Film year 1959

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Other events

Film year 1959
The actor Errol Flynn died on October 14, 1959 .

Events

Marilyn Monroe's most successful film Some Like It Hot will hit American cinemas in March . The film was named Best American Comedy Of All Time by the American Film Institute in 2000.
In June, Plan 9 from Space (directed by Ed Wood ) will hit cinemas. In a reader poll for the book The Golden Turkey Awards , this production was voted "worst US film of all time".
On November 18, 1959, Ben Hur was released in cinemas. The following year, this monumental film, directed by William Wyler , was successful in 11 categories at the Academy Awards .
The Three Stooges are making their 180th and final short film, Sappy Bullfighters .
Winner of the BRAVO Otto readers' choice 1959:
- Category - male film star: Gold OW Fischer , silver Peter Kraus , bronze Hardy Krüger
- Category - Female film star: Gold Ruth Leuwerik , Silver Romy Schneider , Bronze Sabine Sinjen

Film awards

Golden Globe Award

The Golden Globe will be presented on March 5th at the Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles.

Best Drama: Escape in Chains by Stanley Kramer
Best musical: Gigi by Vincente Minnelli
Best Comedy: The Great Aunt of Morton DaCosta
Best Actor (Drama): David Niven in Separate from Table and Bed
Best Actress (Drama): Susan Hayward in Let Me Live
Best Actor (Musical / Drama): Danny Kaye in Jakobowsky and the Colonel
Best Actress (Musical / Comedy): Rosalind Russell in The Great Aunt
Best director: Vincente Minnelli for Gigi
Cecil B. DeMille Award : Maurice Chevalier

Academy Awards

The Academy Awards will be held on April 6th at the RKO Pantages Theater in Los Angeles .

Best film: Gigi by Vincente Minnelli
Best Actor: David Niven in Separate from Table and Bed
Best Actress: Susan Hayward in Let Me Live
Best director: Vincente Minnelli for Gigi
Best Supporting Actor: Burl Ives in Weites Land
Best Supporting Actress: Wendy Hiller in Separate from Table and Bed
Best script based on a literary source: Alan Jay Lerner for Gigi
Best music: Dimitri Tiomkin for The Old Man and the Sea
Best Foreign Language Film: My Uncle by Jacques Tati
Honorary Oscar for his life's work: Maurice Chevalier

Complete list of award winners

Cannes International Film Festival 1959

The Cannes festival runs from April 30th to May 15th. The jury selects the following winners:

Golden palm : Orfeu Negro by Marcel Camus
Best Actor: Dean Stockwell , Bradford Dillman, and Orson Welles in The Coercion of Evil
Best actress: Simone Signoret in The Way Up
Best Director: François Truffaut for you kissed and you beat him
Grand Jury Prize: Stars from Konrad Wolf

Berlin International Film Festival 1959

The festival in Berlin takes place from June 26th to July 7th. The jury under President Robert Aldrich selects the following winners:

Golden Bear : Les Cousins by Claude Chabrol
Best actor: Jean Gabin in Archimède, le Clochard
Best Actress: Shirley MacLaine in Ask Any Girl
Best Director: Akira Kurosawa for The Hidden Fortress

Venice Film Festival

The Venice Festival runs from August 23rd to September 6th. The jury awards the following prizes:

Golden Lion : Il generale della Rovere by Roberto Rossellini and The Great War by Mario Monicelli
Best Actor: James Stewart in Anatomy of a Murder
Best actress: Madeleine Robinson in À double tour

German film award

Best film: heroes
Best director: Frank Wisbar for dogs, do you want to live forever
Best Actor: OW Fischer for Heroes
Best supporting actress: Hildegard Knef for The Man Who Sells
Best supporting actor: Fritz Schmiedel for The Man Who Sells

British Film Academy Award

Best Picture: The Way Up by Jack Clayton
British Best Actor: Trevor Howard for The Key
Best Foreign Actor: Sidney Poitier for Escape In Chains
Best British Actress: Irene Worth for The Silent War
Best foreign actress: Simone Signoret for The Way Up

Étoile de Cristal

Best film: The citizen as a nobleman by Jean Meyer
Best Actor: Alain Cuny in The Lovers
Best actress: Pascale Audret in When the tide comes
Best Foreign Film: The Seventh Seal by Ingmar Bergman
Best Foreign Actor: Montgomery Clift in The Young Lions
Best Foreign Actress: Tatiana Samoilowa in Drag the Cranes

New York Film Critics Circle Award

Best Film: Ben Hur by William Wyler
Best director: Fred Zinnemann for a nun's story
Best Actor: James Stewart in Anatomy of a Murder
Best Actress: Audrey Hepburn in A Nun's Tale
Best Foreign Film: They Kissed and They Beat it by François Truffaut

National Board of Review

Best film: Story of a Nun by Fred Zinnemann
Best director: Fred Zinnemann for a nun's story
Best Actor: Victor Sjöström in Wild Strawberries
Best leading actress: Simone Signoret in The Way Up
Best Supporting Actor: Hugh Griffith in Ben Hur
Best Supporting Actress: Edith Evans in A Nun's Story
Best foreign language film: Wild Strawberries by Ingmar Bergman

Laurel Award

Best Action Drama: The Vikings by Richard Fleischer
- Best Actor: Gary Cooper in The Gallows Tree
Best drama: As long as there are people by Douglas Sirk
- Best Actor in Drama : Frank Sinatra in Damn They All

Best Comedy: Houseboat of Melville Shavelson

Best Actor in a Comedy: Cary Grant in Houseboat
Best Comedy Actress: Rosalind Russell in The Great Aunt

Best musical: Gigi by Vincente Minnelli

Best Actor in a Musical: Pat Boone in Blue Nights
Best actress in a musical: Leslie Caron in Gigi

Best entertainment movie: The great aunt of Morton DaCosta

Further film prizes and awards

German Critics' Prize : Frank Wisbar
Directors Guild of America Award : Vincente Minnelli for Gigi , Frank Capra and George Sidney (awards for their life's work)
Astor de Oro : Wild strawberries by Ingmar Bergman
Ernst Lubitsch Prize : Heinz Rühmann for A man goes through the wall
Louis Delluc Prize : One does not bury on Sunday by Michel Drach
Nastro d'Argento : The Temptation of Pietro Germi and Ways to Fame by Stanley Kubrick
Photoplay Award : Bettgeflüster by Michael Gordon (best film), Rock Hudson (most popular male star), Doris Day (most popular female star)
German Film Critics' Prize : Heroes of Franz Peter Wirth
Festival Internacional de Cine de Donostia-San Sebastián : Story of a Nun by Fred Zinnemann (Golden Shell)
Writers Guild of America Award : Gigi (Best Musical), Escape in Chains (Best Drama), Jakobowsky und der Oberst (Best Comedy), Nunnally Johnson (Lifetime Achievement)

Birthdays

Oskar Roehler (born January 21)

Luc Besson (born March 18)

Matthew Modine (born March 22)

January to March

January

0January 4th: Stefano Gabrini , Italian actor, director and screenwriter
0January 4: Vanity , Canadian actress († 2016)
0January 5: Clancy Brown , American actor
0January 8th: Martin Langer , German cameraman
January 17th: Adele Neuhauser , Austrian actress
January 21: Oskar Roehler , German director
January 22nd: Linda Blair , American actress
January 22nd: Tyrone Power junior , American actor
January 25: Toni Servillo , Italian actor and theater director
January 26: Nuri Bilge Ceylan , Turkish director, screenwriter and producer
January 28: Frank Darabont , American director
January 31: Kelly Lynch , American actress

February

0February 1: Barbara Auer , German actress
0February 3rd: Ferzan Özpetek , Turkish-Italian director
February 11: Jeffrey Meek , American actor
February 22: Kyle MacLachlan , American actor
February 22nd: Margarethe Tiesel , Austrian actress

March

0March 1: Laura Karpman , American composer
0March 5: Talia Balsam , American actress
0March 6: Tom Arnold , American actor
0March 7: Donna Murphy , American actress
0March 7: Nick Searcy , American actor
0March 8: Aidan Quinn , American actor
0March 9: Tom Amandes , American actor
0March 9: Christopher Fairbank , British actor
0March 9: Rodney A. Grant , American actor
March 14: Laila Robins , American actress
March 15: Renny Harlin , Finnish director
March 18: Luc Besson , French director
March 18: Irene Cara , American actress
March 19: Anthony Marinelli , American composer
March 22nd: Matthew Modine , American actor
March 23: Catherine Keener , American actress

April to June

Emma Thompson (born April 15)

Rupert Everett (born May 29)

Eileen Davidson (born June 15)

April

0April 1: Rob Bottin , American makeup artist
0April 3: David Hyde Pierce , American actor
0April 4: Phil Morris , American actor
0April 7th: Philip Gröning , German documentary filmmaker
0April 9: Fred Dekker , American director and screenwriter
April 15: Emma Thompson , British actress
April 15: Thomas F. Wilson , American actor
April 17th: Sean Bean , British actor
April 19: Patricia Charbonneau , American actress
April 20: James Wong , American producer, screenwriter, and director
April 20: Clint Howard , American actor
April 24: Glenn Morshower , American actor
April 25: Dominique Blanc , French actress

May

0May 2nd: Lone Scherfig , Danish director and screenwriter
0May 2: Brian Tochi , American actor
0May 4th: Anthony Calf , British actor
0May 4th: Inger Nilsson , Swedish actress
0May 7th: Lynsey Baxter , British actress
0May 9: Ulrich Matthes , German actor
May 10: Victoria Rowell , American actress
May 12: Ving Rhames , American actor
May 13: Simon Duggan , New Zealand cameraman
May 14: Brett Leonard , American director and screenwriter
May 16: Mare Winningham , American actress
May 16: Guy Zerafa , Canadian musician and composer
May 20: Bronson Pinchot , American actor
May 21: Nick Cassavetes , American actor
May 21: Adriana Ozores , Spanish actress
May 22: Linda Emond , American actress
May 26th: Ole Bornedal , Danish director
May 26: Kevin Gage , American actor
May 29: Rupert Everett , British actor
May 29: Adrian Paul , British actor

June

0June 6th: Rainer Kaufmann , German director
0June 6: Neal H. Moritz , American producer
0June 8: Bernard White , American actor
June 10: Tim Van Patten , American actor, director, screenwriter and producer
June 11: Hugh Laurie , British actor
June 15: Eileen Davidson , American actress
June 16: John Franklin , American actor
June 26th: Leander Haussmann , German director and actor
June 27: Janusz Kamiński , Polish cameraman
June 30: Vincent D'Onofrio , American actor

July to September

Kevin Spacey (born July 26)

Sönke Wortmann (born August 25)

July

0July 1: Dale Midkiff , American actor
0July 4th: Victoria Abril , Spanish actress
0July 7: Billy Campbell , American actor
0July 7th: Piergiorgio Gay , Italian director and screenwriter
0July 8: Robert Knepper , American actor
July 11th: Tobias Moretti , Austrian actor
July 12: Charlie Murphy , American actor († 2017)
July 19: Juan José Campanella , Argentine director and screenwriter
July 24th: Saskia Vester , German actress
July 26: Kevin Spacey , American actor
July 28: Bruno Pupparo , Italian sound engineer († 2009)
July 29th: Sanjay Dutt , Indian actor

August

0August 3: John C. McGinley , American actor and producer
August 10: Rosanna Arquette , American actress
August 12: Mike Hopkins , New Zealand sound editor († 2012)
August 14: Marcia Gay Harden , American actress
August 25: Sönke Wortmann , German director
August 27: Peter Mensah , Canadian actor
August 28: John Allen Nelson , American actor
August 28: Brian Thompson , American actor

September

0September 7th: James Schamus , American screenwriter and producer
September 11th: John Hawkes , American actor
September 14th: Mary Crosby , American actress
September 18: Mark Romanek , American director
September 19: Tammy Locke , American singer and actress
September 23: Jason Alexander , American actor
September 23: Elizabeth Peña , American actress († 2014)
September 24th: Cara Silverman , American film editor († 2014)
September 26: Christian Wagner , German director
September 30th: Debrah Farentino , American actress

October to December

Sean Young (born November 20)

Patricia Clarkson (born December 29)

Ronnie del Carmen (born December 31)

Val Kilmer (born December 31)

October

0October 7: Dylan Baker , American actor
0October 7: Gary Scott Thompson , American producer
October 10: Julia Sweeney , American actress
October 10: Bradley Whitford , American actor
October 15: Todd Solondz , American director
October 16: Andres Veiel , German documentary filmmaker
October 18: Milčo Mančevski , Macedonian director
October 21: Ken Watanabe , Japanese actor
October 22: Marc Lawrence , American screenwriter and director
October 22: Alexander Lhotzky , Austrian actor († 2016)
October 23: Sam Raimi , American director
October 26: Dana Kimmell , American actress
October 29: Martin Ploderer , Austrian actor
October 30: Richard LaGravenese , American screenwriter
October 31: Geoffrey Edwards , American screenwriter and director

November

0November 2nd: Peter Mullan , British actor
0November 3: Hal Hartley , American director and screenwriter
0November 4: Ken Kirzinger , American actor
0November 4: Deborah Rennard , American actress
November 10: Mackenzie Phillips , American actress
November 13: Caroline Goodall , British actress
November 15: Jeff Pollack , American director and producer († 2013)
November 17: William R. Moses , American actor
November 18: Ulrich Noethen , German actor
November 19: Allison Janney , American actress
November 20: Sean Young , American actress
November 23: Maxwell Caulfield , British actor
November 26: Jamie Rose , American actress
November 28: Judd Nelson , American actor
November 30: Eamonn Walker , British actor

December

0December 1st: Sylvia Haider , Austrian actress and screenwriter.
0December 3: Michael Glawogger , Austrian director, screenwriter and cameraman († 2014)
0December 4th: Nico Hofmann , German director
0December 9: Mario Cantone , American actor
December 11th: Tom Shadyac , American director
December 13: Johnny Whitaker , American actor
December 19: Frank Zagarino , American actor
December 21: Sergio Rubini , Italian actor
December 21: Corinne Touzet , French actress
December 24th: Lee Daniels , American producer, director, and actor
December 24th: Lem Dobbs , British screenwriter
December 29: Patricia Clarkson , American actress
December 31st: Ronnie del Carmen , Filipino animator, director and screenwriter
December 31: Val Kilmer , American actor

Day unknown

Robert Hofferer , Austrian producer
Markus Kissling , Swiss actor