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

• 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 marks the first time that legendary director George Cukor has made a film musical or a film in Technicolor and in anamorphic widescreen format, but also becomes regarded as one of Garland's best performances in her film career.
• November 3 — The film Godzilla premieres in Japan. It becomes a huge success and the first in the Godzilla film franchise, the longest running film series in history.^[16]

Exhibitors selected the following as the Top Ten Money Making Stars of the Year in Quigley Publishing Company's annual poll. John Wayne became the first actor to regain the number one spot after losing that position.^[17]

United States unless stated

• 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

• 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)

• January 1
  • Richard Edson, American actor and musician
  • Rawiri Paratene, New Zealand actor, director and writer
  • Helen Wellington-Lloyd, South African-born British artist and actress
• January 6 – Anthony Minghella, English film director and screenwriter (d. 2008)
• January 6 - John Sparkes, Welsh actor and comedian
• January 19 - Katey Sagal, American actress and singer-songwriter
• January 20 - Ken Page, American actor and singer
• January 25 - Sean Lawlor, Irish character actor and playwright (d. 2009)
• January 28 - Kaneto Shiozawa, Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator (d. 2000)
• January 29
  • Juan de Marcos González, Cuban bandleader, musician and actor
  • Terry Kinney, American actor
  • Oprah Winfrey, American actress and television personality
• February 2 – Christie Brinkley, American model and actress
• February 6 – Aare Laanemets, Estonian actor (d. 2000)
• February 8 - Alistair Browning, New Zealand actor (d. 2019)
• February 9 - Leslie Bevis, retired American model and actress
• February 12 - Zach Grenier, American character actor
• February 15 – Matt Groening, American animator, writer, producer, voice actor and creator of The Simpsons and Futurama
• February 17 – Rene Russo, American actress
• February 18 – John Travolta, American actor
• February 20 - Anthony Head, English actor and singer
• February 21 - Christopher Mayer, American actor (d. 2011)
• March 1
  • Ron Howard, American director and actor
  • Peter Spellos, American voice actor (d. 2023)
• March 2 - Olwen Fouéré, Irish actress
• March 4 – Catherine O'Hara, Canadian actress
• March 8
  • James Carter Cathcart, retired American voice actor and voice director
  • Jay Arlen Jones, American actor
• March 9 - Martin P. Robinson, American puppeteer
• March 13 - Robin Duke, Canadian actress and comedian
• March 15 – Craig Wasson, American actor
• March 17 – Lesley-Anne Down, English actress
• March 22 - Tommy Hollis, American actor (d. 2001)
• March 24 – Robert Carradine, American actor
• April 7 – Jackie Chan, Hong Kong-born actor
• April 9 – Dennis Quaid, American actor
• April 10 – Peter MacNicol, American actor
• April 16 – Ellen Barkin, American actress
• April 21 - James Morrison, American actor
• April 23 - Lucinda Jenney, American actress
• April 25 - George Spartels, Australian actor, presenter, director and musician
• April 27 – John Cygan, American actor, voice artist and comedian (d. 2017)
• April 29 – Jerry Seinfeld, American stand-up comedian and actor
• May 7 – Amy Heckerling, American director
• May 8
  • Stephen Furst, American actor, director and producer (d. 2017)
  • David Keith, American actor and director
• May 10 - Mike Hagerty, American actor (d. 2022)
• May 18 - Patrick St. Esprit, American character actor
• May 21 - Jean Kasem, American former actress
• June 2
  • Dennis Haysbert, American actor
  • Jeannine Taylor, American actress
• June 5 - Haluk Bilginer, Turkish actor
• June 6
  • Harvey Fierstein, American actor and screenwriter
  • Merle Talvik, Estonian actress
• June 14
  • Will Patton, American actor
  • Jan Rabson, American actor and voice actor (d. 2022)
• June 15 – Jim Belushi, American actor
• June 19 – Kathleen Turner, American actress
• June 21 - Robert Pastorelli, American actor (d. 2004)
• June 22 – Chris Lemmon, American actor and author
• June 26 - David Steen, American playwright, actor and writer
• June 28 – Alice Krige, South African actress
• July 2 - Eddie Rouse, American character actor (d. 2014)
• July 31 - Rainer Bock, German actor
• August 10 - Rick Overton, American actor, comedian and screenwriter
• August 12 – Sam J. Jones, American actor
• August 13 – Tõnu Kilgas, Estonian actor and singer
• August 15 - Sean Bury, British actor
• August 16 – James Cameron, Canadian-born director
• August 20
  • Al Roker, American weather forecaster, journalist, television personality, actor and author
  • Theresa Saldana, American actress and writer (d. 2016)
• August 22 - Jay Patterson, American actor
• August 30 - David Paymer, American actor
• September 4 - James Martin Kelly, American character actor
• September 13 - Isiah Whitlock Jr., American actor
• September 15
  • Brad Leland, American actor
  • Barry Shabaka Henley, American character actor
• September 19
  • David Bamber, English actor
  • Blanche Ravalec, French actress and dubbing artist
• September 23 - Giovanni Lombardo Radice, Italian actor and screenwriter (d. 2023)
• September 29
  • Mark Mitchell, Australian actor and comedian
  • Cindy Morgan, American actress (d. 2023)
• October 2 – Lorraine Bracco, American actress
• October 9
  • Scott Bakula, American actor
  • John O'Hurley, American actor, comedian, singer, author, game show host and television personality
• October 10
  • David Barron, British producer
  • Rekha, Indian actress
  • Patric Zimmerman, retired American voice actor
• October 11 - Tim Choate, American actor (d. 2004)
• October 14 - Elizabeth Sung, Chinese-American actress, director and screenwriter (d. 2018)
• October 15 - Jere Burns, American actor
• October 18
  • Arliss Howard, American actor, screenwriter and director
  • Bob Weinstein, American producer
• October 19 - Ken Stott, Scottish actor
• October 23 – Ang Lee, Taiwanese director
• October 26
  • D. W. Moffett, American actor
  • James Pickens Jr., American actor
• November 3 - Kathy Kinney, American actress and comedian
• November 5 - Mike Gabriel, American animator and director
• November 7 – Kamal Haasan, Indian actor, director, script-writer, producer and singer
• November 13 - Chris Noth, American actor
• November 19 – Kathleen Quinlan, American actress
• November 20 - Richard Brooker, British actor and stuntman (d. 2013)
• November 21 - Timothy Stack, American actor, producer and screenwriter
• November 29 – Joel Coen, American director, producer and screenwriter
• November 30 - Simonetta Stefanelli, Italian retired actress
• December 2 - Dan Butler, American actor
• December 4 – Tony Todd, American actor and producer
• December 7 - Pascal Renwick [fr], French voice actor (d. 2006)
• December 9 - Ken Cheeseman, American actor
• December 18 – Ray Liotta, American actor (d. 2022)
• December 26 – Tony Rosato, Canadian actor and comedian (d. 2017)
• December 28 – Denzel Washington, American actor

• January 5 – Lillian Rich, 54, English actress, The Golden Bed, On the Front Page
• January 11 – Oscar Straus, 83, Viennese composer, La Ronde
• January 16 – Baburao Painter, 63, Indian film director, Savkari Pash
• January 18 – Sydney Greenstreet, 74, English actor, Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, Christmas in Connecticut, The Mask of Dimitrios
• January 30 – John Murray Anderson, 67, Canadian director, King of Jazz
• January 31 – Florence Bates, 65, American actress, Rebecca
• February 1 – Yvonne de Bray, 64, French actress, Les Parents terribles
• February 9 – Mabel Paige, 73, American actress, Lucky Jordan, Murder, He Says
• February 12 – Dziga Vertov, 58, Russian filmmaker, Man with a Movie Camera
• February 13 – Stephen Auer, 53, American producer, Trail of Kit Carson
• February 21 – William K. Howard, 54, American director, The Power and the Glory, Johnny Come Lately
• March 5 – John Eberson, 78, American movie palace architect
• March 7 – Will H. Hays, 74, American movie censor, first chairman of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America
• March 8 – John L. Balderston, 64, American screenwriter, The Prisoner of Zenda, Gaslight
• March 14 – Otto Gebühr, 76, German actor, The Great King
• March 18 – Louis Lipstone, 61, American conductor, head of Paramount Pictures music department
• March 24 – Alberto Colombo, 65, American film composer and music director, Portia on Trial
• March 30 – Pauline Brunius, 73, Swedish actress, director and screenwriter, Charles XII
• April 1 – Jack Lait, 71, American author, New York Confidential
• April 3 – Ernest Vajda, 67, Hungarian actor and screenwriter, Smilin' Through
• April 4 – Frederick Lonsdale, 73, English playwright and screenwriter, The Private Life of Don Juan
• April 10 – Auguste Lumiere, 91, French film pioneer
• April 29 – Joe May, 73, Austrian director, The House of Fear, The Invisible Man Returns
• May 1 – Arthur Johnston, 56, Composer, Pennies from Heaven
• May 3 – Tom Tyler, 50, American actor, Adventures of Captain Marvel, The Phantom
• May 15 – Herbert I. Leeds, 54, American director, Mr. Moto in Danger Island
• May 17 – Ethel Hill, 56, American screenwriter, The Little Princess, In Old Oklahoma
• May 18 – Fred Waller, 67, American film pioneer, inventor of Cinerama
• May 20 – Hans von Wolzogen, 65, German film producer and director, Sprengbagger 1010
• May 25 – Hans Janowitz, 63, German writer, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
• May 31 – Guglielmo Barnabò, 66, Italian actor, Miracle in Milan
• June 27 – Theodor Loos, 71, German actor, Die Nibelungen
• June 28 – Ludwig Schmitz, 70, German actor, The Heath is Green
• July 1 – Thea von Harbou, 65, German screenwriter, novelist, director and actress, Metropolis
• July 6 – Gabriel Pascal, 60, Hungarian film producer and director, Pygmalion
• July 8 – Gerald Geraghty, 47, American screenwriter, The Jungle Princess
• July 12 – Lord Grantley, 62, British film executive
• July 13 – Irving Pichel, 63, American director and actor, The Most Dangerous Game, Santa Fe, Oliver Twist, How Green Was My Valley
• July 14 – Al Hill, 62, American actor, The Payoff, The Border Patrolman
• July 23 – Leonard Goldstein, 51, American producer, Ma and Pa Kettle
• July 24 – Effie Shannon, 87, American actress, Sally of the Sawdust
• August 4 – Harald Paulsen, 58, German actor and director, Ave Maria
• August 11 – Murray Kinnell, 65, English-born American actor, The Public Enemy
• August 19 – Terry Ramsaye, 68, American producer and movie historian, author of A Million and One Nights: A History of the Motion Picture
• August 24 – Lewis D. Collins, 55, American director, The Desert Trail
• September 3 – Eugene Pallette, 65, American actor, My Man Godfrey, The Adventures of Robin Hood
• September 28 – Bert Lytell, 69, American actor, The Lone Wolf
• October 22 – Charles Skouras, 65, American movie executive and president of Fox West Coast
• October 22 – George McManus, 70, American cartoonist, Bringing Up Father
• November 11 – Reinhold Schünzel, 68, German director and actor, The Ice Follies of 1939, Notorious
• November 15 – Lionel Barrymore, 76, American actor, It's a Wonderful Life, You Can't Take It with You, Key Largo, Treasure Island, Grand Hotel
• November 22 – Moroni Olsen, 65, American actor, The Three Musketeers
• November 22 – Roy Rene, 63, Australian comedian, Strike Me Lucky
• November 29 – Eero Kilpi, 77, Finnish actor, Anna Liisa
• December 6 – Truly Shattuck, 79, American actress, A Wise Fool
• December 8 – Gladys George, 50, American actress, The Maltese Falcon, The Best Years of Our Lives, The Roaring Twenties, Detective Story
• December 18 – Maria Eis, 58, Austrian actress, The Eternal Waltz

• Stanley Adams – The Atomic Kid
• Mario Adorf – 08/15
• Ursula Andress – An American in Rome
• R.G. Armstrong – Garden of Eden
• Martin Balsam – On the Waterfront
• Sean Connery – Lilacs in the Spring
• Angie Dickinson – Lucky Me
• Lisa Gastoni – They Who Dare
• Charles Grodin – 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
• Allison Hayes – Francis Joins the WACS
• David Hemmings – The Rainbow Jacket
• Pat Hingle – On the Waterfront
• James Hong – Dragonfly Squadron
• Jack Lemmon – It Should Happen to You
• Elsa Martinelli – The Red and the Black
• Paul Newman – The Silver Chalice
• Kim Novak – The French Line
• Patrick O'Neal – The Mad Magician
• Terele Pávez – Boyfriend in Sight
• Donald Pleasence – The Beachcomber
• Stafford Repp – Fireman Save My Child
• Eva Marie Saint – On the Waterfront
• John Saxon – It Should Happen to You
• Omar Sharif – Devil of the Sahara
• Rod Taylor – King of the Coral Sea
• Godzilla – Godzilla