1958 in film

The year 1958 in film in the US involved some significant events, including the hit musicals South Pacific and Gigi, the latter of which won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.

Top-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten 1958 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Rank	Title	Distributor	Domestic rentals
1	South Pacific	20th Century Fox	$16,300,000
2	Auntie Mame	Warner Bros.	$9,100,000
3	Cat on a Hot Tin Roof	MGM	$7,660,000
4	No Time for Sergeants	Warner Bros.	$7,500,000
5	Gigi	MGM	$6,500,000
6	The Vikings	United Artists	$6,000,000
7	The Young Lions	20th Century Fox	$4,480,000
8	The Inn of the Sixth Happiness	20th Century Fox	$4,400,000
9	Some Came Running	MGM	$4,245,000
10	Indiscreet	Warner Bros.	$3,600,000

Events

January 29 – Ascenseur pour l'échafaud is an early example of the French New Wave; it is also notable for the improvised soundtrack by Miles Davis. Le Beau Serge is credited as the first French New Wave feature.
February 16 – In the Money by William Beaudine is released. It will be the last installment of The Bowery Boys series which began in 1946.
February 27 – Harry Cohn, the remaining founder of Columbia Pictures and one of the last remaining Hollywood movie moguls, dies.
April – Samuel J. Briskin leaves MGM and rejoins Columbia Pictures later becoming vice president and general manager of the studio.
April 4 – Killing of Johnny Stompanato: Actress Lana Turner's 14-year-old daughter Cheryl Crane fatally stabs her mother's abusive partner, mobster Johnny Stompanato, at their home in Beverly Hills, California, in what is ruled to be justifiable homicide.
April 22 – Sol C. Siegel becomes head of studio operations at MGM.
May 15 – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer releases Gigi, one of the last classic MGM musicals. Directed by Vincente Minnelli, produced by Arthur Freed and written by Alan Jay Lerner, the film is released to considerable critical and commercial success and will become the highest-grossing musical ever made by MGM until That's Entertainment! in 1974.
May 17 – Joseph E. Levine presents a picture on his own for the first time with 1954's Attila in an all-out exploitation saturation booking in the United States earning rentals of $2 million.
August 31 – Carry on Sergeant, the first film in the popular British Carry On series, opens.
September 1 – The second installment of Sergei Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible is officially released to the public in the Soviet Union, having been completed in 1946 but previously shelved for political reasons. It is the last of Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible trilogy as the director died in 1948 during production on Part III.
October – Universal Pictures sells the Universal lot to Music Corporation of America for $11.25 million and leases it back for $1 million a year.
November 15 – During production of Solomon and Sheba in Madrid, Spain, actor Tyrone Power dies of a massive heart attack. The production of the film is halted and it is finished in late 1959. Power, who was playing the role of King Solomon, is replaced in the film by Yul Brynner.
December 16 – MCA Inc. acquires the Universal Pictures studio lot for $11 million. It will later acquire the whole studio.

Notable films released in 1958

unless stated

W

White Wilderness, a Disney nature film

Y

The Young Lions, directed by Edward Dmytryk, starring Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, Dean Martin

Film series

series

Short film series

Ending this year

Droopy
''Tom and Jerry''

Births

January 1 - Amy Morton, American actress and director
January 3 - Simon Greenall, English actor, presenter, comedian, producer and writer
January 4
*Matt Frewer, Canadian-American actor, singer and comedian
*Julian Sands, English actor
January 7 - Linda Kozlowski, American former actress
January 8 - George Jackson, American director and producer
January 11 - Alyson Reed, American actress
January 20 – Lorenzo Lamas, American actor
January 21 - Michael Wincott, Canadian actor
January 26 – Ellen DeGeneres, American actress and comedian
February 2 - Douglas McGrath, American screenwriter, director and actor
February 6
*Cecily Adams, American actress and casting director
*Barry Miller, American actor
February 10
*Bess Motta, American actress and singer
*Rupert Vansittart, English character actor
February 12 - Michael Fenton Stevens, English actor and comedian
February 13
*Pernilla August, Swedish actress
*Donal Gibson, American former actor
*Tip Tipping, English stuntman and actor
February 15 - Shaun Toub, Iranian-American actor
February 16
*Ice-T, American rapper, songwriter, actor and producer
*Lisa Loring, American actress
February 19
*Leslie David Baker, American actor
*Geoff Morrell, Australian actor
*Pierre-Loup Rajot, French actor and director
February 21
*Kim Coates, Canadian-American actor
*Denise Dowse, American actress and director
*Jake Steinfeld, American actor and producer
February 24 - Mark Moses, American actor
February 25 - Barclay Hope, Canadian actor
February 26
*Greg Germann, American actor
*Chris Phillips, American voice actor
March 3
*Bob Nelson, American stand-up comedian and actor
*Miranda Richardson, English actress
March 4 - Patricia Heaton, American actress
March 7 - Rik Mayall, English actor, comedian and writer
March 10 – Sharon Stone, American actress and producer
March 13 - Nicholas Eadie, Australian actor
March 14 - Russell Todd, American former actor
March 18 - Christian Clemenson, American actor
March 19
*Robin Hurlstone, British actor
*Fred Stoller, American actor and stand-up comedian
March 20 – Holly Hunter, American actress
March 21 – Gary Oldman, English actor and filmmaker
March 27 - Adrian Rawlins, English actor
March 29 – Anu Lamp, Estonian actress
March 30 - Maurice LaMarche, Canadian actor and stand-up comedian
March 31
*Tony Cox, American actor
*Sylvester Groth, German actor
April 2 - Mark Holton, American actor
April 3
*Alec Baldwin, American actor
*Jaan Rekkor, Estonian actor
April 4 - Constance Shulman, American actress
April 14 – Peter Capaldi, Scottish actor, writer and director
April 19 - Steve Antin, American actor, stunt performer, producer and director
April 21
*Genevieve Lemon, Australian actress and singer
*Andie MacDowell, American actress
April 26 - Giancarlo Esposito, American actor
April 29
*Laura Harrington, American actress and screenwriter
*Savage Steve Holland, American director, writer, producer, animator and voice actor
*Michelle Pfeiffer, American actress
May 3 - Kevin Kilner, American actor
May 7 – Mayra Alejandra, Venezuelan actress
May 9
*Lorena Gale, Canadian actress
*Kristopher Kyer, American actor
*Chuck Russell, American filmmaker and actor
May 12 – Tony Oliver, Puerto Rican voice actor
May 16
*Laurie Bartram, American actress and ballet dancer
*Don Fullilove, American actor
May 20
*Judy Kuhn, American actress, singer and activist
*Matt McCoy, American actor
May 23
*Drew Carey, American actor, voice actor, comedian, sports executive and game show host
*Lea DeLaria, American comedian, actress and jazz singer
*William Kircher, New Zealand actor
May 25 - Jamie Foreman, English actor
May 26 - Margaret Colin, American actress
May 29
*Annette Bening, American actress
*Wayne Duvall, American actor
May 30 - Ted McGinley, American actor
May 31 - Roma Maffia, American actress
June 2 - Mike Binder, American filmmaker, stand-up comedian and actor
June 6 - Danny Webb, English actor
June 7 - Prince, American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor
June 8 - Keenen Ivory Wayans, American actor, comedian and filmmaker
June 17
*Bobby Farrelly, American director, screenwriter and producer
*Kerry Shale, Canadian actor, voice-over artist and writer
June 18 - Gary Martin, British actor
June 20 – Paul Poom, Estonian actor
June 21
*Michael Bowen, American actor
*Eric Douglas, American actor and stand-up comedian
*Josh Pais, American actor
June 22 – Bruce Campbell, American actor and director
June 24 - Tommy Lister Jr., American character actor and professional wrestler
June 25 - Igal Naor, Israeli actor
June 27 - August Schmölzer, Austrian actor and writer
June 28 - Jeff Coopwood, American actor and singer
June 29 - Jo Anderson, American actress
July 4 – Tõnu Oja, Estonian actor
July 6 – Jennifer Saunders, English comedian, screenwriter, singer and actress
July 8
*Kevin Bacon, American actor
*David Parfitt, English producer and actor
July 10 - Fiona Shaw, Irish actress and theatre and opera director
July 14 – Eva Arnaz, Indonesian actress
July 27 - Vincenzo Nicoli, English-Italian actor
July 29 - Marcus Gilbert, British actor
August 3 – Lambert Wilson, French actor
August 7
*Shannon Cochran, American actress
*Pete Smith, New Zealand actor
*Julian Wadham, English actor
August 8 - Harry Crosby, American investment banker and former actor
August 9 – Arvo Kukumägi, Estonian actor
August 10 - Don Swayze, American character actor
August 15
*Nicholas Bell, English actor
*Roger Rose, American actor
*Rondell Sheridan, American actor and director
August 16
*Angela Bassett, American actress
*Madonna, American pop singer and actress
*Toby Sedgwick, English actor and theatre director
August 18
*Reg E. Cathey, American character actor
*Madeleine Stowe, American actress
August 20 - David O. Russell, American director, screenwriter and producer
August 22 – Colm Feore, Canadian actor
August 23 - Ray Burdis, English actor, screenwriter, director and producer
August 24 – Steve Guttenberg, American actor and comedian
August 25 – Tim Burton, American director, producer and screenwriter
August 27 - Jean-Yves Berteloot, French actor
August 29
*Lenny Henry, British stand-up comedian, actor, singer, writer and television presenter
*Michael Jackson, American pop singer and actor
August 31 - Julie Brown, American actress, comedian, writer, singer and director
September 3 – Steve Schirripa, American actor
September 6
*Jeff Foxworthy, American actor, comedian, producer and writer
*Michael Winslow, American actor, beatboxer, and comedian
September 7 - Don Curry, American actor and stand-up comedian
September 9 - Shaun Johnston, Canadian actor
September 10 – Chris Columbus, American director, producer and screenwriter
September 11 - Julia Nickson, American actress
September 12 - Gregg Edelman, American actor
September 15 - Wendie Jo Sperber, American actress
September 16 – Jennifer Tilly, Canadian-American actress
September 20 - Ghassan Massoud, Syrian actor and filmmaker
September 23 - Pat Skipper, American actor
September 24 - Kevin Sorbo, American actor
October 2
*Daniel Peacock, English actor, director and writer
*Jeffrey Weissman, American actor
October 4
*Ned Luke, American actor
*Wendy Makkena, American actress
October 9 – Michael Paré, American actor
October 15 - Renée Jones, American former actress
October 16 – Tim Robbins, American actor, screenwriter, producer and director
October 19 - Tiriel Mora, Australian actor
October 20 – Viggo Mortensen, Danish actor
October 25 - Phil Daniels, English actor
November 1
*Will Finn, American animator, voice actor, storyboard artist and director
*Rachel Ticotin, American actress
November 5 – Robert Patrick, American actor
November 10 - Stephen Herek, American director
November 11 - Scott Plank, American actor
November 12 - Megan Mullally, American actress, comedian and singer
November 16 – Marg Helgenberger, American actress
November 17 – Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, American actress and singer
November 18 - Oscar Nunez, Cuban-American actor
November 21 - David Reivers, Jamaican-American actor
November 22 – Jamie Lee Curtis, American actress
November 24 - Alain Chabat, French actor, comedian, director, screenwriter and producer
November 28 - Thom Mathews, American actor
December 5
*Shaun Prendergast, English actor and writer
*Lisa Marie, American actress and producer
December 6 - Nick Park, British director, producer and animator
December 9 - Raja Gosnell, American filmmaker and editor
December 10 - David Paul Grove, Canadian actor
December 11 - Tom Shadyac, American director, screenwriter and producer
December 12 - Sheree J. Wilson, American actress
December 13
*Lynn-Holly Johnson, American retired figure skater and actress
*Amy Stoch, American actress
December 16 - Katie Leigh, American voice actress
December 22 - Lenny Von Dohlen, American actor
December 25 - Cheryl Chase, American voice actress
December 29 - Tyrone Benskin, English-Canadian actor
December 30 – Pedro Costa, Portuguese director
December 31
*Johnny Hardwick, American actor and voice actor
*Bebe Neuwirth, American actress

Deaths

January 3 – Charles Williams, 59, American actor, writer, It's a Wonderful Life, Parole, Inc.
January 11 – Edna Purviance, 62, American actress, The Kid, A Woman of Paris
January 13 – Jesse L. Lasky, 77, American producer, Wings, The Cocoanuts
February 13 – Helen Twelvetrees, 49, American actress, A Bedtime Story, Now I'll Tell
February 15 – William Berke, 54, American director, Dick Tracy, FBI Girl
February 17 – Tala Birell, 50, Romanian actress, Women in the Night, Dangerous Millions
February 20 – Thurston Hall, 75, American actor, We Have Our Moments, Chain Gang
February 27 – Harry Cohn, 66, American film executive, co-founder of CBC Sales Association, Platinum Blonde, American Madness
March 22
*Mike Todd, 48, American producer, Around the World in 80 Days, This Is Cinerama
*Art Cohn, 48, American screenwriter, The Set-Up, Ten Thousand Bedrooms
March 31 – Nicholas Nayfack, 49, American producer, Escape from Fort Bravo, Forbidden Planet
April 9 – Sol M. Wurtzel, 67, American producer, Charlie Chan in Rio, Bright Eyes
April 15 – Estelle Taylor, 63, American actress, Cimarron, The Ten Commandments
May 2 – Henry Cornelius, 44, South African director, Genevieve, I Am a Camera
May 9 – Bill Goodwin, 47, American actor, announcer Mickey, The Atomic Kid
May 19 – Ronald Colman, 67, British actor, Lost Horizon, Random Harvest
June 6 – Virginia Pearson, 72, American actress, The [Phantom of the Opera (1925 film)|The Phantom of the Opera], The Wizard of Oz
June 9 – Robert Donat, 53, British actor, The 39 Steps, Goodbye, Mr. Chips
June 27 – Robert Greig, 78, Australian actor, They Just Had to Get Married, Love, Honor and Goodbye
July 11 – Evelyn Varden, 65, American actress, The [Night of the Hunter (film)|The Night of the Hunter], Ten Thousand Bedrooms
July 20 – Franklin Pangborn, 69, American actor, Never Give a Sucker an Even Break, The Bank Dick
August 1 – Albert E. Smith, 83, English director and producer, co-founder of Vitagraph Studios
August 8 – Barbara Bennett, 51, American actress, Black Jack, Syncopation
August 18 – Bonar Colleano, 34, British actor, Eight Iron Men, Joe MacBeth
August 21 – Kurt Neumann, 50, German director, The Fly, Mohawk
August 27 – Priscilla Lawson, 44, American actress, Flash Gordon, Rose Bowl
September 27 – Rose Stradner, 45, Austrian actress, The Last Gangster, The [Keys of the Kingdom (film)|The Keys of the Kingdom]
October 4 – Ida Wüst, 74, German actress, Chamber Music
November 15 – Tyrone Power, 44, American actor, Witness for the Prosecution, The [Mark of Zorro (1940 film)|The Mark of Zorro]
December 1 – Boots Mallory, 45, American actress, Sing Sing Nights, Here's Flash Casey
December 20 – Elisabeth Risdon, 71, British actress, Florence Nightingale, Five Came Back
December 21 – H. B. Warner, 83, British actor, Lost Horizon, ''It's a Wonderful Life''