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:

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
 * 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
 * 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 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 12 - Manuel de Blas, Spanish actor
 * 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 - 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 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 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
 * 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
 * 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 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 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
 * 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
 * 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