Famous People Who Died in 1954

Discover the most famous people died who died in the year 1954. This list includes people like Frida Kahlo, Alan Turing, Henri Matisse, Robert Capa, Enrico Fermi and many more. This list of celebrities is loosely sorted by popularity. People featured on this list, include political leaders, artists, journalists and novelists who died in 1954. This list includes people from United States, France, Germany & Italy and many more countries.

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Frida Kahlo

(Mexican Painter Known for Her Brilliantly Coloured Self-Portraits)

Birthdate: July 6, 1907

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Coyoacán, Mexico City, Mexico

Died: July 13

Mexican painter, Frida Kahlo, was known for her many portraits and self-portraits. Her work is said to have been inspired by the nature, artifacts and popular culture of Mexico. Her work was not much known until the late 1970s, when it was rediscovered by art historians and political activists. By early 1990s, she became a recognized figure in art history.

Alan Turing

(English Mathematician Who is Considered as the Father of Theoretical Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence)

Birthdate: June 23, 1912

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Maida Vale, London, England

Died: June 7

Regarded as the father of computer science and artificial intelligence, Alan Turing was a distinguished mathematician and logician. During WWII, he successfully broke the challenging German Enigma machine codes thereby reducing the duration of war by a couple of years. The scientist, who was convicted for being gay, has been an inspiration for numerous films, plays and novels.

Henri Matisse

(French Visual Artist Known for His Paintings: ‘Woman with a Hat’, 'The Dance', and 'Red Room’)

Birthdate: December 31, 1869

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Le Cateau-Cambrésis, France

Died: November 3

Henri Matisse was a French artist. Although he was known for his skills as a painter, Matisse was also a renowned sculptor, printmaker, and draughtsman. Along with Picasso, Matisse is regarded as one of the artists who contributed immensely to the revolutionary developments in visual arts. His works also influenced other painters who would adopt a technique called intense colorism.

Lionel Barrymore

(Actor & Director Best Known for His Role as ‘Mr. Potter’ in the Film ‘It's a Wonderful Life’)

Birthdate: April 28, 1878

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Philadelphia

Died: November 15

One of the earliest members of the famous Barrymore family of actors, Lionel Barrymore remains best known for his portrayal of Mr. Potter in the 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life. Unlike many of his descendants, Barrymore also composed music. For his contribution to motion picture and radio, Barrymore was honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Enrico Fermi

(Italian Physicist, Nobel Laureate and Creator of the World's First Nuclear Reactor)

Birthdate: September 29, 1901

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Rome, Italy

Died: November 28

Italian physicist Enrico Fermi created the Chicago Pile-1, the world's first nuclear reactor. Known widely as the "architect of the atomic bomb," he was equally proficient in theoretical and experimental physics, and won the 1938 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on radioactivity and for discovering transuranium elements.

The French Angel

(French Professional Wrestler)

Birthdate: October 23, 1903

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Ural Mountains, Russia

Died: September 4

Maurice Tillet was a Russian professional wrestler. A two-time AWA World Heavyweight Champion, Tillet was a very successful and popular wrestler at that time. He even appeared as The Swedish Angel in the 1949 American fantasy film Mighty Joe Young. Maurice Tillet was posthumously inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012.

Colette

(Best Known for Her Novel 'Gigi')

Birthdate: January 28, 1873

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Saint-Sauveur-en-Puisaye, France

Died: August 3

Colette was a French author who received a nomination for the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948. She is remembered for her novella Gigi, which inspired the 1958 movie and the 1973 musical of the same name. Her life and work have inspired several films, including the 2018 biographical drama film Colette, where Keira Knightley played the title role.

Sydney Greenstreet

(Actor)

Birthdate: December 27, 1879

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Sandwich, Kent, England

Died: January 18

Height: 5'9" (175 cm)

Birthdate: October 22, 1913

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Budapest, Hungary

Died: May 25

Robert Capa was a Hungarian-American photojournalist and war photographer. Regarded as the greatest adventure and combat photographer of all time, Robert Capa is best remembered for covering five major wars, namely Second Sino-Japanese War, Spanish Civil War, World War II, First Indochina War, and the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. In 1947, he was honored with the prestigious Medal of Freedom.

Birthdate: October 20, 1874

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Danbury, Connecticut, United States

Died: May 19

Pierre S. du Pont

(Entrepreneur)

Birthdate: January 15, 1870

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Wilmington, Delaware, United States

Died: April 4

Pop Warner

(American Football coach)

Birthdate: April 5, 1871

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: New York, United States

Died: September 7

Agnes Macphail

(Member of Ontario Provincial Parliament (1943-45, 1948-51))

Birthdate: March 24, 1890

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Dundalk, Canada

Died: February 13

Birthdate: September 23, 1863

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Memphis, Tennessee, United States

Died: July 24

Mary Church Terrell was an African-American suffragist and civil rights activist. She was one of the first women of African-American heritage to earn a college degree. Terrell helped establish the National Association of Colored Women and served as its first president. Mary Church Terrell was made an inductee of the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2020.

Edwin Howard Armstrong

(American Electrical Engineer and Inventor, Who Developed FM Radio and the Superheterodyne Receiver System)

Birthdate: December 18, 1890

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Chelsea, New York, United States

Died: February 1

Edwin Howard Armstrong was an American inventor and electrical engineer. He is credited with developing the superheterodyne receiver system as well as the frequency modulation (FM) radio. During his illustrious career, Armstrong received several awards including the IEEE Medal of Honor, Franklin Medal, and Edison Medal. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1980.

Andre Derain

(French Artist, Painter, Sculptor and Co-founder of 'Fauvism')

Birthdate: June 10, 1880

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Garches, France

Died: September 8

Andre Derain is considered a co-founder of Fauvism, along with fellow artist Henri Matisse, who was one of his classmates at the Académie Carriere. He also created theatrical décor for Ballets Russes and woodcut book illustrations for authors such as Antonin Artaud and André Breton.

Claude Cahun

(French Photographer Known for Her Self-Portraits and Tableaux That Incorporated a Surrealist Style and Gender Fluidity)

Birthdate: October 25, 1894

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Nantes, France

Died: December 8

Claude Cahun was a French sculptor, surrealist photographer, and writer. He is best remembered for his work as a self-portraitist and writer. Apart from his primary career, Claude Cahun also played a major role in the Second World War, serving as a propagandist and resistance worker.

Birthdate: September 13, 1904

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Patten, Maine, U.S.

Died: December 8

Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Birthdate: July 19, 1884

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Claremont House, Surrey, England

Died: March 6

Charles Edward, a grandson of Queen Victoria, was the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, part of Germany, since age 13. Named a traitor for fighting in the German Army during World War II, he was stripped of his British wealth and charged with war crimes. He died a poor man.

Günther Quandt

(German industrialist who founded an industrial empire that today includes BMW and Altana (chemicals))

Birthdate: July 28, 1881

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Pritzwalk, Germany

Died: December 30

Grantland Rice

(Sports writer)

Birthdate: November 1, 1880

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Murfreesboro, Tennessee, United States

Died: July 13

Linda Lee Thomas

(American Socialite)

Birthdate: November 17, 1883

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Louisville, Kentucky, United States

Died: May 20

Alain LeRoy Locke

(American Writer and Philosophe)

Birthdate: September 13, 1886

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Died: June 9

Marguerite Steinheil

(Salonnière)

Birthdate: April 16, 1869

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Beaucourt, France

Died: July 17

Marguerite Steinheil was a French woman best remembered for having love affairs with prominent men, including President Félix Faure. Interestingly, it is said that Steinheil was involved in a sexual encounter with Félix Faure at the time of his death in 1899. Steinheil achieved notoriety after the incident; her character was portrayed in a TV series titled Paris Police 1900.

Viktor Abakumov

(Russian Minister of State Security 1946 to 1951)

Birthdate: April 24, 1908

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Moscow, Russia

Died: December 19

Dziga Vertov

(Soviet Documentary Filmmaker and Cinema Theorist)

Birthdate: January 2, 1896

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Białystok

Died: February 12

Dziga Vertov was a Soviet documentary filmmaker and cinema theorist. His theories and filming practices had a significant impact on the cinéma vérité style of documentary filmmaking. Dziga Vertov's independent and exploratory style of filmmaking inspired and influenced numerous filmmakers including Guy Debord.

Clyde Cessna

(Aviator)

Birthdate: December 5, 1879

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Montgomery County, Iowa, United States

Died: November 20

Auguste Perret

(French Architect)

Birthdate: February 12, 1874

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Ixelles, Belgium

Died: February 25

Auguste Perret was a French architect who developed the architectural use of reinforced concrete. Perret is credited with designing many important edifices like the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and Church of Notre-Dame du Raincy. In 1948, Perret was honored with the Royal Gold Medal and he won the AIA Gold Medal in 1952. He also influenced younger architects like Le Corbusier.

Oscar Charleston

(Former Baseball Player Center fielder)

Birthdate: October 14, 1896

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

Died: October 5

William Van Alen

(Architect)

Birthdate: August 10, 1883

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Brooklyn

Died: May 24

William Van Alen was an American architect best remembered for overseeing the design of the famous Chrysler Building in New York City. Many of his innovations, such as curved glass corner windows and storefront windows, went on to become a standard practice in American architecture. Van Alen Institute, an independent nonprofit architectural organization, is named in his honor.

James Hilton

(English Novelist and Screenwriter, Best Known for His Novels 'Lost Horizon', 'Goodbye', 'Mr. Chips' and 'Random Harvest')

Birthdate: September 9, 1900

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Leigh, United Kingdom

Died: December 20

James Hilton was an English novelist and screenwriter. Many of his books such as Lost Horizon, Knight Without Armour, We Are Not Alone, The Story of Dr. Wassell, and Rage in Heaven were adapted into films. A well-known screenwriter in Hollywood, James Hilton received the prestigious Academy Award for his work in Mrs. Miniver in 1942.

Aristides de Sousa Mendes

(Portuguese Consul During World War II)

Birthdate: July 19, 1885

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Cabanas de Viriato, Portugal

Died: April 3

Rabbit Maranville

(Baseball manager)

Birthdate: November 11, 1891

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Springfield, Massachusetts, United States

Died: January 6

Charles Albert Bender

(Baseball Player)

Birthdate: May 5, 1884

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Crow Wing County, Minnesota, United States

Died: May 22

Kalki Krishnamurthy

(Indian Writer and Journalist Who Founded a Magazine, Which Was Also Named Kalki)

Birthdate: September 9, 1899

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Manalmedu, Tamil Nadu, India

Died: December 5

Ramaswamy Krishnamurthy, better known by his pseudonym Kalki, is remembered for his immense contribution to Tamil literature, which included his short stories, novels, and novellas. His social novel Alai Osai won him a Sahitya Akademi award. He also used the pseudonym Karnatakam to write as a film and music critic.

Princess Margaret of Prussia

(Princess)

Birthdate: April 22, 1872

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: New Palace, Potsdam, Germany

Died: January 22

Seebohm Rowntree

(British Sociologist and Philanthropist Known for His Studies of Poverty and Welfare)

Birthdate: July 7, 1871

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: York, England

Died: October 7

Though he initially studied chemistry, Seebohm Rowntree soon joined his family cocoa business. He soon introduced employee-friendly policies, such as the 5-day work week and a pension plan, in the company. His pioneering study of working-class homes in York became an iconic sociological treatise on the poor.

Pudge Heffelfinger

(Football player)

Birthdate: December 20, 1867

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Died: April 2

Height: 6'3" (190 cm)

The French Angel

(French Professional Wrestler Who Was Twice World Heavyweight Champion)

Birthdate: October 23, 1903

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Ural Mountains, Russia

Died: September 4

Height: 5'9" (175 cm)

Princess Antonia of Luxembourg

(Princess)

Birthdate: October 7, 1899

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Schloss Hohenburg, Lenggries, Bavaria, Germany

Died: July 31

Iseult Gonne

(Poet)

Birthdate: August 6, 1894

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Paris, France

Died: March 22

Franz Josef Popp

(Engineer, Manager, Entrepreneur)

Birthdate: January 14, 1886

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Vienna

Died: July 29

One of the three men who founded the iconic automobile company BMW, Franz Josef Popp was an Austrian engineer. He spearheaded innovative projects such as the production of air-cooled radial engines. Though he later joined the Nazi Party, he was warned for allowing a Jewish doctor treat his family.

Birthdate: October 19, 1862

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Besançon, France

Died: April 10

Auguste Lumière was a French engineer, illusionist, industrialist, and biologist. Alongside his brother Louis Jean Lumière, Auguste is credited with inventing a projection device and animated photographic camera called the cinematograph, which attracted worldwide acclaim. He is also remembered for his innovations in military aircraft and his pioneering work in the use of X-rays.

Tom Tyler

(Actor)

Birthdate: August 9, 1903

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Port Henry, New York, United States

Died: May 1

Height: 6'2" (188 cm)

Jacinto Benavente

(One of the Foremost Spanish Dramatists of the 20th Century)

Birthdate: August 12, 1866

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Madrid, Spain

Died: July 14

Jacinto Benavente was one of the foremost Spanish dramatists of the 20th century. The son of a popular pediatrician, he developed an early interest in literature but was expected to pursue a more conventional professional. He began studying law but abandoned it to become a dramatist. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1922.

Jacques Fath

(Dominant influences on postwar haute couture)

Birthdate: September 6, 1912

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Maisons-Laffitte, France

Died: November 13

Hannes Meyer

(Swiss Architect)

Birthdate: November 18, 1889

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Basel

Died: July 19

Heinz Guderian

(German General During World War II and Inspector of Motorized Troops)

Birthdate: June 17, 1888

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Chełmno, Poland

Died: May 14

German military general Heinz Guderian was part of World War II and led the successful invasions of Poland and France. He was dismissed after the failed Operation Typhoon. He used the blitzkrieg approach and was in charge of training the panzer forces. He wrote a bestselling memoir, following the war.

Prince Ernst of Hohenberg

(Prince)

Birthdate: May 27, 1904

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: The Konopiste Castle, Benešov, Czechia

Died: March 5