# Before 1925 in television

This is a list of television-related events that occurred prior to 1925.

## Global television events

| Year | Event |
| 1873 | Willoughby Smith discovers the photoconductivity of the element selenium. This results in the invention of the photoelectric cell. |
| 1877 | George R. Carey of Boston creates a selenium telectroscope—a camera that could project a moving image to a distant point. The telectroscope is the first television prototype. |
| 1880 | Proposals to transmit images by rapidly scanning them in succession are made independently by William E. Sawyer of the United States and Maurice Leblanc of France. |
| 1884 | Paul Nipkow invents the Nipkow disk, a means of scanning an image mechanically. This method is later used for mechanical television experiments. |
| 1890 | Henry Sutton Telephane 1885 (mechanical television) designs published. |
| 1895 | Noah S. Amstutz demonstrates the transmission of photographic halftone images by electric telegraphy. |
| 1897 | Karl Ferdinand Braun invents the cathode-ray tube, using it as an oscilloscope. |
| 1900 | The word "television" is coined by Constantin Perskyi on August 18 at the First International Electricity Congress in Paris. |
| 1907 | Boris Rosing transmits silhouette images of geometric shapes, using a Nipkow disc, mirror-drum and a cathode-ray tube receiver. |
| 1908 | In his letter to Nature, Alan Campbell-Swinton describes the modern electronic camera and display system which others are to develop throughout the 1920s. |
| 1921 | Charles Francis Jenkins with a group of friends incorporates Jenkins Laboratories in Washington, D.C., with the purpose of "developing radio movies to be broadcast for entertainment in the home". |
| 1922 | Charles Jenkins' first public demonstration of television principles. A set of static photographic pictures is transmitted from Washington, D.C., to the Navy station NOF in Anacostia by telephone wire, and then wirelessly back to Washington. |
| 1922 | Philo Farnsworth first describes an image dissector tube, which uses caesium to produce images electronically, but will not produce a working model until 1927. |
| 1923 | Charles Jenkins first demonstrates "true" television with moving images. This time 48-line moving silhouette images are transmitted at 16 frames per second from Washington to Anacostia Navy station. |
| 1923 | Vladimir Zworykin applies for patent for an all-electronic television system, the first ancestor of the electric scanning television camera. The patent is not granted until 1938 after significant revisions and patent interference actions. |
| 1924 | John Logie Baird demonstrates a semi-mechanical television system with the transmission of moving silhouette images in England. |
| 1924 | Vladimir Zworykin files a patent application for the kinescope, a television picture receiver tube. |

## Births

* Still living

### Births (before 1900)

| Date | Name | Notability |
| September 4, 1855 | Henry Sutton | Australian designer of mechanical scanning television (died 1912) |
| August 22, 1867 | Charles Francis Jenkins | American inventor and promoter of mechanical scanning television (died 1934) |
| April 23, 1869 | Boris Rosing | Russian pioneer of television technology (died 1933) |
| November 22, 1874 | Elizabeth Patterson | American actress (I Love Lucy) (died 1966) |
| July 21, 1882 | Dr. Herbert Ives | American television researcher, leader of the AT&T television research during the 1920s–1930s (died 1953) |
| February 8, 1884 | Burt Mustin | American actor (All in the Family) (died 1977) |
| November 9, 1886 | Ed Wynn | American actor and comedian (The Ed Wynn Show) (died 1966) |
| January 16, 1887 | John Hamilton | American actor (Adventures of Superman) (died 1958) |
| February 26, 1887 | William Frawley | American actor (I Love Lucy, My Three Sons) (died 1966) |
| August 14, 1888 | John Logie Baird | British pioneer of television technology (d. 1946) |
| January 7, 1889 | H. R. Baukhage | American journalist and broadcaster (d. 1976) |
| July 20, 1889 | John Reith, 1st Baron Reith | First Director-General of the BBC (d. 1971) |
| July 30, 1889 | Vladimir Zworykin | American pioneer of television technology (died 1982) |
| August 28, 1891 | Stanley Andrews | American actor (Death Valley Days) (died 1969) |
| January 26, 1892 | Zara Cully | American actress (The Jeffersons) (died 1978) |
| February 14, 1894 | Jack Benny | American actor (The Jack Benny Program) (died 1974) |
| March 6, 1894 | Clifford Roberts | American dealer (died 1977) |
| August 21, 1895 | Blossom Rock | American actress (The Addams Family) (died 1978) |
| January 7, 1896 | Arnold Ridley | British actor and playwright (Dad's Army) (died 1984) |
| November 4, 1896 | Ian Wolfe | Actor (died 1992) |
| May 25, 1898 | Bennett Cerf | American publisher and game show panelist (What's My Line?) (died 1971) |
| August 30, 1898 | Shirley Booth | American actress (Hazel) (died 1992) |
| September 1, 1898 | Violet Carson | British actress and radio performer (Coronation Street) (died 1983) |

### Births (1900–1909)

| Date | Name | Notability |
| October 4, 1900 | Robert Shayne | American actor (Adventures of Superman) (died 1992) |
| November 13, 1900 | Worthington Miner | American actor (died 1982) |
| December 6, 1900 | Agnes Moorehead | American actress (Bewitched) (died 1974) |
| March 27, 1901 | Carl Barks | American animator (creator of Scrooge McDuck) (died 2000) |
| July 1, 1901 | Irna Phillips | American writer (creator of early soap opera) (died 1973) |
| July 14, 1901 | George Tobias | American actor (Bewitched) (died 1980) |
| September 28, 1901 | Ed Sullivan | American television host (The Ed Sullivan Show) (died 1974) |
| September 28, 1901 | William S. Paley | American businessman (died 1990) |
| December 5, 1901 | Walt Disney | American animator (died 1966) |
| March 17, 1902 | Bobby Jones | American golfer (died 1971) |
| April 27, 1902 | Harry Stockwell | American actor (died 1984) |
| October 10, 1902 | Charles Lloyd-Pack | English actor (died 1983) |
| October 17, 1902 | Irene Ryan | American actress (The Beverly Hillbillies) (died 1973) |
| December 14, 1902 | Frances Bavier | American actress (Aunt Bee on The Andy Griffith Show) (died 1989) |
| December 25, 1902 | Barton MacLane | American actor (I Dream of Jeannie) (died 1969) |
| May 29, 1903 | Bob Hope | British-American movie, television, radio and vaudeville actor, writer and producer (Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre) (died 2003) |
| September 17, 1903 | Dolores Costello | American actress (died 1979) |
| March 1, 1904 | Paul Hartman | American dancer and actor (The Andy Griffith Show, Mayberry R.F.D.) (died 1973) |
| June 17, 1904 | Ralph Bellamy | American stage, movie and television actor (Man Against Crime) (died 1991) |
| July 5, 1904 | Don Goddard | Radio and television announcer (died 1994) |
| January 26, 1905 | Charles Lane | American actor (Petticoat Junction) (died 2007) |
| January 27, 1905 | Howard McNear | American actor (Floyd Lawson on The Andy Griffith Show) (died 1969) |
| May 16, 1905 | Henry Fonda | American actor (died 1982) |
| September 18, 1905 | Eddie Anderson | American actor (The Jack Benny Program) (died 1977) |
| October 4, 1905 | Leslie Mitchell | British announcer (died 1985) |
| February 6, 1906 | John Carradine | American actor (died 1988) |
| February 20, 1906 | Gale Gordon | American actor (The Lucy Show) (died 1995) |
| March 29, 1906 | Anthony W. Marshall | American television producer (died 1999) |
| April 4, 1906 | Bea Benaderet | American actress (The Flintstones) (died 1968) |
| April 4, 1906 | John Cameron Swayze | American anchorman (Camel News Caravan) (died 1995) |
| April 22, 1906 | Eddie Albert | American actor (Green Acres, Switch) (died 2005) |
| August 19, 1906 | Philo Farnsworth | American inventor credited with the invention of the cathode-ray tube television (died 1971) |
| January 6, 1907 | Helen Kleeb | American actress (The Waltons) (died 2003) |
| February 12, 1907 | Joseph Kearns | American actor (Dennis the Menace) (died 1962) |
| February 26, 1907 | Dub Taylor | American actor (died 1994) |
| March 16, 1907 | Frances Fuller | American actress (died 1980) |
| May 22, 1907 | Cecil McGivern | British broadcasting executive; controller of BBC Television from 1950 to 1957 (died 1963) |
| August 7, 1907 | Joe Besser | American actor (died 1988) |
| August 20, 1907 | Alan Reed | American actor (voice of Fred Flintstone on The Flintstones) (died 1977) |
| September 29, 1907 | Gene Autry | American music performer (The Gene Autry Show), and founder of the Los Angeles Angels MLB franchise (died 1998) |
| October 20, 1907 | Arlene Francis | American actress and game show panelist (What's My Line?) (died 2001) |
| January 8, 1908 | William Hartnell | British actor; the original Doctor Who in the 1960s (died 1975) |
| January 30, 1908 | Richard Hearne | British comic performer ("Mr Pastry") (died 1979) |
| February 13, 1908 | Pauline Frederick | American journalist (died 1990) |
| February 14, 1908 | Lennie Hayton | American composer (died 1971) |
| February 28, 1908 | Billie Bird | American radio, film, television and vaudeville actress (Dear John) (died 2002) |
| April 2, 1908 | Buddy Ebsen | American actor (The Beverly Hillbillies) (died 2003) |
| April 30, 1908 | Eve Arden | American actress (Our Miss Brooks) (died 1990) |
| May 10, 1908 | Neva Carr Glyn | Actress (died 1975) |
| June 18, 1908 | Bud Collyer | American radio actor and announcer and game show host (died 1969) |
| July 12, 1908 | Milton Berle | American actor (Texaco Star Theater) (died 2002) |
| July 31, 1908 | Bill Shadel | American news anchor (died 2005) |
| August 27, 1908 | Lyndon B. Johnson | American president (died 1973) |
| October 6, 1908 | Carole Lombard | American actress (died 1942) |
| December 14, 1908 | Morey Amsterdam | American actor (The Dick Van Dyke Show) (died 1996) |
| December 21, 1908 | Pat Weaver | American broadcasting executive (died 2002) |
| February 2, 1909 | Frank Albertson | American actor (died 1964) |
| February 16, 1909 | Hugh Beaumont | American actor (Leave it to Beaver) (died 1982) |
| March 18, 1909 | Henry Longhurst | Golf writer (died 1978) |
| May 1, 1909 | Elmer Balaban | American theater owner and early cable television provider (died 2001) |
| May 13, 1909 | Mae Laborde | American actress (died 2012) |
| July 26, 1909 | Vivian Vance | American actress (I Love Lucy) (died 1979) |
| November 11, 1909 | Paul Shannon | Pittsburgh radio and television announcer (died 1990) |

### Births (1910–1919)

| Date | Name | Notability |
| January 23, 1910 | Django Reinhardt | Composer (died 1953) |
| May 15, 1910 | Michael Barry | British television producer and executive; Head of Drama at BBC television from 1952 to 1962 (died 1988) |
| May 22, 1910 | Johnny Olson | American radio and television announcer (The New Price Is Right) (died 1985) |
| May 28, 1910 | Thora Hird | English comic actress (Last of the Summer Wine, Talking Heads) (died 2003) |
| June 10, 1910 | Red Foley | American singer (died 1968) |
| June 13, 1910 | Mary Wickes | American actress (Father Dowling Mysteries) (died 1995) |
| August 22, 1910 | Lesley Woods | American actress (died 2003) |
| October 23, 1910 | Hayden Rorke | American actor (I Dream of Jeannie) (died 1987) |
| February 6, 1911 | Ronald Reagan | American actor and president (General Electric Theater) (died 2004) |
| February 13, 1911 | Jean Muir | American actress (died 1996) |
| March 5, 1911 | Joseph Tomelty | Irish actor (died 1995) |
| March 13, 1911 | Marie Rudisill | American television personality (The Fruitcake Lady from The Tonight Show with Jay Leno) (died 2006) |
| May 6, 1911 | Frank Nelson | American actor (died 1986) |
| July 7, 1911 | Gretchen Franklin | British actress (EastEnders) (died 2005) |
| August 6, 1911 | Lucille Ball | American comic actress (I Love Lucy) (died 1989) |
| October 23, 1911 | Martha Rountree | American broadcast journalist (Meet the Press) (died 1999) |
| November 5, 1911 | Roy Rogers | American singer and actor (The Roy Rogers Show) (died 1998) |
| December 10, 1911 | Chet Huntley | American anchorman (The Huntley-Brinkley Report) (died 1974) |
| January 7, 1912 | Charles Addams | American cartoonist (created The Addams Family) (died 1988) |
| January 8, 1912 | José Ferrer | American actor (died 1992) |
| February 4, 1912 | Byron Nelson | American golfer (died 2006) |
| March 14, 1912 | Les Brown | British actor (Dad's Army) (died 1983) |
| March 16, 1912 | Pat Nixon | 37th first lady of the United States (died 1993) |
| March 18, 1912 | Art Gilmore | American actor (Dragnet, Adam-12) (died 2010) |
| April 5, 1912 | John Le Mesurier | American jazz musician (died 2001) |
| July 23, 1912 | Michael Wilding | Actor (died 1979) |
| September 8, 1912 | Leo Cherne | American economist (died 1999) |
| September 20, 1912 | Ron Cochran | American television news journalist (died 1994) |
| October 31, 1912 | Dale Evans | American singer and actress (The Roy Rogers Show) (died 2001) |
| November 23, 1912 | George O'Hanlon | American film and voice actor (voice of George Jetson on The Jetsons) (died 1989) |
| November 26, 1912 | Eric Sevareid | American CBS news journalist (died 1992) |
| November 27, 1912 | Connie Sawyer | American actress (died 2018) |
| December 22, 1912 | Lady Bird Johnson | 36th first lady of the United States (died 2007) |
| January 9, 1913 | Richard Nixon | American president (died 1994) |
| January 28, 1913 | Maurice Gosfield | American actor (The Phil Silvers Show) (died 1964) |
| February 25, 1913 | Jim Backus | American actor (Gilligan's Island, Mr. Magoo) (died 1989) |
| April 3, 1913 | David Markham | Actor (died 1983) |
| April 10, 1913 | Bill Burns | Anchor (died 1997) |
| May 13, 1913 | Jasmine Bligh | British presenter; one of the first BBC Television Service presenters of the 1930s (died 1991) |
| May 25, 1913 | Richard Dimbleby | British journalist (BBC), commentator on state events, and presenter of current affairs programmes such as Panorama (died 1965) |
| June 13, 1913 | Ralph Edwards | American host (died 2005) |
| July 3, 1913 | Dorothy Kilgallen | American journalist and game show panelist (What's My Line?) (died 1965) |
| July 13, 1913 | Dave Garroway | American journalist (The Today Show) (died 1982) |
| July 14, 1913 | Gerald Ford | American president (died 2006) |
| August 18, 1913 | Bryson Rash | American journalist (died 1992) |
| August 25, 1913 | Don DeFore | American actor (The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Hazel) (died 1993) |
| January 5, 1914 | George Reeves | American actor (Adventures of Superman) (died 1959) |
| February 20, 1914 | John Charles Daly | American news journalist and game show host (What's My Line?) (died 1991) |
| March 13, 1914 | Olaf Pooley | Actor (died 2015) |
| March 15, 1914 | Joe E. Ross | American actor (The Phil Silvers Show, Car 54, Where Are You?) (died 1982) |
| March 27, 1914 | Budd Schulberg | American screenwriter (died 2009) |
| March 30, 1914 | Stuart Novins | American journalist (died 1989) |
| April 1, 1914 | Pete Carpenter | American arranger (died 1987) |
| April 14, 1914 | Richard S. Salant | CBS executive (died 1993) |
| April 23, 1914 | Harry Crane | Writer (died 1999) |
| May 12, 1914 | Howard K. Smith | American anchorman (ABC Evening News) (died 2002) |
| June 25, 1914 | Mavis Pugh | British character actress (You Rang, M'Lord?) (died 2006) |
| July 6, 1914 | Vincent J. McMahon | American professional wrestling promoter (died 1984) |
| August 31, 1914 | Richard Basehart | American actor (died 1984) |
| September 18, 1914 | Harry Townes | American actor (The Fugitive) (died 2001) |
| October 26, 1914 | Jackie Coogan | American actor (The Addams Family) (died 1984) |
| October 30, 1914 | Anna Wing | British actress (EastEnders) (died 2013) |
| November 8, 1914 | Norman Lloyd | American actor, director, and producer (Alfred Hitchcock Presents, St. Elsewhere) (died 2021) |
| December 2, 1914 | Ray Walston | American actor (My Favorite Martian, Fast Times) (died 2001) |
| December 26, 1914 | Geoffrey Lumsden | British character actor (Dad's Army) (died 1984) |
| January 5, 1915 | John Tate | Australian actor (died 1979) |
| January 12, 1915 | Martin Agronsky | American journalist (died 1999) |
| January 14, 1915 | Mark Goodson | American television producer (died 1992) |
| January 19, 1915 | Babette Henry | American television director (died 1980) |
| January 31, 1915 | Garry Moore | American game series host and television personality (I've Got a Secret) (died 1993) |
| February 1, 1915 | Art Balinger | American actor (Dragnet 1967, Adam-12) (died 2011) |
| February 12, 1915 | Lorne Greene | American actor (Bonanza) (died 1987) |
| February 19, 1915 | Dick Emery | English comic actor (The Dick Emery Show) (died 1983) |
| April 10, 1915 | Harry Morgan | American actor (Dragnet, M*A*S*H) (died 2011) |
| May 30, 1915 | Frank Blair | American journalist (died 1995) |
| September 14, 1915 | Roy Wood Sr. | American host (died 1995) |
| September 22, 1915 | Arthur Lowe | British actor (Coronation Street, Dad's Army) (died 1982) |
| October 30, 1915 | Fred W. Friendly | American president of CBS News (died 1998) |
| November 2, 1915 | Sidney Luft | American actor (died 2005) |
| December 22, 1915 | Barbara Billingsley | American actress (Leave it to Beaver, Muppet Babies) (died 2010) |
| January 27, 1916 | Merrill Mueller | American journalist (died 1980) |
| January 29, 1916 | Bill Lawrence | American journalist (died 1972) |
| February 14, 1916 | Edward Platt | American actor (Get Smart) (died 1974) |
| February 26, 1916 | Jackie Gleason | American actor (The Honeymooners, The Jackie Gleason Show) (died 1987) |
| February 29, 1916 | Dinah Shore | American actress (died 1994) |
| March 6, 1916 | Virginia Gregg | American actress (Calvin and the Colonel, Dragnet) (died 1986) |
| March 17, 1916 | Patricia Kennedy | Australian actress (died 2012) |
| March 31, 1916 | Lucille Bliss | American actress (The Smurfs, Invader Zim) (died 2012) |
| April 4, 1916 | David White | American actor (Bewitched) (died 1990) |
| April 26, 1916 | Vic Perrin | American voice actor (The Outer Limits, Hanna-Barbera cartoons) (died 1989) |
| May 14, 1916 | Del Moore | American actor (Life with Elizabeth, Bachelor Father, Dragnet 1967) (died 1970) |
| July 11, 1916 | Reg Varney | English comedy actor (The Rag Trade, On the Buses) (died 2008) |
| July 23, 1916 | Sandra Gould | American actress (Bewitched) (died 1999) |
| July 31, 1916 | Bill Todman | American television producer (died 1979) |
| August 24, 1916 | Hal Smith | American actor (The Andy Griffith Show) (died 1994) |
| October 13, 1916 | Johnny Stearns | American actor and producer (Mary Kay and Johnny, The Tonight Show) (died 2001) |
| November 4, 1916 | Walter Cronkite | American anchorman (CBS Evening News) (died 2009) |
| February 6, 1917 | Zsa Zsa Gabor | Actress (died 2016) |
| February 8, 1917 | Jack Drees | Sportscaster (died 1988) |
| March 2, 1917 | Desi Arnaz | Cuban-born performer (I Love Lucy) (died 1986) |
| March 30, 1917 | Herbert Anderson | American actor (Dennis the Menace) (died 1994) |
| April 2, 1917 | Dabbs Greer | American actor (The Fugitive, Little House on the Prairie) (died 2007) |
| April 16, 1917 | Barry Nelson | American actor (Climax!) (died 2007) |
| May 16, 1917 | George Gaynes | Finnish-born American actor (Punky Brewster, The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd) (died 2016) |
| May 21, 1917 | Raymond Burr | Canadian actor (Perry Mason, Ironside) (died 1993) |
| May 29, 1917 | John F. Kennedy | American president (died 1963); his performance in the first presidential debates and assassination are among the most important events in television history. |
| June 7, 1917 | Dean Martin | American actor, singer (The Dean Martin Show) (died 1995) |
| June 9, 1917 | McDonald Hobley | British continuity announcer (BBC Television) (died 1987) |
| June 10, 1917 | Lena Horne | Actress (died 2010) |
| July 10, 1917 | Don Herbert | American television host (Watch Mr. Wizard) (died 2007) |
| July 14, 1917 | Douglas Edwards | American anchorman (CBS Evening News) (died 1990) |
| August 24, 1917 | Dennis James | Game show host (died 1997) |
| August 29, 1917 | Isabel Sanford | Actress (died 2004) |
| September 4, 1917 | Hilary Mason | British actress (Maid Marian and her Merry Men) (died 2006) |
| September 29, 1917 | Chandler Cowles | Actor (died 1997) |
| October 16, 1917 | Alice Pearce | American actress (Bewitched) (died 1966) |
| October 28, 1917 | Jack Soo | Japanese-American actor (Barney Miller) (died 1979) |
| December 17, 1917 | Elyse Knox | American actress (died 2012) |
| December 22, 1917 | Gene Rayburn | American television personality (Match Game, The Tonight Show) (died 1999) |
| February 15, 1918 | Allan Arbus | American actor (M*A*S*H) (died 2013) |
| February 22, 1918 | Don Pardo | American television announcer (Saturday Night Live) (died 2014) |
| March 12, 1918 | Frank Overton | Actor (died 1967) |
| March 21, 1918 | Arturo Castro | Actor (died 1975) |
| March 25, 1918 | Howard Cosell | American television personality (The Tonight Show) (died 1995) |
| April 7, 1918 | William Eythe | American actor (died 1957) |
| April 8, 1918 | Betty Ford | 38th first lady of the United States (died 2011) |
| May 1, 1918 | Jack Paar | American television personality (The Tonight Show) (died 2004) |
| May 9, 1918 | Mike Wallace | American anchorman (60 Minutes) (died 2012) |
| June 30, 1918 | Isobel Barnett | British broadcast personality (What's My Line?) (suicide 1980) |
| July 26, 1918 | Stacy Harris | American actor (Dragnet, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) (died 1973) |
| August 7, 1918 | Jane Adams | American actress (died 2014) |
| August 7, 1918 | Hutton Gibson | American writer (died 2020) |
| September 14, 1918 | Bill Hanrahan | American announcer (died 1996) |
| November 4, 1918 | Art Carney | American actor (The Honeymooners) (died 2003) |
| November 7, 1918 | Billy Graham | American televangelist (died 2018) |
| December 2, 1918 | Milton DeLugg | American bandleader and composer (Broadway Open House, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade) (died 2015) |
| December 19, 1918 | Lee Rich | American film and television producer (died 1976) |
| December 27, 1918 | Paul Gilbert | American actor (died 1976) |
| January 1, 1919 | Carole Landis | American actress (died 1948) |
| January 13, 1919 | Robert Stack | American actor (The Untouchables, Unsolved Mysteries) (died 2003) |
| January 14, 1919 | Andy Rooney | American writer (died 2011) |
| February 11, 1919 | Eva Gabor | Hungarian actress (Green Acres) (died 1995) |
| March 12, 1919 | Frank Campanella | Actor (died 2006) |
| March 19, 1919 | Nat King Cole | Actor (died 1965) |
| May 4, 1919 | John Hope | American meteorologist (The Weather Channel), named Hurricane Camille for his daughter (died 2002) |
| June 12, 1919 | Uta Hagen | American actress (died 2004) |
| June 17, 1919 | Ray Scott | American sportcaster (died 1998) |
| June 18, 1919 | Mel Brandt | American actor (died 2008) |
| August 19, 1919 | Philip Perlman | American actor (died 2015) |
| September 4, 1919 | Howard Morris | American actor (The Andy Griffith Show) (died 2005) |
| September 28, 1919 | Tom Harmon | American actor (died 1990) |
| October 14, 1919 | Shaun Sutton | British writer, director, and producer; longest-serving Head of Drama at BBC Television (died 2004) |
| November 4, 1919 | Shirley Mitchell | American actress (died 2013) |
| November 15, 1919 | Joseph Wapner | American judge (died 2017) |
| November 15, 1919 | Martin Balsam | American actor (died 1996) |
| November 19, 1919 | Alan Young | English-born American actor (Mister Ed, DuckTales) (died 2016) |
| December 11, 1919 | Cliff Michelmore | English broadcast presenter (died 2016) |
| December 19, 1919 | Bill Morey | Actor (died 2003) |

### Births (1920–1924)

| Date | Name | Notability |
| January 9, 1920 | Bunney Brooke | Australian actress and casting agent (Number 96) (died 2000) |
| January 14, 1920 | George Herman | CBS journalist (died 2005) |
| January 30, 1920 | Michael Anderson | English director (died 2018) |
| February 18, 1920 | Bill Cullen | American game series host (The Price Is Right, I've Got a Secret) (died 1990) |
| February 26, 1920 | Tony Randall | American actor (The Odd Couple) (died 2004) |
| February 29, 1920 | Arthur Franz | American actor (died 2006) |
| February 29, 1920 | James Mitchell | American actor (died 2010) |
| March 16, 1920 | John Addison | English screen composer (died 1998) |
| March 25, 1920 | Bill MacPhail | American television sports executive (died 1996) |
| April 17, 1920 | Arnold Yarrow | English actor (EastEnders) and screenwriter (died 2024) |
| June 18, 1920 | Ian Carmichael | English actor (The World of Wooster) (died 2010) |
| July 10, 1920 | David Brinkley | American anchorman (The Huntley-Brinkley Report) (died 2003) |
| July 18, 1920 | Dolph Sweet | American actor (Gimme a Break!, Another World) (died 1985) |
| August 6, 1920 | Selma Diamond | Canadian-born American actress (Night Court) (died 1985) |
| August 18, 1920 | Shelley Winters | American actress (Roseanne) (died 2006) |
| August 19, 1920 | Joseph Wershba | American journalist (died 2011) |
| October 27, 1920 | Nanette Fabray | American actress (One Day at a Time) (died 2018) |
| October 27, 1920 | Phyllis Hill | American actress (died 1993) |
| November 1, 1920 | James J. Kilpatrick | American journalist (died 2010) |
| November 20, 1920 | Lee Guber | American theater impresario (died 1988) |
| November 25, 1920 | Noel Neill | American actress (Adventures of Superman) (died 2016) |
| November 25, 1920 | Ricardo Montalbán | Actor (Fantasy Island, Freakazoid!, Kim Possible) (died 2009) |
| December 7, 1920 | Reuven Frank | American broadcast news executive (died 2006) |
| January 6, 1921 | Cary Middlecoff | Golfer (died 1998) |
| January 15, 1921 | Frank Thornton | English actor (Are You Being Served?) (died 2013) |
| January 15, 1921 | Dehl Berti | Actor (died 1991) |
| February 1, 1921 | Peter Sallis | English actor (Last of the Summer Wine, Wallace and Gromit) (died 2017) |
| February 14, 1921 | Hugh Downs | American radio and television broadcaster (died 2020) |
| February 24, 1921 | Abe Vigoda | American actor (Barney Miller) (died 2016) |
| March 22, 1921 | Caryl Ledner | American writer (died 1984) |
| April 5, 1921 | Christopher Hewett | British actor (Mr. Belvedere) (died 2001) |
| April 22, 1921 | Charlotte Lawrence | actress (died 1993) |
| May 14, 1921 | Richard Deacon | American actor (The Dick Van Dyke Show, Leave It to Beaver) (died 1984) |
| May 21, 1921 | Howard Reig | American announcer (died 2008) |
| June 15, 1921 | Erroll Garner | American composer (died 1977) |
| July 6, 1921 | Nancy Reagan | Actress and 40th first lady of the United States (died 2016) |
| July 15, 1921 | Jean Heywood | British actress (Boys from the Blackstuff) (died 2019) |
| July 23, 1921 | Calvert DeForest | American actor (died 2007) |
| July 24, 1921 | Billy Taylor | American jazz pianist (died 2010) |
| August 8, 1921 | William Asher | American producer, director and writer (Bewitched) (died 2012) |
| August 9, 1921 | Ernest Angley | American Christian evangelist (died 2021) |
| August 21, 1921 | John Osteen | Pastor (died 1999) |
| August 25, 1921 | Monty Hall | Canadian TV host (died 2017) |
| August 27, 1921 | Leo Penn | Actor (died 1998) |
| August 31, 1921 | Madeline Amgott | American television news producer (died 2014) |
| September 12, 1921 | Frank McGee | Journalist (died 1974) |
| September 14, 1921 | Bud Palmer | Basketball player (died 2013) |
| September 24, 1921 | Sheila MacRae | English-born American actress (The Honeymooners, General Hospital) (died 2014) |
| September 24, 1921 | Jim McKay | American television sports journalist (died 2008) |
| October 1, 1921 | James Whitmore | American actor (died 2009) |
| October 17, 1921 | Tom Poston | American actor (Newhart) (died 2007) |
| November 14, 1921 | Brian Keith | American actor (Family Affair) (died 1997) |
| November 22, 1921 | Rodney Dangerfield | American comedian and actor (The Dean Martin Show) (died 2004) |
| December 11, 1921 | Liz Smith | English character actress (The Royle Family) (died 2016) |
| December 26, 1921 | Steve Allen | American television personality (The Tonight Show) (died 2000) |
| January 17, 1922 | Betty White | American actress (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls, Hot in Cleveland) (died 2021) |
| January 21, 1922 | Telly Savalas | American actor (Kojak) (died 1994) |
| January 30, 1922 | Dick Martin | American comedian (Laugh-In) (died 2008) |
| February 8, 1922 | Audrey Meadows | American actress (The Honeymooners) (died 1996) |
| February 9, 1922 | Kathryn Grayson | American actress (Murder, She Wrote) (died 2010) |
| February 18, 1922 | Allan Melvin | American actor (Magilla Gorilla, The Brady Bunch, All in the Family) (died 2008) |
| February 24, 1922 | Steven Hill | American actor (Law & Order, Mission: Impossible) (died 2016) |
| March 5, 1922 | James Noble | American actor (Benson) (died 2016) |
| March 6, 1922 | Burt Balaban | American film producer and director (died 1965) |
| March 11, 1922 | Paul Alter | American director (died 2011) |
| March 20, 1922 | Carl Reiner | American actor, writer, director and producer (Your Show of Shows, The Dick Van Dyke Show) (died 2020) |
| March 23, 1922 | Marty Allen | American comedian and actor, "The Darling of Daytime TV" (died 2018) |
| April 3, 1922 | Doris Day | American actress and singer (The Doris Day Show) (died 2019) |
| April 5, 1922 | Gale Storm | American actress (My Little Margie) (died 2009) |
| April 15, 1922 | Michael Ansara | Syrian-American actor (Law of the Plainsman, Broken Arrow, Star Trek, Batman: The Animated Series) (d. 2013) |
| April 18, 1922 | Barbara Hale | American actress (Perry Mason) (died 2017) |
| April 19, 1922 | Billy Joe Patton | American golfer (died 2011) |
| April 27, 1922 | Jack Klugman | American actor (The Odd Couple, Quincy) (died 2012) |
| May 7, 1922 | Darren McGavin | American actor (Kolchak: The Night Stalker) (died 2006) |
| May 10, 1922 | Nancy Walker | American actress (Rhoda, Bounty paper towel commercials) (died 1992) |
| May 13, 1922 | Beatrice Arthur | American actress (Maude, The Golden Girls) (died 2009) |
| May 18, 1922 | Bill Macy | American actor (Maude) (died 2019) |
| May 22, 1922 | Quinn Martin | American producer (The Fugitive, The F.B.I., The Streets of San Francisco) (died 1987) |
| May 27, 1922 | Christopher Lee | Actor (died 2015) |
| June 9, 1922 | George Axelrod | American screenwriter (died 2003) |
| June 10, 1922 | Judy Garland | American actress (died 1969) |
| June 24, 1922 | Jack Carter | American comedian, actor, and television presenter (died 2015) |
| July 21, 1922 | Mollie Sugden | British actress (Are You Being Served?) (died 2009) |
| July 22, 1922 | Dan Rowan | American comedian (Laugh-In) (died 1987) |
| July 27, 1922 | Norman Lear | American producer (All in the Family, Sanford and Son and many others) (died 2023) |
| August 1, 1922 | Arthur Hill | Canadian-born actor (died 2006) |
| September 1, 1922 | Yvonne De Carlo | American actress (The Munsters) (died 2007) |
| October 9, 1922 | Fyvush Finkel | American stage and television actor (Boston Public). (died 2016) |
| October 22, 1922 | Neal Hefti | American composer (died 2008) |
| October 31, 1922 | Barbara Bel Geddes | American actress (Dallas) (died 2005) |
| November 13, 1922 | Jack Narz | American game show host and announcer (died 2008) |
| November 13, 1922 | Madeleine Sherwood | Canadian actress (The Flying Nun) (died 2016) |
| December 9, 1922 | Redd Foxx | American comedian (Sanford and Son) (died 1991) |
| December 14, 1922 | Don Hewitt | American television news producer (died 2009) |
| December 20, 1922 | Charita Bauer | American actress (The Guiding Light) (died 1985) |
| December 21, 1922 | Paul Winchell | American actor (died 2005) |
| December 22, 1922 | Ruth Roman | American actress (Murder, She Wrote) (died 1999) |
| January 3, 1923 | Hank Stram | American football coach and sportscaster (died 2005) |
| January 6, 1923 | Charles "Red" Donley | American sports and news anchor (died 1998) |
| January 8, 1923 | Larry Storch | American actor (F-Troop) (died 2022) |
| January 19, 1923 | Jean Stapleton | American actress (All in the Family) (died 2013) |
| January 20, 1923 | Diana Douglas | American actress (died 2015) |
| January 23, 1923 | Florence Halop | American actress (St. Elsewhere, Night Court) (died 1986) |
| February 4, 1923 | Conrad Bain | Canadian-American actor (Maude, Diff'rent Strokes) (died 2013) |
| March 6, 1923 | Ed McMahon | American game show host and announcer (The Tonight Show, Star Search) (died 2009) |
| March 11, 1923 | Terence Alexander | English actor (Bergerac) (died 2009) |
| March 30, 1923 | Frank Field | American meteorologist (WNBC-TV, The Tonight Show) (died 2023) |
| April 2, 1923 | Gloria Henry | American actress (Dennis the Menace) (died 2021) |
| April 4, 1923 | Peter Vaughan | British character actor (Porridge, Game of Thrones) (died 2016) |
| April 8, 1923 | Edward Mulhare | Actor (died 1997) |
| April 10, 1923 | Jane Kean | American actress and singer (The Jackie Gleason Show, The Honeymooners) (died 2013) |
| April 13, 1923 | Don Adams | American actor (Get Smart, Inspector Gadget) (died 2005) |
| April 17, 1923 | Lon McCallister | American actor (died 2005) |
| April 17, 1923 | Harry Reasoner | American journalist (died 1991) |
| April 22, 1923 | Aaron Spelling | American movie and television producer (Beverly Hills, 90210) (died 2006) |
| April 30, 1923 | Al Lewis | American actor (The Munsters) (died 2006) |
| May 21, 1923 | Evelyn Ward | American actor (died 2012) |
| May 26, 1923 | James Arness | American actor (Gunsmoke) (died 2011) |
| July 8, 1923 | Hal Scott | American sportcaster (died 2010) |
| July 15, 1923 | Herb Sargent | American writer (died 2005) |
| July 22, 1923 | Bob Dole | American politician (died 2021) |
| July 25, 1923 | Estelle Getty | American actress (The Golden Girls) (died 2008) |
| July 28, 1923 | Ray Ellis | American conductor (died 2008) |
| July 29, 1923 | George Burditt | American writer (died 2013) |
| August 15, 1923 | Rose Marie | American actress (The Dick Van Dyke Show) (died 2017) |
| August 21, 1923 | Chris Schenkel | American sportscaster (died 2005) |
| September 7, 1923 | Peter Lawford | American actor (died 1984) |
| September 9, 1923 | Cliff Robertson | American actor (died 2011) |
| September 17, 1923 | David Oreck | American salesman (died 2023) |
| September 20, 1923 | Jimmy Perry | English scriptwriter (Dad's Army) (died 2016) |
| September 28, 1923 | William Windom | American actor (Murder, She Wrote) (died 2012) |
| October 5, 1923 | Glynis Johns | British actress (died 2024) |
| October 10, 1923 | Murray Walker | English motorsport commentator (died 2021) |
| November 7, 1923 | Bob Young | American announcer (died 2011) |
| November 12, 1923 | Ernie Anderson | American announcer (died 1997) |
| November 20, 1923 | Danny Dayton | American actor (died 1999) |
| November 29, 1923 | Frank Reynolds | American television journalist (died 1983) |
| December 10, 1923 | Harold Gould | American actor (Rhoda, The Golden Girls) (died 2010) |
| December 12, 1923 | Bob Barker | American game series presenter (The New Price Is Right) (died 2023) |
| December 23, 1923 | Leonard B. Stern | Screenwriter (died 2011) |
| December 29, 1923 | Dina Merrill | Actress (died 2017) |
| January 14, 1924 | Carole Cook | American actress (died 2023) |
| January 19, 1924 | Nicholas Colasanto | American actor and director (Cheers) (died 1985) |
| January 21, 1924 | Benny Hill | English comedian (died 1992) |
| January 29, 1924 | Enrico Simonetti | Italian musician and presenter (Simonetti Show) (died 1978) |
| January 29, 1924 | Dorothy Malone | American actress (Peyton Place) (died 2018) |
| February 14, 1924 | Gabe Pressman | American journalist (died 2017) |
| February 19, 1924 | Lee Marvin | American actor (died 1987) |
| February 28, 1924 | Bettye Ackerman | American actress (died 2006) |
| March 3, 1924 | John Woodnutt | English actor (died 2006) |
| March 3, 1924 | Lys Assia | Swiss singer, first winner of Eurovision Song Contest (died 2018) |
| March 8, 1924 | Sean McClory | Irish actor (The Californians) (died 2003) |
| March 22, 1924 | Bill Wendell | American announcer (died 1999) |
| March 24, 1924 | Norman Fell | American actor (Three's Company) (died 1998) |
| March 25, 1924 | Roberts Blossom | American actor (died 2011) |
| April 15, 1924 | Rikki Fulton | Scottish comedian (Scotch and Wry) (died 2004) |
| April 20, 1924 | Nina Foch | American actress (died 2008) |
| May 1, 1924 | Art Fleming | American stage, radio and television personality (Jeopardy!) (died 1995) |
| May 1, 1924 | Terry Southern | American screenwriter (died 1995) |
| May 2, 1924 | Theodore Bikel | Austrian actor (Babylon 5: In the Beginning) (died 2015) |
| May 6, 1924 | Patricia Kennedy Lawford | American socialite (died 2006) |
| May 12, 1924 | Tony Hancock | English comic performer (Hancock's Half Hour) (suicide 1968) |
| May 18, 1924 | Jack Whitaker | Sportscaster (died 2019) |
| June 3, 1924 | Colleen Dewhurst | Movie and television actress (died 1991) |
| June 12, 1924 | George H. W. Bush | American president (died 2018) |
| June 17, 1924 | Marie Torre | American television personality (died 1997) |
| June 24, 1924 | Sidney Lumet | American screenwriter (died 2011) |
| June 26, 1924 | Richard Bull | American movie and television actor (Little House on the Prairie) (died 2014) |
| July 10, 1924 | Gloria Stroock | American actress (died 2024) |
| July 11, 1924 | Brett Somers | Canadian-born American actress and comedian (The Odd Couple, Match Game '73) (died 2007) |
| July 21, 1924 | Don Knotts | American actor (The Andy Griffith Show, Three's Company) (died 2006) |
| July 29, 1924 | Joseph Cranston | American producer (died 2014) |
| August 2, 1924 | Carroll O'Connor | American actor (All in the Family, In the Heat of the Night) (died 2001) |
| August 15, 1924 | Werner Abrolat | German actor (Tatort) (died 1997) |
| August 21, 1924 | Jack Buck | Sportscaster (died 2002) |
| August 31, 1924 | Buddy Hackett | Actor (died 2003) |
| September 10, 1924 | Georgiana Young | TV actress (died 2007) |
| September 19, 1924 | Don Harron | Canadian comedian and actor (Hee Haw) (died 2015) |
| September 20, 1924 | Paul K. Niven Jr. | TV journalist (died 1970) |
| September 24, 1924 | Bob Herron | American stuntman and actor (died 2021) |
| October 1, 1924 | Jimmy Carter | Former American president (died 2024) |
| October 21, 1924 | Joyce Randolph | American actress (The Honeymooners) (died 2024) |
| October 21, 1924 | Julie Wilson | American actress (died 2015) |
| November 18, 1924 | Les Lye | Canadian actor (You Can't Do That On Television) (died 2009) |
| November 21, 1924 | Joseph Campanella | American actor (Mannix, The Guiding Light, Days of Our Lives) (died 2018) |
| November 23, 1924 | Anita Linda | Filipina actress (Tayong Dalawa) (died 2020) |
| December 12, 1924 | Ed Koch | American judge (died 2013) |
| December 13, 1924 | Maria Riva | American actress |
| December 14, 1924 | Marge Redmond | American actress (The Flying Nun, Matlock) (died 2020) |
| December 23, 1924 | Floyd Kalber | American television journalist (died 2004) |