis and Anne Francis
• Secrets Behind the Wall –
• Sergeant Deadhead, starring Frankie Avalon and Deborah Walley
• Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors –
• Shakespeare Wallah, directed by James Ivory, starring Shashi Kapoor, Felicity Kendal, Madhur Jaffrey
• She, starring Ursula Andress and Peter Cushing –
• Shenandoah, starring James Stewart, Doug McClure, Rosemary Forsyth, Katharine Ross
• Ship of Fools, directed by Stanley Kramer, starring Vivien Leigh, Simone Signoret, Lee Marvin, Michael Dunn, José Ferrer
• The Shop on Main Street, directed by Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos – Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film –
• Simon of the Desert, directed by Luis Buñuel –
• The Sin –
• Situation Hopeless... But Not Serious, starring Alec Guinness, Mike Connors, Robert Redford
• Ski Party, starring Frankie Avalon and Yvonne Craig
• The Skull, starring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Patrick Wymark –
• Slalom, starring Vittorio Gassman, Adolfo Celi, Beba Lončar, Daniela Bianchi –
• The Sleeping Car Murders, directed by Costa-Gavras, starring Yves Montand and Simone Signoret –
• The Slender Thread, directed by Sydney Pollack, starring Sidney Poitier, Anne Bancroft, Telly Savalas, Ed Asner
• The Sons of Katie Elder, directed by Henry Hathaway, starring John Wayne and Dean Martin
• The Sound of Music, directed by Robert Wise, starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer—winner of 5 Oscars and 2 Golden Globes
• The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, directed by Martin Ritt, starring Richard Burton and Claire Bloom –
• Sting of Death, directed by William Grefe
• Story of a Prostitute, directed by Seijun Suzuki –
• Strange Bedfellows, starring Rock Hudson and Gina Lollobrigida
• A Study in Terror, starring John Neville, Donald Houston and Anthony Quayle-
• A Swingin' Summer, starring James Stacy and Raquel Welch
• Sword of the Beast, directed by Hideo Gosha –
• Sylvia, starring Carroll Baker and George Maharis
• Synanon, directed by Richard Quine, starring Edmond O'Brien, Chuck Connors, Stella Stevens

  T

• Tattooed Life, directed by Seijun Suzuki –
• Ten Little Indians, starring Shirley Eaton, Hugh O'Brian, Daliah Lavi, Stanley Holloway, Wilfred Hyde-White, Fabian Forte –
• That Darn Cat! starring Dean Jones
• That Funny Feeling, starring Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee
• The Third Day, starring George Peppard and Elizabeth Ashley
• Thirty Three –
• Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, directed by Ken Annakin, starring Stuart Whitman, Sarah Miles, Robert Morley, Gert Fröbe –
• A Thousand Clowns, starring Jason Robards, Barry Gordon, Martin Balsam, Barbara Harris
• Thunderball, starring Sean Connery, with Claudine Auger, Luciana Paluzzi, Adolfo Celi –
• Tickle Me, starring Elvis Presley
• Tokyo Olympiad, a documentary directed by Kon Ichikawa –
• The Truth About Spring, directed by Richard Thorpe, starring Hayley Mills and John Mills

  U

• The Uninhibited, directed by Juan Antonio Bardem, starring Melina Mercouri and James Mason –
• Up from the Beach, starring Cliff Robertson
• Up to His Ears

  V

• A Very Special Favor, starring Rock Hudson and Leslie Caron
• Viva Maria!, directed by Louis Malle, starring Brigitte Bardot and Jeanne Moreau –
• Von Ryan's Express, directed by Mark Robson, starring Frank Sinatra, Trevor Howard, Edward Mulhare, Adolfo Celi
• Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet, starring Basil Rathbone

  W

• Waqt, starring Sunil Dutt and Sadhana –
• The War Game, a TV docudrama directed by Peter Watkins –
• The War Lord, starring Charlton Heston, Richard Boone, Rosemary Forsyth
• What's New Pussycat?, directed by Clive Donner, starring Peter Sellers, Peter O'Toole, Woody Allen, Romy Schneider, Paula Prentiss, Capucine
• Who Killed Teddy Bear, starring Sal Mineo, Juliet Prowse and Elaine Stritch
• Wild on the Beach, starring Sherry Jackson, Frankie Randall, Sonny & Cher
• Willy McBean and his Magic Machine
• Winter Kept Us Warm, directed by David Secter –
• The World of Abbott and Costello, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello

  Y

• You Must Be Joking!, starring Lionel Jeffries, Denholm Elliott, Michael Callan –
• Young Dillinger, starring Nick Adams and Mary Ann Mobley
• Yo Yo, directed by and starring Pierre Étaix –

  Short film series

• Looney Tunes
• Merrie Melodies
• Speedy Gonzales
• Goofy

  Births

• January 4 – Julia Ormond, English actress
• January 9 – Joely Richardson, English actress
• January 15 – James Nesbitt, Northern Irish actor
• January 22 – Diane Lane, American actress
• January 27 – Alan Cumming, Scottish actor
• February 1 – Brandon Lee, American actor
• February 3 – Maura Tierney, American actress
• February 7 – Chris Rock, American actor and comedian
• February 18 – Dr. Dre, American music producer
• February 24 – Kristin Davis, American actress
• March 14 – Aamir Khan, Indian actor
• March 25 – Sarah Jessica Parker, American actress
• March 31 – Steve Bing, American businessman, philanthropist and film producer
• April 4 – Robert Downey, Jr., American actor
• April 16
• *Jon Cryer, American actor
• *Martin Lawrence, American actor and comedian
• April 26 – Kevin James, American actor and comedian
• May 23 – Liina Tennosaar, Estonian actress
• May 24 – John C. Reilly, American actor and comedian
• May 31 – Brooke Shields, American actress and model
• June 10 – Elizabeth Hurley, English model and actress
• June 18 – Kim Dickens, American actress
• June 19 – Sean Marshall, American child actor and singer
• June 28 – Sonny Strait, American voice actor
• July 3 – Connie Nielsen, Danish actress
• July 25 – Illeana Douglas, American actress
• July 26 – Jeremy Piven, American actor
• August 11 – Viola Davis, American actress
• August 19 – Kyra Sedgwick, American actress
• August 24 – Marlee Matlin, American actress
• September 3 – Charlie Sheen, American actor
• October 8 – Peter Greene, American actor
• October 10 – Chris Penn, American actor
• October 11
• *Lennie James, English actor
• *Ivo Uukkivi, Estonian actor, singer and television producer
• October 14 – Steve Coogan, English actor
• October 19 – Merle Jääger, Estonian actress and poet
• October 31 - Rob Rackstraw, British voice actor
• November 2 – Shah Rukh Khan, Indian actor
• November 21 – Alexander Siddig, Sudanese-English actor
• November 24 – Shirley Henderson, Scottish actress
• November 30 – Ben Stiller, American actor
• December 7 – Jeffrey Wright, American actor
• December 21 – Andy Dick, American comedian, actor, musician and television and film producer
• December 27 – Salman Khan, Indian actor
• December 31 – Gong Li, Chinese actress

  Deaths

• January 14 – Jeanette MacDonald, 61, American actress, singer, San Francisco, One Hour with You
• February 10 – Arnold Manoff, 50, American screenwriter, No Minor Vices, Casbah
• February 15 – Nat King Cole, 45, American singer and actor, St. Louis Blues, Istanbul
• February 23 – Stan Laurel, 74, British actor, The Flying Deuces, Sons of the Desert
• March 1 – Fred Immler, 84, German actor, Madame Du Barry, Zapata's Gang
• March 6 – Margaret Dumont, 82, American actress, Duck Soup, A Night at the Opera
• March 23 – Mae Murray, 75, American actress, The Merry Widow, The Delicious Little Devil
• March 28
• *Clemence Dane, 77, British screenwriter, Anna Karenina, Perfect Strangers
• *Jack Hoxie, 80, American Western actor, The Last Frontier, Gold
• April 1 – Edna Tichenor, 64, American actress, London After Midnight, The Show
• April 3 – Ray Enright, 69, American director, Alibi Ike, The Spoilers
• April 8 – Lars Hanson, 78, Swedish actor, The Wind, Flesh and the Devil
• April 10 – Linda Darnell, 41, American actress, My Darling Clementine, The Mark of Zorro
• April 24 – Louise Dresser, 85, American actress, A Ship Comes In, The Scarlet Empress
• April 30 – Helen Chandler, 59, American actress, Dracula, The Last Flight
• 5 May – John Waters, 71, screenwriter and director, The Big Country, The Desperate Hours
• June 6 – Lech Owron, 71, Polish actor, Vampires of Warsaw, The Little Eagle
• June 7 – Judy Holliday, 43, American actress, Born Yesterday, Bells Are Ringing
• June 8 – Florence Ryerson, 72, American screenwriter, The Wizard of Oz, The Ice Follies of 1939
• June 15 – Steve Cochran, 48, American actor, The Best Years of Our Lives, White Heat
• June 22 – David O. Selznick, 63, American producer, Gone with the Wind, Rebecca
• June 23 – Mary Boland, 85, American stage and film actress, The Women, Ruggles of Red Gap
• June 27 – Anthony Veiller, 62, American screenwriter, The Stranger, The Killers
• July 11 – Ray Collins, 78, American actor, Citizen Kane, The Kid from Left Field
• July 19 – Clyde Beatty, 62, American actor and animal trainer, Africa Screams, Ring of Fear
• July 24 – Constance Bennett, 60, American actress, Topper, Merrily We Live
• July 28 – Minor Watson, 75, American actor, Woman of the Year, The Jackie Robinson Story
• August 6
• *Everett Sloane, 55, American actor, Citizen Kane, The Lady from Shanghai
• *Nancy Carroll, 61, American actress, The Devil's Holiday, Hot Saturday
• August 30 – Pauline Garon, 64, Canadian actress, The Heart of Broadway, The College Hero
• September 2 – Felix E. Feist, 55, American director, This Woman Is Dangerous, The Big Trees
• September 4 – Isabel Jeans, 93, British actress, Suspicion, Gigi
• September 7
• * Catherine Dale Owen, 70, American actress, Such Men Are Dangerous, Born Reckless
• * Jean Peyrière, 79, French actor, Le roi de Paris, Fanfan la Tulipe
• September 8 – Dorothy Dandridge, 42, American actress, singer, Carmen Jones, Porgy and Bess
• September 27 – Clara Bow, 60, American actress, Wings, It
• September 29 – Eddie Gribbon, 75, American film actor, brother of Harry Gribbon
• October 3 – Zachary Scott, 51, American actor, Mildred Pierce, The Southerner
• October 18 – Henry Travers, 91, British actor, It's a Wonderful Life, Shadow of a Doubt
• October 21 – Marie McDonald, 42, American actress, The Geisha Boy, Living in a Big Way
• October 23 – Janice Logan, 50, American actress, Dr. Cyclops, Opened by Mistake
• October 31 – Rita Johnson, 52, American actress, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, The Major and the Minor
• November 14 – Russell Collins, 68, American actor, Miss Sadie Thompson, Bad Day at Black Rock
• November 26 – Wild Bill Elliott, 61, American actor, The San Antonio Kid, Sudden Danger
• December 5 – Joseph I. Breen, 77, chief administrator of the Motion Picture Production Code of 1930 from 1934 to 1954
• December 22 – Albert Ritz, 64, American entertainer of the Ritz Brothers, Sing, Baby, Sing, Life Begins in College
• December 29 – Frank S. Nugent, 57, American screenwriter, The Searchers, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

  Film debuts

• Woody Allen – What's New Pussycat
• Ed Asner – The Satan Bug
• Sonny & Cher – Wild on the Beach
• Dabney Coleman – The Slender Thread
• Robert De Niro – Encounter and Three Rooms in Manhattan
• Michael Gambon – Othello
• Derek Jacobi – Othello
• Philip Kaufman – director – Goldstein
• George Lucas – director – Look at Life
• Katharine Ross – Shenandoah
• Sam Waterston – The Plastic Dome of Norma Jean