List of Famous people who died in 1996

Nicholas Louis "Nick" Bissell Jr. was the county prosecutor of Somerset County, New Jersey who fled to Laughlin, Nevada, and killed himself after being charged with embezzlement, tax fraud and abuse of power.

Barbara Charline Jordan was an American lawyer, educator and politician who was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. A Democrat, she was the first African American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction and the first Southern African-American woman elected to the United States House of Representatives. She was best known for her eloquent opening statement at the House Judiciary Committee hearings during the impeachment process against Richard Nixon, and as the first African-American as well as the first woman to deliver a keynote address at the 1976 Democratic National Convention. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, among numerous other honors. She was a member of the Peabody Awards Board of Jurors from 1978 to 1980. She was the first African-American woman to be buried in the Texas State Cemetery. Jordan's work as chair of the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform, which recommended reducing legal immigration by about one-third, is frequently cited by American immigration restrictionists.

José Datrino, known as prophet Gentileza was a Brazilian urban personality, kind of a preacher, who became known from 1980 by making quirky inscriptions under an overpass in Rio de Janeiro, where he walked in a white robe and long beard. "Gentileza gera gentileza" is his most famous phrase.

Akiji Kobayashi , sometimes credited as Shōji Kobayashi or Issei Mori, was a Japanese actor. He attended Nihon University College of Art, but withdrew before completing his degree and joined the Haiyuza Theatre Company in 1949. He made his film debut with Satsujin Yogisha in 1952.

Ruslan Labazanov (1967–1996) was a notorious crime boss and head of the Russian supported Anti-Dudayev faction in the First Chechen War.

Claus Holm was a German film actor. He appeared in 50 films between 1943 and 1979. He was born in Bochum, Germany and died in Berlin, Germany.

Julián Mateos was a Spanish actor and film producer. He appeared in 48 films and television shows between 1960 and 1980. He starred in the film The Robbers, which was entered into the 12th Berlin International Film Festival.

Annabella was a French cinema actress who appeared in 46 films between 1927 and 1952, including some Hollywood films during the late 1930s and 1940s.

María Lucila Beltrán Ruiz, better known as Lola Beltrán, was a Mexican singer, actress, and television presenter.

Chiang Hsiao-yung was a politician of the Republic of China.