Year 1950 in Film & Television

Events in Film & TV

• Jan 27 2nd Emmy Awards: Ed Wynn Show & Texaco Star Theater win
• Jan 30 "Robert Montgomery Presents" dramatic anthology premieres on NBC TV

• Feb 2 1st broadcast of "What's My Line" on CBS-TV
• Feb 15 KENS TV channel 5 in San Antonio, TX (CBS) begins broadcasting
• Feb 15 WSYR (now WSTM) TV channel 3 in Syracuse, NY (NBC) begins broadcasting

• Feb 16 Longest-running prime-time game show, "What's My Line" begins on CBS
• Feb 21 WOI TV channel 5 in Ames-Des Moines, IA (ABC/PBS) begins broadcasting

• Mar 27 WHAS TV channel 11 in Louisville, Kentucky (CBS) begins broadcasting
• Apr 2 WTAR (now WTKR) TV channel 3 in Norfolk, VA (CBS) begins broadcasting

• May 1 WJIM (now WLNS) TV channel 6 in Lansing, MI (CBS) begins broadcasting
• May 29 3rd British Film and Television Awards (BAFTAS): "Bicycle Thieves" Best Film


• Jun 1 WKZO (now WWMT) TV channel 3 in Kalamazoo, MI (CBS) 1st broadcast
• Jul 1 WHBF TV channel 4 in Rock Island, IL (CBS) begins broadcasting
• Jul 10 "Your Hit Parade" premieres on NBC (later CBS) TV (broadcast on radio from 1935)
• Jul 20 "Arthur Murray Party" premieres on ABC TV (later DuMont, CBS, NBC)

• Aug 19 ABC begins Saturday morning kid shows (Animal Clinic & Acrobat Ranch)
• Aug 20 11th Venice Film Festival: "Justice est faite" directed by Andre Cayatte wins the Golden Lion

• Aug 27 1st transmission of a TV programme from continental Europe shown on BBC
• Sep 11 Dick Tracy TV show sparks uproar concerning violence
• Sep 29 "Tin Pan Alley TV" last airs on ABC-TV
• Sep 30 Radio's "Grand Ole Opry" is broadcast on TV for 1st time
• Sep 30 WSM TV channel 4 in Nashville, TN (NBC) begins broadcasting
• Oct 11 The U.S. Federal Communications Commission issues the first license to broadcast television in color, to CBS
• Oct 12 The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show debuts on CBS television, airs until 1958

Birthdays in Film & TV

Birthdays 1 - 100 of 217

• Jan 3 Victoria Principal, American actress (Earthquake, Pamela-Dallas), born in Fukuoka, Japan
• Jan 7 Erin Gray, American actress (Silver Spoons, Buck Rogers), born in Honolulu, Hawaii
• Jan 7 Johnny Lever [John Prakasa Rao Janumala], Indian Bollywood actor & comedian, born in Prakasam, Andhra Pradesh
• Jan 9 David Johansen [Buster Poindexter], American singer-songwriter & actor (Hot! Hot! Hot!), born in Staten Island, New York
• Jan 13 John McNaughton, American film director
• Jan 16 Debbie Allen, American dancer, choreographer, actress (Fame -"Lydia"), producer, and director (A Different World), born in Houston, Texas
• Jan 16 Jesse Dizon, American actor, born in Oceanside, California
• Jan 19 Sébastien Dhavernas, Quebec actor, born in Montreal, Quebec
• Jan 20 Liza Goddard, British actress, born in Smethwick, United Kingdom
• Jan 23 Richard Dean Anderson, American actor (MacGyver, Emerald Pt NAS), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Jan 23 Richard Gilliland, American actor (Jonesy in The Waltons, Tom in Heartland), born in Fort Worth, Texas
• Jan 24 Daniel Auteuil, French actor (Elegant Criminal, Manon of Spring), born in Algiers, Algeria
• Jan 25 Christopher Ryan [Papazoglou], English actor & comedian (The Young Ones, Only Fools and Horses), born in London, England
• Jan 26 Janet Lupo, American model, born in Hoboken, New Jersey
• Jan 27 Derek Acorah, English spirit medium and TV personality (Most Haunted), born in Bootle, England
• Jan 28 Barbi Benton [Klein], American Playboy model and actress (Hee Haw, Sugar Time!), born in New York City
• Jan 29 Ann Jillian, American actress (Mr Mom, Jennifer Slept Here), born in Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Jan 30 Bruce Howard Lidington, English actor (Sword of Valiant, Mosses), born in Harrow, London
• Jan 30 Trinidad Silva, American actor, born in Mission, Texas (d. 1988)
• Feb 2 Barbara Sukowa, German actress (Zentropia, Sicilian, Voyager, Lola)
• Feb 2 Osamu Kido, wrestler (NJPW/UWF)
• Feb 3 Morgan Fairchild [Patsy McClenny], actress (Falcon Crest), born in Dallas, Texas
• Feb 4 Pamela Franklin, actress (Satan's School for Girls), born in Tokyo, Japan
• Feb 8 Cristina Ferrare, American former supermodel and actress
• Feb 12 Michael Ironside, Canadian actor (Starship Troopers), born in Toronto, Ontario
• Feb 13 Ewa Aulin, Swedish actress (Candy, Fiorina La Vacca), born in Stockholm, Sweden
• Feb 14 Raymond van het Groenewoud, Belgian vocalist & actor (Brussels by Night)
• Feb 15 Donna Hanover Giuliani, TV news anchor (WPIX)/wife of Mayor Giuliani
• Feb 18 Cybill Shepherd, American actress (Moonlighting, Last Picture Show), born in Memphis, Tennessee
• Feb 18 John Hughes, American film director (Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller), born in Lansing, Michigan (d. 2009)
• Feb 20 John Voldstad, actor (Darryl-Newhart), born in Oslo, Norway
• Feb 20 Ken Shimura, Japanese comedian and actor (Shimura Ken no Bakatono-sama), born in Higashimurayama, Japan (d. 2020)
• Feb 22 Ellen Greene, American vocalist & actress (Little Shoppe of Horrors), born in Brooklyn, New York
• Feb 22 Julie Walters, English actress (Educating Rita, Prick Up Your Ears), born in Birmingham, England
• Feb 22 Miou-Miou [Sylvette Herry], French actress (Dog Day, My Other Husband), born in Paris, France
• Feb 28 Ilene Graff, American actress (Marsha-Mr Belvedere), born in Brooklyn, New York
• Mar 2 Matthew Laurance, actor (Duet)
• Mar 2 Mitchel Laurance, actor (LA Law, Not Necessarily the News)
• Mar 3 Tim Kazurinsky, comedian (SNL, Police Academy 2, 3, 4), born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania
• Mar 4 Ofelia Medina, Mexican actress and screenwriter
• Mar 5 Harvey Jacob Alperin, actor (Cocktail), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Mar 7 Mark Pinter, American actor (Behind the Screen, Another World), born in Decorah, Iowa
• Mar 9 Andy North, American golfer, broadcaster (US Open 1978, 85; ESPN), born in Thorp, Wisconsin
• Mar 12 Jon Provost, actor (Timmy-Lassie)
• Mar 12 Wheeler Winston Dixon, American filmmaker, critic and author
• Mar 13 William H. Macy, American actor (Homicide, Water Engine), born in Miami, Florida
• Mar 18 Brad Dourif, WV, actor (Ragtime, Eyes of Laura Mars, Fatal Beauty)

• Mar 20 Tom Towles, American actor (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2015)
• Mar 23 Corrine Clery, actress (Moonraker, Yor), born in Paris, France
• Mar 23 Anthony De Longis, American actor
• Mar 26 Ernest Thomas, American actor (What's Happening!!), born in Gary, Indiana

• Mar 26 Tony Papenfuss, American actor (Daryl-Newhart), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Mar 26 Alan Silvestri, American film score composer (Back To The Future, Forrest Gump), born in NYC, New York

• Mar 31 Ed Marinaro, American actor (Joe-Hill St Blues, Sonny-Laverne & Shirley), born in NYC, New York
• Apr 3 Curtis Stone, American singer (Highway 101-Cry Cry Cry), born in Hollywood, California
• Apr 3 Sally Thomsett, English actress (Straw Dogs, Man About the House), born in Sussex
• Apr 4 Christine Lahti, American actress (Harvey Korman Show, Swing Shift), born in Detroit, Michigan
• Apr 5 Miki Manojlović, Serbian actor (The Heir Apparent: Largo Winch), born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia
• Apr 9 Nathan Cook, American actor (Milton-White Shadow, Billy-Hotel), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1988)
• Apr 11 Bill Irwin, American actor (My Blue Heaven, Scenes From a Mall), born in Santa Monica, California
• Apr 12 David Cassidy, American singer and actor (Keith-Partridge Family), born in NYC, New York (d. 2017)
• Apr 13 Ron Perlman, American actor (Quest for Fire, Beauty & the Beast), born in The Bronx, New York
• Apr 13 Terry Lester, American actor (Young & Restless, As World Turns), born in Indianapolis, Indiana
• Apr 14 Anna M "Ansje" Beentjes, actress (Blindgangers)
• Apr 14 Randolph Powell, actor (Alan-Dallas, Logan's Run), born in Iowa City, Iowa
• Apr 15 Amy Wright, American actress (Inside Moves, Accidental Tourist), born in Chicago, Illinois
• Apr 16 David Graf, American actor (Police Academy- Sgt. Eugene Tackleberry), born in Zanesville, Ohio (d. 2001)
• Apr 17 L. Scott Caldwell, American actress (Rose-Lost), born in Chicago, Illinois
• Apr 18 Kenny Ortega, American film and TV producer (High School Musical trilogy), born in Palo Alto, California
• Apr 19 Earl Gardner, American jazz trumpeter (Saturday Night Live), born in NYC, New York
• Apr 22 Jancis Robinson, wine writer/broadcaster

• Apr 28 Willie Colon, actor (Last Flight), born in The Bronx, New York
• Apr 29 Phillip Noyce, Australian film director
• May 1 Dann Florek, American actor (Law & Order), born in Flat Rock, Michigan
• May 2 Randy Colley (Moondog Rex), American pro wrestler (WWF Tag Team champion 1981), born in Alexander City, Alabama (d. 2019)
• May 4 Hilly Hicks, American actor (Roll Out, Roots), born in Los Angeles, California
• May 4 René van Asten, Dutch actor (Herenstraat 10), born in Tilburg, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands
• May 5 Googoosh [Faegheh Atashin (فائقه آتشین)], Persian singer and actress, born in Sarcheshmeh Street, Tehran
• May 7 Randall 'Tex' Cobb, American boxer and actor, born in Bridge City, Texas

• May 9 Matthew Kelly, actor/TV host (Holding the Fort, Relative Strangers)
• May 11 Jeremy Paxman, English broadcaster (University Challenge, Newsnight), born in Leeds, England
• May 12 Bruce Boxleitner, Elgin Ill, actor (Scarecrow & Mrs King, Babylon 5)
• May 12 Gabriel Byrne, actor (Hello Again, Cool World), born in Dublin, Ireland
• May 14 Mark Blum, American actor (Worth Winning, Blind Date, Presidio), born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 2020)
• May 15 Nicholas Hammond, American actor (The Amazing Spider-Man), born in Washington, D.C.
• May 18 Thomas Gottschalk, German radio and TV host (Telespiele), born in Bamberg, Germany
• May 23 Linda Thompson, actress (Hee Haw), born in Memphis, Tennessee
• May 28 Jim Harris, American professional wrestler
• May 30 Paresh Rawal, Indian Bollywood actor (Woh Chokri, Woh Chokri), born in Bombay, India
• May 31 Gregory Harrison, Catalina California, actor (Trapper John, Logan's Run)
• Jun 1 Gemma Craven, actress (Wagner, Story of Slipper & Rose), born in Dublin, Ireland
• Jun 2 Joanna Gleason, actress (Morgan-Hello Larry), born in Toronto, Ontario
• Jun 2 Toni Alessandrini, actress (Vice Academy Part 2), born in Chicago, Illinois
• Jun 3 Suzi Quatro[cchio], singer (Stumblin')/actress (Happy Days), born in Detroit, Michigan
• Jun 3 Melissa Mathison, American screenwriter (E.T.), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2015)

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Weddings in Film & TV

Divorces in Film & TV

Deaths in Film & TV

• Jan 22 Alan Hale Sr., American actor (Little John-The Adventures of Robin Hood), dies of a liver ailment and viral infection at 57
• Jan 22 Corinne Luchaire, French actress (b. 1921)
• Jan 24 Bull Montana [Luigi Montagna], Italian actor (Brass Buttons, Victory, The Son of the Sheik), dies from coronary thrombosis at 62
• Jan 26 Betsy van den Arend, Dutch [Betje], actress (Miss Hobbs), dies at 78
• Feb 26 Harry Lauder, Scottish comedian and singer (Roamin' in the Gloamin), dies at about 75
• Mar 6 Lew Lehr, American comedian (Stop Me if I heard this One), dies at 54
• Mar 10 Marguerite De La Motte, American actress (b. 1902)
• Mar 11 Florence Arliss, British actress (Disraeli), dies at 78
• Mar 25 Frank Buck, American actor (Africa Screams, Tiger Queen, Tiger Fangs), dies at 62
• Mar 28 Georgine M "May" Basting, actress (Occupier), dies at 67
• Apr 7 Walter Huston, Canadian actor (Maltese Falcon, Treasure of Sierra Madre), dies from an aneurysm at 67
• Apr 27 Hobart Cavanaugh, American actor (Border Town, Black Angel), dies at 63
• May 8 Franklin Dyall, British actor (Easy Virtue, Atlantic), dies at 80
• Aug 25 Earl Caddock, professional wrestler (b. 1888)
• Sep 13 Sara Allgood, Irish-American actress (Blackmail, How Green Was My Valley), dies of a heart attack at 70
• Sep 16 Pedro De Cordoba, American actor (Club Havana, Swamp Fire, Saboteur), dies at 68
• Oct 23 Al Jolson [Asa Yoelson], American-Lithuanian jazz singer and silent actor (Mamie, Swanee), dies at 64