Year 1897 in Film & Television

Events in Film & TV

Historic Invention

Aug 31 Thomas Edison patents the Kinetoscope [kinetographic camera], a device which produces moving pictures

Inventor Thomas Edison — Inventor
Thomas Edison

Birthdays in Film & TV

Jan 1 Walter Greaza, American actor (Treasury Man, Martin Kane Private Eye), born in Saint Paul, Minnesota (d. 1973)
Jan 2 Jim Londos, Greek wrestler (d. 1975)
Jan 3 Marion Davies [Marion Cecelia Douras], American actress (Operator 13), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1961)
Jan 3 Pola Negri [Barbara A Chalupiec], Polish-American stage actress (Madame Dubarry), born in Lipno, Kingdom of Poland, Russian Empire (d. 1987)
Jan 5 Jack Wagner, American actor (The Razor's Edge, Under Two Flags, Jive Junction), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1965)
Jan 6 Billy Greene, American actor (Single Room Furnished, One Man's Family), born in NYC, New York (d. 1973)
Jan 17 Nils Asther, Swedish actor (Bluebeard, Night Monster), born in Malmö, Sweden (d. 1981)
Jan 21 J. Carrol Naish, American actor (Charlie Chan-Adv of Charlie Chan), born in NYC, New York (d. 1973)
Jan 23 William Stephenson, Canadian soldier & spymaster, born in Winnipeg, Canada (d. 1989)
Feb 12 Vola Vale [Smith], American actress, born in Buffalo, New York (d. 1970)
Feb 19 Alma Rubens, American actress (Humoresque), born in San Francisco, California (d. 1931)
Feb 21 Celia Lovsky, Austrian-American actress (Soylent Green, T'Pau-Star Trek), born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary (d. 1979)
Mar 16 Conrad Nagel, American actor (All That Heaven Allows, Celebrity Time), born in Keokuk, Iowa (d. 1970)
Mar 19 Betty Compson, American actress (Big City, Docks Of New York), born in Beaver, Utah (d. 1974)
Mar 25 John Laurie, Scottish actor (Hamlet, The 39 Steps, Jericho, Island of Desire), born in Dumfries, Dumfriesshire, Scotland (d. 1980)
Apr 4 Pierre Fresnay, French actor (Monsieur Vincent, Grand Illusion), born in Paris, France (d. 1975)
Apr 7 Walter Winchell, American newscaster & columnist (Untouchables), born in New York (d. 1972)
Apr 14 Olga Chekhova, Russian-German actress (Italian Strawhat, Cry of the Children), born in Aleksandropol, Erivan Governorate, Russian Empire (d. 1980)
Apr 14 Claire Windsor, American actress (The Blot), born in Cawker City, Kansas (d. 1972)
Apr 15 Pedro Regas, Greek stage actor (Only Angels Have Wings, Pat Paulsen's Half a Comedy Hour), born in Goranoi, Greece (d. 1974)
Apr 19 Vivienne Segal, American Broadway actress (Pal Joey), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1992)
Apr 20 Gregory Ratoff, Russian producer, director and actor (Exodus, Skyscraper Souls, Corsican Brothers), born in Samara, Russian Empire (d. 1960)
Apr 23 John Wengraf, Austrian actor (12 to the Moon, Pride & Passion), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1974)
Apr 25 Paula Trueman, American actress (Dirty Dancing), born in NYC, New York (d. 1994)
Apr 26 Douglas Sirk, German American film director (All That Heaven Allows), born in Hamburg, Germany (d. 1987)
Apr 30 Humberto Mauro, Brazilian film director (Ganga Bruta), born in Volta Grande, Minas Gerais (d. 1983)

Frank Capra

May 18 Frank Capra, Italian-American film director (Its a Wonderful Life, It Happened One Night), born in Bisacquino, Italy (d. 1991)

May 18 Jack Raine, British actor (Quartet), born in London, England (d. 1979)
May 28 Henry Kendall, British director and actor (Amazing Quest, Shadow, Rich & Strange), born in London, England (d. 1962)
May 31 Margalo Gillmore, British actress (Skirts Ahoy, High Society), born in London, England (d. 1986)
Jun 16 Elaine Hammerstein, American actress (The Midnight Express), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1948)
Jun 18 Henry Wadsworth, American actor (The Thin Man, Applause, Fast & Loose), born in Maysville, Kentucky (d. 1974)

Moe Howard

Jun 19 Moe Howard [Moses Horowitz], American actor and comedian (The 3 Stooges), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1975)

Jun 22 Edmund A. Chester, American broadcaster and journalist (d. 1973)
Jun 25 Basil Radford, British actor (The Lady Vanishes, Whiskey Galore, Night Train), born in Chester England (d. 1952)
Jun 26 Viola Dana, American actress (Willow Tree, 40 Winks, Silent Lover), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1987)
Jul 7 Anna Luther, American silent screen actress (Sinners in Silk), born in New Jersey (d. 1960)
Jul 28 Emmy Arbous [Emilia J Henke], Dutch actress (Little Rascal), born in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands (d. 1954)
Aug 4 Joseph Calleia, Maltese-American actor (Jungle Book, Gilda, Touch of Evil), born in Mdina, Malta (d. 1975)
Aug 22 Elizabeth Bergner, Austrian actress (Catherine the Great), born in Drohobycz, Galicia, Austria-Hungary (d. 1986)
Aug 28 Morris Ankrum, American actor (Kronos, Half Human, Earth vs Flying Saucers), born in Danville, Illinois (d. 1964)

Fredric March

Aug 31 Fredric March, American actor (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Best Years of Our Lives), born in Racine, Wisconsin (d. 1975)

Sep 3 Cecil Parker, British actor (The Lady Vanishes, Indiscreet, Tale of 2 Cities), born in Hastings, East Sussex, England (d. 1971)
Sep 5 Doris Kenyon, American silent screen actress (Alexander Hamilton), born in Syracuse, New York (d. 1979)
Sep 5 Luella Gear, American actress (Joe & Mabel), born in NYC, New York (d. 1980)
Sep 5 Morris Carnovsky, American actor (Dead Reckoning), born in St Louis, Missouri (d. 1992)
Sep 10 Hilde Hildebrand [Emma Minna Hildebrand], German actress (Port of Freedom), born in Hannover, Lower Saxony, Germany (d. 1976)
Sep 10 David L. Snell, American pianist and composer for films (MGM Studio), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 1967)
Sep 20 Kermit Maynard, American cowboy actor (Valley of Terror, Saturday Roundup), born in Vevay, Indiana (d. 1971)
Sep 23 Walter Pidgeon, Canadian actor (Mrs Miniver, Madame Curie), born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada (d. 1984)
Sep 25 Teddy Hart, American actor (After the Thin Man, 3 Men on a Horse), born in NYC, New York (d. 1971)
Sep 26 Wilhelmina Johanna "Willy" Haak, Dutch actress and acting teacher (GoetheJane Eyre), born in Batavia, Dutch East Indies (d. 1968)
Oct 2 (William) "Bud" Abbott, American comedian (Abbott & Costello), born in Asbury Park, New Jersey (d. 1974)
Oct 6 Jerome Cowan, American actor (Blondie, Tab Hunter Show), born in NYC, New York (d. 1972)
Oct 8 Rouben Mamoulian, American movie director and author (The Mark of Zorro, Applause), born in Tbilisi, Georgia (d. 1987)
Oct 11 Russell Collins, American actor (Niagara, Close Up, Shockproof), born in Indianapolis, Indiana (d. 1965)
Oct 28 Edith Head, Hollywood costume designer (8 Oscars), born in San Bernardino, California (d. 1981)
Oct 29 Hope Emerson, American actress (I Married Joan, Peter Gunn), born in Hawarden, Iowa (d. 1960)
Nov 2 Dennis King, English actor (Devil's Brother), born in Coventry, Warwickshire, England (d. 1971)
Nov 13 Gertrude Olmstead, American silent film actress, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1975)
Nov 17 Eddie Baker, American actor (A Man About Town, Collars and Cuffs), born in Davis, West Virginia (d. 1968)
Nov 17 Frank Fay, American vaudeville comedian and actor (God's Gift to Women, Love Nest), born in San Francisco, California (d. 1961)
Nov 17 Sara Haden, American actress (A Family Affair), born in Galveston, Texas (d. 1981)
Dec 1 Cyril Ritchard, Australian actor (Peter Pan, Hans Brinker), born in Sydney, New South Wales (d. 1977)
Dec 5 Nunnally Johnson, American screenwriter and producer, born in Columbus, Georgia (d. 1977)
Dec 9 Hermione Ferdinanda Gingold, British actress (Gigi, Music Man), born in London, England (d. 1987)
Dec 13 Drew Pearson, American newscaster (Drew Pearson), born in Evanston, Illinois (d. 1969)
Dec 23 Julien Carette, French actor (Sylvia & the Phantom), born in Paris, France (d. 1966)
Dec 31 Rhys Williams, Welsh actor (How Green Was My Valley, Nightmare, Okinawa, Cross My Heart), born in Clydach, Swansea, Wales (d. 1969)

1896
1898