1916 in Film & Television

Events in Film & TV

Contract of Interest

Feb 26 Mutual signs Charlie Chaplin to a film contract

Comedian, Actor and Filmmaker Charlie Chaplin — Comedian, Actor and Filmmaker
Charlie Chaplin

Contract of Interest

Jun 24 Mary Pickford becomes the first female film star to get a million dollar contract

Actress Mary Pickford — Actress
Mary Pickford

Film Release

Sep 5 "Intolerance", silent film directed by D. W. Griffith, starring Vera Lewis and Ralph Lewis, is released

Film Director D. W. Griffith — Film Director
D. W. Griffith

Event of Interest

Nov 19 Samuel Goldwyn and Edgar Selwyn establish Goldwyn Pictures, the company later became one of the most successful independent filmmakers

Hollywood Mogul Samuel Goldwyn — Hollywood Mogul
Samuel Goldwyn

Birthdays in Film & TV

Birthdays 1 - 100 of 105

Jan 1 Earl Wrightson, American actor and singer (Pinafore, Paul Whiteman's Goodyear Revue), born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 1993)
Jan 3 Elizabeth "Betty" Furness, American actress, journalist and consumer activist (Dangerous Corner, Studio 1), born in NYC, New York (d. 1994)
Jan 4 Lionel Newman, American film music composer (Peyton Place), born in New Haven, Connecticut (d. 1989)
Jan 6 David Bruce [Marden Andrew McBroom], American actor (The Mad Ghoul, Flying Tigers), born in Kankakee, Illinois (d. 1976)
Jan 11 Bernard Blier, actor (Les Miserables), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Jan 12 House Peters Jr., American actor (King of the Rocket Man), born in New Rochelle, New York (d. 2008)
Jan 13 Osa Massen [Aase Madsen Iversen], Dutch actress (Jack London, Rocketship X-M), born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 2006)
Jan 20 Alex Nicol, American actor (The Screaming Skull, Man From Laramie, Air Cadet), born in Ossining, New York (d. 2001)
Feb 1 Bruce Gordon, American actor (The Untouchables), born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts (d. 2011)
Feb 4 Colin Morris, playwright/documentary filmmaker
Feb 8 Betty Field, American actress (Of Mice and Men, Kings Row, Bus Stop), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1973)
Feb 13 James Griffith, actor (Sheriff of Cochise), born in Los Angeles, California
Feb 14 Edward Platt, actor (Chief-Get Smart), born in Staten Island, New York
Feb 15 Mary Jane Croft, American actress (The Lucy Show, Our Miss Brooks), born in Muncie, Indiana (d. 1999)
Feb 17 Raf Vallone, Tropea Italy, actor (El Cid, 2 Women, Greek Tycoon)
Feb 20 Paul Tripp, American TV host (Mr I Magination), born in NYC, New York
Feb 26 Jackie Gleason, American comedian (Jackie Gleason Show, Honeymooners), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1987)
Mar 6 Rochelle Hudson, American actress (Les Misérables, Imitation of Life, That's My Boy), born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (d. 1972)
Mar 10 Pamela Mason [Ostrer], British actress, author and talk-show host (Lady Possessed), born in Rochford, England (d. 1996)
Mar 14 Horton Foote, American author, playwright and screenwriter
Mar 16 Mercedes McCambridge, American actress (All the King's Men, The Exorcist, Giant), born in Joliet, Illinois (d. 2004)
Mar 19 Eric Christmas, British actor (d. 2000)
Mar 26 Sterling Hayden, NJ, actor (Dr Strangelove, Asphalt Jungle, Cobra)
Mar 31 John Vivyan, actor (Imitation of Life, Mr Lucky), born in Chicago, Illinois
Mar 31 Lucille Bliss, American voice actress (Cinderella, The Secret of NIMH), born in NYC, New York (d. 2012)
Apr 4 David White, American actor (Larry Tate-Bewitched), born in Denver, Colorado (d. 1990)

Gregory Peck

Apr 5 Gregory Peck, American actor (To Kill a Mockingbird, MacArthur), born in San Diego, California (d. 2003)

Apr 7 Anthony Caruso, American actor (d. 2003)
Apr 10 Alfie Bass [Abraham Basalinsky], British actor (Moonraker, Are You Being Served), born in London, England (d. 1987)
Apr 11 Howard W. Koch, American producer and director (Frankenstein, Airplane II), born in NYC, New York (d. 2001)
Apr 12 Brian Connell, British writer and broadcaster, born in Hertford (d. 1999)
Apr 13 Phyllis Fraser [Helen Brown Nichols], American actress, journalist, and co-founder of Beginner Books, born in Kansas City, Missouri (d. 2006)
Apr 21 Sidney Clute, actor, Lou Grant, Cagney & Lacey), born in Brooklyn, New York
Apr 24 Lou Thesz, American professional wrestler, born in Banat, Michigan (d. 2002)
Apr 26 Vic Perrin, American actor (d. 1989)
May 1 Glenn Ford, Quebec Canada, actor (Cade's County, Big Heat, Midway)
May 7 Huw Wheldon, Welsh broadcaster (BBC), born in Prestatyn, Denbighshire (d. 1986)
May 14 Del Moore, American comedian and actor (Cal-Bachelor Father), born in Pensacola, Florida (d. 1970)
May 15 Bill Williams, American actor (Starlit Time, Date With the Angels), born in Brooklyn, New York
May 16 Adriana Caselotti, voice of Snow White in Disney's animated film, born in Bridgeport, Connecticut (d. 1997)
May 16 Bernard Braden, Canadian-born British broadcaster and actor (All Night Lone, Full Treatment), born in Vancouver, British Columbia (d. 1993)
May 31 John Vivyan, actor (Mr Lucky, Wrong Man, Imitation of Life)
May 31 Judy Campbell [Judith Mary Gamble], British actress (Convoy, Bonnie Prince Charlie), born in Grantham, England (d. 2004)
Jun 8 Luigi Comencini, Italian film director (L'imperatore di Capri), born in Salò, Lombardy, Italy (d. 2007)
Jun 10 Bill Waddington, British actor/comedian (Percy-Coronation Street)
Jun 12 Ivan Tors, Hungarian TV producer (Sea Hunt, Flipper), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 1983)
Jun 14 Dorothy McGuire, American actress (Gentlemen's Agreement, Old Yeller, Summer Magic), born in Omaha, Nebraska (d. 2001)
Jun 18 John Young, Scottish actor and TV panelist (Masquerade Party), born in Edinburgh, Scotland (d. 1996)
Jun 19 Pat Buttram, actor (Mr Haney-Green Acres)
Jun 19 George Pravda, Austria-Hungary, actor (Thunderball, Firefox), born in Prague, Czechoslovakia (d. 1985)
Jun 20 Johnny Morris, British broadcaster/actor (Once in a Lifetime)
Jun 22 Johnny Jacobs, American television announcer (d. 1982)
Jun 23 Irene Worth [Hattie Abrams], American actress (Nicolas & Alexandra), born in Fairbury, Nebraska (d. 2002)
Jun 29 Ruth Warrick, American actress and singer (Citizen Kane, All My Children), born in Saint Joseph, Missouri (d. 2005)

Olivia de Havilland

Jul 1 Olivia de Havilland, American actress (All the King's Men, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Gone with the Wind), born in Tokyo, Japan

Jul 2 Ken Curtis, [Curtis Gates], actor (Ripcord, Festus - Gunsmoke), born in Lamar, Colorado (d. 1991)
Jul 11 Reg Varney, English actor
Jul 27 Keenan Wynn, American actor (Dr Strangelove, Absent Minded Professor), born in NYC, New York (d. 1986)
Jul 28 David Brown, American film producer ("The Sting", "Jaws", "Cocoon"), born in NYC, New York
Jul 28 Laird Cregar, actor (Charley's Aunt, Hangover Square), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jul 29 Budd Boetticher, American film director (d. 2001)
Jul 30 Dick Wilson, British-American actor, born in Preston, Lancashire, England (d. 2007)
Jul 31 Sydney Tafler, actor (Too Many Crooks), born in London, England
Aug 10 John Clark, Hampton IA, actor (Graveyard of Horror)
Aug 19 Marie Wilson, American actress (The Story of Mankind, My Friend Irma), born in Anaheim, California (d. 1972)
Aug 22 John Slater, British actor (Deadlock, Cartel, Devil's Pass), born in London, England (d. 1975)
Aug 24 Hal Smith, American actor (The Andy Griffith Show-Otis Campbell), born in Petoskey, Michigan (d. 1994)
Aug 25 Erich Von Stroheim Jr, American actor and director (Napoleon, Sunset Boulevard), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1968)
Aug 25 Van Johnson, American actor (Brigadoon) always wore red socks, born in Newport, Rhode Island (d. 2008)
Aug 27 Martha Raye [Margaret Reed], American actress (Waikiki Wedding, Martha Raye Show), born in Butte, Montana (d. 1994)
Aug 29 George Montgomery, American actor (Battle of Bulge, Hallucination), born in Brady, Montana (d. 2000)
Aug 31 Daniel Schorr, American broadcast journalist (CBS), born in The Bronx, New York (d. 2010)
Sep 2 Penny Santon [Pierina Burlando], American actress (Fletch, Roll Out, Matt Houston), born in NYC, New York (d. 1999)
Sep 5 Frank Shuster, Canadian comedian (Wayne and Shuster), born in Toronto, Canada (d. 2002)

Ed Sabol

Sep 11 Ed Sabol, American filmmaker (NFL Films), born in Atlantic City, New Jersey (d. 2015)

Sep 13 Richard "Dick" Haymes, Argentine-American actor and singer (Sate Fair, Real Life, Betrayal), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (d. 1980)
Sep 15 Margaret Lockwood, British actress (Cast a Dark Shadow, The Lady Vanishes), born in Karachi, India (d. 1990)
Sep 18 Rossano Brazzi, Italian actor (Final Justice, South Pacific, The Barefoot Contessa), born in Bolognia, Italy (d. 1994)

Peter Finch

Sep 28 Peter Finch, actor (Network, Windom's Way, Raid on Entebbe), born in London, England

Oct 3 Shelby Storck, American television producer, born in Kansas City, Missouri (d. 1969)
Oct 4 George Sidney, American film director (d. 2002)
Oct 10 Benson Fong, American actor (Charlie Chan, Purple Heart), born in Sacramento, California (d. 1987)
Oct 12 Alice Childress, American playwright, actress and writer, born in Charleston, South Carolina (d. 1994)
Oct 17 Robert Lowery, actor (Murder Over NY), born in Kansas City, Missouri
Oct 19 David Lewis, actor (Edward Quartermaine-General Hospital), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Oct 21 Andrea Checchi, Italian actor (The Lady Without Camelias, Two Anonymous Letters), born in Florence, Tuscany (d. 1974)
Oct 22 Sid Miller, Shenandoah Pa, actor (Donald O'Connor Texaco Show)
Oct 27 Bob de Lange [Jacob Bernard de Lange], Dutch actor and director (Daniel), born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 1978)

Walter Cronkite

Nov 4 Walter Cronkite, American broadcast journalist and news anchor (CBS Evening News 1962-81), born in St Joseph, Missouri (d. 2009)

Nov 12 Liam Dunn, NJ, actor (Koska & his Family)
Nov 12 Rogelio de la Rosa, Filipino actor and politician (d. 1986)
Nov 20 Evelyn Keyes, American actress (Adventure of Martin Eden), born in Port Arthur, Texas (d. 2008)
Nov 23 Michael Gough, English actor (Hammer Horror Films, Search for the Nile), born in Kuala Lumpur, British Malaya (d. 2011)
Nov 27 Chick Hearn, American NBA broadcaster (called 3,338 LA Lakers games), born in Aurora, Illinois (d. 2002)
Nov 29 Frances "Fran" Ryan, American actress (Stripes, The Long Riders), born n Los Angeles, California (d. 2000)
Nov 30 Michael Gwynn, English actor (Village of Damned, Question 7), born in Bath, England (d. 1976)
Dec 2 John Bentley, British actor (African Patrol, Crossroads), born in Birmingham, England (d. 2009)
Dec 5 Margaret Hayes, American actress (Blackboard Jungle, Robert Montgomery Presents), born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 1977)
Dec 8 Richard Fleischer, American film director (d. 2006)