# 1961 in television

The following television-related events took place during 1961.

## Events

* January 20 – John F. Kennedy is the first U.S. president to be inaugurated with a color telecast. NBC covers the inauguration in color.
* January 25
** John F. Kennedy holds the first live televised presidential press conference.
** Danger Man (United Kingdom) (1960–1961, 1964–1966) is cancelled due to lack of interest from Australian broadcasters. The series will be revived later.
* February 19 – CFTM-TV, future flagship station of Quebec's TVA network, begins broadcasting in Montreal.
* March 1 – Venevision officially renamed from Televisa of Venezuela.
* April 11 – The Eichmann trial is the first televised trial, shown on a one-day delay basis in the U.S. with videotape flown in daily from Jerusalem
* April 29
** Westward Television, the first ITV franchise for South West England, begins broadcasting.
** Wide World of Sports debuts on the American Broadcasting Company.
* May 5 – Alan B. Shepard is the first U.S. astronaut in space aboard the spacecraft Freedom 7 in a 15-min. suborbital flight. The launch is watched by 45 million U.S. viewers.
* May 9 – In a speech on "Television and the Public Interest" to the National Association of Broadcasters in the United States, Federal Communications Commission chairman Newton N. Minow describes commercial television programming as a "vast wasteland" and tells the broadcasters that they could do a better job of serving the public.
* May 29 – Dave Garroway announces his decision to quit the Today show on NBC in the United States.
* July 1 – The soap opera series The Brighter Day airs its first episode after taping locations are moved from New York City to Los Angeles. As a result, key character Babby Dennis and her love interest are written out of the series: the actors who played them didn't want to relocate.
* July 21 – Dicon Television Canal 11, as predecessor for Telefe, a major television network in Argentina, starts its first official regular broadcasting service from Buenos Aires.
* September 1 – Border Television, the ITV franchise for the English-Scottish Border and Isle of Man, begins broadcasting.
* September 21 – In France, the Organisation de l'armée secrète (OAS) slips an anti-de Gaulle message into TV programming.
* September 23 – NBC begins its long-running NBC Saturday Night at the Movies participating, with a broadcast of the 1953 Marilyn Monroe picture How to Marry a Millionaire.
* September 30 – Grampian Television, the ITV franchise for North East Scotland, begins broadcasting.
* October 1 – CTV Television Network (CTV) is launched in Canada, the first privately owned network in the country.
* October 29 – DZBB-TV Channel 7, the fourth television station in the Philippines owned by Republic Broadcasting System (modern-day GMA Network) of American war correspondent Robert "Uncle Bob" Stewart, is launched after the success of radio station DZBB.
* November 4 – Radiotelevisione italiana's second television channel, Rete 2 (later named Rai 2), first broadcasts to 52% of the available households in Italy.
* November 19 – Lucille Ball marries Gary Morton in New York City.
* December 15 – Sam and Friends broadcasts its last episode in the United States.
* December 31
** Telefís Éireann (later known as RTÉ) starts television broadcasts, bringing television to Ireland for the first time.
** KBS1, a major television station in South Korea, starts its first regular broadcasting service from Seoul.
** WBNB airs the first television broadcast in the Virgin Islands. (The station would be destroyed by Hurricane Hugo in 1989.)
* Prudencia Grifell (born 1879 in Spain) makes the first of many Mexican telenovela appearances in Niebla.

## Debuts

* January 5 – Mister Ed on CBS (1961–1966)
* January 7 – The Avengers on ITV in UK (1961–1969)
* January 23 – The Americans on NBC
* January 30 – The Yogi Bear Show in syndication (1961-1962)
* February 27 – Acapulco on NBC (1961)
* March 17 – Five Star Jubilee on NBC
* April 3 – Minna no Uta on NHK
* Mat 26 – Inspector Hornleigh Intervenes on West Germany's WDR
* June 4 – Sportschau on ARD
* April 29 – ABC's Wide World of Sports (1961–2006)
* August 19 – Four Corners, Australia's first current affairs program (1961–present)
* September 9 – The Jo Stafford Show on ITV (1961)
* September 17 – Car 54, Where Are You? on NBC (1961–1963)
* September 26 – Ichabod and Me on CBS (1961-1962)
* September 27 – Top Cat on ABC (1961-1962)
* September 28 – Hazel on NBC (1961–1966)
* October 1 –
** Bus Stop on ABC (1961–1962)
** CTV National News (1961–present)
** Songs of Praise on BBC (1961–present)
* October 2 –
** Ben Casey on ABC (1961–1966)
** Password on CBS (1961–1967)
** Window on Main Street on CBS (1961–1962)
* October 3 – The Dick Van Dyke Show on CBS (1961–1966)
* October 4 –
** The Alvin Show on CBS (1961–1962)
** Playdate on CBC (Canada) (1961–1964)
* October 5
** The Investigators (1961)
** The New Bob Cummings Show (1961–1962)
* October 6 – Straightaway (1961–1962)
* October 7 – It's Academic (1961–present)
* October 30 – The News with Uncle Bob (1961-1972)
* November 8 – KVN (Клуб, Весёлых и Находчивых, Klub Vesyólykh i Nakhódchivykh, "Club of the Funny and Inventive") on The First Channel in the Soviet Union (1961–1972, 1986–present)
* November 13 – Camera Canada on CBC Television (1961-1963)
* December 11 – The Mike Douglas Show (1961–1981)
* December 31 – RTÉ News: Nine O'Clock on RTÉ One

## Programs/programmes

* Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955–1962)
* American Bandstand (1952–1989)
* Armchair Theatre (UK) (1956–1968)
* As the World Turns (1956–2010)
* Blue Peter (UK) (1958–present)
* Bonanza (1959–1973)
* Bozo the Clown (1949–present)
* Bringing Up Buddy, 1960–1961
* Candid Camera (1948–present)
* Captain Kangaroo (1955–1984)
* Carols by Candlelight (1952–present)
* Cheyenne (1955–1962)
* Come Dancing (UK) (1949–1995)
* Coronation Street (UK) (1960–present)
* Danger Man (UK) (1960–1961, 1964–1966)
* Dixon of Dock Green (UK) (1955–1976)
* Face the Nation (1954–present)
* Grandstand (UK) (1958–2007)
* Gunsmoke (1955–1975)
* Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951–present)
* Hancock's Half Hour (1956–1962)
* Hato no kyujitsu (1953-2001)
* Hawaiian Eye (1959–1963)
* Inspector Hornleigh Intervenes (West Germany) (1961)
* Juke Box Jury (1959–1967, 1979, 1989–1990)
* Leave It to Beaver (1957–1963)
* Love of Life (1951–1980)
* Margie, 1961–1962
* Meet the Press (1947–present)
* My Three Sons (1960–1972)
* Dagsrevyen (1958–present)
* Opportunity Knocks (UK) (1956–1978)
* Panorama (UK) (1953–present)
* Rocky and His Friends (1959-1961) ends earlier in 1961 to resume later in 1961 on NBC as The Bullwinkle Show (1961–1964)
* Search for Tomorrow (1951–1986)
* The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952–1966)
* The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968)
* The Alvin Show (1961-1962)
* The Bell Telephone Hour (1959–1968)
* The Bugs Bunny Show (1960-2000)
* The Donna Reed Show (1958–1966)
* The Ed Sullivan Show (1948–1971)
* The Edge of Night (1956–1984)
* The Flintstones (1960–1966)
* The Good Old Days (UK) (1953–1983)
* The Guiding Light (1952–2009)
* The Huckleberry Hound Show (1958–1962)
* The Jack Benny Show (1950–1965)
* The Lawrence Welk Show (1955–1982)
* The Milton Berle Show (1954–1967)
* The Price Is Right (1956–1965)
* The Quick Draw McGraw Show (1959–1962)
* The Secret Storm (1954–1974)
* The Sky at Night (UK) (1957–present)
* The Yogi Bear Show (1961-1962)
* The Today Show (1952–present)
* The Tonight Show (1954–present)
* The Twilight Zone (1959–1964, 1985–1989, 2002–2003)
* The Voice of Firestone (1949–1963)
* This Is Your Life (UK) (1955–2003)
* Top Cat (1961-1962)
* Truth or Consequences (1950–1988)
* Walt Disney Presents (1958–1961) ends on September 17 to resume on September 24 on NBC as Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (1961–1969)
* What the Papers Say (UK) (1956–2008)
* What's My Line (1950–1967)
* WIN News (1960–present)
* Window on Main Street (1961–1962)
* Zoo Quest (UK) (1954–1964)

## Ending this year

| Date | Show | Debut |
| January 1 | General Motors Presents (Can) | 1958 |
| January 6 | Dan Raven | 1960 |
| February 13 | Klondike | 1960 |
| April 7 | Happy | 1960 |
| April 12 | My Sister Eileen | 1960 |
| April 24 | Acapulco | 1961 |
| April 30 | The Tab Hunter Show | 1960 |
| May 15 | The Americans | 1961 |
| May 23 | The Tom Ewell Show | 1960 |
| May 31 | Peter Loves Mary | 1960 |
| June 20 | The Army Game (UK) | 1957 |
| June 27 | Stagecoach West | 1960 |
| June 29 | The Ford Show | 1956 |
| June 30 | Hancock's Half Hour | 1956 |
| July 3 | Bringing Up Buddy | 1960 |
| September 18 | Peter Gunn | 1958 |
| September 22 | Five Star Jubilee | 1961 |
| December 1 | The Huckleberry Hound Show | 1958 |
| December 2 | Deadline Midnight | 1960 |
| December 15 | Sam and Friends | 1955 |
| December 28 | The Investigators | 1961 |
| Unknown | This Is Your Life (US) | 1952 |

## Changes of network affiliation

| Show | Moved from | Moved to |
| Walt Disney Presents | ABC | NBC |
| The Detectives | ABC | NBC |
| Rocky and His Friends | ABC | NBC |
| The Wonderful World of Disney | ABC | NBC |
| Bachelor Father | NBC | ABC |
| Mister Ed | Syndication | CBS |

## Births

| Date | Name | Notability |
| January 2 | Gabrielle Carteris | Actress (Beverly Hills, 90210) |
| January 4 | Graham McTavish | Actor |
| January 7 | Jeff Richmond | Actor |
| January 9 | Candi Milo | Actress (Swat Kats: The Radical Squadron, Dexter's Laboratory, ChalkZone, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, ¡Mucha Lucha!, My Life as a Teenage Robot, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Maya & Miguel, The Life and Times of Juniper Lee, The Replacements) |
| January 9 | Al Jean | Writer |
| January 10 | Evan Handler | Actor |
| January 13 | Julia Louis-Dreyfus | Actress (Seinfeld, Veep) |
| January 19 | Paul McCrane | Actor (ER) |
| January 19 | Mark Roberts | TV producer |
| January 26 | Sharyl Attkisson | American journalist |
| January 31 | Oren Koules | Film producer |
| February 2 | Lauren Lane | Actress (The Nanny) |
| February 5 | Tim Meadows | Actor (Saturday Night Live) |
| February 5 | Bruce Timm | Producer and animator (DC Animated Universe, Green Lantern: The Animated Series, Freakazoid!) |
| February 9 | Clayton Townsend | TV producer |
| February 10 | George Stephanopoulos | TV host |
| February 10 | Jay Pickett | Actor (died 2021) |
| February 18 | Alison Owen | English film producer |
| February 21 | Christopher Atkins | Actor (Dallas) |
| February 23 | Trent Lehman | Actor (Nanny and the Professor) (died 1982) |
| February 24 | Kasi Lemmons | Actress |
| February 27 | Grant Shaud | Actor (Murphy Brown) |
| February 27 | James Worthy | NBA basketball player |
| March 3 | Mary Page Keller | Actress (Duet) |
| March 4 | Steven Weber | Actor (Wings, Once and Again) |
| March 8 | Camryn Manheim | Actress (The Practice, Ghost Whisperer, Person of Interest) |
| March 11 | Elias Koteas | Actor |
| March 14 | Penny Johnson Jerald | Actress |
| March 17 | Casey Siemaszko | Actor (NYPD Blue) |
| March 18 | Geoffrey Owens | Actor (The Cosby Show) |
| March 21 | Kassie DePaiva | Actress (One Life to Live) |
| March 26 | Billy Warlock | Actor (Baywatch) |
| March 28 | Byron Scott | NBA basketball player and coach |
| April 2 | Christopher Meloni | Actor (NYPD Blue, Oz, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) |
| April 3 | Eddie Murphy | Comedian, actor (Saturday Night Live) |
| April 6 | Gene Eugene | Singer (Adam Again), actor (The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan) (died 2000) |
| April 7 | Teri Ann Linn | Actress, singer (The Bold and the Beautiful) |
| April 10 | Nicky Campbell | Scottish television presenter |
| April 14 | Robert Carlyle | Scottish actor (Stargate Universe, Once Upon a Time) |
| April 17 | Carlo Rota | Canadian actor (24) |
| April 18 | Jane Leeves | English actress (Daphne Moon on Frasier) |
| April 19 | Alan Kirschenbaum | Writer (died 2012) |
| April 21 | Cathy Cavadini | Voice actress (Blossom on The Powerpuff Girls) |
| April 22 | Byron Allen | Producer |
| April 23 | Dirk Bach | Comedian, actor and TV host (died 2012) |
| April 23 | Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson | Actor |
| April 23 | George Lopez | Comedian, actor (George Lopez) |
| April 29 | Stacey Snider | American film industry executive |
| April 30 | Isiah Thomas | NBA basketball player and TV commentator |
| May 1 | Marilyn Milian | Judge |
| May 3 | Joe Murray | Animator and voice actor (Rocko's Modern Life, Camp Lazlo) |
| May 4 | Mary Elizabeth McDonough | Actress (The Waltons) |
| May 6 | George Clooney | Actor (ER) |
| May 6 | Wally Wingert | Actor |
| May 6 | Gina Riley | Actress, comedian (Fast Forward) |
| May 9 | John Corbett | Actor (Northern Exposure, Sex and the City) |
| May 12 | Lar Park Lincoln | Actress (Knots Landing) |
| May 13 | Dennis Rodman | NBA basketball player |
| May 14 | Tim Roth | Actor |
| May 15 | Giselle Fernández | American television journalist |
| May 16 | Kevin McDonald | Actor (The Kids in the Hall, Lilo & Stitch: The Series, Catscratch) |
| May 22 | Jeremy Gelbwaks | Actor (The Partridge Family) |
| May 27 | Peri Gilpin | Actress (Frasier, Make It or Break It) |
| May 27 | Cathy Silvers | Actress (Happy Days) |
| May 29 | Melissa Etheridge | Singer, voice actress |
| May 29 | Linda Wallem | Actress (Rocko's Modern Life, Nurse Jackie) |
| May 30 | Ralph Carter | Actor (Michael Evans on Good Times) |
| May 31 | Lea Thompson | Actress (Caroline in the City) |
| June 1 | Mark Curry | Actor (Hangin' with Mr. Cooper) |
| June 1 | Aaron Sorkin | Screenwriter |
| June 5 | Mary Kay Bergman | Voice actress (Every female character on South Park seasons 1–3) (died 1999) |
| June 6 | Wes Johnson | Actor |
| June 9 | Michael J. Fox | Actor (Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties) |
| June 15 | Jim Hanks | Actor |
| June 24 | Iain Glen | Actor |
| June 25 | Ricky Gervais | English actor and comedian (The Office) |
| June 29 | Kimberlin Brown | Actress (The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful) |
| June 29 | Sharon Lawrence | Actress (NYPD Blue) |
| July 1 | Diana, Princess of Wales | Member of the British royal family (died 1997) |
| July 1 | Carl Lewis | Track and field athlete |
| July 1 | Dominic Keating | English actor (Star Trek: Enterprise) |
| July 9 | Raymond Cruz | Actor |
| July 15 | Forest Whitaker | Actor |
| July 18 | Elizabeth McGovern | Actress (Downton Abbey) |
| July 19 | Pat Gibson | Irish quizzer |
| July 19 | Campbell Scott | Actor |
| July 21 | Kym Whitley | Actress and comedian (My Brother and Me, College Road Trip) |
| July 22 | Calvin Fish | English-born sports commentator, previously racing driver |
| July 22 | Keith Sweat | Singer |
| July 23 | Woody Harrelson | Actor (Woody Boyd on Cheers) |
| July 23 | David Kaufman | Voice actor (Freakazoid!, Danny Phantom, Superman: The Animated Series, The Buzz on Maggie) |
| July 25 | Bobbie Eakes | Actress and singer (The Bold and the Beautiful, One Life to Live) |
| July 25 | Katherine Kelly Lang | Actress (The Bold and the Beautiful) |
| July 27 | Janet Tamaro | Writer |
| July 27 | E. D. Hill | American journalist |
| July 30 | Laurence Fishburne | Actor (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Black-ish) |
| August 4 | Barack Obama | Politician and 44th president of the United States |
| August 4 | Lauren Tom | Actress (Pepper Ann, Futurama, Rocket Power, Teacher's Pet, Kim Possible, Fillmore!, Codename: Kids Next Door, Teen Titans, American Dragon: Jake Long, The Replacements) |
| August 4 | Michael Gelman | Executive producer of Live with Kelly and Ryan |
| August 5 | Janet McTeer | Actress |
| August 7 | Maggie Wheeler | Actress |
| August 7 | Brian Conley | Actor |
| August 13 | Dawnn Lewis | Actress (A Different World, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper) |
| August 13 | Sam Champion | American weather anchor |
| August 14 | Susan Olsen | Actress (Cindy on The Brady Bunch) |
| August 18 | Bob Woodruff | American television journalist |
| August 20 | Joe Pasquale | Actor |
| August 20 | Asha Blake | Actor |
| August 21 | Stephen Hillenburg | Creator of SpongeBob SquarePants (died 2018) |
| August 24 | Jared Harris | English actor (Mad Men, Fringe, The Expanse) |
| August 25 | Billy Ray Cyrus | Singer and actor (Hannah Montana) |
| August 25 | Ally Walker | Actress (Santa Barbara, Profiler) |
| August 25 | Joanne Whalley | Actress |
| August 26 | Kari Lizer | Actress |
| August 27 | Mark Curry | Presenter |
| August 28 | Jennifer Coolidge | Actress |
| September 1 | Eugenio Derbez | Actor |
| September 6 | Bruce W. Smith | Producer |
| September 11 | Elizabeth Daily | Voice actress (Rugrats, The Powerpuff Girls, ChalkZone) |
| September 15 | Dan Marino | NFL football player and analyst (The NFL Today) |
| September 15 | Colin McFarlane | Actor, voice actor and narrator (Outlander, Doctor Who) |
| September 15 | Noel MacNeal | Actor |
| September 16 | Jen Tolley | Actress |
| September 21 | Nancy Travis | Actress (Last Man Standing) |
| September 22 | Bonnie Hunt | Actress, comedian (The Bonnie Hunt Show) |
| September 22 | Catherine Oxenberg | Actress |
| September 23 | Chi McBride | Actor (The John Larroquette Show, Boston Public) |
| September 24 | Allen Bestwick | American sportscaster |
| September 25 | Heather Locklear | Actress (Melrose Place) |
| September 27 | Andy Lau | Actor |
| September 28 | Gregory Jbara | Actor |
| September 30 | Crystal Bernard | Actress (Wings) |
| September 30 | Erica Ehm | TV host and VJ (MuchMusic) |
| September 30 | Eric Stoltz | Actor |
| October 3 | Marcus Giamatti | Actor (Judging Amy) |
| October 4 | David W. Harper | Actor (The Waltons) |
| October 4 | Kazuki Takahashi | Manga creator (Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal) (died 2022) |
| October 8 | Simon Burke | Actor (Devil's Playground) |
| October 9 | Ellen Wheeler | Actress (Another World, All My Children) |
| October 13 | Doc Rivers | NBA basketball player and coach |
| October 16 | Kim Wayans | Actress, comedian (In Living Color) |
| October 25 | Chad Smith | American musician |
| October 26 | Dylan McDermott | Actor (The Practice) |
| October 30 | Larry Wilmore | Actor |
| November 3 | Kari Michaelsen | Actress (Gimme a Break!) |
| November 4 | Jeff Probst | Host (Survivor) |
| November 4 | Ralph Macchio | Actor |
| November 8 | Leif Garrett | Actor |
| November 9 | Lisa McRee | News anchor |
| November 11 | Luca Zingaretti | Italian actor (Inspector Montalbano) |
| November 14 | Elizabeth Keifer | Actress (Guiding Light) |
| November 19 | Meg Ryan | Actress (As the World Turns) |
| November 22 | Gary Valentine | Actor and comedian (The King of Queens) |
| November 22 | Mariel Hemingway | Actress |
| November 26 | Marcy Walker | Soap opera actress |
| November 28 | Martin Clunes | English actor and comedian (Doc Martin) |
| November 29 | Kim Delaney | Actress (NYPD Blue) |
| December 1 | Jeremy Northam | Actor |
| December 2 | Gaby Köster | Actress, comedian |
| December 8 | Mikey Robins | Australian media personality |
| December 9 | Joe Lando | Actor (Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman) |
| December 9 | David Anthony Higgins | Actor (Malcolm in the Middle) |
| December 13 | Karen Witter | Actress |
| December 16 | Jon Tenney | Actor |
| December 16 | Bill Hicks | Comedian (died 1994) |
| December 23 | Carol Smillie | Scottish television presenter |
| December 24 | Eriko Kitagawa | Screenwriter (Aishiteiru to Itte Kure) |
| December 24 | Wade Williams | Actor (Prison Break) |
| December 30 | Sean Hannity | Talk show host (Hannity) |
| December 31 | Joanna Johnson | Actress (The Bold and the Beautiful) |

## Deaths

| Date | Name | Age | Notability |
| February 3 | Anna May Wong | 56 | American actress |
| May 22 | Joan Davis | 53 | Actress (I Married Joan) |
| August 26 | Gail Russell | 36 | American actress |
| August 30 | Charles Coburn | 84 | Actor |
| September 10 | Leo Carrillo | 80 | Actor (The Cisco Kid) |
| October 11 | Chico Marx | 74 | Actor (member of the Marx Brothers) |
| November 24 | Ruth Chatterton | 68 | Actress |

## Television debuts

* James Brolin – Follow the Sun
* James Caan – Route 66
* John Davis Chandler – The Asphalt Jungle
* Julie Christie – A for Andromeda
* Dabney Coleman – Naked City
* Samantha Eggar – Rob Roy
* Jane Fonda – A String of Beads
* Gene Hackman – Tallahassee 7000
* Dustin Hoffman – Naked City
* John Hurt – Probation Officer
* Derek Jacobi – BBC Sunday-Night Play
* Tim Matheson – Window on Main Street
* Sarah Miles – Deadline Midnight
* Millie Perkins – Wagon Train
* Rob Reiner – Manhunt
* Andy Romano – Alfred Hitchcock Presents
* W. Morgan Sheppard – Theatre Night
* Glynn Turman – Play of the Week
* Gene Wilder – Play of the Week