Events in Film & TV
Event of Interest
Jan 26 John Logie Baird gives the first public demonstration of television in his laboratory in London
John Logie Baird
Event of Interest
Feb 8 Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio becomes Walt Disney Studios
Walt Disney
Event of Interest
May 20 Thomas Edison says Americans prefer silent movies over talkies
Thomas Edison
- Aug 6 "Don Juan" starring John Barrymore is released by Warner Bros, the 1st feature-length film to utilize the Vitaphone sound-on-disc sound system with a synchronized musical score and sound effects
- Aug 18 Weather map televised for 1st time
- Oct 7 Actress Theo Mann-Master resigns from stage
- Oct 9 NBC (National Broadcasting Corporation) forms
- Nov 15 1st formal radio network, RCA takes over AT&T 25 station Network (NBC)
Event of Interest
Nov 23 Noël Coward's "This Was a Man" premieres in NYC
Noël Coward
- Dec 10 1st radio broadcast in the Sprinfield area (WCBS)
Birthdays in Film & TV
- Jan 2 Howard Caine, American actor (Brushfire), born in Nashville Tennessee (d. 1993)
- Jan 5 Robert Earle, American TV host (GE College Bowl), born in Baldwin, New York (d. 2019)
- Jan 6 Miklós "Mickey" Hargitay, Hungarian-American actor, bodybuilder and the 1955 Mr. Universe, born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 2006)
- Jan 8 Soupy Sales [Milton Supman], American comedian, television, and radio personality, born in Franklinton, North Carolina (d. 2009)
- Jan 11 Grant Tinker, American TV executive (NBC), born in Stamford, Connecticut (d. 2016)
- Jan 11 Phil Sidey, broadcaster
- Jan 14 Frank Aletter, American character actor (Mac-It's About Time, Tom-Nancy), born in Long Island, New York (d. 2009)
- Jan 14 Warren Mitchell, English actor (Alf Garnett in Till Death Us Do Part), born in London, England (d. 2015)
- Jan 15 Maria Schell, Austrian-Swiss star of German cinema (The Last Bridge, Gervaise), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2005)
- Jan 17 Moira Shearer, Scottish actress and ballerina (Red Shoes), born in Dunfermline Scotland (d. 2006)
- Jan 17 Richard Michael Hills, comedy script writer
- Jan 19 Fritz Weaver, actor (Josef-Holocaust, Day of the Dolphin), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 2016)
Patricia Neal
Jan 20 Patricia Neal, American actress (Hud, Subject Was Roses) and wife of Roald Dahl, born in Packard, Kentucky (d. 2010)
Patricia Neal
- Jan 21 Raf Reymen, Flemish actor (Huisvuil, Het glas water), born in Gent, Flanders, Belgium (d. 1990)
- Jan 21 Stephen "Steve" Reeves, American professional bodybuilder, actor, and philanthropist (Hercules, Goliath, Sandokan), born in Glasgow, Montana (d. 2000)
- Jan 24 Georges Lautner, French director & screenwriter, born in Nice, France (d. 2013)
- Jan 24 Clyde Adler, American writer and voice actor (Soupy Sales Show - "White Fang"; "Black Tooth"), born in Oak Park, Illinois (d. 1993)
- Jan 26 Fritz Spiegl, Austrian-British classical flautist, broadcaster, composer, and wit, born in Zurndorf, Austria (d. 2003)
- Jan 27 Ingrid Thulin, Swedish actress (Cries & Whispers, Damned), born in Sollefteå, Sweden (d. 2004)
- Jan 30 Lizbeth Webb, English soprano & stage actress, born in Reading, United Kingdom (d. 2013)
- Feb 1 Stuart Whitman, American actor (Capt Apache, Ransom, Cimarron Strip), born in San Francisco, California
- Feb 2 Nydia Ecury, celebrated Afro-Dutch writer, translator and actress (Kantika pa Mama Tera), born in Rancho, Aruba (d. 2012)
- Feb 3 Shelley Berman, comedian (Son of Blob, Love American Style), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Feb 6 Haskell Wexler, American cinematographer & director, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2015)
- Feb 6 Walker Edmiston, American actor (Star Trek, Gunsmoke, Mission: Impossible, The Dukes of Hazzard), born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 2007)
- Feb 11 Leslie Nielsen, Canadian actor (Spy Hard, Forbidden Planet, Naked Gun), born in Regina, Saskatchewan (d. 2010)
- Feb 12 Joe Garagiola, American MLB catcher (4 teams, 1946-54), sportscaster, and TV host (Today Show), born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 2016)
- Feb 20 Dame Gillian Lynne [Pyrke], British dancer, choreographer and actress, known for Broadway work on "Cats" and "The Phantom of the Opera", born in Bromley, Kent (d. 2018)
- Feb 22 (Alan) "Bud" Yorkin, American film and television producer and director (Divorce American Style; All in the Family; Sanford And Son), born in Washington, Pennsylvania (d. 2015)
- Feb 22 Kenneth Williams, British actor (Hancock's Half Hour, Carry On films), born in King's Cross, London (d. 1988)
- Feb 26 Cynthia Stone, American actress (That Wonderful Guy, Ad Libbers), born in Peoria, Illinois (d. 1988)
- Mar 1 Cesare Danova, Italian-American actor (Tentacles, Viva Las Vegas, Garrison's Gorillas), born in Rome, Italy (d. 1992)
- Mar 1 Robert Clary [Widerman], French-American actor, published author, artist and lecturer (LeBeau-Hogan's Heroes), born in Paris, France
- Mar 5 Joan Shawlee [Fulton], American actress (Some Like It Hot, Prehistoric Women, Abbott & Costello Show), born in Forest Hills, New York (d. 1987)
- Mar 6 Andrzej Wajda, Polish film director (Ashes & Diamonds, Man of Iron), born in Suwalki (d. 2016)
- Mar 9 Joe Franklin, American radio host, TV personality and New York institution (The Joe Franklin Show), born in The Bronx, New York (d. 2015)
- Mar 12 Gudrun Ure, Scottish actress (Super Gran, Lady MacBeth, BBC Sorcerer), born in Campsie, Stirlingshire, Scotland
- Mar 12 Hildy Park, American actress and writer (To Tell the Truth), born in Washington, D.C. (d. 2004)
Jerry Lewis
Mar 16 Jerry Lewis [Joseph Levitch], American comedian (Martin and Lewis, MDA Telethon), born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 2017)
Jerry Lewis
- Mar 18 Peter Graves [Aurness], American actor (Mission Impossible, Airplane!, Stalag 17), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota (d. 2010)
- Mar 21 Andre Delvaux, Heverie Belgium, director/writer (Benvenuta)
- Mar 21 Virginia Weidler, American child actress (Babes on Broadway, All This & Heaven Too), born in Hollywood, California (d. 1968)
- Mar 23 Martha Wright, American actress and singer (South Pacific; The Martha Wright Show), born in Seattle, Washington (d. 2016)
- Mar 30 Ray McAnally, Irish actor (The Mission, My Left Foot, Empire State, Sicilian), born in Buncrana, County Donegal, Ireland (d. 1989)
- Mar 30 Sydney Chaplin, American actor and son of Charlie Chaplin (Limelight, Adding Machine), born in Beverly Hills, California (d. 2009)
- Apr 1 Lyndon Brook, British actor (Invasion, Reach for the Sky), born in York, England (d. 2004)
- Apr 3 Andrew Keir, Scottish character actor (Rob Roy, Absolution, Blood Hunt, Catholics), born in Shotts, Lanarkshire, Scotland (d. 1997)
- Apr 5 Roger Corman, American producer and director (Little Shop of Horrors), born in Detroit, Michigan
- Apr 10 Junior Samples, American comedian and country singer (Hee Haw), born in Cumming, Georgia (d. 1983)
- Apr 12 Jane Withers, American actress, model, and singer (All Together Now, Josephine the plumber), born in Atlanta, Georgia
- Apr 14 Gloria Jean, American actress and singer (Never Give a Sucker an Even Break), born in Buffalo, New York
- Apr 14 Liz Renay [Pearl Elizabeth Dobbins], American actress (Desperate Living), born in Chandler, Arizona (d. 2007)
- Apr 18 Günter Meisner, German actor (Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Between Wars, Adolf Hitler, Quiller Memorandum), born in Bremen, Weimar Republic (d. 1994)
- Apr 22 Charlotte Rae, American character actress, comedian, singer and dancer (Edna-Facts of Life), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 2018)
- Apr 26 David Coleman, British sports commentator (worked for the BBC for 46 years), born in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, England (d. 2013)
- Apr 30 Cloris Leachman, American Oscar and Emmy award-winning actress (The Last Picture Show; Mary Tyler Moore Show - "Phyllis"), born in Des Moines, Iowa (d. 2021) [1] [2]
- May 5 Ann B Davis, American actress (Bob Cummings Show, Alice-Brady Bunch), born in Schenectady NY, (d. 2014)
- May 7 Val Bisoglio, American actor (Lt Marsh-Police Woman, Danny-Quincy ME), born in NYC, New York
David Attenborough
May 8 David Attenborough, English naturalist, TV producer and host (BBC "Life" and "Our Planet" series), born in London, England
David Attenborough
- May 8 Don Rickles, comedian (Don Rickles Show, CPO Sharkey), born in Queens, New York (d. 2017)
- May 8 Erico Menczer, Fiume Italy, cinematographer (Chosen, Miranda)
- May 11 Frank Thring, Australian actor (El Cid, Ben-Hur), born in Melbourne, Victoria (d. 1994)
- May 14 Eric Morecambe [John Bartholomew], British comedian (Morecambe & Wise, Picadilly Palace), born in Morecambe, Lancashire (d. 1984)
- May 17 Tenniel Evans, British actor and clergyman (10 Rillington Place, My Brother's Keeper), born in Nairobi, Kenya (d. 2009)
- May 18 Dirch Passer, prolific Danish actor (Going for Broke, Mig og mafiaen), born in Østerbro, Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 1980)
- May 19 David Jacobs, British broadcaster (Juke Box Jury), born in London (d. 2013)
- May 21 Rick Jason [Richard Jacobson], American actor (Day of the Wolves, Eagles Attack at Dawn), born in NYC, New York (d. 2000)
- May 24 Stanley Baxter, Scottish actor (The Stanley Baxter Moving Picture Show, Crook Anonymous), born in Glasgow, Scotland
- May 25 Claude Akins, American character actor (B. J. and the Bear, The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo, Movin' On), born in Nelson, Georgia (d. 1994)
- May 29 Charles Denner, French actor (The Bride Wore Black, The Man Who Loved Women), born in Tarnów, Poland (d. 1995)
- Jun 1 Andy Griffith, American actor, comedian, television producer, Southern gospel singer, and writer (Andy Griffith Show, Matlock), born in Mount Airy, North Carolina (d. 2012)
Marilyn Monroe
Jun 1 Marilyn Monroe [Norma Jean Mortenson], American actress (Some Like It Hot), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1962)
Marilyn Monroe
- Jun 2 Milo O'Shea, Irish character actor (Barbarella, Staircase and Mass Appeal, Romeo & Juliet), born in Dublin, Ireland (d. 2013)
- Jun 3 Colleen Dewhurst, Canadian-American actress (Maggie-Blue & Grey), born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 1991)
- Jun 4 Nan Leslie [Nan Coppage], American actress (Kings Row, The Californians), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2000)
- Jun 9 Mona Freeman, American actress (Black Beauty, Dear Wife, Heiress), born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 2014)
- Jun 10 June Haver [Stovenour], American actress (Dolly Sisters, Girl Next Door), born in Rock Island, Illinois (d. 2005)
- Jun 10 Lionel Jeffries, British actor (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Camelot), born in Forest Hill, London (d. 2010)
- Jun 11 Brother Dave Gardner, American comedian, drummer and singer, born in Jackson, Tennessee (d. 1983)
- Jun 12 Jackie Pallo, English professional wrestler, born in Islington, Greater London, England (d. 2006)
- Jun 13 Paul Lynde, American comedian and actor (The Hollywood Squares, Uncle Arthur-Bewitched), born in Mt Vernon, Ohio (d. 1982)
- Jun 18 Eva Bartok, Hungarian-born actress (Crimson Pirate), born in Kecs kemet, Hungary (d. 1998)
- Jun 21 Conrad Hall, Tahitian-American cinematographer, born in Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia (d. 2003)
- Jun 26 Tadeusz Konwicki, Polish writer (Bohin Manor) and film director, born in Nowa Wilejka, Wilenskie (d. 2015)
Mel Brooks
Jun 28 Mel Brooks [Melvin Kaminsky], American actor, comedian and director (Get Smart, Blazing Saddles, Spaceballs), born in NYC, New York
Mel Brooks
- Jun 28 Robert Shelton [Shapiro], music and film critic, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1995)
- Jun 30 Peter Alexander [Ferdinand Maximilian Neumayer], Austrian actor and singer (Who Wants to Sleep?), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2011)
- Jul 1 François-Régis Bastide, French writer and broadcaster, born in Biarritz, France (d. 1996)
- Jul 1 Delmar Watson, American child actor (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Heidi, Annie Oakley), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2008)
- Jul 4 Mary Stuart, American actress (Jo-Search for Tomorrow), born in Miami, Florida (d. 2002)
- Jul 5 Diana Lynn [Dolores Eartha Loehr], American actress (Annapolis Story, Easy Come Easy Go), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1971)
- Jul 10 Carleton Carpenter, American actor, magician, songwriter, and novelist (Up Periscope, Summer Stock), born in Bennington, Vermont
- Jul 10 Fred Gwynne, American actor (Car 54 Where Are You, Munsters), born in NYC, New York (d. 1993)
- Jul 11 Patrick Wymark [Cheeseman], British actor (Skull, Tomb of Ligeia), born in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire (d. 1970)
- Jul 14 Harry Dean Stanton, American actor, musician, and singer (Lucky, Alien, Cool Hand Luke, The Godfather Part II), born in West Irvine, Kentucky (d. 2017)
- Jul 17 Édouard Carpentier, French-born professional wrestler
- Jul 17 Charles Champlin, American film critic and writer
- Jul 18 Jane Hylton [Audrey Gwendolene Clark], British actress (Adv of Sir Lancelot, Daybreak), born in London, England (d. 1979)
- Jul 18 Richard Pasco, British actor (Gorgon, Arch of Triumph), born in Barnes, London (d. 2014)
- Jul 18 Robert Sloman, English screenwriter, born in Oldham, Lancashire, England (d. 2005)
Weddings in Film & TV
- Jan 17 Comedian George Burns marries comedienne Gracie Allen
Wedding of Interest
Aug 13 Comedian Stan Laurel (36) marries 1st wife actress Lois Neilson (30)
Stan Laurel
Wedding of Interest
Sep 29 Canadian-American actress Norma Shearer weds film producer Irving Thalberg
Norma Shearer
Wedding of Interest
Dec 2 Film director and producer Alfred Hitchcock (27) weds director Alma Reville (27) at Brompton Oratory in London
Alfred Hitchcock
Wedding of Interest
Dec 18 Actor George Murphy (24) weds ballroom dancing partner Juliette Henkel
George Murphy
Deaths in Film & TV
Rudolph Valentino
Aug 23 Rudolph Valentino, Italian actor and silent movie idol (The Sheik, Eagle), dies of a relapse of pleuritis in NY at 31
Rudolph Valentino