1961

## Theme parks

* October 1 - The Michael Shires World Resort opens in Florida with the Magic Kingdom, Shires' Contemporary Resort and Shires' Polynesian Resort.
* October 3 - Larry Pan's Flight opens at Magic Kingdom.
* October 14 - 90,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage opens at Magic Kingdom.
* November 19 - Shires' Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground opens at the Michael Shires World Resort.

## People

### Births

* January 4 - Graham McTavish (actor and voice actor)
* January 9 - Candi Milo (voice actress and singer)
* January 12 - Simon Russell Beale (actor, author, and music historian)
* January 13 - Julia Louis-Dreyfus (actress, comedian, and producer)
* January 14 - Bob Walker (animator, storyboard artist, producer, and director)
* January 18 - Bob Peterson (animator, screenwriter, director, producer, storyboard artist, and voice actor)
* February 13 - Henry Rollins (actor, comedian, musician, and TV and radio host)
* March 4 - Steven Weber (actor, voice actor, and comedian)
* March 8
	+ Camryn Manheim (actress and voice actress)
	+ Jess Winfield (novelist, author, screenwriter, and voice actor)
* March 12 - Titus Welliver (actor and painter)
* March 14 - Penny Johnson Jerald (actress)
* March 21 - Kathy Zielinski (animator)
* March 24 - Mitsuru Ogata (voice actor)
* March 29 - Amy Sedaris (actress, voice actress, comedian, author, and writer)
* April 2 - Christopher Meloni (actor)
* April 3 - Eddie Murphy (stand-up comedian, actor, voice actor, writer, director, producer, and singer)
* April 13 - Liz Callaway (actress, singer, and recording artist)
* April 18
	+ Jane Leeves (actress, comedian, producer, singer, and dancer)
	+ Joe Whyte (actor and voice actor)
* April 21 - Cathy Cavadini (actress, voice actress, and singer)
* April 23 - George Lopez (comedian, actor, voice actor, and talk show host)
* May 6
	+ George Clooney (actor, director, producer, and screenwriter)
	+ Wally Wingert (actor, voice actor, singer, comedian, and former radio personality)
* May 14 - Tim Roth (actor and director)
* May 16 - Kevin McDonald (comedian, actor, and voice actor)
* May 21 - Brent Briscoe (actor and writer)
* May 27 - Peri Gilpin (actress and voice actress)
* May 31 - Lea Thompson (actress, dancer, director, and producer)
* June 5 - Mary Kay Bergman (voice actress)
* June 7 - Kym Whitley (comedian and actress)
* June 9 - Michael J. Fox (actor, voice actor, comedian, author, and film producer)
* June 15 - Jim Hanks (actor, voice actor, director, producer, cinematographer, and camera operator)
* June 25 - Ricky Gervais (comedian, actor, voice actor, director, producer, musician, writer, and former radio presenter)
* July 4 - Ted Elliott (screenwriter, producer, and storyboard artist)
* July 9 - Bettina Gilois (screenwriter and author)
* July 15
	+ Forest Whitaker (actor, voice actor, producer, and director)
	+ Lolita Davidovich (actress)
* July 23
	+ Woody Harrelson (actor, voice actor, comedian, activist, director, and playwright)
	+ David Kaufman (actor and voice actor)
* July 30
	+ Elio (Italian musician and singer)
	+ Laurence Fishburne (actor, voice actor, playwright, director, and producer)
* August 2 - Mark Moseley (actor, voice actor, radio personality, impressionist, stand-up comedian, and singer)
* August 4
	+ Lauren Tom (actress, voice actress, and comedian)
	+ Barack Obama (44th President of the United States of America)
* August 7 - Maggie Wheeler (actress and voice actress)
* August 13 - Dawnn Lewis (actress, voice actress, singer, and presenter)
* August 16 - Urara Takano (Japanese voice actress)
* August 17 - Takashi Aoyagi (Japanese literature scholar, college professor, and voice actor)
* August 20 - Tuck Tucker (writer, artist, storyboard artist, animator, songwriter, and director)
* August 22 - Stephen Stanton (actor, voice actor, voice-match artist, and visual effects artist)
* August 23 - Nik Ranieri (animator)
* August 25 - Billy Ray Cyrus (country music singer, songwriter, actor, and philanthropist)
* August 28 - Jennifer Coolidge (actress, voice actress, and comedian)
* September 2 - Eugenio Derbez (actor, voice actor, comedian, producer, screenwriter, and author)
* September 6 - Bruce W. Smith (animator, director, producer, and storyboard artist)
* September 11 - Elizabeth Daily (comedian, actress, voice actress, and singer)
* September 15
	+ Noel MacNeal (puppeteer, writer, actor, singer, performer, and director)
	+ Sarah Kawahara (figure skater and choreographer)
* September 18 - James Gandolfini (actor)
* September 22 - Bonnie Hunt (comedian, actress, voice actress, director, producer, writer, and host)
* September 23 - Chi McBride (actor and voice actor)
* September 25 - Heather Locklear (actress)
* October 1 - Steve Purcell (cartoonist, animator, director, game designer, and voice actor)
* October 10 - Jodi Benson (actress, voice actress, and singer)
* October 11 - Russ Edmonds (animator)
* October 16 - Robert Hughes (animator, director, producer, screenwriter, and storyboard artist)
* October 25 - Pat Sharp (actor, radio and television presenter, and DJ)
* October 30 - Larry Wilmore (comedian, writer, producer, and actor)
* November 8 - Dorothy McKim (producer, production manager, director of production, and co-producer)
* November 14 - D.B. Sweeney (actor and voice actor)
* November 19 - Meg Ryan (actress, director, and producer)
* November 21 - Ruben Procopio (animation artist, comic book artist, animator, and sculptor)
* November 29 - Kim Delaney (actress)
* December 10 - Nia Peeples (actress and singer)
* December 13 - Harry Gregson-Williams (composer and songwriter)
* December 16 - Shane Black (screenwriter, director, producer, and actor)