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.

Top-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten 1956 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Rank	Title	Distributor	Domestic rentals
1	The Ten Commandments	Paramount	$34,200,000
2	Around the World in 80 Days	United Artists	$22,000,000
3	Giant	Warner Bros.	$12,000,000
4	Seven [Wonders of the World (film)\|Seven Wonders of the World]	Cinerama Releasing	$9,300,000
5	The King and I	20th Century Fox	$8,500,000
6	Trapeze	United Artists	$7,300,000
7	War and Peace	Paramount	$6,250,000
8	High Society	MGM	$5,602,000
9	The [Teahouse of the August Moon (film)\|The Teahouse of the August Moon]	MGM	$5,550,000
10	The Eddy Duchin Story	Columbia	$5,300,000

Events

February 5 – First showing of documentary films by the Free Cinema movement, at the National Film Theatre, London.
February 16 – Carousel is the first film released that was shot in CinemaScope 55.
February 23
*Arthur B. Krim and Robert Benjamin acquire Mary Pickford's interest in United Artists for $3 million giving them full ownership of UA.
*Norma Jean Mortenson legally changes her name to Marilyn Monroe.
February – Warner Bros. sells much of its pre-1950 library to Associated Artists Productions ; after a series of mergers the films return to WB 40 years later.
February – Darryl F. Zanuck 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.
April 18 – Grace Kelly marries Prince Rainier III and becomes Princess consort of Monaco. She stops acting. Her last feature film, High Society, is released in July.
May 30 – United Artists release Trapeze which becomes their highest-grosser until surpassed by Around the World in 80 Days the following year.
July – Harry and Albert Warner sell their stock in Warner Bros. Jack L. Warner retains his and becomes president.
July 25 – The comedy partnership between Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis ends. Their last film together, Hollywood or Bust, is released later in the year.
August 4 – The last film serial, Blazing the Overland Trail from Columbia Pictures, is released.
October 5 – The Ten Commandments 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. It was director Cecil B. DeMille's last film.
October 17 – Mike Todd's Around the World in 80 Days is released and goes on to become United Artists' highest-grossing film.
October 18 – Joseph Vogel becomes president of MGM.
November 1 – The film Oklahoma!, 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.
November 15 – Elvis Presley's first film, Love Me Tender, opens.
November 28
*And God Created Woman opens in France making Brigitte Bardot an international star.
*It is announced that production head Dore Schary will leave MGM at the end of the year.
December 14 – Dance with Me, Henry is the last film featuring the comedy duo Abbott and Costello.

1956 film releases

January–March

January 1956
*11 January
**The Lieutenant Wore Skirts
*12 January
**Diane
*26 January
**Helen of Troy
*29 January
**Warning from Space
February 1956
*5 February
**Invasion of the Body Snatchers
*16 February
**Carousel
*25 February
**The Lone Ranger
March 1956
*3 March
**Forbidden Planet
*6 March
**1984
*9 March
**Come Next Spring
**Meet Me in Las Vegas
*10 March
**Never Say Goodbye
*21 March
**Rock Around the Clock
*23 March
**Serenade
*24 March
**Raw Edge
*25 March
**Indestructible Man
**World Without End
*28 March
**''The Conqueror''

April–June

April 1956
*4 April
**The Maverick Queen
*6 April
**Jubal
*10 April
**Seven Wonders of the World
*11 April
**Backlash
*24 April
**Our Miss Brooks
*26 April
**The Creature Walks Among Us
*27 April
**Godzilla, King of the Monsters!
May 1956
*8 May
**The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit
*9 May
**The Harder They Fall
*15 May
**Invitation to the Dance
*26 May
**The Searchers
*30 May
**Trapeze
**While the City Sleeps
**The Animal World
June 1956
*1 June
**The [Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film)|The Man Who Knew Too Much]
*6 June
**The Killing
*10 June
**Crime in the Streets
*12 June
**A Kiss Before Dying
*13 June
**Earth vs. the Flying Saucers
**Star in the Dust
*15 June
**Gunslinger
*20 June
**Safari
*21 June
** The Eddy Duchin Story
*22 June
**The Catered Affair
*27 June
**Moby Dick
*29 June
**''The King and I''

July–September

July 1956
*6 July
**The Fastest Gun Alive
*12 July
**Foreign Intrigue
*15 July
**It Conquered the World
*17 July
**High Society
*18 July
**Davy Crockett and the River Pirates
*23 July
**Dakota Incident
*25 July
**Pardners
*29 July
**Hold Back the Night
*30 July
**Run for the Sun
August 1956
The Beast of Hollow Mountain
*1 August
**Autumn Leaves
*3 August
**Mukh O Mukhosh, highest grossing Dhallywood, Bangladesh film of 1956.
*17 August
**A Cry in the Night
**These Wilder Years
*21 August
**War and Peace
*24 August
**A Strange Adventure
*26 August
**The Swan
*29 August
**The First Traveling Saleslady
**The Vagabond King
September 1956
*12 September
**The Bad Seed
*15 September
**Lust for Life
*21 September
**The Last Wagon
*28 September
**''The [Best Things in Life Are Free (film)|The Best Things in Life Are Free]''

October–December

October 1956
*5 October
**The Ten Commandments
*17 October
**Around the World in 80 Days
**Attack
**Julie
*26 October
**The Opposite Sex
*31 October
**Death of a Scoundrel
**You Can't Run Away from It
November 1956
*1 November
**Naked Gun
**The White Squaw
*15 November
**Love Me Tender
**Gun the Man Down
*18 November
**Yield to the Night
*24 November
** Giant
*25 November
**Friendly Persuasion
*29 November
**The Teahouse of the August Moon
December 1956
*1 December
**The Mole People
**The Girl Can't Help It
**Curucu, Beast of the Amazon
*5 December
** Man Beast
*6 December
**Hollywood or Bust
**Nightfall
*12 December
**Bundle of Joy
*13 December
**Anastasia
**The Rainmaker
*21 December
**The King and Four Queens
*25 December
**Written on the Wind
*26 December
** Rodan
**Zarak
*29 December
**Baby Doll
*''The Great Man''

Notable films released in 1956

unless stated

Serials

Blazing the Overland Trail, starring Lee Roberts and Dennis Moore
''Perils of the Wilderness''

Short film series

Looney Tunes Terrytoons Merrie Melodies Popeye The Three Stooges Bugs Bunny Tom and Jerry Droopy Yosemite Sam Speedy Gonzales Woody Woodpecker
Ending this yearDonald Duck

''Chip 'n' Dale''

Births

January 1 – Sheila McCarthy, Canadian actress and singer
January 2 – John Bedford Lloyd, American character actor
January 3 – Mel Gibson, American Irish actor and director
January 4 – Ann Magnuson, American actress
January 6 - Angus Deayton, English actor, writer, musician, comedian and broadcaster
January 7 – David Caruso, American actor
January 9
*Kimberly Beck, American actress
*Tim Kelleher, American writer, actor and director
*Imelda Staunton, English actress
January 13 – Janet Hubert, American actress
January 20 – Bill Maher, American comedian, writer, producer, actor and television host
January 21
*Geena Davis, American actress
*Robby Benson, American actor
January 22 – Michael Kopsa, Canadian actor
January 24 – Peter Woodward, English actor, screenwriter and stuntman
January 25
*Dinah Manoff, American actress and director
*Kevin O'Rourke, American actor
January 27
*Susan Blakeslee, American voice actress and musical theatre actress
*Kevyn Major Howard, Canadian actor
*Mimi Rogers, American actress
January 30 – Ann Dowd, American actress
January 31 – John Lydon, English actor
February 2 - Philip Franks, English actor and director
February 3 – Nathan Lane, American actor
February 12 – Arsenio Hall, American comedian, actor and talk show host
February 13 – Jimmy Yuill, Scottish actor
February 14 – Tom Burlinson, Canadian-Australian actor and singer
February 15 – Olga Merediz, American actress and singer
February 17 – Richard Karn, American actor
February 19 – Kathleen Beller, American actress
February 26 – Jonathan Schmock, American actor, director, producer and writer
February 27 – Angela Aames, American actress
February 28 – Lloyd Sherr, American voice actor
March 1 – Tim Daly, American actor
March 2 – Ángel Salazar, Cuban-American comedian and actor
March 5 – Adriana Barraza, Mexican actress
March 7 – Bryan Cranston, American actor and director
March 8 – John Kapelos, Canadian actor
March 10 – Lesley Dunlop, English actress
March 11 – Rob Paulsen, American voice actor
March 12 – Lesley Manville, English Actress
March 13 – Dana Delany, American actress
March 16 – Clifton Powell, American actor
March 25 – Matthew Garber, British actor and filmmaker
March 26 – Erika Kaljusaar, Estonian actress
March 27 – Michael Harney, American actor
March 30 – Paul Reiser, American comedian, actor and musician
April 8 – Jim Piddock, English actor, producer and writer
April 12 – Andy García, Cuban-American actor
April 17 – Vyto Ruginis, English actor and producer
April 18 – Eric Roberts, American actor
April 20 – Georgie Glen, Scottish actress
April 22 – Bruce A. Young, American actor, writer and screenwriter
April 27 – Kevin McNally, English actor and writer
April 30 – Lars von Trier, Danish director
May 4 – Ralph Seymour, American actor
May 5 – Lisa Eilbacher, American actress
May 7 – S. Scott Bullock, American voice actor
May 9 – Wendy Crewson, Canadian actress
May 10
*Mickey Faerch, Danish-Canadian actress and dancer
*Paige O'Hara, American actress, voice actress, singer and painter
*Jonathan Roberts, American screenwriter, producer and author
May 12
*Christopher Good, English actor
*Kimiko Yo, Japanese actress
May 13
*Fred Melamed, American actor, comedian and writer
*Kirk Thornton, American voice actor, director and screenwriter
May 17 – Bob Saget, American stand-up comedian, actor and television host
May 19 – Steven Ford, American actor
May 24 - Hennie Bosman, South African stuntman and actor
June 1 – Tom Irwin, American actor
June 4 – Keith David, American actor
June 5 – Roger Michell, British director
June 9 – Kelly Connell, American actor
June 15
*Ava Cadell, former actress, writer and producer
*Robin Curtis, American actress
June 18
*Dominic Guard, English former actor
*Marsha Garces Williams, American producer
June 22 – Tim Russ, American actor, director, screenwriter and musician
June 25
*Chloe Webb, American actress
*Bob West, American voice actor, singer and graphic designer
June 27 – John Michael Bolger, American actor
June 30 – David Alan Grier, American actor, singer and comedian
July 1
*Matthew Jacobs, British writer, director, producer and actor
*Lorna Patterson, American retired actress
*Alan Ruck, American actor
July 2 – Jerry Hall, American actress and model
July 9 – Tom Hanks, American actor and director
July 10 - Alok Nath, Indian former actor
July 11 – Sela Ward, American actress
July 14 - Vladimir Kulich, Czech-Canadian actor
July 16 – Tony Kushner, American author, playwright and screenwriter
July 17 - Margot Rose, American actress and composer
July 18 – Audrey Landers, American actress and singer
July 19 – Peter Barton, American retired actor
July 25 – Roger Clinton Jr., American actor and musician
July 31
*Michael Biehn, American actor
*R. A. Mihailoff, American actor
August 10 – Peter Robbins, American child actor
August 12 – Bruce Greenwood, Canadian actor
August 15 - Jacek Koman, Polish actor and singer
August 17 – Mahendra Perera, Sri Lankan actor
August 19 – Adam Arkin, American actor and director
August 20
*Joan Allen, American actress
*Simon Shepherd, English actor
August 21 – Kim Cattrall, English-born Canadian actress
August 23 – Skipp Sudduth, American actor
August 24 – Kevin Dunn, American actor
August 26 – Brett Cullen, American actor
August 28 – Luis Guzman, Puerto Rican character actor
September 5 – Debbie Turner, American actress
September 7 – Michael Beattie, Canadian-American actor
September 11
*Tony Gilroy, American filmmaker
*Adriane Lenox, American actress
September 16 – Jimmy Chisholm, Scottish actor
September 17 – Susie Silvey, English actress, dancer and model
September 18 – Tim McInnerny, English actor
September 20
*Gary Cole, American actor
*Debbi Morgan, American actress
September 26 – Linda Hamilton, American actress
September 28 – Kiran Shah, Kenyan-Indian actor and stunt double
September 29 – Stuart Charno, American actor
October 2 – Charlie Adler, American voice actor and voice director
October 3 – Hart Bochner, Canadian actor, director, screenwriter and producer
October 4 – Christoph Waltz, Austrian-German actor
October 10
*Amanda Burton, Northern Irish actress
*Fiona Fullerton, British actress and singer
October 11 – Stephen Spinella, American actor
October 14 – Bruce MacVittie, American actor
October 20 – Danny Boyle, English director and producer
October 21 – Carrie Fisher, American actress
October 23 – Dwight Yoakam, American singer-songwriter, actor and filmmaker
October 24 – Erich Anderson, American actor
October 26 – Rita Wilson, American actress and producer
October 30 – Juliet Stevenson, English actress
November 3 – Gary Ross, American director, writer and producer
November 8 – Richard Curtis, New Zealand-born British director and screenwriter
November 9 – Tyler Coppin, American-Australian actor
November 10
*Matt Craven, Canadian character actor
*Sinbad, American stand-up comedian and actor
November 13 – Rex Linn, American actor
November 16 – Dan Shor, American actor, director and writer
November 17 – Kelly Ward, American actor and voice director
November 20 – Bo Derek, American actress and model
November 21 – Cherry Jones, American actress
November 22 – Richard Kind, American actor and voice actor
November 24 – Ruben Santiago-Hudson, American actor and director
November 26 – Don Lake, Canadian actor and writer
November 27 – William Fichtner, American actor
December 2 – Steven Bauer, Cuban-born American actor
December 7 – Mark Rolston, American character actor
December 8 – Michael C. Burgess, British actor
December 10
*John Lee Hancock, American filmmaker
*Catherine Parks, American actress
December 17
*Peter Farrelly, American film director
*Patrick Murray, British actor
December 18 – T. K. Carter, American actor
December 20 – Blanche Baker, American actress and filmmaker
December 22 – Ray Lui, Hong Kong actor

Deaths

January 9 – Marion Leonard, 74, American early silent actress, The Prussian Spy, The Gibson Goddess
January 12 – Norman Kerry, 61, American actor, The [Phantom of the Opera (1925 film)|The Phantom of the Opera], The Unknown
January 19 – Charles Dingle, 68, American actor, Call Me Madam, State of the Union
January 23 – Alexander Korda, 62, Hungarian film director, the founder of London Films, That Hamilton Woman, The Private Life of Henry VIII
February 2
*Bob Burns, 65, American actor, Waikiki Wedding, Belle of the Yukon
*Charley Grapewin, 86, American actor, The Wizard of Oz, The Grapes of Wrath
February 26 – Elsie Janis, 66, American actress and screenwriter, A Regular Girl, Women in War
March 17 – Fred Allen, 61, American actor, It's in the Bag!, O. Henry's Full House
March 24 – Jean Gehret, 56, Swiss actor and director, La Chienne, Madame Bovary
March 25 – Robert Newton, 50, English actor, Oliver Twist, Odd Man Out
April 4 – Lloyd Ingraham, 81, American actor and director, Scaramouche, West of the Rio Grande
April 14 – Christian Rub, 70, Austrian actor, Father's Son, Something for the Birds
April 15 – Kathleen Howard, 71, Canadian-American opera singer and actress, It's a Gift, Ball of Fire
April 21 – Charles MacArthur, 60, American screenwriter and playwright, Wuthering Heights, His Girl Friday
April 24 – Henry Stephenson, 85, British actor, Mutiny on the Bounty, Oliver Twist
April 26 – Edward Arnold, 66, American actor, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Diamond Jim
May 12 – Louis Calhern, 61, American actor, Duck Soup, Notorious, The Asphalt Jungle, High Society
June 2 – Jean Hersholt, 69, Danish-American actor, Heidi
June 6 – Margaret Wycherly, 74, English-American actress, White Heat, Sergeant York
June 30 – Thorleif Lund, 76, Norwegian actor, Skibsrotten, Republikaneren
July 8 – Mona Mårtenson, 54, Swedish actress, Pippi Longstocking, The Saga of Gosta Berling
July 16 – Olof Winnerstrand, 80, Swedish actor, Torment, A Lesson in Love
August 16 – Bela Lugosi, 73, Hungarian-born American actor, Dracula, White Zombie, The Black Cat
August 23 – Kenji Mizoguchi, 58, Japanese director, The Life of Oharu, A Geisha
October 2 – George Bancroft, 74, American actor, Stagecoach, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
October 9 – Marie Doro, 74, American actress, Oliver Twist, Sally Bishop
October 17 – Anne Crawford, 35, British actress, Knights of the Round Table, Night Beat
November 6 – Paul Kelly, 57, American actor, Juvenile Court, Adventure in Sahara
November 10 – Victor Young, 56, American composer, Around the World in 80 Days, For Whom the Bell Tolls
November 26 – Tommy Dorsey, 56, American musician, The Fabulous Dorseys, DuBarry Was a Lady, Ship Ahoy
November 30 – Viggo Wiehe, 81, Danish actor, Doctor Nicholson and the Blue Diamond, Røverne fra Rold
December 8 – Jack Cohn, 67, co-founder of Columbia Pictures
December 12 – E. A. Dupont, 64, German writer, director, Jealousy, The Scarf
December 26 – Holmes Herbert, 74, British actor, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, ''The Invisible Man''