List of Famous people who died at 78

Imre Polyák was a featherweight Greco-Roman wrestler from Hungary. He competed in the 1952, 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympics and won three silver and one gold medal. He won the world title in 1955, 1958 and 1962, and placed second in 1961 and 1963. Nationally Polyák won 12 Hungarian titles and was named Sportsman of the Year in 1958 and 1962.

Walter David Jones CH, CBE was a painter and one of the first-generation British modernist poets. As a painter he worked chiefly in watercolour, on portraits and animal, landscape, legendary and religious subjects. He was also a wood-engraver and inscription designer. As a writer he was considered by T. S. Eliot to be of major importance, while his work The Anathemata was seen by W. H. Auden to be the best long poem written in English in the 20th century. Help in forming his work came from his Christian beliefs and Welsh heritage.

Johnny Speight was an English television scriptwriter of many classic British sitcoms.

Joseph Janni was a British film producer best known for his work with John Schlesinger. He was born into a Jewish family in Milan, Italy and became interested in filmmaking while at university. He emigrated to England in 1939, and once Italy declared war against England was briefly interned in Metropole Camp on the Isle of Man. He soon became involved in the British film industry and worked his way up to producer. He produced the first films of John Schlesinger and Ken Loach.

Richard Schröder was an SS-Unterscharführer and member of staff at Auschwitz concentration camp. He was prosecuted at the Auschwitz Trial.

Jean-Claude Antonini was a French politician who served as mayor of Angers between 1998 and 2012. He died from cancer on 8 February 2019 at the age of 78.