The following is an overview of 1956 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths.

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.
• October 18 – Joseph Vogel becomes president of MGM.
• 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)
• Woody Woodpecker (1940-1972)

Ending this year

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

• January 1 - Sheila McCarthy, Canadian actress and singer
• 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 13 - Janet Hubert, American actress
• January 20 - Bill Maher, American comedian, writer, producer, actor and television host
• January 21
  • Geena Davis, American actress
  • Robby Benson, American actor
• January 22 - Michael Kopsa, Canadian actor (d. 2022)
• January 24 - Peter Woodward, English actor, screenwriter and stuntman
• January 25 – Dinah Manoff, American actress and director
• January 27
  • Susan Blakeslee, American voice actress and musical theatre actress
  • Mimi Rogers, American actress
• January 30 - Ann Dowd, American actress
• February 3 – Nathan Lane, American actor
• February 12 – Arsenio Hall, American comedian, actor and talk show host
• February 13 - Jimmy Yuill, Scottish actor
• February 14 - Tom Burlinson, Canadian-Australian actor and singer
• February 15 - Olga Merediz, American actress and singer
• February 17 – Richard Karn, American actor
• February 19 – Kathleen Beller, American actress
• February 26 - Jonathan Schmock, American actor, director, producer and writer
• February 28 – Lloyd Sherr, American voice actor
• March 1 – Tim Daly, American actor
• March 5 - Adriana Barraza, Mexican actress
• March 7 – Bryan Cranston, American actor and director
• March 8 - John Kapelos, Canadian actor
• March 11 – Rob Paulsen, American voice actor
• March 12 – Lesley Manville, English Actress
• March 13 – Dana Delany, American actress
• March 16 - Clifton Powell, American actor
• March 25 - Matthew Garber, British actor and filmmaker (d. 1977)
• March 26 – Erika Kaljusaar, Estonian actress
• March 27 - Michael Harney, American actor
• March 30 - Paul Reiser, American comedian, actor and musician
• April 8 - Jim Piddock, English actor, producer and writer
• April 12 – Andy García, Cuban-American actor
• April 14 - Chris Ellis, American character actor
• April 17 - Vyto Ruginis, English actor and producer
• April 18 – Eric Roberts, American actor
• April 20 - Georgie Glen, Scottish actress
• April 22 - Bruce A. Young, American actor, writer and screenwriter
• April 27 - Kevin McNally, English actor and writer
• April 30 – Lars von Trier, Danish director
• May 5 – Lisa Eilbacher, American actress
• 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
• May 13 - Fred Melamed, American actor, comedian and writer
• May 17 - Bob Saget, American stand-up comedian, actor and television host (d. 2022)
• May 19 - Steven Ford, American actor
• June 1 - Tom Irwin, American actor
• June 4 – Keith David, American actor
• June 5 - Roger Michell, British director (d. 2021)
• June 15
  • Ava Cadell, former actress, writer and producer
  • Robin Curtis, American actress
• June 18 - Marsha Garces Williams, American producer
• June 22 - Tim Russ, American actor, director, screenwriter and musician
• June 25 - Chloe Webb, American actress
• June 27 - John Michael Bolger, American actor
• June 30 - David Alan Grier, American actor, singer and comedian
• July 1 – Alan Ruck, American actor
• July 2 - Jerry Hall, American actress and model
• July 9 – Tom Hanks, American actor and director
• July 11 – Sela Ward, American actress
• July 16 - Tony Kushner, American author, playwright and screenwriter
• July 19 - Peter Barton, American retired actor
• July 25 - Roger Clinton Jr., American actor and musician
• July 31
  • Michael Biehn, American actor
  • R. A. Mihailoff, American actor
• August 10 - Peter Robbins, American child actor (d. 2022)
• August 12 – Bruce Greenwood, Canadian actor
• August 17 – Mahendra Perera, Sri Lankan actor
• August 19 - Adam Arkin, American actor and director
• August 20 – Joan Allen, American actress
• August 21 – Kim Cattrall, English-born Canadian actress
• August 23 - Skipp Sudduth, American actor
• August 24 - Kevin Dunn, American actor
• August 26 - Brett Cullen, American actor
• August 28 – Luis Guzman, Puerto Rican character actor
• September 5 - Debbie Turner, American actress
• September 7 - Michael Beattie, Canadian-American actor
• September 11
  • Tony Gilroy, American filmmaker
  • Adriane Lenox, American actress
• September 16 - Jimmy Chisholm, Scottish actor
• September 18 - Tim McInnerny, English actor
• September 20 – Gary Cole, American actor
• September 26 – Linda Hamilton, American actress
• September 28 - Kiran Shah, Kenyan-Indian actor and stunt double
• September 29 - Stuart Charno, American actor
• October 2 - Charlie Adler, American voice actor and voice director
• October 3 - Hart Bochner, Canadian actor, director, screenwriter and producer
• October 4 – Christoph Waltz, Austrian-German actor
• October 10
  • Amanda Burton, Northern Irish actress
  • Fiona Fullerton, British actress and singer
• October 14 - Bruce MacVittie, American actor (d. 2022)
• October 20 – Danny Boyle, English director and producer
• October 21 – Carrie Fisher, American actress (d. 2016)
• October 23 - Dwight Yoakam, American singer-songwriter, actor and filmmaker
• October 26 – Rita Wilson, American actress and producer
• October 30 - Juliet Stevenson, English actress
• November 3 - Gary Ross, American director, writer and producer
• November 8 – Richard Curtis, New Zealand-born British director and screenwriter
• November 9 - Tyler Coppin, American-Australian actor
• November 10
  • Matt Craven, Canadian character actor
  • Sinbad, American stand-up comedian and actor
• November 13 - Rex Linn, American actor
• November 16 - Dan Shor, American actor, director and writer
• November 17 - Kelly Ward, American actor and voice director
• November 20 – Bo Derek, American actress and model
• November 21 - Timothy Stack, American actor, producer and screenwriter
• November 22 – Richard Kind, American actor and voice actor
• November 24 - Ruben Santiago-Hudson, American actor and director
• November 26 - Don Lake, Canadian actor and writer
• November 27 - William Fichtner, American actor
• December 2 - Steven Bauer, Cuban-born American actor
• December 7 - Mark Rolston, American character actor
• December 10 - Catherine Parks, American actress
• December 17 – Peter Farrelly, American film director
• December 20 - Blanche Baker, American actress and filmmaker
• December 22 - Ray Lui, Hong Kong actor

• 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 4 – Lloyd Ingraham, 81, American actor and director, Scaramouche, West of the Rio Grande
• April 14 – Christian Rub, 70, Austrian actor, Father's Son, Something for the Birds
• 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 24 – Henry Stephenson, 85, British actor, Mutiny on the Bounty, Oliver Twist
• 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