1956 in film

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

• 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.
• February – Warner Bros. sells much of its pre-1950 library to Associated Artists Productions (a.a.p.); 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.[4]
• 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 (when adjusted for inflation). 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.
• 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.[5]
• December 14 – Dance with Me, Henry is the last film featuring the comedy duo Abbott and Costello.

United States unless stated

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

• 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)
• Droopy (1943–1958)
• Yosemite Sam (1945–1963)
• Speedy Gonzales (1953–1968)

Ending this year

• Donald Duck (1934-1956)
• Chip 'n' Dale (1943-1956)

• January 3 – Mel Gibson, American Irish actor and director
• January 7 – David Caruso, American actor
• January 9
  • Imelda Staunton, English actress
  • Kimberly Beck, American actress
• January 21
  • Geena Davis, American actress
  • Robby Benson, American actor
• January 25 – Dinah Manoff, American actress and director
• January 27
  • Susan Blakeslee, American voice actress and musical theatre actress
  • Mimi Rogers, American actress
• February 3 – Nathan Lane, American actor
• February 17 – Richard Karn, American actor
• February 19 – Kathleen Beller, American actress
• February 28 – Lloyd Sherr, American voice actor
• March 1 – Tim Daly, American actor
• March 7 – Bryan Cranston, American actor and director
• March 11 – Rob Paulsen, American voice actor
• March 12 – Lesley Manville, English Actress
• March 13 – Dana Delany, American actress
• March 26 – Erika Kaljusaar, Estonian actress
• April 12 – Andy García, Cuban-American actor
• April 18 – Eric Roberts, American actor
• April 30 – Lars von Trier, Danish director
• May 7 – S. Scott Bullock, American voice actor
• May 9 – Wendy Crewson, Canadian actress
• May 10
  • Paige O'Hara, American actress, voice actress, singer and painter
  • Jonathan Roberts, American screenwriter, producer and author
• May 12 – Kimiko Yo, Japanese actress
• June 4 – Keith David, American actor
• July 1 – Alan Ruck, American actor
• July 9 – Tom Hanks, American actor and director
• July 11 – Sela Ward, American actress
• July 31 – Michael Biehn, American actor
• August 12 – Bruce Greenwood, Canadian actor
• August 20 – Joan Allen, American actress
• August 21 – Kim Cattrall, English-born Canadian actress
• August 28 – Luis Guzman, Puerto Rican character actor
• September 20 – Gary Cole, American actor
• September 26 – Linda Hamilton, American actress
• October 2 - Charlie Adler, American voice actor and voice director
• October 4 – Christoph Waltz, Austrian-German actor
• October 20 – Danny Boyle, English director and producer
• October 21 – Carrie Fisher, American actress (d. 2016)
• October 26 – Rita Wilson, American actress and producer
• November 8 – Richard Curtis, New Zealand-born British director and screenwriter
• November 20 – Bo Derek, American actress and model
• November 22 – Richard Kind, American actor and voice actor
• December 17 – Peter Farrelly, American film director

• 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, 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 25 – Robert Newton, 50, English actor, Oliver Twist, Odd Man Out
• 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 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

• Jean-Paul Belmondo – Molière
• Michael Caine – Panic in the Parlor
• James Garner – Toward the Unknown
• Glenda Jackson – The Extra Day
• Robert Loggia – Somebody Up There Likes Me
• Robert Morse – The Proud and Profane
• Leslie Nielsen – Ransom!
• Joan Plowright – Moby Dick
• Elvis Presley – Love Me Tender
• John Schlesinger – Sunday in the Park
• Maggie Smith – Child in the House
• Rip Torn – Baby Doll
• Cicely Tyson – Carib Gold
• Robert Vaughn – The Ten Commandments
• John Vernon – 1984
• Tuesday Weld – Rock, Rock, Rock