1944 in Film & Television

• Jan 1 1st feature-length foreign movie "African Journey", shown on TV, NYC

• Feb 20 Batman & Robin comic strip premieres in newspapers
• Feb 21 "War As It Happens" news show premieres on NBC TV (NYC only)

• May 2 WABD (WNEW, now WNYW) TV channel 5 in NYC (DUM/MET/FOX) 1st broadcast
• May 3 "Going My Way", directed by Leo McCarey and starring Bing Crosby premieres in New York (Best Picture 1945)

• Aug 13 Jackie Gleason-Les Tremayne show premieres on NBC radio
• Sep 28 1st TV Musical comedy (The Boys from Boise)
• Oct 8 "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" debut on CBS radio

Birthdays 1 - 100 of 174

• Jan 1 Don Novello, American actor and comedian (Father Guido Sarducci-Saturday Night Live), born in Ashtabula, Ohio
• Jan 1 Jimmy Hart, American wrestling manager
• Jan 5 Felix Arons, Dutch director/actor (Waaldrecht)
• Jan 6 Bonnie Franklin, Santa Monica Cal, TV actress (Ann-1 Day at a Time), (d. 2013)
• Jan 10 William Sanderson, American actor (Newhart, Blade Runner, True Blood), born in Memphis, Tennessee
• Jan 12 Carlos Villagrán, Mexican actor
• Jan 23 Rutger Hauer, Dutch actor (Blade Runner, Ladyhawke, Osterman Weekend)
• Jan 24 David Gerrold [Jerrold David Friedman], American science fiction screenwriter (Star Trek) and author (The Martian Child), born in Chicago, Illinois
• Jan 29 Barbara Moore, Wardell Mo, actress (Lisa Rogers-Man From UNCLE)
• Feb 1 Leo Burmester, actor (Flo, Chiefs, Abbys, Odd Jobs), born in Louisville, Kentucky
• Feb 2 Katherine Crawford, actress (Gemini Man, Captains & Kings), born in Los Angeles, California
• Feb 2 Karen Foss, American broadcaster
• Feb 2 Geoffrey Hughes, British actor, (d. 2012)
• Feb 3 Trisha Noble, Australian singer and actress
• Feb 6 Michael Tucker, actor (Stuart Markowitz-LA Law), born in Baltimore, Maryland
• Feb 13 Stockard Channing, American actress (Grease, Big Bus, Without a Trace), born in NYC, New York
• Feb 13 Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Indian actor (d. 2006)
• Feb 14 Alan Parker, English actor (Bugsy Malone, Evita)
• Feb 21 Kitty Winn, actress (Beacon Hill), born in Washington, D.C.
• Feb 22 E J Peaker, actress (That's Life), born in Tulsa, Oklahoma
• Feb 22 Jonathan Demme, American film director (Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia), born in Baldwin, New York (d. 2017)
• Feb 24 Barry Bostwick, San Mateo Ca, actor (Rocky Horror Show, Megaforce)
• Feb 24 Sheila Larkin, American actress (Deborah-Storefront Lawyer), born in Brooklyn, New York
• Feb 25 Karen Grassle, American actress (Caroline-Little House on Prairie), born in Berkeley, California
• Feb 25 Kristina Holland, American actress (Tina-Courtship of Eddie's Father), born in Fayetteville, North Carolina
• Feb 26 Marilyn Michaels, comedienne (ABC Comedy Hour)
• Feb 27 Alan Fudge, Wichita Ks, actor (Man From Atlantis, Paper Dolls)
• Feb 28 Colin Nutley, director/writer (Such is Life, Black Jack)
• Feb 28 Kelly Bishop, CO, actress (Unmarried Woman, Advice to Lovelorn)
• Feb 29 Phyllis Frelich, Devil's Lake ND, actor (Love is Never Silent)
• Feb 29 Dennis Farina, actor (Get Shorty, Law & Order, Crime Story), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2013)
• Mar 1 Roger Daltrey, English rocker/actor/producer (The Who-Tommy)
• Mar 2 Katherine Crawford, actress (Captains & Kings, Gemini Man)
• Mar 2 Uschi Glas, German actress
• Mar 5 Paul Sands, comedian and actor (SCTV, Story Theater, St Elsewhere), born in Los Angeles, California
• Mar 8 Palito Ortega, Argentine singer and actor
• Mar 15 Jacques Doillon director/writer (La Fille de Quinze Ans)
• Mar 21 Marie-Christine Barrault, actress (Stardust Memories), born in Paris, France
• Mar 24 R. Lee Ermey, American actor (Full Metal Jacket- Gunnery Sergeant Hartman), born in Emporia, Kansas (d. 2018)
• Mar 27 Khosrow Shakibai, Iranian actor (Hamoun), born in Tehran, Iran (d. 2008)
• Mar 28 Ken Howard, American actor (Ken - The White Shadow), born in El Centro California (d. 2016)
• Apr 1 Carol White, England, actress (Daddy's Gone a Hunting)
• Apr 4 David Melville, British physicist and academic (Middlesex Polytechnic), born in Gateshead, Durham, England
• Apr 4 Craig T. Nelson, American actor (Poltergeist, Hayden Fox-Coach), born in Spokane, Washington
• Apr 5 Willeke van Ammelrooy, Dutch actress (Cidke de Rat, Antonia), born in Amsterdam
• Apr 8 Hywel Bennett, South Wales, actor (Family Way, Shelley)
• Apr 11 John Milius, American screenwriter (Red Dawn, 1941, Big Wednesday), born in St. Louis, Missouri
• Apr 19 Margo MacDonald, Scottish national broadcaster
• Apr 29 Richard Kline, American actor and director
• Apr 30 Jill Clayburgh, American actress (Unmarried Woman, Semi-Tough), born in NYC, New York (d. 2010)
• May 5 Jean-Pierre Leaud, actor (Detective), born in Paris, France
• May 5 John Rhys-Davies, Salisbury England, actor (Sir Edward-Quest, Sliders)
• May 5 Roger Raised, English actor (Nicholas Nickleby)
• May 5 Roger Rees, Welsh Tony winning stage and screen actor (Cheers), born in Aberystwyth (d. 2015)
• May 6 Anton Furst, American production designer (d. 1991)
• May 7 Sivi Aberg, Swedish actress (Batman TV show), born in Gävle, Sweden
• May 7 Eva Norvind, Norwegian-Mexican actress, born in Trondheim, Norway (d. 2006)
• May 7 Richard O'Sullivan, British comedy actor, born in Chiswick, London
• May 10 Marie-France Pisier, Daclat, Vietnam, French actress and writer (Love on the Run, Cousin cousine)
• May 14 Francesca Annis, actress (Madame Bovary, Dune), born in London, England

• May 15 Gunilla Hutton, Goteborg Sweden, actress (Petticoat Junction)
• May 16 Danny Trejo, American actor
• May 19 Peter Mayhew, British-American actor
• May 25 Frank Oz, Hereford England, American muppetteer (Grover-Sesame Street, Muppet Show)
• May 25 John Bunnell, former Sheriff of Multnomah County, Oregon and TV personality
• May 28 Patricia Quinn, Lady Stephens, Northern-Irish actress, voice artist and singer (The Rocky Horror Picture Show), born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
• May 28 Faith Brown, British actress and impressionist
• May 29 Helmut Berger, actor (Ash Wednesday, Damned, Picture of Dorian Gray)
• Jun 1 Robert Powell, English actor (Jigsaw Man, Shaka Zulu, Secrets), born in Salford, England
• Jun 4 Michelle Phillips, singer/actress (Mamas & Papas), born in Long Beach, California
• Jun 8 Don Grady [Agrati], American actor (Robbie Douglas-My Three Sons), born in San Diego, California (d. 2012)
• Jun 9 Brigid Bazlen, Wisc, actress (Pam-Too Young to go Steady)
• Jun 12 Linda Foster, American actress (Doris-Hank), born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
• Jun 14 Joe Grifasi, American actor
• Jun 17 Bill Rafferty, American comedian (Laugh-In, Real People), born in Queens, New York (d. 2012)
• Jun 20 Terry Funk, pro wrestler (WWF/NWA)/actor (Paradise Alley), born in Hammond, Indiana
• Jun 20 David Roper, English actor
• Jun 21 Corinna Tsopel, Greek actress (Man Called Horse) and Miss Universe 1964, born in Athens, Greece
• Jun 21 Tony Scott, English film director and producer (Top Gun, Revenge, Days of Thunder), born in Northumberland, England (d. 2012)
• Jun 22 Klaus Maria Brandauer, Austrian actor (Mephisto, Out of Africa)
• Jun 29 Gary Busey, Goose Creek Tx, actor (Buddy Holly Story, Star in Born)
• Jul 3 Paul Young, actor (Another Time Another Place)
• Jul 4 Ray Meagher, Australian actor
• Jul 8 Jeffrey Tambor, actor (Jeffrey-Ropers, Larry Sanders), born in San Francisco, California
• Jul 11 Bill Boggs, TV host/producer (Midday, Morton Downey Jr Show), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Jul 12 Denise Nicholas, actress (Room 222, Baby I'm Back), born in Detroit, Michigan
• Jul 15 Jan-Michael Vincent, actor (Hooper, Tribes, Buster & Billie), born in Denver, Colorado
• Jul 15 Millie Jackson, Thompson Ga, model/singer (Get it out 'cha system)
• Jul 18 Jonelle Allen, American actress (Bessie-Palmerstown USA, Berringers), born in NYC, New York
• Jul 22 Guich Koock, actor (Harley Puckett-Carter Country), born in Austin, Texas
• Jul 25 Helga I "Mijanou" van Baarzel, Dutch actress (Klaverweide-Alicia)
• Jul 26 Kiel Martin, actor (Det LaRue-Hill Street Blues), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Jul 30 Frances de la Tour, actress (Bejeweled, Wombling Free)
• Jul 31 Geraldine Chaplin, actress (Doctor Zhivago, 3 Musketeers), born in Santa Monica, California
• Jul 31 Sherry Lansing, actress (China Syndrome, Black Rain), born in Chicago, Illinois
• Aug 4 Richard Belzer, KOed by Hulk Hogan/comedian (How to be a Stand Up)
• Aug 7 David Rasche, actor (Sledge Hammer), born in St Louis, Missouri
• Aug 7 John Glover, actor (52 Pick-Up, Something Special), born in Kingston, New York
• Aug 8 Brooke Bundy, American actress

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• Feb 4 Yvette Guilbert, French singer and actress (b. 1867)
• Mar 18 Benjamin Delmonte, theater director and actor (Black Haired Whore), dies at 79
• May 30 Jessie Ralph, actress (Good Earth, San Francisco), dies at 79
• Jul 1 Carl Mayer, Austrian-Jewish actor (Dreaming Lips, Ariane, Sunrise), dies of cancer at 49
• Jul 20 Mildred Harris, American actress (b. 1901)
• Aug 22 Raymond Aimos, actor (Golem, Mayerling, La Bandera), dies at 55
• Dec 9 Laird Cregar, actor (Charley's Aunt, Hangover Square), dies at 28
• Dec 13 Lupe Velez, actress (Joe Palooka), overdoses on seconal at 34
• Dec 22 Harry Langdon, American comedian (The Strong Man, Tramp, Tramp, Tramp), dies at 60

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