1962

1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar.

 Events 
 March 16 – Walter Cronkite becomes lead anchor on the CBS Evening News.
 June 11-12 – Three prisoners escape from Alcatraz.
 August 6 – Jamaica becomes separate from the United Kingdom.
 August 16 – The Beatles fire drummer Pete Best and replace him with Ringo Starr.
 October 16 – The Cuban Missile Crisis begins.
 Johnny Carson becomes host of The Tonight Show.

 Births 
 January 7 – Abigail Johnson, American businesswoman
 January 17 – Jim Carrey, Canadian actor and comedian
 February 6 – Axl Rose, American singer (Guns N' Roses)
 February 7 – Eddie Izzard, British actor and comedian
 February 10 – Cliff Burton, American bassist and songwriter (d. 1986)
 February 11 – Sheryl Crow, American singer
 February 22 – Steve Irwin, Australian animal expert and television personality (The Crocodile Hunter) (d. 2006)
 February 27 – Adam Baldwin, American actor
 March 2 – Jon Bon Jovi, American singer, songwriter, and actor
 March 4 – Lolo Ferrari, French actress (d. 2000)
 March 7 – Taylor Dayne, American singer
 March 21 – Rosie O'Donnell, American comedian, actress and talk show host
 March 25 – Marcia Cross, American actress
 April 23 – Hillel Slovak, American musician (Red Hot Chili Peppers) (d. 1988)
 May 17 – Alan Johnston, British journalist
 May 18 – Nanne Grönvall, Swedish singer
 June 3 – Susannah Constantine, English television presenter
 June 8 - Nick Rhodes, English keyboardist (Duran Duran)
 June 10 – Maxi Priest, English singer
 June 11 – Jack Irons, American musician (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
 June 19 – Paula Abdul, dancer and singer; American Idol judge
 July 3 – Tom Cruise, American actor
 July 31 – Wesley Snipes, American actor
 August 20 – James Marsters, American actor
 August 28  John Gebbia, American businessman
 August 30 – Alexander Litvinenko, British citizen and ex-KGB (d. 2006)
 September 17 – Baz Luhrmann, Australian movie director
 September 27 - Adolfo González, Mexican archer
 October 2 – Jeff Bennett, American actor
 October 16 – Flea, American musician (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
 October 17 – Mike Judge, American animator and producer
 October 19 – Evander Holyfield, American boxer
 November 1 – Anthony Kiedis, American singer (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
 November 11 – Demi Moore, American actress
 November 19 – Jodie Foster, American actress and director
 December 9 – Felicity Huffman, American actress
 December 22 
 Andres Cantor, Argentine/American sportscaster
 Ralph Fiennes, English actor

 Deaths 

 January 

 February 

 March 

 April 
 April 10 – Stuart Sutcliffe, English musician (The Beatles) (b. 1940)

 May 

 June 

 July 
 July 11 – Polly Adler, Russian writer (b. 1900)

 August 
 August 5 – Marilyn Monroe, American actress (b. 1926)
 August 9 – Hermann Hesse, German writer (b. 1877)

 September 

 October 

 November 
 November 7- Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the United States, wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt (b. 1884)
 November 18 – Niels Bohr, Danish physicist (b. 1885)
 December