Famous People Who Died in 1957

Discover the most famous people died who died in the year 1957. This list includes people like Humphrey Bogart, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Joseph McCarthy, Diego Rivera, John von Neumann and many more. This list of celebrities is loosely sorted by popularity. People featured on this list, include political leaders, novelists, journalists and artists who died in 1957. This list includes people from United States, Germany, Italy & United Kingdom and many more countries.

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 1 

Humphrey Bogart

(Best Known for His Roles in the Films: ‘Casablanca’, ‘The African Queen’ and ‘The Maltese Falcon’)

Birthdate: December 25, 1899

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: New York, New York, United States

Died: January 14

Humphrey Bogart is considered one of the greatest Hollywood actors and a legend. His filmography includes classics such as Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, To Have and Have Not, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, In a Lonely Place and The Caine Mutiny. He won Academy Award for Best Actor for the 1951 film The African Queen. 

 2 

Laura Ingalls Wilder

(American Author Known for Her Children's Book Series ‘Little House on the Prairie’)

Birthdate: February 7, 1867

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Pepin County, Wisconsin, United States

Died: February 10

Laura Ingalls Wilder authored the iconic Little House children’s book series, including the novel Little House on the Prairie, based on her family’s life in Wisconsin, which was later adapted for many stage and screen versions. She is also known for her autobiography, Pioneer Girl, and many posthumously published books.

 3 

John von Neumann

(Great Mathematician Who Were Equally at Home in Pure and Applied Mathematics)

Birthdate: December 28, 1903

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Budapest, Hungary

Died: February 8

Hungarian-American scientist John von Neumann contributed to the development of game theory and the concept of self-replication. His work covered vast areas including math, economics, physics, and computer science. His research on nuclear physics led him to be part of the advisory committee of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.

 4 

Oliver Hardy

(Actor)

Birthdate: January 18, 1892

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Harlem, Georgia, United States

Died: August 7

Height: 6'1" (185 cm)

Birthdate: January 21, 1905

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Granville

Died: October 23

Christian Dior was a French fashion designer. He is credited with founding Christian Dior, one of the world's top fashion houses, which is currently owned by Groupe Arnault. At the time of its founding, the clothes designed by Christian Dior revolutionized women's dress. The brand also re-established Paris as the fashion hub of the world after World War II.

 6 

Eliot Ness

(American Prohibition Agent Known for His Efforts to Bring Down Al Capone)

Birthdate: April 19, 1903

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States

Died: May 16

Eliot Ness led the group of American law-enforcement agents known as The Untouchables. He is remembered for enforcing the Prohibition in the U.S. and is considered responsible for bringing crime lord Al Capone to justice. He co-authored the book The Untouchables, which led to many screen adaptations.

 7 

Diego Rivera

(Mexican Painter Whose Large Frescoes Helped Establish the Mural Movement in Mexican and International Art )

Birthdate: December 13, 1886

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Guanajuato, Mexico

Died: November 25

Mexican painter Diego Rivera is best remembered for his association with the mural movement and had created masterpieces such as The History of Mexico and the Detroit Industry Murals. He was inspired by cubism and post-impressionism. He had married, divorced, and remarried Frida Kahlo, the third of his four wives.

Birthdate: August 31, 1907

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Iba, Zambales, Philippines

Died: March 17

Born to an artisan father, Ramon Magsaysay was initially a schoolteacher. He served as the president of the Philippines and successfully subdued the Huk movement of the local communist guerrillas. The Ramon Magsaysay Award, named after him, celebrates excellence of Asians in various fields such as journalism and government service.

 9 

Jean Sibelius

(Finnish Composer Known for His 'Seven Symphonies' and His Tone Poem 'Tapiola')

Birthdate: December 8, 1865

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Hämeenlinna, Finland

Died: September 20

Jean Sibelius was a Finnish violinist and composer. Widely regarded as Finland's greatest composer, Sibelius' music is credited with having kindled nationalism in Finland during the country's struggle for independence from Russia. His work has inspired other important composers like Douglas Lilburn. The International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition, which is held every five years, is named after him.

 10 

Richard E. Byrd

(American Naval Officer and Explorer Known for His Expedition of the Antarctic Plateau)

Birthdate: October 25, 1888

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Winchester, Virginia, United States

Died: March 11

American naval officer Richard E. Byrd is remembered for his pioneering expeditions to Antarctica, using airplanes. Though he was awarded a US Congressional Medal of Honor for completing the first flight over the North Pole, it was later revealed that he had returned when he was 150 miles away from the destination.

 11 

Louis B. Mayer

(Canadian-American Film Producer Who Co-Founded Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)

Birthdate: July 12, 1884

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Dymer, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Vyshhorod Raion, Kiev Oblast, Ukraine]

Died: October 29

Height: 5'6" (168 cm)

 12 

Pedro Infante

(Actor, Singer, Film actor, Carpenter)

Birthdate: November 18, 1917

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Mazatlán

Died: April 15

Once a matinee idol in Mexico, Pedro Infante is remembered for his blockbuster hits such as Nosotros los pobres and Los tres García. He loved flying planes, using the pseudonym Captain Cruz and eventually died in a plane crash. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Bear for his performance in Tizoc.

 13 

Friedrich Paulus

(German Field Marshal Best Known for Commanding the 6th Army During the Battle of Stalingrad)

Birthdate: September 23, 1890

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Guxhagen, Germany

Died: February 1

Friedrich Paulus was a German field marshal who played a major role in World War II. He is best remembered for his role in the Battle of Stalingrad, where he commanded the 6th Army. As German General Staff's deputy chief, he also helped plan Operation Barbarossa, the code name for the invasion of the Soviet Union.

 14 

Wilhelm Reich

(One of the Most Radical Figures in the History of Psychiatry)

Birthdate: March 24, 1897

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Dobryanychi, Ukraine

Died: November 3

Wilhelm Reich was an Austrian psychoanalyst and doctor of medicine. He is credited with shaping innovations like body psychotherapy, primal therapy, and Gestalt therapy. Also a writer, Reich's books like The Sexual Revolution and The Mass Psychology of Fascism influenced generations of intellectuals. Also a controversial figure, some of Wilhelm Reich's practices caused a disturbance in the psychoanalytic community.

Birthdate: February 19, 1876

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Hobita, Romania

Died: March 16

Constantin Brâncuși was a Romanian sculptor, painter, and photographer. A pioneer of modernism, he is considered one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th-century. The son of poor parents, he worked hard to fund his training at the Bucharest School of Fine Arts and became a skilled sculptor. He left behind 1200 photographs and 215 sculptures at his death. 

 16 

Nikos Kazantzakis

(One of the Most Important Figures of Modern Greek Literature, Best Known for His Work 'Zorba the Greek')

Birthdate: March 2, 1883

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Heraklion, Greece

Died: October 26

Nikos Kazantzakis was a Greek writer whose works earned him nine nominations for the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature. Regarded as a giant of modern Greek literature, Kazantzakis achieved international fame when his works, such as The Life And Times Of Alexis Zorba and The Last Temptation of Christ, were adapted into feature films. 

 17 

Peter Freuchen

(Danish Arctic Explorer, Author, Journalist and Anthropologist Who is Known for His Role in Arctic Exploration)

Birthdate: February 20, 1886

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Nykøbing Falster, Denmark

Died: September 2

While one of his existing photos shows him dressed in the fur of a polar bear he killed himself, Peter Freuchen was a man of many skills. With a towering 6’ 7” frame, he rode across the Arctic and also fought against the Nazis after losing a leg to frostbite. 

Birthdate: April 7, 1889

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Vicuña, Chile

Died: January 10

Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet and educator Lucila Godoy Alcayaga was better known by her pseudonym, Gabriela Mistral. The suicide of her first love inspired her poem Dolor. Her diplomatic assignments later took her to places such as Madrid and Lisbon. She is remembered for her emotional verses and her feminism.

 19 

Erich von Stroheim

(Actor Known for His Role as ‘Rauffenstein’ in ‘Jean Renoir’s la Grande Illusion')

Birthdate: September 22, 1885

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Vienna, Austria

Died: May 12

Erich von Stroheim was an Austrian-American actor, director, and producer. He was known for being a visionary who gained fame for his avant-garde film projects in the silent era. His film Greed is counted amongst the finest and most important films ever made. He was also a well-respected character actor and a recipient of the French Legion of Honour. 

 20 

Arturo Toscanini

(Conductor)

Birthdate: March 25, 1867

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Parma, Italy

Died: January 16

 21 

Jimmy Dorsey

(Musician)

Birthdate: February 29, 1904

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, United States

Died: June 12

Birthdate: June 13, 1893

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Oxford, England

Died: December 17

 23 

Julia Morgan

(American Architect and Engineer)

Birthdate: January 20, 1872

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: San Francisco, California, United States

Died: February 2

Julia Morgan was an American engineer and architect who is credited with designing over 700 buildings in California. She was the first woman to study at the Beaux-Arts de Paris and the first woman to be honored with the AIA Gold Medal, which was conferred upon her posthumously. She also received a posthumous induction into the California Hall of Fame.

 24 

Erich Wolfgang Korngold

(Composer, Conductor)

Birthdate: May 29, 1897

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Brünn, Moravia, Austria

Died: November 29

 25 

Carlos Castillo Armas

(Politician)

Birthdate: November 4, 1914

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Escuintla Department, Guatemala

Died: July 26

Birthdate: January 31, 1881

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States

Died: August 16

Irving Langmuir was an American physicist, chemist, and engineer. He is credited with popularizing the concentric theory of atomic structure. Irving Langmuir is also credited with inventing the hydrogen welding technique and the gas-filled incandescent lamp. In 1932, Langmuir won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his contribution to surface chemistry. He also won other prestigious awards like Faraday Medal.

Birthdate: August 15, 1896

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Prague, Czechia

Died: October 26

Austro-Hungarian-American biochemist Gerty Cori is best-known for discovering the course of catalytic conversion of glycogen with her husband Carl Ferdinand Cori for which they jointly won the 1947 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. With this Gerty became the third woman to win a Nobel in science and the first to win it in this category.

 28 

V. Gordon Childe

(Australian Archaeologist Known for Excavating 'Skara Brae’ Neolithic Settlement)

Birthdate: April 14, 1892

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Sydney, Australia

Died: October 19

V. Gordon Childe was an Australian archaeologist best remembered for his contribution to the study of European prehistory. One of the earliest supporters of culture-historical archaeology, Childe went on to become the first proponent of Marxist archaeology. He is regarded as one of the best-known and most revered archaeologists of the 20th century.

 29 

Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia

(Grand Duchess of Russia)

Birthdate: January 29, 1882

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia

Died: March 13

Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia was the youngest child of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia and Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Her marriage was arranged with Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark, and the wedding took place in 1902. The couple had three daughters. The duchess became involved in charity work later in life. 

 30 

Max Ophüls

(Film Director)

Birthdate: May 6, 1902

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Saarbrücken, Germany

Died: March 26

Height: 5'6" (168 cm)

 31 

Eugène Schueller

(Founder of L'Oréal)

Birthdate: March 20, 1881

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Paris, France

Died: August 23

Birthdate: May 25, 1884

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Liverpool, England

Died: October 3

 33 

James Whale

(Director, Actor)

Birthdate: July 22, 1889

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Worcestershire, England

Died: May 29

 34 

Larbi Ben M'hidi

(Algerian Nationalist Leader and a Co-Founder of the 'Front de Libération Nationale')

Birthdate: 1923 AD

Birthplace: Aïn M'lila, Algeria

Died: March 4

A co-founder of the Algerian nationalist political party Front de Libération Nationale, Larbi Ben M'hidi was a revolutionary leader who made a prominent contribution to the Algerian war of independence. He was eventually captured and executed by the French forces but is remembered as a national hero.

 35 

Dedan Kimathi

(Kenyan Military Leader and Revolutionary)

Birthdate: October 31, 1920

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Nyeri County, Kenya

Died: February 18

Dedan Kimathi was a Kenyan military leader and revolutionary. He is best remembered as the military leader of the Mau Mau rebellion. Kimathi led the armed military resistance against the British colonial regime that occupied Kenya in the 1950s. Today, Dedan Kimathi is recognized as a national hero and is revered for his struggle against British colonial rule in Kenya.

Birthdate: August 29, 1871

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: London, England

Died: March 28

Son of painter John Butler Yeats and brother of poet W. B. Yeats, Jack Butler Yeats was an Irish artist who included elements of Celtic mythology and landscapes in his art and thus redefined romanticism and nationalism following the Irish War of Independence. His later paintings drew from Expressionism.

 37 

James M. Cox

(Politician)

Birthdate: March 31, 1870

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Jacksonburg, Ohio, U.S.

Died: July 15

 38 

Gene Lockhart

(Known for His Appearances on Broadway)

Birthdate: July 18, 1891

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: London, Canada

Died: March 31

Gene Lockhart was a Canadian American actor, singer, playwright, and lyricist. Apart from acting, Lockhart also worked as a teacher at the Juilliard School of Music where he taught acting and stage technique. Two stars have been dedicated to Gene Lockhart on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to films and TV.

 39 

Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

(Italian Writer and the Last Prince of Lampedusa)

Birthdate: December 23, 1896

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Palermo, Italy

Died: July 23

Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa was an Italian writer best remembered as the last Prince of Lampedusa. Tomasi is quite popular for his novel The Leopard which was published posthumously in 1958. His life and career inspired a docufilm titled Die Geburt des Leoparden which was directed by Luigi Falorni and screened at the 14th Rome Film Festival.

 40 

Gichin Funakoshi

(Karateka)

Birthdate: November 10, 1868

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Shuri, Naha, Okinawa, Japan

Died: April 26

 41 

Prince George of Greece and Denmark

(Second son and child of George I of Greece and Olga Konstantinovna of Russia)

Birthdate: June 24, 1869

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Mon Repos Estate, Corfu, Greece

Died: November 25

Birthdate: April 15, 1874

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Freihung

Died: June 21

Johannes Stark was a German physicist who discovered the phenomenon that came to be known as the Stark effect. For this work, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1919. A supporter of Adolf Hitler, he was a main figure in the anti-Semitic Deutsche Physik movement. He was found guilty by a denazification court in 1947.

 43 

František Kupka

(Artist)

Birthdate: September 23, 1871

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Opočno, Czech Republic

Died: June 24

 44 

Ernest Oppenheimer

(Diamond and Gold Mining Entrepreneur Who Controlled the 'De Beers' Group)

Birthdate: May 22, 1880

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Friedberg, Germany

Died: November 25

Born to a cigar merchant in Germany, Ernest Oppenheimer went to South Africa as a representative of a diamond brokerage company and ended up becoming the mayor of Kimberley. He later established himself as a leading financier, who chaired De Beers and co-founded the Anglo American Corporation.

 45 

Archduke Joseph Francis of Austria

(Archduke)

Birthdate: March 28, 1895

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Brno, Czechia

Died: September 25

 46 

Musidora

(Actress)

Birthdate: February 23, 1889

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Paris, France

Died: December 11

 47 

Sacha Guitry

(Actor, screenwriter, playwright, and director who appeared in the hits Un Beau mariage, Le Prise de Berg-op-Zoom, and La Pèlerine écossaise.)

Birthdate: February 21, 1885

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia

Died: July 24

 48 

Roy Campbell

(Poet)

Birthdate: October 2, 1901

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Durban, South Africa

Died: April 23

 49 

Mamoru Shigemitsu

(Former Deputy Prime Minister of Japan (1954 - 1956))

Birthdate: July 29, 1887

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Bungoono, Oita, Japan

Died: January 26

Mamoru Shigemitsu had been the foreign minister and the deputy prime minister of Japan and an ambassador to several countries. He ratified Japan’s surrender to the Allies after World War II, following which he was convicted of war crimes. Hereceived a 7-year sentence but was paroled after 4 years.

 50 

Princess Elisabeth Marie of Bavaria

(Princess)

Birthdate: January 8, 1874

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: München, Königreich Bayern, Germany

Died: March 4