# 1941 in film

The year 1941 in film involved some significant events, in particular the release of a film consistently rated as one of the greatest of all time, Citizen Kane.

## Top-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten 1941 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:
Highest-grossing films of 1941 :
| Rank | Title | Distributor | Domestic rentals |
| 1 | Sergeant York | Warner Bros. | $6,075,000 |
| 2 | Honky Tonk | MGM | $2,893,000 |
| 3 | Louisiana Purchase | Paramount | $2,750,000 |
| 4 | How Green Was My Valley | 20th Century Fox | $2,447,000 |
| 5 | The Philadelphia Story | MGM | $2,374,000 |
| 6 | Caught in the Draft | Paramount | $2,200,000 |
| 7 | A Yank in the R.A.F. | 20th Century Fox | $2,063,000 |
| 8 | Men of Boys Town | MGM | $2,009,000 |
| 9 | Ziegfeld Girl | MGM | $1,891,000 |
| 10 | They Died with Their Boots On | Warner Bros. | $1,871,000 |

## Events

* January 17 – Gone with the Wind goes into general release in the United States after touring in a roadshow version during 1940. Becoming a cultural phenomenon, it sells an estimated 60 million tickets this year alone. Adjusted for inflation with numerous rereleases, it remains the highest grossing domestic film of all time with $1.8 billion.
* March 24 – Glenn Miller begins work on his 1st movie Sun Valley Serenade for Twentieth Century Fox.
* May 1 – Orson Welles' Citizen Kane, consistently rated as one of the films considered the all-time best, is premiered at the Palace Theatre (New York City).
* July 2 – Sergeant York, the film biopic of World War I hero Alvin C. York, starring Gary Cooper in the title role, premieres in New York City. It is the highest-grossing picture of the year and earns Cooper the first of two Academy Awards for Best Actor.
* September – Senate Investigation into Motion Picture War Propaganda in the United States.
* October 3 – The Maltese Falcon, considered one of the greatest films noir, is released.

## Academy Awards

* Best Picture: How Green Was My Valley – 20th Century-Fox
* Best Actor: Gary Cooper – Sergeant York
* Best Actress: Joan Fontaine – Suspicion
* Best Supporting Actor: Donald Crisp – How Green Was My Valley
* Best Supporting Actress: Mary Astor – The Great Lie
* Best Director: John Ford – How Green Was My Valley

## 1941 film releases

United States unless stated

### January–March

* January 1941
** 1 January
*** Princess Iron Fan (China)
** 16 January
*** The Face Behind the Mask
** 17 January
*** The Philadelphia Story
** 21 January
*** High Sierra
** 23 January
*** Suvorov
** 24 January
*** Life with Henry
*** The Saint in Palm Springs
** 28 January
*** Sullivan's Travels
** 31 January
*** Buck Privates
*** Mr. & Mrs. Smith
* February 1941
** 7 February
*** Back Street
** 18 February
*** Adam Had Four Sons
** 20 February
*** Tobacco Road
** 21 February
*** Andy Hardy's Private Secretary
*** Nice Girl?
*** The Strawberry Blonde
*** Western Union
** 25 February
*** The Lady Eve
* March 1941
** 1 March
*** Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family (Japan)
** 7 March
*** Rage in Heaven
** 8 March
*** Footsteps in the Dark
** 10 March
*** Flying Wild
** 21 March
*** The Sea Wolf
** 26 March
*** I Wanted Wings
** 28 March
*** Man Made Monster

### April–June

* April 1941
** 4 April
*** The Devil and Miss Jones
*** Ohm Krüger (Germany)
** 6 April
*** The Flame of New Orleans
** 10 April
*** Piccolo mondo antico (Italy)
** 11 April
*** Road to Zanzibar
*** That Night in Rio
** 12 April
*** The Great Lie
** 19 April
*** The Farmer's Wife (Britain)
*** Hatter's Castle (Britain)
*** Quiet Wedding (GB)
** 24 April
*** Crook's Tour (Britain)
*** Penny Serenade
** 25 April
*** They Met in Argentina
*** Ziegfeld Girl
** 30 April
*** That Hamilton Woman (GB)
* May 1941
** 1 May
*** Citizen Kane
** 2 May
*** The Black Cat
** 3 May
*** Meet John Doe
** 5 May
*** Inspector Hornleigh Goes To It (GB)
** 7 May
*** Sheriff of Tombstone
** 9 May
*** U-Boat Course West! (Germany)
** 10 May
*** Spellbound
** 22 May
*** Blood and Sand
** 23 May
*** A Woman's Face
** 24 May
*** Crook's Tour
** 30 May
*** In the Navy
* June 1941
** 7 June
*** Shining Victory
** 11 June
*** The Gang's All Here
** 13 June
*** Broadway Limited
*** Man Hunt
*** One Night in Lisbon
** 18 June
*** Moon Over Miami
** 20 June
*** The Big Store
*** The Reluctant Dragon
** 25 June
*** Caught in the Draft
** 26 June
*** Blossoms in the Dust
** 27 June
*** Hit the Road
** 28 June
*** Kipps
*** Love on the Dole (GB)

### July–September

* July 1941
** 2 July
*** Sergeant York
*** The Sea Wolf
** 4 July
*** A Charming Man (Czechoslovakia)
** 12 July
*** The Bride Came C.O.D.
** 18 July
*** The Shepherd of the Hills
** 25 July
*** Target for Tonight (GB)
** 26 July
*** Bad Men of Missouri
*** Pimpernel Smith
* August 1941
** 1 August
*** Bowery Blitzkrieg
*** Charley's Aunt
** 2 August
*** Major Barbara (GB)
** 6 August
*** Hold That Ghost
** 7 August
*** Here Comes Mr. Jordan
** 8 August
*** Six Gun Gold
** 9 August
*** Manpower
** 12 August
*** Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
** 15 August
*** Life Begins for Andy Hardy
** 21 August
*** Sun Valley Serenade
** 28 August
*** The Blue Star Hotel (Czechoslovakia)
** 29 August
*** The Little Foxes
* September
** 1 September
*** Lady Be Good
** 5 September
*** Charlie Chan in Rio
** 6 September
*** Cottage to Let (GB)
** 18 September
*** Ladies in Retirement
** 19 September
*** The Tyrant Father (Portugal)
** 25 September
*** A Yank in the RAF
*** You'll Never Get Rich
** 26 September
*** Hold Back the Dawn
*** It Started with Eve

### October–December

* October 1941
** 2 October
*** Honky Tonk
*** One Foot in Heaven
** 8 October
*** 49th Parallel
*** Week-End in Havana
** 10 October
*** Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
** 17 October
*** The Devil and Daniel Webster
*** Jesse James at Bay
** 18 October
*** The Maltese Falcon
** 22 October
*** You Belong to Me
** 23 October
*** Dumbo
** 24 October
*** Spooks Run Wild
** 25 October
*** The Tell-Tale Heart
** 28 October
*** How Green Was My Valley
** 31 October
*** The Chocolate Soldier
* November 1941
** 7 November
*** Unexpected Uncle
** 14 November
*** I Wake Up Screaming
*** Suspicion
** 15 November
*** Blues in the Night
** 21 November
*** Look Who's Laughing
*** Shadow of the Thin Man
*** Skylark
*** They Died with Their Boots On
** 27 November
*** Stormy Waters (France)
** 28 November
*** The Corsican Brothers
*** Keep 'Em Flying
* December 1941
** 1 December
*** The 47 Ronin (Part 1) (Japan)
*** Tarzan's Secret Treasure
** 2 December
*** Ball of Fire
** 5 December
*** Mr. Bug Goes to Town
** 12 December
*** Among the Living
*** Red River Valley
*** The Wolf Man
** 18 December
*** H.M. Pulham, Esq.
*** Kathleen
** 21 December
*** The Heavenly Play (Sweden)
** 25 December
*** Louisiana Purchase
*** The Shanghai Gesture
** 26 December
*** Hellzapoppin'
*** The Sausage-Maker Who Disappeared (Norway)

## Notable films released in 1941

United States unless stated
* The 47 Ronin (Genroku chushingura), directed by Kenji Mizoguchi – (Japan)
* 49th Parallel, directed by Michael Powell, starring Leslie Howard and Laurence Olivier – (GB)

### A

* Adam Had Four Sons, starring Ingrid Bergman and Warner Baxter
* Among the Living, starring Albert Dekker and Susan Hayward
* Andy Hardy's Private Secretary, starring Mickey Rooney

### B

* Babes on Broadway, directed by Busby Berkeley, starring Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney
* Back Street, starring Charles Boyer and Margaret Sullavan
* Bad Men of Missouri, starring Dennis Morgan and Jane Wyman
* Ball of Fire, directed by Howard Hawks, starring Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck
* The Big Store, starring the Marx Brothers, Margaret Dumont, Tony Martin
* The Black Cat, starring Basil Rathbone and Bela Lugosi
* Blood and Sand, starring Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Rita Hayworth
* Blossoms in the Dust, starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon
* The Blue Star Hotel (Hotel Modrá hvězda), directed by Martin Frič – (Czechoslovakia)
* Blues in the Night, starring Priscilla Lane and Betty Field
* Bowery Blitzkrieg, starring the East Side Kids
* The Bride Came C.O.D., starring James Cagney and Bette Davis
* Broadway Limited, starring Victor McLaglen, Dennis O'Keefe, Patsy Kelly
* Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family, directed by Yasujirō Ozu – (Japan)
* Buck Privates, starring Abbott and Costello

### C

* Caught in the Draft, starring Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour
* Charlie Chan in Rio, starring Sidney Toler
* Charley's Aunt, starring Jack Benny
* A Charming Man (Roztomilý člověk), directed by Martin Frič – (Czechoslovakia)
* The Chocolate Soldier, starring Nelson Eddy
* Churchill's Island (La Forteresse de Churchill) – (Canada)
* Citizen Kane, directed by and starring Orson Welles, with Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead, Everett Sloane, Dorothy Comingore, Ray Collins
* The Corsican Brothers, starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
* Cottage to Let, directed by Anthony Asquith, starring Leslie Banks, Alastair Sim, John Mills – (GB)
* Crook's Tour, starring Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne
* Cuando los hijos se van (When Children Leave Home) – (Mexico)

### D

* The Devil and Daniel Webster (aka All That Money Can Buy), starring Walter Huston and Edward Arnold
* The Devil and Miss Jones, starring Jean Arthur and Robert Cummings
* Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, starring Spencer Tracy and Ingrid Bergman
* Dumbo, animated film from Walt Disney

### F

* The Face Behind the Mask, starring Peter Lorre
* The Farmer's Wife, starring Basil Sydney
* Footsteps in the Dark, starring Errol Flynn
* The Flame of New Orleans, starring Marlene Dietrich
* Flying Wild, starring the East Side Kids
* Freedom Radio, directed by Anthony Asquith – (GB)

### G

* The Gang's All Here, starring Frankie Darro and Mantan Moreland
* The Ghost of St. Michael's, starring Will Hay and Charles Hawtrey – (GB)
* The Great Lie, starring Mary Astor and Bette Davis

### H

* H.M. Pulham, Esq., starring Hedy Lamarr and Robert Young
* The Hard Life of an Adventurer (Těžký život dobrodruha) – (Czechoslovakia)
* Hatter's Castle, starring Robert Newton and Deborah Kerr – (Britain)
* The Heavenly Play (Himlaspelet), directed by Alf Sjöberg – (Sweden)
* Hellzapoppin', starring Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson
* Here Comes Mr. Jordan, starring Robert Montgomery
* High Sierra, starring Ida Lupino and Humphrey Bogart
* Hit the Road, starring the Dead End Kids
* Hold Back the Dawn, starring Charles Boyer, Olivia de Havilland and Paulette Goddard
* Hold That Ghost, starring Abbott and Costello
* Honky Tonk, starring Clark Gable and Lana Turner
* How Green Was My Valley, directed by John Ford, starring Walter Pidgeon and Maureen O'Hara – winner of 5 Academy Awards

### I

* I Wake Up Screaming, starring Betty Grable, Victor Mature, Carole Landis
* I Wanted Wings, starring Ray Milland, William Holden, Veronica Lake, Brian Donlevy
* In the Navy, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello
* Inspector Hornleigh Goes To It, starring Gordon Harker and Alastair Sim – (GB)
* International Lady, starring George Brent and Basil Rathbone
* The Iron Crown (La corona di ferro) – (Italy)
* It Started with Eve, starring Deanna Durbin and Robert Cummings

### J

* Jesse James at Bay, starring Roy Rogers

### K

* Kathleen, starring Shirley Temple
* Keep 'Em Flying, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello
* Khazanchi (Cashier) – (India)
* Kipps (British), based on the H.G. Wells novel, directed by Carol Reed, starring Michael Redgrave – (GB)

### L

* Ladies in Retirement, starring Ida Lupino and Louis Hayward
* Lady Be Good, starring Eleanor Powell and Robert Young
* The Lady Eve, directed by Preston Sturges, starring Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda
* Life Begins for Andy Hardy starring Lewis Stone, Mickey Rooney, Cecilia Parker, Fay Holden
* Life with Henry, starring Jackie Cooper.
* The Little Foxes, directed by William Wyler, starring Bette Davis
* Look Who's Laughing, starring Edgar Bergen, Fibber McGee and Molly
* Louisiana Purchase, starring Bob Hope
* Love on the Dole, starring Deborah Kerr – (GB)

### M

* Major Barbara, directed by Gabriel Pascal, starring Wendy Hiller and Rex Harrison – (GB)
* The Maltese Falcon, directed by John Huston, starring Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre
* Man Hunt, starring Walter Pidgeon and Joan Bennett
* Man Made Monster, starring Lon Chaney Jr. and Lionel Atwill
* Manpower, starring Edward G. Robinson, Marlene Dietrich, George Raft
* Meet John Doe, starring Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck
* Moon Over Miami, starring Betty Grable
* Mr. & Mrs. Smith, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery
* Mr. Bug Goes to Town

### N

* Never Give a Sucker an Even Break, starring W. C. Fields
* Nice Girl?, starring Deanna Durbin

### O

* Ohm Krüger (Uncle Kruger), starring Emil Jannings – (Germany)
* One Foot in Heaven, starring Fredric March and Martha Scott
* One Night in Lisbon, starring Fred MacMurray and Madeleine Carroll
* One Night in Transylvania (Egy éjszaka Erdélyben) – (Hungary)

### P

* Penn of Pennsylvania, starring Clifford Evans and Deborah Kerr – (GB)
* Penny Serenade, starring Irene Dunne and Cary Grant
* Piccolo mondo antico (Old-Fashioned World), starring Alida Valli – (Italy)
* Pimpernel Smith, directed by and starring Leslie Howard – (GB)
* A Place to Live
* Pride of the Bowery, starring the East Side Kids
* Princess Iron Fan (Tie shan gong zhu) – (China)

### Q

* Quiet Wedding, directed by Anthony Asquith, starring Margaret Lockwood – (GB)

### R

* Rage in Heaven, starring Robert Montgomery and Ingrid Bergman
* Red River Valley, directed by Joseph Kane, starring Roy Rogers
* The Reluctant Dragon, starring Robert Benchley
* Road to Zanzibar, starring Bob Hope and Bing Crosby

### S

* The Saint in Palm Springs, starring George Sanders
* The Sausage-Maker Who Disappeared (Den forsvundne pølsemaker) – (Norway)
* The Sea Wolf, starring Edward G. Robinson, Ida Lupino, John Garfield
* Sergeant York, directed by Howard Hawks, starring Gary Cooper and Walter Brennan
* Shadow of the Thin Man, starring William Powell and Myrna Loy
* The Shanghai Gesture, starring Gene Tierney
* The Shepherd of the Hills, starring John Wayne
* Sheriff of Tombstone, starring Roy Rogers
* Shining Victory, starring James Stephenson and Geraldine Fitzgerald
* Sikandar (Alexander the Great) – (India)
* Six Gun Gold, starring Tim Holt
* Skylark, starring Claudette Colbert and Ray Milland
* Spellbound, starring Derek Farr – (GB)
* Spooks Run Wild, starring East Side Kids and Bela Lugosi
* Stormy Waters (Remorques), starring Jean Gabin and Michèle Morgan – (France)
* The Strawberry Blonde, starring James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland, Rita Hayworth
* Sullivan's Travels, directed by Preston Sturges, starring Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake
* Sun Valley Serenade, starring Sonja Henie
* Suspicion, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Joan Fontaine and Cary Grant
* Suvorov – (U.S.S.R.)
* Swamp Water, directed by Jean Renoir, starring Walter Brennan and Walter Huston

### T

* The Tale of the Fox (Le Roman de Renard) – (France)
* Target for Tonight, a propaganda documentary – (GB)
* Tarzan's Secret Treasure, starring Johnny Weissmuller
* Teresa Venerdì, directed by and starring Vittorio De Sica – (Italy)
* That Hamilton Woman (aka Lady Hamilton), starring Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier – (GB)
* That Night in Rio, starring Don Ameche, Alice Faye, Carmen Miranda
* The Tell-Tale Heart, starring Joseph Schildkraut
* They Died with Their Boots On, starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland
* They Met in Argentina, starring Maureen O'Hara and James Ellison
* Tobacco Road, starring Gene Tierney
* Tosca, directed by Jean Renoir, starring Imperio Argentina and Michel Simon (Italy)
* Turned Out Nice Again, starring George Formby – (GB)
* The Tyrant Father (O Pai Tirano) – (Portugal)

### U

* U-Boat Course West! (U-Boote westwärts) – (Germany)
* Unexpected Uncle, starring Anne Shirley, James Craig, Charles Coburn
* Unholy Partners, starring Edward G. Robinson and Laraine Day

### W

* Week-End in Havana, starring Alice Faye, John Payne, Carmen Miranda and Cesar Romero
* Western Union, starring Randolph Scott
* When Ladies Meet, starring Joan Crawford, Greer Garson, Robert Taylor and Herbert Marshall
* The Wolf Man, starring Lon Chaney Jr.
* A Woman's Face, starring Joan Crawford and Melvyn Douglas

### Y

* A Yank in the RAF, starring Tyrone Power and Betty Grable
* You Belong to Me, starring Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda
* You'll Never Get Rich, starring Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth

### Z

* Ziegfeld Girl, starring Judy Garland and James Stewart

## Serials

* The Adventures of Captain Marvel, starring Tom Tyler, directed by William Witney and John English
* Dick Tracy vs Crime Inc, starring Ralph Byrd, directed by William Witney and John English
* The Green Hornet, starring Gordon Jones
* Holt of the Secret Service, directed by James W. Horne
* The Iron Claw, directed by James W. Horne
* Jungle Girl, starring Frances Gifford, directed by William Witney and John English
* King of the Texas Rangers, directed by William Witney and John English
* Riders of Death Valley, directed by Ray Taylor and Ford Beebe
* Sea Raiders, directed by Ray Taylor and Ford Beebe
* Sky Raiders, directed by Ray Taylor and Ford Beebe
* The Spider Returns, starring Warren Hull, directed by James W. Horne
* White Eagle, directed by James W. Horne

## Comedy film series

* Buster Keaton (1917–1944)
* Laurel and Hardy (1921-1945)
* Our Gang (1922–1944)
* Marx Brothers (1929–1946)
* The Three Stooges (1933–1962)

## Animated short film series

* Mickey Mouse (1928–1942, 1947–1953)
* Looney Tunes (1930–1969)
** Bugs Bunny (1941–1964)
** Daffy Duck (1938–1968)
** Porky Pig (1936–1946, 1948–1951)
** Sniffles (1939–1946)
** Inki (1939–1950)
* Terrytoons (1930–1964)
* Merrie Melodies (1931–1969)
* Scrappy (1931-1941)
* Popeye (1933–1957)
* Color Rhapsodies (1934–1949)
* Donald Duck (1937–1956)
* Walter Lantz Cartunes (also known as New Universal Cartoons or Cartune Comedies) (1938–1942)
* Goofy (1939–1955)
* Andy Panda (1939–1949)
* Tom and Jerry (1940–1958, 1961–1967)
** The Midnight Snack
** The Night Before Christmas
* Woody Woodpecker (1941–1949, 1951–1972)
* Swing Symphonies (1941–1945)
* The Fox and the Crow (1941–1950)
* Superman (1941–1943)

## Births

* January 1
** Simón Andreu, Spanish actor
** Eva Ras, Serbian actress, writer and painter
* January 3 - Derrick O'Connor, Irish actor (died 2018)
* January 4 - John Bennett Perry, American actor
* January 7 - Harvey Evans, American actor (died 2021)
* January 10 – José Greci, Italian actress (died 2017)
* January 12 - Long John Baldry, English-Canadian singer, musician and voice actor (died 2005)
* January 14
** Faye Dunaway, American actress
** Jack Thibeau, American former actor
* January 15 - Geoffrey Beevers, British actor
* January 19 - Putter Smith, American jazz bassist and actor
* January 24 - Neil Diamond, American actor and singer
* January 27 - Jeannie Epper, American stuntwoman and actress (died 2024)
* January 31 – Jessica Walter, American actress (died 2021)
* February 5 - David Selby, American actor
* February 8 – Nick Nolte, American actor and producer
* February 10 – Michael Apted, English director, producer and screenwriter (died 2021)
* February 11 - Sonny Landham, American actor and stunt performer (died 2017)
* February 13 - Bo Svenson, Swedish-American actor, director, screenwriter and producer
* February 27 - Charlotte Stewart, American actress
* March 3 - Rada Rassimov, Italian actress
* March 4
** John Aprea, American actor and comedian (died 2024)
** Adrian Lyne, English director and producer
* March 6 - George P. Wilbur, American actor and professional stuntman (died 2023)
* March 14 – Wolfgang Petersen, German director, producer and screenwriter (died 2022)
* March 16
** Bernardo Bertolucci, Italian director (died 2018)
** Jerry Chipman, American actor (died 2020)
* March 18 - Frank McRae, American actor (died 2021)
* March 20 - Paul Junger Witt, American producer (died 2018)
* March 22 - Bruno Ganz, Swiss actor (died 2019)
* March 24 - David Fox, Canadian actor (died 2021)
* April 3 - Eric Braeden, German actor
* April 7
** Cornelia Frances, English-Australian actress (died 2018)
** Danny Wells, Canadian actor and comedian (died 2013)
* April 9 - Hannah Gordon, Scottish actress and presenter
* April 12 - Manuel de Blas, Spanish actor
* April 13 - Michael Alldredge, American actor (died 1997)
* April 20
** David Leland, English director (died 2023)
** Ryan O'Neal, American actor (died 2023)
* April 26 - Claudine Auger, French actress (died 2019)
* April 28 – Ann-Margret, Swedish-born American actress, dancer and singer
* May 2 - Paul Darrow, English actor (died 2019)
* May 13 – Senta Berger, Austrian actress and producer
* May 17 - Grace Zabriskie, American actress
* May 18 - Miriam Margolyes, British-Australian character actress
* May 19
** Nora Ephron, American writer and filmmaker (died 2012)
** Tania Mallet, English actress and model (died 2019)
* May 24 – Andrés García, Dominican-Mexican actor
* May 29
** Nick McLean, American cinematographer and actor
** Bill Weston, British stunt performer and actor (died 2012)
* June 2
** Stacy Keach, American actor
** Mahmoud Yassine, Egyptian actor (died 2020)
* June 5 – Spalding Gray, American actor and screenwriter (died 2004)
* June 8 - Jessie Lawrence Ferguson, American actor (died 2019)
* June 10
** Mickey Jones, American musician and actor (died 2018)
** Jürgen Prochnow, German actor
* June 17 - Roberta Maxwell, Canadian actress
* June 20
** Stephen Frears, English film director
** Dieter Mann, German actor (died 2022)
* June 21
** Joe Flaherty, Canadian-American actor and comedian (died 2024)
** Lyman Ward, Canadian actor
* June 22 – Michael Lerner, American actor (died 2023)
* June 25 – Denys Arcand, Canadian director and screenwriter
* June 27 – Krzysztof Kieślowski, Polish director (died 1996)
* July 1 - Milos Milos, Serbian-born American actor and stunt double (died 1966)
* July 10 - Robert Pine, American actor
* July 13 - Robert Forster, American actor (died 2019)
* July 17 - Paula Shaw, American actress
* July 18 - Starletta DuPois, American actress
* July 21 - Edward Herrmann, American actor, director and writer (died 2014)
* July 26 - Darlene Love, American actress and singer
* July 28
** Peter Cullen, Canadian voice actor
** Colin Higgins, Australian-American screenwriter, actor, director and producer (died 1988)
* July 29 – David Warner, English actor (died 2022)
* August 4
** Martin Jarvis, English actor
** Paul Mooney, American comedian, writer and actor (died 2021)
* August 7 - Franco Columbu, Italian bodybuilder, actor and producer (died 2019)
* August 8 - Earl Boen, American actor (died 2023)
* August 12
** Dana Ivey, American actress
** Deborah Walley, American actress (died 2001)
* August 15 - Lou Perryman, American character actor (died 2009)
* August 26 - Joan Freeman, American retired actress
* August 28 - Tony Barry, Australian actor (died 2022)
* August 29
** Ellen Geer, American actress
** Mark Kasdan, American screenwriter and producer
** Orestes Matacena, Cuban-American actor, director, producer and writer
* September 4 - Rochelle Kaffenberger, American actress (died 2024)
* September 18 - Gerry Bamman, American actor
* September 26 – Martine Beswick, English actress and model
* October 6 – Billy Murray, English actor
* October 9 - Michael Goodwin, American character actor
* October 10 – Peter Coyote, American actor
* October 11 - Charles Shyer, American director, screenwriter and producer (died 2024)
* October 19 – Simon Ward, English actor (died 2012)
* October 20 – Clare Peploe, English-Italian screenwriter and director (died 2021)
* October 23 – Mel Winkler, American actor (died 2020)
* October 24 – Frank Aendenboom, Belgian actor (died 2018)
* October 25 – Gordon Tootoosis, Aboriginal Canadian actor (died 2011)
* October 31
** Mischa Hausserman, Austrian-born American actor (died 2021)
** Sally Kirkland, American actress
* November 1 – Robert Foxworth, American actor
* November 18 – David Hemmings, English actor, director and producer (died 2003)
* November 22 – Tom Conti, Scottish actor
* November 23 – Franco Nero, Italian actor
* November 25 – Tiit Lilleorg, Estonian actor (died 2021)
* November 27 - Tom Morga, American stuntman, stunt coordinator and actor
* November 30 - Sally Douglas, British actress (died 2001)
* December 4 – Leila Säälik, Estonian actress
* December 6
** Evald Hermaküla, Estonian actor and director (died 2000)
** Leon Russom, American actor
* December 8 – Valora Noland, American actress (died 2022)
* December 9 – Beau Bridges, American actor
* December 10 - Fionnula Flanagan, Irish actress
* December 15 - Vladan Živković, Serbian actor (died 2022)
* December 25 - John Capodice, American character actor (died 2024)
* December 27 - Aharon Ipalé, Israeli-American actor (died 2016)

## Deaths

* January 4 – Henri Bergson, 81, French writer
* January 10 – Joe Penner, 36, American comedian, actor, The Boys from Syracuse, Millionaire Playboy, The Day the Bookies Wept, Mr. Doodle Kicks Off
* March 13 – Stuart Walker, 63, American director, White Woman, Great Expectations
* April 23 – Stanley Fields, 57, American actor, The Great Plane Robbery, The Lady from Cheyenne
* May 8 – Tore Svennberg, 83, Swedish actor, The Phantom Carriage, A Woman's Face
* May 12 – Ruth Stonehouse, 48, American actress, film director, The Satin Woman
* May 22 – Ida Waterman, 89, American actress, Stella Maris, The Enchanted Cottage, Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley, Esmerelda
* June 28 – Richard Carle, 69, American actor, The Little Red Schoolhouse, Love Before Breakfast, Rhythm in the Clouds, She Asked for It
* July 25 - Purnell Pratt, 55, American actor, Alibi, Scarface, The Mystery Squadron, Dancing Feet
* July 29 - James Stephenson, 52, English actor, The Letter, Shining Victory
* August 13 – J. Stuart Blackton, 66, British-American film producer and director, co-founder of Vitagraph Studios, The Glorious Adventure
* September 18 – Claude King, 66, English actor, Behind the Mask, It Couldn't Have Happened – But It Did
* October 9 – Helen Morgan, 41, American actress and singer, You Belong to Me, Applause, Show Boat
* October 26 – Victor Schertzinger, 53, American director, Paramount on Parade, Road to Zanzibar
* November 2 – Bengt Djurberg, 43, Swedish actor, Troll-elgen
* December 21 – David Howard, 45, American film director, Daniel Boone

## Film Debuts

* Reginald Beckwith – Freedom Radio
* Adriana Benetti – Teresa Venerdì
* Marina Berti – La fuggitiva
* Barbara Britton – Secrets of the Wasteland
* Faith Brook – Suspicion
* Leslie Brooks – Ziegfeld Girl
* Phil Brown – I Wanted Wings
* Janis Carter – Cadet Girl
* John Cason – Buck Privates
* Cyd Charisse – Escort Girl
* Françoise Christophe – Premier rendez-vous
* David Clarke – Knockout
* George Cole – Cottage to Let
* Ray Collins – Citizen Kane
* Joseph Cotten – Citizen Kane
* Yvonne De Carlo – Harvard, Here I Come
* John Dehner – The Reluctant Dragon
* Anita Durante – Scampolo
* Faye Emerson – Affectionately Yours
* Bill Erwin – You're in the Army Now
* Renée Faure – Who Killed Santa Claus?
* Suzanne Flon – Ce n'est pas moi
* Elisabeth Fraser – One Foot in Heaven
* Terry Frost – Cyclone on Horseback
* Eva Gabor – Forced Landing
* Ava Gardner – Shadow of the Thin Man
* Karen X. Gaylord – The Chocolate Soldier
* Jackie Gleason – Navy Blues
* Kenneth Griffith – The Farmer's Wife
* Eloise Hardt – You Belong to Me
* Richard Haydn – Charley's Aunt
* Sterling Hayden – Virginia
* Charlton Heston – Peer Gynt
* Jennifer Holt – Stick to Your Guns
* Bruce Lee – Golden Gate Girl
* Anna Maestri – Teresa Venerdì
* Patrick McVey – Caught in the Draft
* Sid Melton – New York Town
* Agnes Moorehead – Citizen Kane
* Margaret O'Brien – Babes on Broadway
* Larry Parks – Mystery Ship
* Annette Poivre – Premier rendez-vous
* Vera Ralston – Ice-Capades
* Carl Benton Reid – The Little Foxes
* Adeline De Walt Reynolds – Come Live with Me
* Natalie Schafer – The Body Disappears
* Frank Sinatra – Las Vegas Nights
* Everett Sloane – Citizen Kane
* Woody Strode – Sundown
* Simone Valère – Premier rendez-vous
* Tito Vuolo – Shadow of the Thin Man
* Ruth Warrick – Citizen Kane
* Orson Welles – Citizen Kane
* Rhys Williams – How Green Was My Valley
* Marie Windsor – Unexpected Uncle
* Barbara Woodell – Mr. & Mrs. Smith
* Teresa Wright – The Little Foxes