1959 in film



The year 1959 in film involved some significant events, with Ben-Hur winning a record 11 Academy Awards.

Events

 * June 4 - The Three Stooges release their 190th and last short film, Sappy Bull Fighters.
 * September 18 - The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx marries his second wife, Barbara Blakely.
 * 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.
 * November 18 - William Wyler's film Ben-Hur premieres at Loews Theater in New York City.
 * Sammy Davis, Jr. and May Britt start dating.

Top-grossing films (U.S.)
(*) After theatrical re-issue(s)

Awards
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

Action

 * 1) The Wreck of the Mary Deare

Births

 * January 5 – Clancy Brown, American actor & voice actor
 * January 17 - Momoe Yamaguchi, former Japanese actress & singer
 * January 22 - Linda Blair, American actress
 * February 2 - Laine Mägi, Estonian actress & dancer
 * February 4 - Pamelyn Ferdin, American actress
 * February 22 - Kyle MacLachlan, American actor
 * March 5 - Darío Grandinetti, Argentinian actor
 * March 6 - Tom Arnold, American actor & comedian
 * March 7 - Donna Murphy, actress & singer
 * March 8 - Aidan Quinn, Irish/American actor
 * March 15 - Renny Harlin, Finnish director & producer
 * March 18
 * Irene Cara, American actress & singer
 * Luc Besson, French director & producer
 * March 22 - Matthew Modine, American actor
 * March 23 - Catherine Keener, American actress
 * April 15 - Emma Thompson, English actress
 * April 17 - Sean Bean, English actor
 * April 20 - Clint Howard, American actor
 * June 11 - Hugh Laurie, English actor
 * June 22 - Wayne Federman, American actor & comedian
 * June 30 - Vincent D'Onofrio, American actor
 * July 26 - Kevin Spacey, American actor
 * August 10 - Rosanna Arquette, American actress
 * August 14 - Marcia Gay Harden, American actress
 * August 29 - Rebecca De Mornay, American actress
 * September 23 - Jason Alexander, American actor
 * October 21 - Ken Watanabe, Japanese actor
 * November 14 - Paul McGann, British actor
 * November 19 - Allison Janney, American actress
 * November 28 - Judd Nelson, American actor
 * December 13 - Johnny Whitaker, American actor
 * December 29 - Patricia Clarkson, American actress
 * December 31 - Val Kilmer, American actor

Deaths

 * January 21 - Cecil B. DeMille, 77, American director and producer, The Ten Commandments, The Greatest Show on Earth
 * 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
 * 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 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
 * 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 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 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

Film debuts

 * James Coburn - Ride Lonesome
 * Mia Farrow - John Paul Jones
 * Richard Harris - Shake Hands with the Devil
 * Martin Landau - Pork Chop Hill
 * Martin Scorsese - Vesuvius VI
 * George C. Scott - The Hanging Tree
 * Steven Spielberg - The Lost Guy