# 1964 in television

The year 1964 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events which occurred in that year.

## Events

* Most of NBC's programs are now broadcast in color.
* January 1 – The first Top of the Pops airs on BBC Television in the UK.
* January 3 – Footage of The Beatles performing a concert in Bournemouth, England is shown on The Jack Paar Show in the United States.
* January 4
** TV Tokyo launched in Japan.
** The Hollywood Palace variety series debuts on ABC in the United States, with first guest host Bing Crosby.
* February 9-23 – The Beatles appear on The Ed Sullivan Show in the United States, breaking television ratings records.
* April 20 – BBC2 starts broadcasting in the UK; the existing BBC channel is renamed BBC1.
* April 30 – Television sets manufactured as of this date are required to receive UHF channels.
* May 5 – The documentary film Seven Up! is broadcast on ITV in the UK, showing the lives of fourteen school children. Subsequent films in the series have seen them interviewed every seven years since.
* June 4 - Sylvania in the United States unveils a revolutionary color TV picture tube in which europium-bearing phosphor allows a much brighter display.
* June 6 – The Rolling Stones make their American TV debut on The Hollywood Palace, hosted by Dean Martin.
* July – The British Associated Television's series Emergency – Ward 10 shows one of the first kisses on television between black and white actors, Joan Hooley playing surgeon Louise Mahler and John White playing Dr. Giles Farmer.
* August 1 – The official launch of Melbourne's third commercial television station ATV-0, signaling the beginning of what is now Network Ten.
* September 7 – "Daisy" advertisement airs on network television in the United States as part of Lyndon B. Johnson 1964 presidential campaign.
* September 17 – The new sitcom Bewitched pilot airs on ABC in the United States starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Agnes Moorehead.
* October 10 – NBC in the United States airs the 1964 Summer Olympics opening ceremony at Tokyo, Japan, with first time of live Olympic telecast program by geostationary communication satellite Syncom 3. This telecast marks NBC's first Olympic broadcasting stint.
* October 18 – Jackie Mason appears on The Ed Sullivan Show on CBS in the United States and is subsequently banned after he seemingly gives Ed "the finger" on the air.
* October 25 – The Rolling Stones make their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show; the next day, Sullivan insists that he'll never have them back.
* November 26 – Pakistan Television Corporation airs the first television broadcasts in Pakistan.
* December 6 – NBC in the United States debuts the Christmas special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. It will become a holiday tradition, moving to CBS in 1972.

## Programs/programmes

* American Bandstand (1952–1989)
* Armchair Theatre (UK) (1956–1968)
* As the World Turns (1956–2010)
* Ben Casey (1961–1966)
* Blue Peter (UK) (1958–present)
* Bonanza (1959–1973)
* Bozo the Clown (1949–present)
* Candid Camera (1948–2004)
* Captain Kangaroo (1955–1984)
* Combat! (1962–1967)
* Come Dancing (UK) (1949–1995)
* Coronation Street, UK (1960–present)
* Death Valley Days (1952–1975)
* Dixon of Dock Green (UK) (1955–1976)
* Doctor Who, UK (1963–1989, 1996, 2005–present)
* Face the Nation (1954–present)
* Four Corners, Australia (1961–present)
* General Hospital (1963–present)
* Grandstand (UK) (1958–2007)
* Gunsmoke (1955–1975)
* Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951–present)
* Hockey Night in Canada (1952–present)
* It's Academic (1961–present)
* Juke Box Jury (1959–1967, 1979, 1989–1990)
* Love of Life (1951–1980)
* Match Game (1962–1969, 1973–1984, 1990–1991, 1998–1999)
* Meet the Press (1947–present)
* Mister Ed (1961–1966)
* Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom (1963–1988, 2002–present)
* My Three Sons (1960–1972)
* Opportunity Knocks (UK) (1956–1978)
* Panorama (UK) (1953–present)
* Petticoat Junction (1963–1970)
* Ready Steady Go! (1963–1966)
* Search for Tomorrow (1951–1986)
* The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952–1966)
* The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968)
* The Avengers, UK (1961–1969)
* The Bell Telephone Hour (1959–1968)
* The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1971)
* The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–1966)
* The Doctors (1963–1982)
* The Donna Reed Show (1958–1966)
* The Ed Sullivan Show (1948–1971)
* The Edge of Night (1956–1984)
* The Flintstones (1960–1966)
* The Fulton Sheen Program (1961–1968)
* The Fugitive (1963–67)
* The Good Old Days (UK) (1953–1983)
* The Guiding Light (1952–2009)
* The Hollywood Palace (1964-1970)
* The Jack Benny Program (1950–1965)
* The Late Late Show, Ireland (1962–present)
* The Lawrence Welk Show (1955–1982)
* The Lucy Show (1962–1968)
* The Mike Douglas Show (1961–1981)
* The Milton Berle Show (1954–1967)
* The Patty Duke Show (1963–1966)
* The Price Is Right (1956–1965)
* The Saint, UK (1962–1969)
* The Secret Storm (1954–1974)
* The Sky at Night (UK) (1957–present)
* The Today Show (1952–present)
* The Tonight Show (1954–present)
* The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962–1992)
* This Is Your Life (UK) (1955–2003)
* Truth or Consequences (1950–1988)
* Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (1961–69 with this title)
* What the Papers Say (UK) (1956–2008)
* What's My Line (1950–1967)
* Wide World of Sports (1961–1997)
* Z-Cars, UK (1962–1978)

### Debuts

* January 1 – Top of the Pops on BBC television (1964–2006)
* January 4 – The Hollywood Palace on ABC (1964–1970)
* January 10 – That Was The Week That Was (TW3) on NBC-TV as a half-hour satirical revue broadcast live from New York after a successful hour-long special on November 10, 1963. The show, based on the BBC program of the same name, ran through May 4, 1965. It was revived as a one-time ABC special in 1985, and as a segment on ABC's Primetime Live ca. 2004–05.
* January 14 – The Magilla Gorilla Show in syndication (1964–67)
* March 30 – The game show Jeopardy! on NBC daytime TV (1964–75, 1978–79, 1984–)
* May 4 – The American soap opera Another World on NBC at 3:00 p.m. ET, as a half-hour show (1964–99)
* September 14 – Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea on ABC (1964–1968)
* September 15 – Peyton Place on ABC (1964–1969)
* September 16 – Shindig! on ABC (1964–1966) and The Peter Potamus Show on Syndication (1964-65)
* September 17 – Bewitched on ABC (1964–1972)
* September 18
** The Addams Family on ABC (1964–1966)
** Jonny Quest on ABC (1964–1965)
* September 19
** Flipper on NBC (1964–1967)
** Kentucky Jones on NBC (1964–1965)
* September 22 – The Man from U.N.C.L.E. on NBC (1964–1968)
* September 23 – The Cara Williams Show on CBS (1964–1965)
* September 24
** Daniel Boone on NBC (1964–1970)
** The Munsters on CBS (1964–1966)
* September 25 – Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. on CBS (1964–1969)
* September 26
** Gilligan's Island on CBS (1964–1967)
** Linus the Lionhearted on CBS (1964-65)
* October 3 –
** The Sullavan Brothers on ITV (1964–1965)
** Underdog on NBC (1964–1967)
* October 4 – This Hour Has Seven Days on CBC (1964–66)
* October 5
** 90 Bristol Court on NBC (1964–1965)
** Harris Against the World on NBC (1964–1965)
** Karen on NBC (1964–1965)
** Tom, Dick and Mary on NBC (1964–1965)
* October 13 – Danger Man returns to ITV after being cancelled in 1961; It would later air on CBS as Secret Agent (1960–61, 1964–66)
* October 28 – The Wednesday Play on BBC1 (1964–1970)
* November 2 – Crossroads on ITV (1964–1988, 2001–2003)
* November 9 - The Les Crane Show, later renamed ABC's Nightlife, on ABC (1964-1965)
* The Mavis Bramston Show on ATN-7 in Australia (1964–1968)
* Spokoynoy nochi, malyshi! (Спокойной ночи, малыши!, "Good Night, Little Ones!") in the Soviet Union (1964–present)
* The Porky Pig Show on ABC (1964-67)

### Ending this year

| Date | Show | Debut |
| March 29 | The Judy Garland Show | 1963 |
| April 25 | The New Phil Silvers Show | 1963 |
| April 27 | The Danny Thomas Show | 1953 |
| June 19 | Mack & Myer for Hire | 1963 |
| June 19 | The Twilight Zone | 1959 |
| June 19 | Zoo Quest (UK) | 1954 |
| Unknown | Sing Along with Mitch | 1961 |
| Unknown | To Tell the Truth | 1962 |

## Births

| Date | Name | Notability |
| January 1 | Dedee Pfeiffer | Actress (For Your Love) |
| January 1 | Crystal R. Fox | Actress, singer (The Oprah Winfrey Show, In the Heat of the Night) |
| January 6 | Colin Cowherd | American sports media personality |
| January 6 | Denise Borino-Quinn | American actress (died 2010) |
| January 7 | Nicolas Cage | Actor |
| January 8 | Peter Jankowski | American television and film producer |
| January 10 | Krista Tesreau | Actress (Guiding Light) |
| January 12 | Clare Holman | British actress (Inspector Morse) |
| January 17 | Michelle Obama | Attorney, author and former first lady of the United States |
| January 23 | Mariska Hargitay | Actress (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) |
| January 26 | Paul Johansson | Actor (One Tree Hill) |
| February 1 | Linus Roache | English actor (Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) |
| February 10 | Glenn Beck | Radio host |
| February 11 | Sarah Palin | American politician |
| February 11 | Ken Shamrock | Pro wrestler and mixed martial artist |
| February 12 | Raphael Sbarge | Actor (Once Upon a Time) |
| February 14 | Valente Rodriguez | Actor (George Lopez, Happily Divorced) |
| February 15 | Chris Farley | Actor and comedian (Saturday Night Live) (died 1997) |
| February 15 | Mark Price | NBA basketball player |
| February 18 | Matt Dillon | Actor |
| February 20 | French Stewart | Actor (3rd Rock from the Sun, Mom) |
| February 20 | Willie Garson | Actor (died 2021) |
| February 20 | Michael A. Levine | Composer |
| February 21 | Huw Higginson | Actor |
| February 25 | Lee Evans | Actor |
| February 26 | Mark Dacascos | Actor |
| February 27 | John Pyper-Ferguson | Australian-born Canadian actor (Brothers & Sisters) |
| February 29 | Lyndon Byers | Canadian former professional ice hockey player |
| March 3 | Laura Harring | Actress |
| March 7 | Wanda Sykes | Actress and comedian (The Chris Rock Show, The Wanda Sykes Show) |
| March 8 | Bob Bergen | Voice actor (current voice of Porky Pig and Tweety) |
| March 9 | Steve Wilkos | TV host |
| March 11 | Shane Richie | Actor |
| March 11 | Peter Berg | Actor |
| March 16 | Jamie Tarses | Television producer (died 2021) |
| March 17 | Rob Lowe | Actor (The West Wing, Brothers & Sisters, Parks and Recreation) |
| March 20 | Susan McGinnis | American television journalist |
| March 25 | Lisa Gay Hamilton | Actress (The Practice) |
| March 25 | Jeryl Prescott | Actress |
| March 30 | Ian Ziering | Actor (Beverly Hills, 90210) |
| April 3 | Nigel Farage | British politician and broadcaster |
| April 4 | David Cross | Actor, comedian (Mr. Show with Bob and David, Arrested Development, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret) |
| April 4 | Anthony Clark | Actor (Yes, Dear) |
| April 4 | Robbie Rist | Actor (The Brady Bunch) |
| April 4 | Laurie Gelman | Writer |
| April 5 | Christopher Reid | Actor |
| April 7 | Russell Crowe | New Zealand actor |
| April 8 | Biz Markie | Rapper (died 2021) |
| April 9 | Bryan Spicer | Director |
| April 12 | Mark Camacho | Actor |
| April 13 | Caroline Rhea | Canadian actress (Sabrina the Teenage Witch) |
| April 13 | Page Hannah | Actress |
| April 14 | Bob Clendenin | Actor (Cougar Town) |
| April 14 | Mike Fleiss | American television producer |
| April 15 | Debra Hayward | Film producer |
| April 16 | David Kohan | American television producer |
| April 17 | Lela Rochon | American actress |
| April 24 | Cedric the Entertainer | Actor, comedian, host (Showtime at the Apollo, The Steve Harvey Show, The Soul Man) |
| April 24 | Djimon Hounsou | Actor |
| April 25 | Hank Azaria | Actor (The Simpsons) |
| April 25 | Fiona Bruce | British television presenter |
| April 25 | Vince Offer | Pitchman |
| April 29 | Federico Castelluccio | Actor |
| May 4 | Jodi Applegate | American broadcast journalist |
| May 8 | Melissa Gilbert | Actress, director (Little House on the Prairie, Sweet Justice) |
| May 9 | Peter M. Lenkov | Canadian television and film writer |
| May 11 | Katie Wagner | American presenter |
| May 13 | Stephen Colbert | Comedian, host (The Colbert Report, The Late Show) |
| May 13 | Tom Verica | Actor (American Dreams) and director |
| May 17 | David Eigenberg | Actor (Sex and the City, Chicago Fire) |
| May 20 | Paolo Seganti | Italian actor (As the World Turns) |
| May 20 | Kevin Frazier | TV host |
| May 28 | Christa Miller | Actress (The Drew Carey Show, Scrubs) |
| May 30 | Mark Sheppard | English actor (Battlestar Galactica, Supernatural, Leverage) |
| June 4 | Sean Pertwee | Actor (Gotham) |
| June 8 | Gloria Reuben | Actress (ER, Falling Skies) |
| June 10 | Kate Flannery | Actress (The Office) |
| June 10 | Vincent Perez | Actor |
| June 15 | Courteney Cox | Actress (Monica on Friends) |
| June 17 | Erin Murphy | Actress (Bewitched) |
| June 19 | Boris Johnson | British politician |
| June 21 | Doug Savant | Actor (Melrose Place, Desperate Housewives) |
| June 21 | David Morrissey | Actor |
| June 22 | Amy Brenneman | Actress (NYPD Blue, Judging Amy) |
| June 22 | Dicky Barrett | American singer |
| June 23 | Joss Whedon | Writer, director, producer (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) |
| June 25 | Erica Gimpel | Actress |
| June 27 | Terry Serpico | Actor |
| June 29 | Wendy Kilbourne | Actress |
| July 3 | Yeardley Smith | Voice actress (Lisa Simpson on The Simpsons) |
| July 3 | Peyton Reed | American television and film director |
| July 6 | John Ottman | Composer |
| July 7 | Tracy Reiner | Actress |
| July 12 | Judi Evans | Actress (Guiding Light, Days of Our Lives) |
| July 14 | J. Rupert Thompson | Producer |
| July 17 | Heather Langenkamp | Actress (Just the Ten of Us) |
| July 18 | Wendy Williams | TV host (The Wendy Williams Show) |
| July 20 | Dean Winters | Actor (Oz) |
| July 21 | Ross Kemp | Actor |
| July 22 | David Spade | Actor, comedian (Saturday Night Live, Just Shoot Me!, Rules of Engagement) |
| July 22 | Adam Godley | Actor |
| July 22 | Bonnie Langford | Actress |
| July 26 | Sandra Bullock | Actress |
| July 28 | Lori Loughlin | Actress, model (Full House) |
| July 29 | Lisa Peluso | Soap opera actress |
| July 30 | Vivica A. Fox | Actress |
| August 2 | Mary-Louise Parker | Actress (The West Wing, Weeds) |
| August 9 | Hoda Kotb | American broadcast journalist |
| August 10 | Kathy Cox | American politician |
| August 11 | Miguel A. Núñez Jr. | Actor (Tour of Duty) |
| August 13 | Debi Mazar | Actress |
| August 16 | William Salyers | Actor (Rigby on Regular Show) |
| August 20 | Flaminia Cinque | Actress (Casualty, Doctors) |
| August 21 | Susan Eisenberg | Actress (Justice League, Jackie Chan Adventures) |
| August 22 | Andrew Wilson | Actor |
| August 25 | Blair Underwood | Actor (L.A. Law) |
| August 25 | Marti Noxon | Actress |
| August 27 | Robert Bogue | Actor (Guiding Light) |
| August 29 | Dina Spybey | Actress |
| August 30 | Nelson Ascencio | Cuban-American actor, comedian (Mad TV) |
| September 1 | Ray D'Arcy | Irish TV presenter |
| September 2 | Keanu Reeves | Actor |
| September 5 | Thomas Mikal Ford | Actor (Martin) (died 2016) |
| September 6 | Rosie Perez | Actress |
| September 7 | Eazy-E | Rapper (died 1995) |
| September 12 | Greg Gutfeld | Talk show host |
| September 13 | Tavis Smiley | Talk show host and author |
| September 14 | Faith Ford | Actress (Murphy Brown, Hope & Faith) |
| September 15 | Matt Roth | Actor |
| September 16 | Molly Shannon | Comic actress (Saturday Night Live) |
| September 18 | Holly Robinson Peete | Actress, singer (21 Jump Street, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, For Your Love) |
| September 19 | Kim Richards | Actress (Nanny and the Professor) |
| September 25 | Lily Mariye | Actress (ER) |
| September 26 | Ty Miller | Actor (The Young Riders) |
| September 28 | Janeane Garofalo | Actress, comedian (The Ben Stiller Show, The Larry Sanders Show, Saturday Night Live) |
| September 28 | Laura Cerón | Mexican-born American actress (ER) |
| October 1 | Harry Hill | Television host |
| October 10 | Sarah Lancashire | Actress |
| October 12 | Francisco Gattorno | Actor (Mi Pecado) |
| October 13 | Matt Walsh | Actor |
| October 14 | Jim Rome | Talk show host (Jim Rome Is Burning) |
| October 14 | David Kaye | Voice actor |
| October 18 | Sam Sorbo | Actress |
| October 19 | Ty Pennington | Host |
| October 20 | Kamala Harris | Politician, attorney, and first female vice president of the United States |
| October 25 | Michael Boatman | Actor (China Beach, Arliss, Spin City) |
| October 25 | Bruce Feiler | Writer |
| October 25 | Kevin Michael Richardson | Voice actor (Dexter's Laboratory, The Fairly OddParents, The Proud Family, Kim Possible, Codename: Kids Next Door, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, My Life as a Teenage Robot, Dave the Barbarian, Danny Phantom, American Dad!, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Loonatics Unleashed, The Emperor's New School, The Penguins of Madagascar, The Cleveland Show, Gravity Falls, Uncle Grandpa) |
| October 29 | Eddie McGuire | Television host |
| November 1 | Daran Norris | Voice actor (Cosmo on The Fairly OddParents) |
| November 2 | Lauren Vélez | Actress (New York Undercover, Oz, Dexter) |
| November 2 | Matt Williams | American television producer |
| November 4 | Kurt Krakowian | Actor |
| November 7 | Dana Plato | Actor (died 1999) |
| November 9 | Robert Duncan McNeill | Actor (Star Trek: Voyager) |
| November 11 | Calista Flockhart | Actress (Ally McBeal, Brothers & Sisters, Supergirl) |
| November 11 | Philip McKeon | Actor (Alice) (died 2019) |
| November 14 | Bill Hemmer | US news anchor |
| November 14 | Patrick Warburton | Actor (Seinfeld, Family Guy, The Tick, Kim Possible, The X's, The Emperor's New School) |
| November 16 | Harry Lennix | Actor |
| November 16 | Maeve Quinlan | Actress |
| November 20 | Nick Weir | English presenter |
| November 21 | Liza Tarbuck | English actress and presenter (Watching) |
| November 24 | Garret Dillahunt | Actor (Raising Hope) |
| November 24 | Brad Sherwood | Actor |
| November 27 | Robin Givens | Actress (Head of the Class) |
| November 27 | Adam Shankman | Actor |
| November 29 | Don Cheadle | Actor (Picket Fences, House of Lies) |
| December 4 | Jonathan Goldstein | Actor (Drake & Josh) |
| December 4 | Christopher B. Duncan | Actor (The Jamie Foxx Show, The First Family) |
| December 4 | Marisa Tomei | Actress |
| December 7 | Patrick Fabian | Actor |
| December 8 | Teri Hatcher | Actress (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Desperate Housewives) |
| December 9 | Larry Emdur | Australian television personality |
| December 16 | Paul Vogt | Actor, comedian (Mad TV, The Big Gay Sketch Show) |
| December 17 | Eric Brown | Actor (Mama's Family) |
| December 17 | Steve Marmel | Writer |
| December 18 | Stone Cold Steve Austin | WWE wrestler |
| December 20 | Mark Coleman | Martial artist |
| December 24 | Mark Valley | Actor (Boston Legal) |
| December 27 | Ian Gomez | Actor (Felicity, Cougar Town) |
| December 29 | Kimberly Russell | Actress (Head of the Class) |
| December 29 | Tami Reiker | American cinematographer |
| December 29 | Michael Cudlitz | Actor (Band of Brothers, Southland, The Walking Dead) |
| December 30 | George Newbern | Actor (Justice League, The Pirates of Dark Water, Scandal) |
| December 31 | Michael McDonald | Actor (Mad TV) |

## Deaths

| Date | Name | Age | Notability |
| August 28 | Gracie Allen | 69 | Actress/comedian (The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show) |

## Television debuts

* Alan Arkin – East Side West Side
* Dominic Chianese – East Side West Side
* Richard Dreyfuss – Karen
* Brenda Fricker – Tolka Row
* Teri Garr – Mr. Novak
* Elliott Gould – Once Upon a Mattress
* Stacy Keach – Channing
* Malcolm McDowell – Crossroads
* Ian McKellen – The Indian Tales of Rudyard Kipling
* Robert Pine – Broadside
* John Rhys-Davies – Crossroads
* Patrick Stewart – Story Parade
* Susan Tyrrell – The Patty Duke Show
* Concha Velasco – Sábado 64
* Raquel Welch – The Virginian