1959 in film

The top ten 1959 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

• January 23 – Republic Pictures releases its last production, Plunderers of Painted Flats.[5]
• January 29 – Walt Disney releases his 16th animated film, Sleeping Beauty in Beverly Hills. It is Disney's first animated film to be shown in 70mm and modern 6-track stereophonic sound,[lower-alpha 1] but its last fairytale adaptation until 1989. Also on the program is Disney's new "pictorial interpretation" Grand Canyon, which uses the music of Ferde Grofé's Grand Canyon Suite. Grand Canyon wins an Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject).
• April 30 – François Truffaut's The 400 Blows opens the 1959 Cannes Film Festival bringing international attention to the French New Wave.
• June 4 – The Three Stooges release their 190th and last short film, Sappy Bull Fighters.
• June 7 – A contract between Paramount and Jerry Lewis Productions is signed specifying a payment of $10 million plus 60% of the profits for 14 films over a seven-year period.[6] This contract makes Lewis the highest paid individual Hollywood talent to date and is unprecedented in that he has unlimited creative control, including final cut, and the return of film rights after 30 years.
• July 1 - Herbert J. Yates, founder of Republic Pictures, sells his controlling stake in the company.
• July – Les Cousins, another film of the French New Wave, wins the Golden Bear at the 9th Berlin International Film Festival.
• July 22 – Joseph E. Levine promotes the release of Hercules in the United States starring Steve Reeves which popularizes the sword and sandals genre.
• August 4 – The Big Fisherman is the first film released in Super Panavision 70.
• September 30 – The film of Mise Éire, made by George Morrison for Gael Linn, is premiered to close the Cork Film Festival, the first feature-length Irish language film.
• October 7 – Rock Hudson, who is later voted top in the Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll for the year, appears in Pillow Talk alongside Doris Day for the first time.
• October 14 – Legendary Australian-born actor Errol Flynn dies of a heart attack in Vancouver, Canada at the age of 50.
• November 18 – William Wyler's Ben-Hur, the most expensive film up to this date with a budget of $15,175,000, premieres at Loew's State Theatre (New York City). It goes on to win a record 11 Academy Awards. Principal photography had wrapped on January 7 with filming the last shots of the crucifixion scene at Cinecittà in Rome.[7]
• December 2 – The battle of the smellies starts with the release of the documentary Behind the Great Wall in AromaRama, with scents pumped into the theater during the film.

Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):

Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro), directed by Marcel Camus, France

Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival):

Il Generale della Rovere (General della Rovere), directed by Roberto Rossellini, Italy / France

La grande guerra (The Great War), directed by Mario Monicelli, Italy / France

Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):

Les Cousins (The Cousins), directed by Claude Chabrol, France

United States unless stated

United States unless stated

• Looney Tunes (1930–1969)
• Terrytoons (1930–1964)
• Merrie Melodies (1931–1969)
• Bugs Bunny (1940–1962)
• Yosemite Sam (1945–1963)
• Speedy Gonzales (1953–1968)
• The Three Stooges (1934–1959)
• Loopy De Loop (1959–1965)

• January 1 - Adrian Hall, English former actor and co-director
• January 4 - Vanity, Canadian singer, songwriter, model and actress (died 2016)
• January 5 – Clancy Brown, American actor and voice actor
• January 12 - Ralf Moeller, German actor
• January 13 - Alan Taylor, American director
• January 17 – Momoe Yamaguchi, Japanese former actress and singer
• January 22 – Linda Blair, American actress
• January 23 - Robert Funaro, American actor
• January 26 - Herbert Sigüenza, American actor, writer, visual artist and performer
• January 27 - Glenn Taranto, American actor and writer
• January 28 - Frank Darabont, American director, screenwriter and producer
• January 30 - Alex Hyde-White, American actor
• January 31
  • Anthony LaPaglia, Australian actor
  • Kelly Lynch, American actress
• February 1 - Slink Johnson, American rapper, actor and comedian
• February 2 – Laine Mägi, Estonian actress and dancer
• February 4 – Pamelyn Ferdin, American actress
• February 8 - Henry Czerny, Canadian actor
• February 12 - Sigrid Thornton, Australian actress
• February 16 - Hazelle Goodman, American actress
• February 18 - Jayne Atkinson, British-American actress
• February 22 – Kyle MacLachlan, American actor
• March 3
  • Taylor Nichols, American actor
  • Olivier Rabourdin, French actor
• March 5 – Darío Grandinetti, Argentinian actor
• March 6 – Tom Arnold, American actor and comedian
• March 7
  • Donna Murphy, American actress and singer
  • Nick Searcy, American character actor
• March 8 – Aidan Quinn, Irish-American actor
• March 9 – Rodney A. Grant, American actor
• March 11 – Margus Oopkaup, Estonian actor and dramatist[9]
• March 12 - Luenell, American comedian and actress
• March 14
  • Laila Robins, American actress
  • Tamara Tunie, American actress, director and producer
• March 15 – Renny Harlin, Finnish director and producer
• March 16
  • Gary Basaraba, Canadian actor
  • Ludger Pistor, German actor
• March 18
  • Luc Besson, French director and producer
  • Irene Cara, American actress and singer (died 2022)
• March 22 – Matthew Modine, American actor
• March 23 – Catherine Keener, American actress
• March 27 - Brian Tarantina, American character actor (died 2019)
• April 1 - Ivan G'Vera, Czech actor
• April 3 – David Hyde Pierce, American actor
• April 4 - Phil Morris, American actor and voice actor
• April 10 - Jochen Nickel, German actor
• April 13 - Jodie Markell, American actress and director
• April 15
  • Emma Thompson, English actress
  • Thomas F. Wilson, American actor, comedian and musician
• April 17 – Sean Bean, English actor
• April 20
  • Clint Howard, American actor
  • Yuji Okumoto, American actor of Japanese descent
• April 23
  • Tim Blaney, American puppeteer and voice actor
  • Jonathan Sagall, Israeli actor
• April 24 - Glenn Morshower, American character actor
• April 27 - Neil Pearson, British actor
• May 3 - Ben Elton, English comedian, actor and director
• May 10 - Victoria Rowell, American actress
• May 12 - Ving Rhames, American actor
• May 15 - Chris Meledandri, American producer and founder and CEO of Illumination (company)
• May 16 – Mare Winningham, American actress
• May 19 - Jim Ward, American voice actor, radio personality and camera operator
• May 20 - Bronson Pinchot, American actor
• May 21
  • Nick Cassavetes, American actor, director and writer
  • Dana Kimmell, American former actress and model
• May 26 - Kevin Gage, American character actor
• May 29 – Rupert Everett, English actor
• June 6
  • Neal H. Moritz, American producer
  • Colin Quinn, American stand-up comedian, actor and writer
• June 7 - Francis Magee, Irish actor
• June 8 - Bernard White, American actor, screenwriter and director
• June 11 – Hugh Laurie, English actor
• June 16 - Willard E. Pugh, American actor
• June 22 – Wayne Federman, American actor and comedian
• June 23 - Duane Whitaker, American character actor
• June 28 - Chris Doohan, Canadian actor
• June 29 - Charlotte Attenborough, British actress
• June 30 – Vincent D'Onofrio, American actor
• July 2 - Jere Fields, American former actress
• July 3
  • Elisa Gabrielli, American actress
  • Andreas Wisniewski, German actor and former dancer
• July 8
  • Jean-Philippe Écoffey, Swiss actor
  • Robert Knepper, American actor
• July 9 - Kevin Nash, American actor and retired professional wrestler
• July 12 - Charlie Murphy, American actor, comedian and writer (died 2017)
• July 16 - Bob Joles, American voice actor and musician
• July 26 – Kevin Spacey, American actor
• July 29 – Sanjay Dutt, Indian actor
• August 2
  • Urbain Cancelier, French comedian and actor
  • Jim Doughan, American actor and writer
• August 3 - John C. McGinley, American actor
• August 10 – Rosanna Arquette, American actress
• August 14 – Marcia Gay Harden, American actress
• August 22 - Mark Williams, English actor, presenter and screenwriter
• August 27 - Peter Mensah, Ghanaian-British actor
• August 28 - Brian Thompson, American actor
• August 29 – Rebecca De Mornay, American actress
• September 3 - Merritt Butrick, American actor (died 1989)
• September 10
  • Michael Earl, American puppeteer, actor, writer and singer (died 2015)
  • Jim Meskimen, American actor and comedian
  • Peter Nelson, American actor, producer and writer
• September 11 - John Hawkes, American actor
• September 14
  • Kirk Baltz, American actor
  • Haviland Morris, American actress
• September 19
  • Mark Gustafson, American animator and director (died 2024)
  • Carolyn McCormick, American actress
• September 23
  • Jason Alexander, American actor
  • Elizabeth Pena, American actress, writer, panelist and musician (died 2014)
• September 24 - Steve Whitmire, American puppeteer
• September 28 - Steve Hytner, American actor
• October 2 - Kevin Eldon, English actor and comedian
• October 3 – Greg Proops, American actor, stand-up comedian, voice artist and television host
• October 7 - Dylan Baker, American character actor
• October 10
  • Julia Sweeney, American actress, comedian and author
  • Bradley Whitford, American actor and producer
• October 17 - Norm Macdonald, Canadian stand-up comedian, writer and actor (died 2021)
• October 21
  • Tony Ganios, American actor (died 2024)
  • Melora Walters, American actress
  • Ken Watanabe, Japanese actor
• October 22 - Marc Lawrence, American director, screenwriter and producer
• October 23
  • Sam Raimi, American filmmaker and producer
  • Weird Al Yankovic, American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, satirist, actor, music video director, and author
• October 26 - François Chau, American actor
• October 31 - Michael DeLorenzo, American actor, director, writer, producer and musician
• November 2 - Peter Mullan, Scottish actor and filmmaker
• November 4 - Ken Kirzinger, Canadian actor and stuntman
• November 8 - Don McManus, American character actor
• November 10 - Mackenzie Phillips, American actress and singer
• November 13 - Caroline Goodall, British actress and screenwriter
• November 14 – Paul McGann, English actor
• November 19 – Allison Janney, American actress
• November 20 – Sean Young, American actress
• November 28 – Judd Nelson, American actor
• December 13 – Johnny Whitaker, American actor
• December 14 - Debbie Lee Carrington, American actress and stuntwoman (died 2018)
• December 24
  • Lee Daniels, American producer, director and screenwriter
  • Jesús Ochoa, Mexican actor
• December 29
  • Patricia Clarkson, American actress
  • Brian Sergent, New Zealand actor
• December 30 - Tracey Ullman, British-American actress, comedian, singer, writer, producer and director
• December 31
  • Ronnie del Carmen, Filipino director, animator and voice actor
  • Val Kilmer, American actor

• January 21
  • Cecil B. DeMille, 77, American director and producer, The Ten Commandments, The Greatest Show on Earth
  • Carl Switzer, 31, American singer and actor, Our Gang
• February 1 – Madame Sul-Te-Wan, 85, American actress, King of the Zombies, In Old Chicago
• February 4 – Una O'Connor, 78, Irish actress, Witness for the Prosecution, The Adventures of Robin Hood
• February 5 – Gwili Andre, 51, Danish actress, Secrets of the French Police, No Other Woman
• February 20 – George Archainbaud, 68, French director, Thirteen Women, Girls of the Big House
• February 22 – Helen Parrish, 34, American actress, Too Many Blondes, X Marks the Spot
• March 2 – Eric Blore, 71, British actor, Top Hat, The Lady Eve, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
• March 3 – Lou Costello, 52, American comedian and actor, half of Abbott and Costello comedy team, Africa Screams, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
• March 26 – Raymond Chandler, 70, American author and screenwriter, The Big Sleep, Double Indemnity
• March 27 – Grant Withers, 54, American actor, My Darling Clementine, Fort Apache
• April 12 – James Gleason, 76, American actor, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, The Bishop's Wife
• April 17 – Cecil Cunningham, 70, American actress, The Awful Truth, Monkey Business
• April 18 – Irving Cummings, 70, American director, Louisiana Purchase, The Dolly Sisters
• May 3 – Troy Sanders, 57, American score arranger and composer, White Christmas, Going My Way
• June 2 – Lyda Borelli, 75, Italian actress, Malombra, The Moth
• June 4 – Charles Vidor, 58, Hungarian director, Gilda, Love Me or Leave Me
• June 16 – George Reeves, 45, American actor, Gone with the Wind, So Proudly We Hail!
• June 18 – Ethel Barrymore, 79, American actress, Portrait of Jennie, The Spiral Staircase
• August 6 – Preston Sturges, 60, American writer, director, Sullivan's Travels, The Lady Eve
• September 6
  • Edmund Gwenn, 81, British actor, Miracle on 34th Street, Mister 880
  • Kay Kendall, 32, British actress, Genevieve, Les Girls
• September 11 – Paul Douglas, 52, American actor, A Letter to Three Wives, It Happens Every Spring
• September 13 – Adrian, 56, American costume designer, The Wizard of Oz, The Women
• September 14 – Wayne Morris, 45, American actor, Kid Galahad, Paths of Glory
• September 25 – Helen Broderick, 68, American actress, Top Hat, Swing Time
• September 30 – Taylor Holmes, 81, American actor, Kiss of Death, Sleeping Beauty
• October 3 – William Bishop, 41, American actor, Harriet Craig, Top Gun
• October 7 – Mario Lanza, 38, American singer and actor, The Great Caruso, Winged Victory
• October 12 – Edward Keane, 75, American actor, Frontier Pony Express, The Roaring Twenties
• October 14 – Errol Flynn, 50, Australian actor, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Captain Blood
• October 21 – Olive Blakeney, 60, American actress, Leave It to Blanche, Don't Get Me Wrong
• October 23 – Gerda Lundequist, 88, Swedish actress, Gosta Berlings Saga
• October 30 – Noel Francis, 53, American actress, Blonde Crazy, I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang
• November 7 – Victor McLaglen, 72, British actor, The Quiet Man, Gunga Din
• November 20 – Sylvia Lopez, 26, French actress, Hercules Unchained, Son of the Red Corsair
• November 21 – Max Baer, 50, American boxer and actor, The Prizefighter and the Lady, The Harder They Fall
• November 25 – Gérard Philipe, 36, French actor, Fan-Fan the Tulip, Beauties of the Night
• December 1 – Jose Nepomuceno, 66, Filipino filmmaker and producer, Country Maiden, The Three Humbugs
• December 22 – Gilda Gray, 58, American actress, Aloma of the South Seas, Cabaret
• December 24 – Edmund Goulding, 68, American director, Grand Hotel, The Razor's Edge

• Francesca Annis – The Cat Gang
• Diane Baker – The Diary of Anne Frank
• Jack Betts – The Bloody Brood
• Michael Callan – They Came to Cordura
• Seymour Cassel – Shadows
• James Coburn – Ride Lonesome
• Michael Constantine – The Last Mile
• Jean-Pierre Darras – Two Men in Manhattan
• David Doyle – Happy Anniversary
• Mia Farrow – John Paul Jones
• Don Francks – The Fast Ones
• Jerry Goldsmith (film composer) – Face of a Fugitive
• Richard Harris – Alive and Kicking
• Martin Landau – Pork Chop Hill
• Martin LaSalle – Pickpocket
• Mako – Never So Few
• John Meillon – On the Beach
• Lee Meriwether – 4D Man
• Tomas Milian – The Big Night
• Nichelle Nichols – Porgy and Bess
• Warren Oates – Up Periscope
• Millie Perkins – The Diary of Anne Frank
• Michael J. Pollard – It Happened to Jane
• Carl Reiner – Happy Anniversary
• Bert Remsen – Pork Chop Hill
• Jason Robards – The Journey
• George C. Scott – The Hanging Tree
• Lucille Soong – Ferry to Hong Kong
• Stella Stevens – Say One for Me
• Romolo Valli – Policarpo
• Peter Vaughan – The 39 Steps
• Billy Dee Williams – The Last Angry Man
• Clarence Williams III – Pork Chop Hill

• List of 1959 films at IMDb
• List of 1959 deaths at IMDb
• List of 1959 births at IMDb