1954 in film



The year 1954 in film involved some significant events and memorable ones.

Events

 * A reproduction of "America's First Movie Studio", Thomas Edison's Black Maria, is constructed.
 * May 12 — The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces wife Marion Benda. The two were married in 1927.
 * September 29 — A Star is Born premieres and marks Judy Garland's comeback after her termination from her contract at MGM. An astounding success with critics and audiences, A Star is Born not only marked the first time that legendary director George Cukor had made a film musical and film that is in Technicolor and in the anamorphic widescreen format, but also it's been regarded as one of the Garland's best performances in her film career.
 * November 3 — The movie Godzilla premieres in Japan. It became a huge success and became the first in series of Godzilla movies, the longest running film series in history.

Awards
Academy Awards:
 * Best Picture: On the Waterfront - Horizon-American, Columbia
 * Best Director: Elia Kazan - On The Waterfront
 * Best Actor: Marlon Brando - On the Waterfront
 * Best Actress: Grace Kelly - The Country Girl
 * Best Supporting Actor: Edmond O'Brien - The Barefoot Contessa
 * Best Supporting Actress: Eva Marie Saint - On The Waterfront

Golden Globe Awards:


 * Drama:
 * Best Picture: On the Waterfront
 * Best Actor: Marlon Brando - On the Waterfront
 * Best Actress: Grace Kelly - The Country Girl


 * Musical or comedy:
 * Best Picture: Carmen Jones
 * Best Actor: James Mason - A Star Is Born
 * Best Actress: Judy Garland - A Star Is Born


 * Other
 * Best Director: Elia Kazan - On the Waterfront
 * Best Foreign Film: Twenty-Four Eyes (Nijushi no hitomi), Japan
 * Best Foreign Film:  (Weg Ohne Umkehr), West Germany
 * Best Foreign Film: The Lady of the Camellias (La Mujer de las camelias), Argentina
 * Best Foreign Film: Genevieve, United Kingdom

Grand Prix (Cannes Film Festival):
 * Jigokumon 地獄門, (Gate of Hell), directed by Teinosuke Kinugasa, Japan

Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival):
 * Romeo and Juliet (Romeo e Giulietta), directed by Renato Castellani, Italy / U.K.

Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):
 * Hobson's Choice, directed by David Lean, United Kingdom

Notable films released in 1954

 * 1) White Christmas

Serials

 * Gunfighters of the Northwest, starring Clayton Moore and Phyllis Coates
 * Man with the Steel Whip, starring Dick Simmons
 * Riding with Buffalo Bill
 * Trader Tom of the China Seas, starring Harry Lauter and Aline Towne

Short film series

 * Looney Tunes (1930–1969)
 * Terrytoons (1930–1964)
 * Merrie Melodies (1931–1969)
 * Popeye (1933–1957)
 * The Three Stooges (1934–1959)
 * Bugs Bunny (1940–1962)
 * Tom and Jerry (1940–1958)
 * Mighty Mouse (1942–1955)
 * Chip 'n' Dale (1943–1956)
 * Droopy (1943–1958)
 * Barney Bear (1939–1954)
 * Yosemite Sam (1945–1963)
 * Speedy Gonzales (1953–1968)
 * Ranger Don (1953–1956)

Births

 * January 1 - Helen Wellington-Lloyd, South African-born British artist and actress
 * January 6 - Anthony Minghella, English film director and screenwriter (died 2008)
 * January 29 - Oprah Winfrey, American actress and television personality
 * February 2 - Christie Brinkley, American model and actress
 * February 17 - Rene Russo, American actress
 * February 18 - John Travolta, American actor
 * March 1 - Ron Howard, American director and actor
 * March 4 - Catherine O'Hara, Canadian actress
 * March 15 - Craig Wasson, American actor
 * March 17 - Lesley-Anne Down, English actress
 * March 24 - Robert Carradine, American actor
 * April 7 - Jackie Chan, Hong Kong-born actor
 * April 9 - Dennis Quaid, American actor
 * April 16 - Ellen Barkin, American actress
 * May 7 - Amy Heckerling, American director
 * May 8 - David Keith, American actor and director
 * June 14 - Will Patton, American actor
 * June 15 - Jim Belushi, American actor
 * June 19 - Kathleen Turner, American actress
 * June 22 - Chris Lemmon, American actor and author
 * June 28 - Alice Krige, South African actress
 * August 12 - Sam J. Jones, American actor
 * August 16 - James Cameron, Canadian-born director
 * August 23 - Jeannie Elias, Canadian actress
 * October 9 - Scott Bakula, actor
 * October 23 - Ang Lee, Taiwanese director
 * November 7 - Kamal Haasan, Indian actor, director, script-writer, producer and singer
 * November 19 - Kathleen Quinlan, American actress
 * November 29 - Joel Coen, American director, producer and screenwriter
 * December 4 - Tony Todd, American actor and producer
 * December 18 - Ray Liotta, American actor
 * December 28 - Denzel Washington, American actor

Deaths
Courageous]], Treasure Island, Grand Hotel''
 * January 18 - Sydney Greenstreet, 74, English actor, Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, Christmas in Connecticut, The Mask of Dimitrios
 * February 12 - Dziga Vertov, 58, Russian filmmaker, Man with a Movie Camera
 * March 30 - Pauline Brunius, 73, Swedish actress, director and screenwriter
 * April 10 - Auguste Lumiere, 91, French film pioneer
 * July 24 - Effie Shannon, 87, American actress, Sally of the Sawdust
 * September 3 - Eugene Pallette, 65, American actor, My Man Godfrey, The Adventures of Robin Hood
 * November 15 - Lionel Barrymore, 76, American actor, It's a Wonderful Life, You Can't Take It with You, Key Largo, ''[[Captains Courageous (1937 film)|Captains
 * November 29 - Eero Kilpi, 77, Finnish actor, Anna Liisa
 * December 8 - Gladys George, 50, American actress, The Maltese Falcon, The Best Years of Our Lives, The Roaring Twenties, Detective Story, The Hard Way

Film Debuts

 * Zbigniew Cybulski - A Generation
 * Angie Dickinson - Lucky Me
 * Jack Lemmon - It Should Happen to You
 * Paul Newman - The Silver Chalice
 * Eva Marie Saint - On the Waterfront
 * Omar Sharif - Devil of the Sahara
 * Godzilla