List of Famous people who died in 1979

Hermann Arthur Jahn was an English scientist of German origin. With Edward Teller, he identified the Jahn–Teller effect.

Martin Berkeley was a Hollywood and television screenwriter who collaborated with the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in the 1950s by naming dozens of Hollywood artists as Communists or Communist sympathizers.

Jean Rhys, (; born Ella Gwendolyn Rees Williams, was a mid-20th-century novelist who was born and grew up in the Caribbean island of Dominica. From the age of 16, she was mainly resident in England, where she was sent for her education. She is best known for her novel Wide Sargasso Sea, written as a prequel to Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. In 1978, she was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her writing.

Gérard Loncke was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer. In 1932 he finished 4th place in the Tour de France.

Richard Huemer was an American animator in the Golden Age of Animation.

Kenneth Casey Robinson was an American producer and director of mostly B movies and a screenwriter responsible for some of Bette Davis' most revered films. Film critic Richard Corliss once described him as "the master of the art – or craft – of adaptation."

Antonio Centa was an Italian film actor.