1953 in film

The top ten 1953 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

• January 16 – A new Warner Bros. Pictures Inc. is incorporated following a Consent Judgment to divest their Warner Bros. Theatres. Stanley Warner Theatres is incorporated the following January 30 to take on the theatre chain now independent of Warner Bros.^[4]
• February 5 – Walt Disney's production of J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan, starring Bobby Driscoll and Kathryn Beaumont, premieres to astounding acclaim from critics and audiences and quickly becomes one of the most beloved Disney films. This is the last Disney animated movie released in partnership with RKO Pictures, becoming the last ever smash hit movie of the later company before it bankrupted in 1959.
• February 25 – Jacques Tati's film Les Vacances de M. Hulot is released in France, introducing the gauche character of Monsieur Hulot.^[5]
• July 1 – Stalag 17, directed by Billy Wilder and starring William Holden, premieres and is considered by the critics and audiences to be one of the greatest WWII Prisoner of War films ever made. Holden wins the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film.
• August 5 – Fred Zinnemann's romantic and war masterpiece From Here to Eternity, starring Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Frank Sinatra, and Donna Reed, premieres.
• August 27 – William Wyler's romantic comedy Roman Holiday, starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, is premièred and propels Hepburn to super stardom.
• September 16 – Religious epic The Robe, starring Richard Burton and Jean Simmons, debuts as the first widescreen anamorphic film in cinema history, filmed in CinemaScope grossing a record $36,000 for a single theatre in its first day. It went on to gross a record (for a single theater) $264,428 in its first week.
• November 21 – Monogram Pictures, which had stopped releasing pictures under that banner from the start of the year, changes its name to Allied Artists Pictures Corporation.

United States unless stated

• Canadian Mounties vs Atomic Invaders, starring Bill Henry
• The Great Adventures of Captain Kidd, starring Richard Crane
• Jungle Drums of Africa, starring Clayton Moore and Phyllis Coates
• The Lost Planet, starring Judd Holdren

• Mickey Mouse (1928)-(1953)
• Looney Tunes (1930–1969)
• Terrytoons (1930–1964)
• Merrie Melodies (1931–1969)
• Popeye (1933–1957)
• Donald Duck (1934)-(1956)
• The Three Stooges (1934–1959)
• Goofy (1939)-(1953)
• Tom and Jerry (1940–1958)
• Bugs Bunny (1940)-(1964)
• Chip and Dale (1943–1956)
• Droopy (1943–1958)
• Sylvester the Cat (1944–1966)
• Yosemite Sam (1945–1963)
• Speedy Gonzales (1953–1968)

• January 1:
  • Paul Antony-Barber, English actor
  • Brian Pettifer, South African actor
  • Mary Sweeney, American director, writer, editor and producer
• January 4: Richard Frank, American actor (died 1995)
• January 7: John Dugan, American actor
• January 8:
  • Damián Alcázar, Mexican actor
  • Tonita Castro, Mexican-born American actress (died 2016)
• January 11: John Sessions, British actor and comedian (died 2020)
• January 12: Phil Reeves, American actor and screenwriter
• January 27:
  • Richard Bremmer, English actor
  • Joe Bob Briggs, American film critic, writer and actor
• January 28: Susan Buckner, American actress (died 2024)
• January 30: Steven Zaillian, director
• February 8: Mary Steenburgen, American actress
• February 9:
  • Vito Antuofermo, Italian-American actor
  • Ciarán Hinds, British-Irish actor
• February 11: Philip Anglim, actor
• February 12: Peter Andersson, Swedish actor
• February 14: Brian O'Connor, American actor and comedian
• February 15: Lynn Whitfield, American actress
• February 17:
  • Becky Ann Baker, American actress
  • Evan C. Kim, American actor
• February 18: Rocco Sisto, Italian-American actor
• February 19: Massimo Troisi, actor (died 1994)
• February 21:
  • Christine Ebersole, American actress and singer
  • William Petersen, American actor
• March 2: Ezra Swerdlow, film producer (died 2018)
• March 4:
  • Scott Hicks, director
  • Kay Lenz, American actress
  • Agustí Villaronga, Spanish director (died 2023)
• March 6: Jacklyn Zeman, American actress (died 2023)
• March 10: Paul Haggis, Canadian screenwriter, producer and director
• March 15: Frances Conroy, American actress
• March 16: Isabelle Huppert, French actress
• March 24: Louie Anderson, American stand-up comedian and actor (died 2022)
• April 1: Barry Sonnenfeld, American filmmaker and television director
• April 6: Patrick Doyle, Scottish film composer
• April 13:
  • Esther Scott, American actress (died 2020)
  • Harry Waters Jr., American actor and singer
• April 16:
  • Jay O. Sanders, actor
  • Marshall Teague, American actor
• April 18: Rick Moranis, Canadian actor & comedian
• April 19: Ruby Wax, American-British actress, comedian, writer and television personality
• April 23: James Russo, American actor
• April 24: Eric Bogosian, American actor
• April 25: Ron Clements, American animator, director, screenwriter and producer
• April 26: Nancy Lenehan, American actress
• May 4: Anang Desai, Indian actor
• May 9:
  • Dennie Gordon, American director
  • Amy Hill, American stand-up comedian, actress and voice actress
• May 16: Pierce Brosnan, Irish actor
• May 21: Nora Aunor, Filipino actress
• May 24: Alfred Molina, English actor
• May 29: Danny Elfman, American composer
• May 30: Colm Meaney, Irish actor
• June 1: Tim Bentinck, Australian-born British actor and writer
• June 3: Erland Van Lidth De Jeude, Dutch-American actor (d. 1987)
• June 5: Kathleen Kennedy, American producer
• June 7:
  • Colleen Camp, American character actress and producer
  • Robert Trebor, American character actor (d. 2025)
• June 9: Ron White, Canadian actor (d. 2018)
• June 12: David Thornton, American actor
• June 13: Tim Allen, American actor
• June 16: Valerie Mahaffey, American character actress and producer (d. 2025)
• June 19: Ken Davitian, American character actor and comedian
• June 21: Michael Bowen, American actor
• June 22: Cyndi Lauper, American singer, songwriter, actress and activist
• June 26: Peng Xiaolian, director (died 2019)
• June 29: Deirdre O'Connell, American character actress
• July 1: David Gulpilil, Indigenous-Australian actor (died 2021)
• July 5: Harish Patel, Indian actor
• July 6: Stanley DeSantis, American actor (died 2005)
• July 10: Marco Rodríguez, American actor
• July 11:
  • Angélica Aragón, Mexican actress and singer
  • Mindy Sterling, American actress
• July 13: Gil Birmingham, American actor
• July 20: Lee Garlington, American actress
• July 26: Lesli Linka Glatter, American director
• August 6: Valerie Wildman, American actress
• August 7: Lesley Nicol, English actress
• August 8: Don Most, American actor and singer
• August 9: Alf Humphreys, Canadian actor (died 2018)
• August 11: Hulk Hogan, American professional wrestler and occasional actor (died 2025)
• August 12: Selina Cadell, English actress
• August 13: Victor Colicchio, American actor, screenwriter, musician and songwriter
• August 14: James Horner, American composer (died 2015)
• August 16: Vincent Curatola, American actor
• August 18: Sergio Castellitto, Italian actor, director and screenwriter
• August 27: Peter Stormare, Swedish actor
• August 28: Dee Dee Rescher, American actress
• August 30: Robin Harris, American comedian and actor (died 1990)
• September 2: Keith Allen, British actor
• September 6:
  • Anne Lockhart, American actress
  • Patti Yasutake, American actress (died 2024)
• September 10: Amy Irving, American actress
• September 14: Robert Wisdom, American actor
• September 16:
  • Lenny Clarke, American comedian and actor
  • Kurt Fuller, American character actor
• September 18: Anna Thomson, American actress
• October 4:
  • Christopher Fairbank, English actor
  • Tchéky Karyo, Turkish-born French actor and musician (died 2025)
  • Kerry Sherman, American actress
• October 9:
  • Barbara March, Canadian actress (died 2019)
  • Tony Shalhoub, American actor
• October 11:
  • David Morse, American actor, singer, director and writer
  • Bill Randolph, American actor
• October 12: David Threlfall, English actor and director
• October 15: Larry Miller, American comedian, actor, news podcaster and columnist
• October 20: Bill Nunn, American actor (died 2016)
• October 26:
  • Roger Allam, British actor
  • Maureen Teefy, actress
• October 27:
  • Peter Firth, English actor
  • Robert Picardo, American actor
• October 30: Charles Martin Smith, American actor, writer and director
• October 31: Michael J. Anderson, actor
• November 3:
  • Kate Capshaw, American actress
  • Dennis Miller, American comedian and television host
• November 6: Ron Underwood, American director
• November 8: John Musker, American animator, director, screenwriter and producer
• November 13: Tom Villard, American actor (died 1993)
• November 18:
  • Kevin Nealon, American stand-up comedian and actor
  • Kath Soucie, American voice actress
• November 19: Robert Beltran, American actor
• November 20: Bembol Roco, Filipino actor
• November 23: George DelHoyo, Uruguayan-born American actor
• November 24: Glenn Withrow, American actor, director, producer and writer
• November 27:
  • Curtis Armstrong, American actor and singer
  • Mohammad Bakri, Palestinian actor and director (died 2025)
• November 28: Pamela Hayden, American actress and voice actress
• December 6:
  • Gina Hecht, American actress
  • Tom Hulce, American actor
  • Wil Shriner, American actor, comedian, director and screenwriter
• December 8:
  • Kim Basinger, American actress
  • Sam Kinison, American stand-up comedian (died 1992)
• December 9: John Malkovich, American actor
• December 11: Richard Carter, Australian actor and voice-over artist (died 2019)
• December 14: Vijay Amritraj, Indian sports commentator and actor
• December 17:
  • Barry Livingston, American actor
  • Sally Menke, American editor (died 2010)
  • Bill Pullman, American actor
• December 18:
  • Melanie Kinnaman, American dancer and actress
  • Jeff Kober, American actor
• December 22:
  • Jay Brazeau, Canadian actor
  • Gregor Fisher, Scottish comedian and actor
• December 23: John Callahan, actor (died 2020)
• December 24: Timothy Carhart, American actor
• December 28: James Foley, American director (died 2025)
• December 29: Charlayne Woodard, American playwright and actress
• December 31: James Remar, American actor

• January 19: Arthur Hoyt, 78, American actor, Her Private Affair, Goldie Gets Along
• February 2: Alan Curtis, 43, American actor, High Sierra, Buck Privates
• February 27: Jessie Coles Grayson, 66, African-American contralto and actress, Cass Timberlane
• March 5: Herman J. Mankiewicz, 55, American screenwriter, Citizen Kane, The Pride of the Yankees, Dinner at Eight, Man of the World
• March 19: Irene Bordoni, 68, Corsican-American actress and singer, Paris, Louisiana Purchase
• April 26: Rian James, 53, American screenwriter, 42nd Street, The Housekeeper's Daughter
• May 30: Dooley Wilson, 67, American actor, Casablanca, Stormy Weather
• June 5: Roland Young, 65, British actor, Topper, Ruggles of Red Gap, The Philadelphia Story, And Then There Were None
• June 27: Chris-Pin Martin, 59, American actor, The Gay Caballero, Ride on Vaquero, Robin Hood of Monterey, King of the Bandits
• June 30: Vsevolod Pudovkin, Soviet film director (born 1893)
• July 3: Irving Reis, 47, American director, The Big Street, All My Sons
• August 6
  • John Reinhardt, Austrian director, Sofia, Chicago Calling
  • Houseley Stevenson, American actor, Dark Passage, Kidnapped
• August 9: Henri Étiévant, French actor, director (born 1870)
• August 13: Paul Kemp, German actor (born 1896), Charley's Aunt
• August 17: Albert Austin, British actor and director (born 1882), Suds, A Prince of a King
• September 12: Lewis Stone, American actor (born 1879), Andy Hardy film series, The Prisoner of Zenda, Grand Hotel
• October 6: Porter Hall, American actor (born 1888), Double Indemnity, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Going My Way, Miracle on 34th Street
• October 8: Nigel Bruce, British actor (born 1895), Sherlock Holmes film series, Suspicion, Rebecca, The Rains Came, Treasure Island
• October 13: Millard Mitchell, American character actor (born 1903), Singin' in the Rain, Winchester '73, The Gunfighter, The Naked Spur, Twelve O'Clock High
• November 29: Sam De Grasse, Canadian actor (born 1875), Robin Hood, Blind Husbands
• December 29: Violet MacMillan, American actress (born 1887), The Magic Cloak of Oz, Violet's Dreams

• Claude Akins – From Here to Eternity
• Harry Andrews – The Red Beret
• Carroll Baker – Easy to Love
• Henry Beckman – Niagara
• Fanny Carby – Meet Mr. Lucifer
• Jeanne Cooper – The Redhead from Wyoming
• Kathryn Crosby – So This Is Love
• Richard Deacon – Invaders from Mars
• Carl Duering – Appointment in London
• Shirley Eaton – Personal Affair
• Anita Ekberg – The Mississippi Gambler
• Biff Elliot – I, the Jury
• Götz George – When the White Lilacs Bloom Again
• Leo Gordon – China Venture
• Lou Jacobi – Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary?
• David Kossoff – The Good Beginning
• Stanley Kubrick (director) – Fear and Desire
• Jan Malmsjö – Marianne
• Paul Mazursky – Fear and Desire
• Alec McCowen – The Cruel Sea
• Steve McQueen – Girl on the Run
• Jill Melford – Will Any Gentleman...?
• Nanette Newman – Personal Affair
• Geraldine Page – Hondo
• Lee Patterson – Malta Story
• Anthony Perkins – The Actress
• Marion Ross – Forever Female
• Bing Russell – Big Leaguer
• Romy Schneider – When the White Lilacs Bloom Again
• Harry Shearer – Abbott and Costello Go to Mars
• Joan Sims – Will Any Gentleman...?
• Mel Welles – Appointment in Honduras
• Billie Whitelaw – The Fake