1952 in film

The year 1952 in film involved some significant events.

United States
The top ten 1952 released films by box office gross in the United States are as follows:

Events

 * January 10 – Cecil B. DeMille's circus epic, The Greatest Show on Earth, is premièred at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
 * March 27 – The MGM musical Singin' in the Rain premieres at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
 * May 26 – Decision reached in Joseph Burstyn, Inc. v. Wilson determining that certain provisions of the New York Education Law allowing a censor to forbid the commercial showing of any non-licensed motion picture film, or revoke or deny the license of a film deemed to be "sacrilegious," was a "restraint on freedom of speech" and thereby a violation of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
 * September 19 – While Charlie Chaplin is at sea on his way to the United Kingdom, the United States Attorney-General, James P. McGranery, announces plans to review his right to return to the US.
 * September 30 – The Cinerama multiple-projection widescreen system, invented by Fred Waller, makes its début in New York with the film This Is Cinerama.
 * November 27 – Bwana Devil, the first American, feature-length, color 3-D film, is released, and begins the demand for 3-D films that lasts for the next two years.

Notable films released in 1952
United States unless stated

#

 * 1st of April, 2000 – (Austria)
 * 5 Fingers, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, starring James Mason

A

 * Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello
 * Above and Beyond, starring Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker
 * Affair in Trinidad, starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford
 * Against All Flags, starring Errol Flynn and Maureen O'Hara
 * Alraune, starring Hildegard Knef and Erich von Stroheim – (West Germany)
 * Andrine og Kjell – (Norway)
 * Androcles and the Lion, starring Jean Simmons and Victor Mature
 * Angel Face, starring Robert Mitchum and Jean Simmons
 * Angels One Five, starring Jack Hawkins – (GB)
 * Anhonee, starring Raj Kapoor and Nargis – (India)
 * At Sword's Point, starring Maureen O'Hara and Cornel Wilde
 * The Atomic City, starring Gene Barry and Lydia Clarke

B

 * Babes in Bagdad, starring Paulette Goddard and Gypsy Rose Lee
 * The Bad and the Beautiful, starring Lana Turner, Kirk Douglas, Walter Pidgeon, Dick Powell, Barry Sullivan, Gloria Grahame
 * Baiju Bawra, starring Meena Kumari – (India)
 * The Beast Must Die (La Bestia debe morir) – (Argentina)
 * Because of You, starring Loretta Young
 * Because You're Mine, starring Mario Lanza
 * The Belle of New York, starring Fred Astaire and Vera-Ellen
 * Les Belles de nuit (Beauties of the Night), directed by René Clair – (France)
 * Belles on Their Toes, starring Myrna Loy, Jeanne Crain, Debra Paget
 * Bend of the River, directed by Anthony Mann, starring James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Julie Adams, Rock Hudson
 * Beware, My Lovely, starring Ida Lupino and Robert Ryan
 * Big Jim McLain, starring John Wayne and James Arness
 * The Big Sky, starring Kirk Douglas
 * The Big Trees, starring Kirk Douglas
 * The Black Castle, starring Stephen McNally, Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr.
 * Blackbeard the Pirate, starring Robert Newton
 * Brandy for the Parson, starring James Donald and Kenneth More – (GB)
 * Buffalo Bill in Tomahawk Territory, starring Clayton Moore
 * The Bushwackers, starring John Ireland and Lawrence Tierney

C

 * California Conquest, starring Cornel Wilde and Teresa Wright
 * Captive Women, starring Robert Clarke
 * Carbine Williams, starring James Stewart and Jean Hagen
 * The Card, starring Alec Guinness, Glynis Johns, Petula Clark – (GB)
 * Carrie, starring Laurence Olivier, Jennifer Jones, Miriam Hopkins
 * Carson City, starring Randolph Scott
 * Casque d'Or (Golden Helmet), directed by Jacques Becker, starring Simone Signoret – (France)
 * Children of Hiroshima (Gembaku no ko) – (Japan)
 * Ciguli Miguli – (Yugoslavia)
 * The City Stands Trial (Processo alla città), directed by Luigi Zampa – (Italy)
 * Clash by Night, directed by Fritz Lang, starring Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Ryan, Paul Douglas, Marilyn Monroe
 * Come Back, Little Sheba, starring Burt Lancaster and Shirley Booth
 * The Crimson Pirate, starring Burt Lancaster

D

 * Dark River (Las aguas bajan turbias) – (Argentina)
 * Deadline - U.S.A., directed by Richard Brooks, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ethel Barrymore, Kim Hunter, Jim Backus, Martin Gabel
 * Denver and Rio Grande, starring Edmond O'Brien and Sterling Hayden
 * Derby Day, starring Anna Neagle and Michael Wilding – (Britain)
 * Desperate Search, starring Howard Keel and Jane Greer
 * The Devil Makes Three, starring Gene Kelly
 * Diplomatic Courier, directed by Henry Hathaway, starring Tyrone Power
 * Don't Bother to Knock, starring Richard Widmark, Anne Bancroft, Marilyn Monroe
 * Down Among the Z Men, starring The Goons – (GB)
 * Dreamboat, starring Ginger Rogers, Clifton Webb, Elsa Lanchester, Anne Francis

E

 * Emergency Call, directed by Lewis Gilbert, starring Jack Warner, Anthony Steel, Joy Shelton and Freddie Mills – (U.K.)
 * Europa '51, directed by Roberto Rossellini, starring Ingrid Bergman – (Italy)
 * The Eyes Leave Tracks (Los ojos dejan huella), starring Raf Vallone – (Spain)

F

 * Face to Face, starring James Mason and Robert Preston
 * Fanfan la Tulipe (a.k.a. Fearless Little Soldier), starring Gérard Philipe and Gina Lollobrigida – (France)
 * Flaming Feather, starring Sterling Hayden
 * Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice ( Ochazuke no aji), directed by Yasujirō Ozu – (Japan)
 * Flesh and Fury, starring Tony Curtis and Jan Sterling
 * Forbidden Games (Jeux interdits), directed by René Clément – winner of Oscar for best foreign language film – (France)

G

 * A Girl in Every Port, starring Groucho Marx, William Bendix, Marie Wilson, Dee Hartford
 * Gloria Mairena, directed by Luis Lucia, starring Juanita Reina, Eduardo Fajardo, Rafael Arcos (Spain)
 * The Golden Coach (Le Carrosse d'or), directed by Jean Renoir, starring Anna Magnani – (France/Italy)
 * The Greatest Show on Earth, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, starring Betty Hutton, Cornel Wilde, Charlton Heston, Gloria Grahame, Dorothy Lamour, James Stewart

H

 * Hangman's Knot, starring Randolph Scott, Donna Reed, Lee Marvin
 * Hans Christian Andersen, starring Danny Kaye and Farley Granger
 * The Happy Family, directed by Muriel Box, starring Stanley Holloway and Kathleen Harrison – (GB)
 * The Happy Time, starring Charles Boyer and Bobby Driscoll
 * Has Anybody Seen My Gal?, starring Piper Laurie, Rock Hudson, Charles Coburn
 * Heidi, directed by Luigi Comencini – (Switzerland)
 * Hellgate, starring Sterling Hayden
 * Hiawatha, starring Vince Edwards
 * High Noon, directed by Fred Zinnemann, starring Gary Cooper (Oscar for best actor) and Grace Kelly
 * Los hijos de María Morales (The Children of Maria Morales), starring Pedro Infante – (Mexico)
 * Holiday for Sinners, starring Gig Young and Janice Rule
 * The Holly and the Ivy, starring Ralph Richardson and Celia Johnson – (GB)
 * Home at Seven, directed by and starring Ralph Richardson – (GB)
 * Horizons West, starring Robert Ryan, Rock Hudson, Raymond Burr
 * Hunted, directed by Charles Crichton, starring Dirk Bogarde and Jon Whiteley – (GB)

I

 * The I Don't Care Girl, starring Mitzi Gaynor and Oscar Levant
 * I Dream of Jeanie, starring Bill Shirley
 * Ikiru (To Live), directed by Akira Kurosawa, starring Takashi Shimura – winner of Golden Bear – (Japan)
 * The Importance of Being Earnest, directed by Anthony Asquith, starring Michael Redgrave – (GB)
 * Indian Uprising, starring George Montgomery
 * It Grows on Trees, starring Irene Dunne
 * Ivanhoe, starring Robert Taylor, Joan Fontaine, Elizabeth Taylor

J

 * Jaal (Net), starring Dev Anand – (India)
 * Jack and the Beanstalk, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello
 * Japanese War Bride, starring Shirley Yamaguchi and Don Taylor
 * The Jazz Singer, starring Danny Thomas and Peggy Lee
 * Jolanda la figlia del corsaro nero (Jolanda, the Daughter of the Black Corsair) – (Italy)
 * Jumping Jacks, starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis
 * Just This Once, starring Janet Leigh, Peter Lawford

K

 * Kangaroo, starring Maureen O'Hara, Peter Lawford
 * Kansas City Confidential, starring John Payne and Coleen Gray
 * Kid Monk Baroni, starring Leonard Nimoy

L

 * Lady in the Iron Mask, starring Louis Hayward
 * Lambert the Sheepish Lion
 * The Last Page, a.k.a. Man Bait, starring George Brent, Marguerite Chapman, Diana Dors – (GB)
 * The Life of Oharu (Saikaku ichidai onna), directed by Kenji Mizoguchi – (Japan)
 * Lightning (Inazuma), directed by Mikio Naruse – (Japan)
 * Limelight, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin, with Claire Bloom
 * Lola the Coalgirl, directed by Luis Lucia and starring Juanita Reina, Virgílio Teixeira (Spain)
 * Lone Star, starring Clark Gable and Ava Gardner
 * Lost in Alaska, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello
 * Lovely to Look At, starring Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Red Skelton
 * Lure of the Wilderness, starring Jean Peters, Jeffrey Hunter, Walter Brennan
 * The Lusty Men, starring Robert Mitchum

M

 * Macao, starring Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell
 * Mandy, starring Phyllis Calvert and Jack Hawkins – (GB)
 * The Marrying Kind, starring Judy Holliday
 * Meet Danny Wilson, starring Frank Sinatra
 * The Member of the Wedding, starring Julie Harris
 * The Merry Widow, starring Lana Turner
 * Mexican Bus Ride (Subida al cielo), directed by Luis Buñuel – (Mexico)
 * Million Dollar Mermaid, starring Esther Williams and Victor Mature
 * The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima, starring Gilbert Roland
 * Les Misérables, starring Michael Rennie, Robert Newton, Debra Paget
 * Monkey Business, starring Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, Charles Coburn, Marilyn Monroe
 * Monsoon, starring Diana Douglas and Ursula Thiess
 * Montana Belle, starring Jane Russell
 * Moulin Rouge, starring José Ferrer and Zsa Zsa Gabor – (GB)
 * My Cousin Rachel, starring Olivia de Havilland and Richard Burton
 * My Pal Gus, starring Richard Widmark and George Winslow
 * My Six Convicts, starring Gilbert Roland
 * My Son John, starring Robert Walker and Van Heflin

N

 * The Narrow Margin, directed by Richard Fleischer, starring Charles McGraw
 * Neighbours – (Canada)
 * Never Look Back directed by Francis Searle, starring Rosamund John – (GB)
 * No Room for the Groom, directed by Douglas Sirk, starring Tony Curtis and Piper Laurie

O

 * O. Henry's Full House, an anthology film starring Charles Laughton, David Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, Richard Widmark, Anne Baxter, Jeanne Crain
 * One Big Affair, starring Evelyn Keyes
 * One Minute to Zero, directed by Tay Garnett, starring Robert Mitchum and Ann Blyth
 * Othello (a.k.a. The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice), written, directed by and starring Orson Welles
 * Outcast of the Islands, directed by Carol Reed, starring Ralph Richardson and Trevor Howard – (GB)
 * The Overcoat (Il Cappotto) – (Italy)

P

 * Pahit-Pahit Manis, starring Titien Sumarni and Chatir Harro (Indonesia)
 * Panta Rhei, directed by Bert Haanstra
 * Pat and Mike, starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn
 * Phone Call from a Stranger, starring Shelley Winters and Gary Merrill
 * The Pickwick Papers, starring James Hayter and James Donald – (GB)
 * Le Plaisir (a.k.a. House of Pleasure), directed by Max Ophüls, starring Claude Dauphin – (France)
 * The Planter's Wife, directed by Ken Annakin, starring Claudette Colbert, Jack Hawkins & Anthony Steel – (GB)
 * Pony Soldier, starring Tyrone Power
 * The Pride of St. Louis, starring Dan Dailey
 * The Prisoner of Zenda, starring Stewart Granger, Deborah Kerr, James Mason, Jane Greer

Q

 * The Quiet Man, directed by John Ford, starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara

R

 * Rancho Notorious, starring Marlene Dietrich
 * Red Ball Express, starring Jeff Chandler
 * Red Planet Mars, starring Peter Graves
 * Retreat, Hell!, starring Frank Lovejoy
 * Return of the Texan, starring Dale Robertson and Joanne Dru
 * Reverón, directed by Margot Benacerraf
 * Road to Bali, starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope
 * Rome 11:00 – (Italy)
 * Room for One More, starring Cary Grant and Betsy Drake
 * Ruby Gentry, starring Jennifer Jones, Charlton Heston and Karl Malden

S

 * Sailor Beware, starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis
 * Sangdil, starring Dilip Kumar and Madhubala – (India)
 * Saturday Island, starring Linda Darnell and Tab Hunter – (GB)
 * The Savage, starring Charlton Heston and Susan Morrow
 * Scandal Sheet, starring Broderick Crawford and Donna Reed
 * Scaramouche, starring Stewart Granger and Janet Leigh
 * The Scarlet Flower (Alenkiy tsvetochek) – (U.S.S.R.)
 * Sea Tiger, starring Marguerite Chapman
 * Secrets of Women (Kvinnors väntan), directed by Ingmar Bergman, starring Eva Dahlbeck – (Sweden)
 * Siempre tuya (Forever Yours) – (Mexico)
 * Singin' in the Rain, starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen, Donald O'Connor
 * The Sniper, directed by Edward Dmytryk
 * The Snow Maiden (Snegurochka) – (U.S.S.R.)
 * The Snows of Kilimanjaro, starring Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner
 * Something Money Can't Buy, directed by Pat Jackson, starring Patricia Roc, Anthony Steel, Moira Lister & A.E. Matthews – (U.K.)
 * Something to Live For, directed by George Stevens, starring Joan Fontaine and Teresa Wright
 * Son of Paleface, directed by Frank Tashlin, starring Bob Hope, Jane Russell, Roy Rogers
 * Song of the Sea (O canto do mar), directed by Alberto Cavalcanti – (Brazil)
 * The Sound Barrier, directed by David Lean, starring Ralph Richardson – (GB)
 * Springfield Rifle, starring Gary Cooper and Phyllis Thaxter
 * The Star, starring Bette Davis and Sterling Hayden
 * Stars and Stripes Forever, starring Clifton Webb, Debra Paget, Robert Wagner and Ruth Hussey
 * Steel Town, starring Ann Sheridan and John Lund
 * The Steel Trap, starring Joseph Cotten and Teresa Wright
 * The Stooge, starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis
 * Stop, You're Killing Me, starring Broderick Crawford and Claire Trevor
 * The Story of Will Rogers, starring Will Rogers Jr. and Jane Wyman
 * Sudden Fear, starring Joan Crawford, Jack Palance, Gloria Grahame

T

 * The Hour of 13, starring Peter Lawford
 * The Thief, starring Ray Milland
 * This Is Cinerama, directed by Merian C. Cooper
 * Thunderbirds, starring John Derek
 * Tico-Tico no Fubá, directed by Adolfo Celi – (Brazil)
 * Toto in Colour (Totò a colori), starring Totò – (Italy)
 * Toxi, directed by Robert A. Stemmle (West Germany)
 * Trent's Last Case, starring Orson Welles and Michael Wilding – (GB)
 * The Turning Point, starring William Holden, Alexis Smith, Edmond O'Brien
 * Two Cents Worth of Hope (Due soldi di speranza) – (Italy)

U

 * Umberto D., directed by Vittorio De Sica – (Italy)
 * Untamed Frontier, starring Joseph Cotten and Shelley Winters

V

 * La villa Santo-Sospir, short film directed by Jean Cocteau – (France)
 * Viva Zapata!, starring Marlon Brando and Jean Peters

W

 * We're Not Married!, starring Ginger Rogers, Marilyn Monroe, Eve Arden, Paul Douglas, Eddie Bracken, Mitzi Gaynor
 * The White Reindeer (Valkoinen peura) – (Finland)
 * The White Sheik (Lo sceicco bianco), directed by Federico Fellini – (Italy)
 * Who Goes There!, starring Nigel Patrick and Valerie Hobson – (GB)
 * Wide Boy, starring Sydney Tafler and Susan Shaw – (GB)
 * The Wild North, starring Stewart Granger and Cyd Charisse
 * Wings of Danger, directed by Terence Fisher, starring Zachary Scott – (GB)
 * The Witch (Noita palaa elämään) – (Finland)
 * With a Song in My Heart, starring Susan Hayward
 * A Woman Without Love (Una mujer sin amor), directed by Luis Buñuel – (Mexico)
 * The World in His Arms, starring Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn, Ann Blyth

Y

 * You for Me, starring Peter Lawford, Jane Greer, Gig Young
 * Young Man with Ideas, starring Glenn Ford and Ruth Roman

January–March

 * February 7 - Viva Zapata!
 * February 13 - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (re-release)
 * February 19 - Retreat, Hell!
 * February 22
 * 5 Fingers
 * One Big Affair

April–June

 * April 4 - With a Song in My Heart
 * May 2 - The Narrow Margin
 * May 15 - Outcast of the Islands
 * June 13 - No Room for the Groom
 * June 26 - The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men

July–September

 * July 21 - One Minute to Zero
 * July 23 - Untamed Frontier
 * August 21 - The Quiet Man
 * September 18 - O. Henry's Full House

October–December

 * November 26 - Bwana Devil
 * December 25
 * The Bad and the Beautiful
 * Come Back, Little Sheba

Serials

 * Blackhawk, starring Kirk Alyn
 * King of the Congo, starring Buster Crabbe
 * Radar Men from the Moon, starring George D. Wallace and Aline Towne
 * Son of Geronimo starring Clayton Moore
 * Zombies of the Stratosphere, starring Judd Holdren and Leonard Nimoy

Short film series

 * Mickey Mouse (1928–1953)
 * Looney Tunes (1930–1969)
 * Terrytoons (1930–1964)
 * Merrie Melodies (1931–1969)
 * Popeye (1933–1957)
 * The Three Stooges (1934–1959)
 * Donald Duck (1936)-(1956)
 * Goofy (1939–1953)
 * Tom and Jerry (1940–1958)
 * Bugs Bunny (1940–1962)
 * Mighty Mouse (1942–1955)
 * Chip and Dale (1943–1956)
 * Droopy (1943–1958)
 * Yosemite Sam (1945–1963)

Births

 * January 1 - David Andrews, American character actor
 * January 6
 * Armelia McQueen, American actress (died 2020)
 * Frank Sivero, Italian-American character actor
 * January 11 - Bille Brown, Australian actor (died 2013)
 * January 18 - Michael Angelis, English actor (died 2020)
 * January 22 – Ace Vergel, Filipino actor (died 2007)
 * February 2 - Carol Ann Susi, American actress (died 2014)
 * February 4
 * Lisa Eichhorn, American actress
 * Richard Lineback, American actor
 * February 12 – Simon MacCorkindale, English actor (died 2010)
 * February 14 - Anton Lesser, English actor
 * February 23 – Tzi Ma, Hong Kong-American actor
 * March 2 – Laraine Newman, American actress, voice actress, comedian and writer
 * March 4 - Ronn Moss, American actor, musician and singer-songwriter
 * March 6 - John David Carson, American actor (died 2009)
 * March 11 - James Fleet, English actor
 * March 19 – Harvey Weinstein, American producer
 * March 24 - Nicholas Campbell, Canadian actor and filmmaker
 * March 27 – Kalju Orro, Estonian actor
 * April 1 – Annette O'Toole, American actress
 * April 5 - Mitch Pileggi, American actor
 * April 6 – Marilu Henner, American actress
 * April 7
 * Dennis Hayden, American actor, producer and writer
 * Clarke Peters, American-British actor, writer and director
 * April 8 - Andrew Stahl, American actor
 * April 10
 * Robert Miranda, American actor
 * Steven Seagal, American actor & martial artist
 * April 11 - Michael Thomas, British actor (died 2019)
 * April 13 - Erick Avari, Indian-American actor
 * April 15 – Glenn Shadix, American actor (died 2010)
 * April 16 – Billy West, American voice actor, musician, singer and songwriter
 * April 17 - Joe Alaskey, American stand-up comedian, actor, voice artist, and impressionist (died 2016)
 * April 26 - Spice Williams-Crosby, American actress
 * April 28 – Mary McDonnell, American actress
 * May 1 - Pierre van Pletzen, South African actor, writer and director
 * May 2
 * Christine Baranski, American actress
 * Thom Gossom Jr., American actor
 * May 6
 * Gregg Henry, American actor & musician
 * Fred Newman, American actor and comedian
 * May 9 - Patrick Ryecart, English actor
 * May 11
 * Shohreh Aghdashloo, Iranian-American actress
 * Frances Fisher, British-born American actress
 * May 14 – Robert Zemeckis, American director
 * May 15 – Chazz Palminteri, American actor
 * May 20 - Julia Deakin, English actress
 * May 21 - Mr. T, American actor, bodyguard, television personality and retired professional wrestler
 * May 22 - Mike Muscat, American actor
 * May 28 - Denis Akiyama, Canadian actor (died 2018)
 * May 31 – Carole Achache, French writer, photographer and actress (died 2016)
 * June 4 - Kerry Shale, Canadian actor and writer
 * June 5 - Connie Chiume, South African actress and filmmaker
 * June 7 – Liam Neeson, Northern Irish actor
 * June 18
 * Miriam Flynn, American voice actress and character actress
 * Carol Kane, American actress
 * Isabella Rossellini, Italian actress
 * June 19 - Virginia Hey, Australian actress
 * June 20
 * John Goodman, American actor
 * Larry Riley, American actor and musician (died 1992)
 * June 22 - Graham Greene, Canadian actor
 * June 26 - Peter Crombie, American actor (died 2024)
 * June 30 - Patrick Pinney, American actor
 * July 1
 * Dan Aykroyd, Canadian actor & comedian
 * Brian George, Israeli-English actor, voice artist, comedian and singer
 * July 3 - Rick Ducommun, Canadian stand-up comedian, actor, writer and producer (died 2015)
 * July 6 - Dean Parisot, American director
 * July 8 - Mary Ellen Trainor, American character actress (died 2015)
 * July 11
 * Tim de Zarn, American actor
 * Stephen Lang, American actor
 * July 13 - Rosemary Dunsmore, Canadian actress and director
 * July 14
 * Stan Shaw, American actor
 * Joel Silver, American producer
 * July 15
 * Celia Imrie, English actress
 * Terry O'Quinn, American actor
 * Judson Scott, American actor
 * July 17 - David Hasselhoff, American actor, singer, producer and television personality
 * July 20
 * Adrian Biddle, English cinematographer (died 2005)
 * Nathaniel Lees, New Zealand actor and director
 * July 21 - George Wallace, American comedian and actor
 * July 24 – Gus Van Sant, American director
 * August 10
 * Daniel Hugh Kelly, American actor
 * Diane Venora, American actress
 * August 12 - Ronald Guttman, Belgian actor and producer
 * August 16 – Reginald VelJohnson, American actor
 * August 18 – Patrick Swayze, American actor & dancer (died 2009)
 * August 19 – Jonathan Frakes, American actor & director
 * August 26 – Michael Jeter, American actor (died 2003)
 * August 27 – Paul Reubens, American actor, comedian, writer and producer (died 2023)
 * September 1 - Michael Massee, American actor (died 2016)
 * September 4
 * Alan Blumenfeld, American character actor
 * Rishi Kapoor, Indian actor (died 2020)
 * September 5 - Michael Horton, American actor
 * September 6 - Vitali Baganov, Russian actor
 * September 8 - David R. Ellis, American director and stunt performer (died 2013)
 * September 9 - Angela Cartwright, British-American actress
 * September 13 - Christine Estabrook, American actress
 * September 16 – Mickey Rourke, American actor and screenwriter
 * September 19 – Rein Aedma, Estonian actor
 * September 24 – Christopher Reeve, American actor (died 2004)
 * September 25 - Colin Friels, Scottish-born Australian actor
 * September 26 - James Keane, American actor
 * September 29 - Gábor Csupó, Hungarian animator, writer, director, producer, and graphic designer
 * September 30
 * John Finn, American character actor
 * Al Leong, American stuntman and actor
 * October 5 - Harold Faltermeyer, German musician and composer
 * October 7
 * Mary Badham, American actress
 * Tom McBride, American actor (died 1995)
 * October 8 - Edward Zwick, American filmmaker
 * October 13 - John Lone, Chinese-American actor
 * October 14 - Rick Aviles, American stand-up comedian and actor (died 1995)
 * October 22
 * Jeff Goldblum, American actor
 * John Howard, Australian actor
 * October 27 – Roberto Benigni, Italian actor
 * October 28
 * Annie Potts, American actress
 * Jim Turner, American actor and stand-up comedian
 * October 30 - Emily Kuroda, American actress
 * November 3
 * Roseanne Barr, American actress and stand-up comedian
 * Jim Cummings, American voice actor
 * November 6 - Gary Goetzman, American producer and actor
 * November 8 – Alfre Woodard, American actress
 * November 9 - John Megna, American actor and director (died 1995)
 * November 13 - Art Malik, Pakistani-born British actor
 * November 14
 * Bill Farmer, American voice actor and comedian
 * Chris Noonan, Australian filmmaker and actor
 * Maggie Roswell, American actress, comedian, writer and producer
 * November 15 – Randy Savage, American professional wrestler, commentator, actor, rapper and professional baseball player (died 2011)
 * November 18 – Delroy Lindo, British actor
 * November 24 – Ulrich Seidl, Austrian director
 * November 28 - S. Epatha Merkerson, American actress
 * November 29 - Jeff Fahey, American actor
 * November 30 – Mandy Patinkin, American actor
 * December 1 - Forry Smith, American actor
 * December 2 - Keith Szarabajka, American actor
 * December 3 - Mel Smith, English comedian, actor and director (died 2013)
 * December 8 - Greg Collins, American character actor and former professional football linebacker
 * December 9 - Michael Dorn, American actor
 * December 12 – Sarah Douglas, English actress
 * December 20 – Jenny Agutter, English actress
 * December 21 - Dennis Boutsikaris, American character actor
 * December 25 - CCH Pounder, Guayanese-born American actress
 * December 29 – Külliki Saldre, Estonian actress

Deaths

 * January 18 – Curly Howard, comedian (b. 1903), The Three Stooges
 * January 25 – Polly Moran, actress (b. 1883), Chasing Rainbows, Adam's Rib
 * March 1 – Gregory La Cava, director (b. 1892), My Man Godfrey, Stage Door
 * March 26 – J. P. McGowan, director (b. 1880), Where the West Begins, Tarzan and the Golden Lion
 * April 21 – Leslie Banks, actor (b. 1890), The Most Dangerous Game, Jamaica Inn
 * May 9 – Canada Lee, actor (b. 1907), Lifeboat, Lost Boundaries, Cry, the Beloved Country
 * May 21 – John Garfield, actor (b. 1913), Body and Soul, Nobody Lives Forever, Gentleman's Agreement
 * May 8 – William Fox, movie executive (b. 1879), 7th Heaven
 * May 26 – Richard Rober, actor (b. 1910), The Well, The File on Thelma Jordon
 * June 27 – Elmo Lincoln, actor (b. 1889), Tarzan of the Apes, The Adventures of Tarzan
 * July 6 – Gertrud Wolle, actress (b. 1891), The Hound of the Baskervilles
 * August 2 – J. Farrell MacDonald, actor (b. 1875), Me and My Gal, The Last Alarm
 * August 18 – Ralph Byrd, actor (b. 1909), Dick Tracy's Dilemma, The Vigilante
 * August 28 – Lamar Trotti, screenwriter (b. 1900), The Ox-Bow Incident, Cheaper by the Dozen
 * September 7 – Gertrude Lawrence, actress (b. 1898), Rembrandt, The Glass Menagerie
 * October 11 – Jack Conway, director (b. 1888), Boom Town, Libeled Lady, Viva Villa!
 * October 17 – Julia Dean, stage and screen actress (b. 1878), A Society Exile, The Curse of the Cat People
 * October 20 – Basil Radford, actor (b. 1887), Crook's Tour, The Galloping Major
 * October 23 – Susan Peters, actress (b. 1921), Song of Russia, Random Harvest
 * October 26 – Hattie McDaniel, actress (b. 1893), Gone with the Wind, Saratoga
 * November 1 – Dixie Lee, actress (b. 1912), Manhattan Love Song, Love in Bloom
 * November 6 – George H. Reed, actor, (b. 1866), Huckleberry Finn, Green Pastures