Events in Film & TV
- Jan 1 WEAT (now WPEC) TV channel 12 in West Palm Beach, FL (CBS) begins
- Jan 2 1st "Bob Cummings Show" premieres on NBC (later on CBS)
- Jan 5 KMSP TV channel 9 in Minneapolis-St Paul, MN (IND) 1st broadcast
- Jan 7 WCIQ TV channel 7 in Mt Cheaha, AL (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Jan 8 WUNC TV channel 4 in Chapel Hill, NC (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Jan 10 "Ordet", directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer, starring Henrik Malberg, Emil Hass Christensen, is released
- Jan 19 "The Millionaire" TV program premieres on CBS
- Jan 23 KORK (now KVBC) TV channel 3 in Las Vegas, Nevada (NBC) 1st broadcast
Historic Communication
Feb 2 1st presidential news conference on network TV-Eisenhower on ABC

Dwight D. Eisenhower
Golden Globes
Feb 24 12th Golden Globes: "On The Waterfront", Marlon Brando, & Judy Garland win

Judy Garland

Marlon Brando
Emmy Awards
Mar 7 7th Emmy Awards: Make Room for Daddy, Danny Thomas & Loretta Young win

Loretta Young
Television Debut
Mar 7 Mary Martin as "Peter Pan" 1st televised

Mary Martin
Television Debut
Mar 27 Steve McQueen makes his network TV debut (Goodyear Playhouse)

Steve McQueen
- Mar 27 WPRI TV channel 12 in Providence, RI (ABC) begins broadcasting
Academy Awards
Mar 30 27th Academy Awards: "On the Waterfront", Marlon Brando & Grace Kelly win

Grace Kelly

Marlon Brando
- Apr 1 WTVT TV channel 13 in Tampa-St Petersburg, FL (CBS) 1st broadcast
Film Premier
Apr 11 "Marty" directed by Delbert Mann and starring Ernest Borgnine and Betsy Blair premieres in New York (Best Picture 1956)

Ernest Borgnine
- Apr 14 WBRZ TV channel 2 in Baton Rouge, LA (ABC/NBC) begins broadcasting
- Apr 24 KFDM TV channel 6 in Beaumont, TX (CBS) begins broadcasting
- Apr 24 KMAU (now KGMV) TV channel 3 in Wailuku, HI (CBS) begins broadcasting
- Apr 28 WBIQ TV channel 10 in Birmingham, AL (PBS) begins broadcasting
- May 2 WGBH TV channel 2 in Boston, MA (PBS) begins broadcasting
- May 10 8th Cannes Film Festival: "Marty" directed by Delbert Mann wins Palme d'Or
- May 15 KPUA (now KGMD) TV channel 9 in Hilo, HI (CBS) begins broadcasting
- May 21 WFRV TV channel 5 in Green Bay, WI (ABC/NBC) begins broadcasting
- May 27 Red Buttons Show, last airs on NBC-TV
- May 30 KMVT TV channel 11 in Twin Falls, ID (CBS/NBC/ABC) begins broadcasting
- Jun 3 KLFY TV channel 10 in Lafayette, LA (CBS) begins broadcasting
- Jun 4 "Mickey Rooney Show" TV comedy last airs on NBC
- Jun 7 "$64,000 Question" premieres on CBS TV
- Jun 10 KWEX TV channel 41 in San Antonio, TX (IND) begins broadcasting
- Jun 12 TV comedy "Mister Peepers" starring Wally Cox airs for last time on NBC
- Jun 12 Monitor (full weekend program) begins on NBC radio network
Film Release
Jun 22 Walt Disney's animated film "Lady & the Tramp" released

Walt Disney
Television Debut
Jun 30 "Johnny Carson Show" debuts on CBS-TV

Johnny Carson
- Jul 1 KOTA TV channel 3 in Rapid City, SD (ABC/NBC) begins broadcasting
- Jul 2 "Lawrence Welk Show" premieres on ABC
- Jul 15 WNDU TV channel 16 in South Bend, IN (NBC) begins broadcasting
- Jul 16 "Golden Horseshoe Revue" 1st of 50,000+ performances, Disneyland
- Jul 17 Disneyland televises its grand opening in Anaheim, California.
- Jul 31 KRNT (now KCCI) TV channel 8 in Des Moines, Iowa (CBS) 1st broadcast
- Jul 31 WHIS (now WVVA) TV channel 6 in Bluefield, West Virginia (NBC) 1st broadcast
- Aug 1 WILL TV channel 12 in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Aug 7 KSTF TV channel 10 in Scottsbluff-Gering, NB (CBS/NBC) begins
- Aug 12 WPBT TV channel 2 in Miami, FL (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Aug 15 WXEX TV channel 8 in Richmond-Petersburg, VA (ABC) begins
- Aug 25 16th Venice Film Festival: "Ordet" directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer wins Golden Lion
- Aug 26 1st color telecast (NBC) of a tennis match (Davis Cup)
- Aug 26 "Pather Panchali", Indian film directed by Satyajit Ray, starring Subir Banerjee, Kanu Banerjee and Karuna Banerjee, is released
- Aug 31 KTRE TV channel 9 begins broadcasting in Lufkin, Texas (ABC/NBC affiliate)
- Sep 1 KARD (now KSNW) TV channel 3 in Wichita, KS (NBC) begins broadcasting
- Sep 2 KCRA TV channel 3 in Sacramento, CA (NBC) begins broadcasting
- Sep 3 KTBS TV channel 3 in Shreveport, LA (ABC) begins broadcasting
- Sep 5 WKRG TV channel 5 in Mobile, AL (CBS) begins broadcasting
- Sep 5 WTTW TV channel 11 in Chicago, IL (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Sep 10 "Gunsmoke" premieres on CBS TV
- Sep 11 KTVT TV channel 11 in Fort Worth-Dallas, TX (IND) begins broadcasting
- Sep 12 KNTV TV channel 11 in San Jose, CA (ABC) begins broadcasting
- Sep 15 WCTV TV channel 6 in Tallahassee-Thomasville, FL (CBS) begins
- Sep 22 Commercial television begins in UK with ITV; meanwhile on BBC radio Grace Archer is killed in a barn fire on Brookfield Farm - the BBC denies this was to spoil the launch of the rival network
- Sep 22 With the launch of ITV, the UK's 1st commercial television station, the 1st advert on UK TV airs for Gibbs SR toothpaste
- Sep 28 1st World Series color TV broadcast on NBC-TV (Yanks beat Dodgers)
- Sep 28 WITN TV channel 7 in Washington, NC (NBC) begins broadcasting
- Sep 29 "Sergeant Preston" debuts on CBS
Event of Interest
Sep 30 American actor and cultural icon James Dean is killed in a car crash aged 24

James Dean
- Oct 1 WORA TV channel 5 in Mayaguez, PR (TCI) begins broadcasting
- Oct 2 "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" premieres on CBS television in the US
- Oct 2 WHTN (now WOWK) TV ch 13 in Huntington-Charleston, WV (CBS) begins
- Oct 3 "Captain Kangaroo" premieres on CBS-TV, Good Morning, Captain!
- Oct 3 WDBJ TV channel 7 in Roanoke, VA (CBS) begins broadcasting
- Oct 3 WTVS TV channel 56 in Detroit, MI (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Oct 20 "No Time for Sergeants" opens on Broadway, starring Andy Griffith
Event of Interest
Oct 20 Publication of "The Return of the King", the 3rd and final volume of "The Lord of the Rings" by J. R. R. Tolkien by George Allen and Unwin in London

J. R. R. Tolkien
- Oct 22 WWNY TV channel 7 in Carthage-Watertown, NY (CBS) begins broadcasting
- Oct 27 "Rebel Without a Cause", directed by Nicholas Ray, starring James Dean and Natalie Wood, is released
- Nov 19 KXMB TV channel 12 in Bismarck, ND (CBS/ABC) begins broadcasting
- Nov 21 KTVO TV channel 3 in Ottumwa-Kirksville, IA (ABC) begins broadcasting
- Nov 28 KMVI (now WMAU) TV channel 12 in Wailuku, HI (IND) begins broadcasting
- Nov 28 KTHV TV channel 11 in Little Rock, AR (CBS) begins broadcasting
Film Premier
Dec 2 Film adaptation of "The Rose Tattoo", starring Anna Magnani and Burt Lancaster, premieres at the Astor Hotel in New York City

Anna Magnani

Burt Lancaster
- Dec 3 KTVE TV channel 10 in Monroe-El Dorado, LA (NBC) begins broadcasting
Film Release
Dec 8 Black Ealing comedy "The Ladykillers", directed by Alexander Mackendrick and starring Alec Guinness is released in the UK

Alec Guinness
- Dec 21 2nd National Film Awards (India): "Mirza Ghalib" wins the Golden Lotus
Event of Interest
Dec 29 Barbra Streisand's 1st recording "You'll Never Know" at age 13

Barbra Streisand
Rowan Atkinson
Jan 6 Rowan Atkinson, English comedian and actor (Mr Bean, Blackadder), born in Consett, County Durham, England

Rowan Atkinson
- Jan 6 Sandra Bernhard, American actress (Follow That Bird, King of Comedy), born in Flint, Michigan
- Jan 9 J. K. Simmons, American actor (Whiplash), born in Grosse Pointe, Michigan
- Jan 12 Rockne S. O'Bannon, American screenwriter, born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 13 Trevor Rabin, South African-American rock guitarist (Yes, 1983-94 - "Owner Of A Lonely Heart"), and film score composer (National Treasure), born in Johannesburg, South Africa
- Jan 15 Enrico Mentana, Italian newscaster (RAI), born in Milan, Italy
- Jan 18 Hans van Tongeren, Dutch actor (Hunk), born in Breda, Netherlands (d. 1982)
Kevin Costner
Jan 18 Kevin Costner, American actor (Fandango, Silverado, Bull Durham), born in Los Angeles, California

Kevin Costner
- Jan 19 Paul Rodriguez, Mexican-born actor & comedian, born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 20 Wyatt Knight, American actor (d. 2011)
- Jan 22 John Wesley Shipp, American actor (Dawson's Creek, One Life to Live), born in Norfolk, Virginia
- Jan 26 Lucia Mendez, Mexican actress & singer (Lucia es Luna Moreno), born in León, Guanajuato, Mexico
- Feb 2 Michael Talbott, American actor (Stan-Miami Vice), born in Waverly, Iowa
- Feb 5 Debra Jo Fondren, American model & actress, born in Los Angeles, California
- Feb 7 Rolf Benirschke, NFL place kicker/TV host (Wheel of Fortune), born in Boston, Massachusetts
- Feb 8 Ethan Phillips, actor (Neelix-Star Trek Voyager)
- Feb 8 Jim "the Anvil" Neidhart, American professional wrestler (WWF/WCW/NJPW/CWFI/Calgary), born in Montebello, California (d. 2018)
- Feb 8 Nancy Oliver, American playwright and television writer
- Feb 9 Charles Shaughnessy, actor (Shane-Days of our Lives, Nanny), born in London, England
- Feb 9 Jim J. Bullock, American actor (Monroe-Too Close for Comfort), born in Casper, Wyoming
- Feb 10 Chris Adams, British pro wrestler and judoka (d. 2001)
- Feb 10 Jim Cramer, American television personality
- Feb 14 James Eckhouse, American actor
- Feb 14 Rip Rogers, American professional wrestler, born in Seymour, Indiana
- Feb 15 Christopher McDonald, American actor
- Feb 16 Hunt Block, American actor
- Feb 18 Raymond Rougeau, Canadian professional wrestler, born in Saint-Sulpice, Canada
- Feb 19 Jeff Daniels, GA, actor (Something Wild, Dumb & Dumber, Speed)
Kelsey Grammer
Feb 21 Kelsey Grammer, American actor, comedian, director and activist (Frasier Crane in Cheers, Fraiser), born in Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands

Kelsey Grammer
- Feb 25 Leann Hunley, actress (Dane Carrington-Dynasty, Dawson's Creek)
- Feb 28 Gilbert Gottfried, comedian (Beverly Hills Cop)
- Mar 2 Dale Bosworth, TV host (America's Most Wanted)
- Mar 4 Dominique Pinon, French actor
- Mar 5 Marcia McCabe, American actress (Alice Grande - One Life to Live), born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
- Mar 7 Anupam Kher, Bollywood actor (Vijay, Silver Linings Playbook), and Chairman of Film and Television Institute of India, born in Shimla, India
- Mar 9 Ornella Muti, Italian actress (Flash Gordon, Most Beautiful Wife), born in Rome, Italy
- Mar 10 Juliusz Machulski, Polish director/writer/actor (Do It Yourself)
- Mar 10 Youssra, Egyptian actress and singer
- Mar 11 [Kater]Nina Hagen, German actress (Blue Angel), born in East Berlin, German DR
- Mar 13 Glenne Headly, actress (Dick Tracy, Making Mr Right), born in New London, Connecticut
- Mar 14 Helen Atkinson-Wood, British actress and comedian (O.T.T., Blackadder the Third), born in Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire
- Mar 15 Daniel "Dee" Snider, American singer, songwriter and actor (Twisted Sister), born in Astoria, Queens
- Mar 16 Bruno Barreto, Brazilian film director
- Mar 17 Bill Beyers, actor (Wally McCandless-Capitol)
- Mar 17 Gary Sinise, American actor (Apollo 13, CSI: NY, Forrest Gump), born in Blue Island Illinois
Bruce Willis
Mar 19 Bruce Willis, American actor (Moonlighting, Die Hard), born in Idar-Oberstein, West Germany

Bruce Willis
- Mar 21 Jean Marie Hon, actress (Jane-Man From Atlantis), born in San Francisco, California
- Mar 23 Petrea Burchard, American actress
- Mar 29 Christopher Lawford, American actor (Charlie Brent-All My Children), born in Santa Monica, California
- Mar 29 Dianne Kay, American actress (Nancy-8 is Enough, Reggie, Glitter), born in Phoenix, Arizona
- Mar 29 Marina Sirtis, English actress (Troi-Star Trek: The Next Generation), born in London, England
- Mar 29 Brendan Gleeson, Irish actor and film director (Braveheart), born in Dublin
- Apr 5 Charlotte de Turckheim, French actress (Jefferson in Paris), born in Montereau-Fault-Yonne, France
- Apr 6 Michael Rooker, American actor (Guardians of the Galaxy), born in Jasper, Alabama
- Apr 8 Kane Hodder, American actor and stuntman
- Apr 11 Michele Scarabelli, Canadian actress (Jo Santini-Airwolf, Alienation, Dallas), born in Montreal, Quebec
- Apr 14 Simone Griffeth, American actress (Death Race 2000, Amanda's), born in Savannah, Georgia
- Apr 23 Judy Davis, Australian actress (Barton Fink, Husbands & Wives), born in Perth, Australia
- Apr 23 Su Ingle, British actress (Around the World in Seven Minutes and Four Times on Saturday), born in London
- Apr 24 Michael O'Keefe, American actor (Caddyshack, Ironweed, Slugger's Wife), born in Mount Vernon, New York
- Apr 24 John Epperson [Lypsinka], American drag artist and actor, born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi
- Apr 25 Parviz Parastui, Iranian actor (The Glass Agency), born in Kabudrahang, Hamadan Province, Iran
- Apr 29 Kate Mulgrew, American actress (Capt Janeway-Star Trek Voyager), born in Dubuque, Iowa
- Apr 29 Wendee Lee, American voice actress
- Apr 29 Leslie Jordan, American actor and writer (Will and Grace), born in Chattanooga, Tennessee
- May 5 Melinda Culea, American actress (A-Team, Brotherly Love), born in Western Springs, Illinois
- May 7 Peter Reckell, American actor (Days of our Lives), born in Elkhart, Indiana
- May 9 Kevin Peter Hall, American actor (Misfits of Science), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- May 10 Chris Berman, sportscaster (ESPN)
- May 15 Lee Horsley, American actor (Nero Wolfe, Matt Houston), born in Muleshoe, Texas
- May 16 Debra Winger, American actress (Terms of Endearment, Officer & Gentleman), born in Columbus, Ohio
- May 16 Hazel O'Connor, Coventry England, singer/actress (Breaking Glass)
- May 17 Bill Paxton, actor (True Lies, Big Love), born in Fort Worth, Texas (d. 2017)
Yun Fat Chow
May 18 Yun Fat Chow, Hong Kong actor (Better Tomorrow), born in Lamma Island, Hong Kong

Yun Fat Chow
- May 20 Zbigniew Preisner, Polish film composer (Three Colors film trilogy), born in Bielsko-Biała, Poland
- May 25 Connie Selleca, American actress (Hotel, Capt America II), born in The Bronx, New York
- May 27 Richard Schiff, American actor (The West Wing), born in Bethesda, Maryland
- May 27 Eric Bischoff, American professional wrestling promoter
- May 30 Jake "The Snake" Roberts, American wrestler, born in Gainesville, Texas
- May 31 Laura Baugh, American golfer, writer, broadcaster (LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year 1973), born in Gainesville, Florida
- Jun 1 Ralph Morse, British actor, singer and writer of historical dramas
- Jun 2 Gary Grimes, American actor (Summer of '42, Class of '44), born in San Francisco, California
- Jun 2 Dana Carvey, comedian (SNL, Garth-Wayne's World), born in Missoula, Montana
- Jun 4 Mary Testa, American stage actress (On The Town), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Jun 6 Sandra Bernhard, American actress and comedian (King of Comedy, Nancy on Roseanne), born in Flint, Michigan
- Jun 7 William Forsythe, American actor (Raising Arizona, Once Upon a Time in America), born in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
- Jun 8 (Thomas) Griffin Dunne, American actor (American Werewolf in London, Who's That Girl; After Hours), and film maker, born in New York City
- Jun 10 Andrew Stevens, actor (Seduction, Boys in Company C, Fury), born in Memphis, Tennessee
- Jun 13 Alan Hansen, Scottish soccer defender (26 caps; Liverpool 434 games) and broadcaster (BBC Match of the Day), born in Sauchie, Scotland
- Jun 14 Kim Lankford, American actress (Gingers-Knots Landing), born in Montebello, California
- Jun 14 Paul O'Grady, English TV presenter, comedian and drag queen (Lily Savage), born in Tranmere, England
- Jun 15 Julie Hagerty, American actress (Airplane, Princesses), born in Cincinnati, Ohio
- Jun 15 Polly Draper, American actress (Thirtysomething, Side Effects), born in Gary, Indiana
- Jun 16 Laurie Metcalf, American actress (Roseanne, Ladybird), born in Carbonville, Illinois
- Jun 21 David Marshall Grant, American actor (Legs, French Postcards), born in Westport, Connecticut
- Jun 21 Leigh McCloskey, American actor (Dallas, Executive Suite, Gen Hosp), born in Los Angeles, California
- Jun 23 Maggie Greenwald, American film director and writer
- Jun 24 Betsy Randle, American actress
- Jun 25 Michael Sabatino, American actor (Days of Our Life, Bold & Beautiful), born in Venice, California
Weddings in Film & TV
Wedding of Interest
Jan 15 Film director Stanley Kubrick (26) weds theatrical designer Ruth Sobotka (29)

Stanley Kubrick
Wedding of Interest
Jul 11 "Gone with the Wind" actor Clark Gable (54) weds former fashion model and actress Kay Williams Spreckles (38)

Clark Gable
Wedding of Interest
Aug 25 "Dracula" actor Bela Lugosi (72) weds Hope Lininger (36)

Bela Lugosi
Wedding of Interest
Dec 31 Actor Gregory Peck (39) weds philanthropist Veronique Passani (23)

Gregory Peck
Divorces in Film & TV
Divorce of Interest
Aug 9 Actress Elizabeth Montgomery (22) divorces socialite Frederick Gallatin Cammann after more than a year of marriage

Elizabeth Montgomery
Divorce of Interest
Dec 30 Actor Gregory Peck (39) divorces real estate broker Greta Kukkonen (44) after 13 years of marriage

Gregory Peck
Deaths in Film & TV
- Feb 6 Rosey Rowswell, American MLB broadcaster (Pittsburgh Prates 1936-54), dies from uremic poisoning at 71
- Feb 12 Tom Moore, actor (Ladies be Seated, Majority Rules), dies at 71
- Feb 12 S Z Sakall [Gerö Jenö], Hungarian stage and film character actor (Dolly Sisters, Casablanca), dies at 72
- Feb 27 Tom Howard, comedian (It Pays to be Ignorant), dies at 66
- Mar 7 Tom Dugan, Irish actor (Circus Clown, Drag, Skyway), dies at 66
- Mar 21 Muriel Aked, British actress, dies at 67
- Apr 7 Theda Bara, actress (Camille, Cleopatra, 2 Orphans), dies at 62
- Apr 25 Constance Collier, actress (Perils of Pauline), dies at 77
- Apr 30 Rudolf Klein-Rogge, German actor and prototype for silent films master criminal (Metropolis, Spies), dies at 69
- Jun 11 Walter Hampden, American actor (Five Fingers, Hunchback of Notre Dame), dies at 75
- Jul 22 Joseph Foley, American actor (Mr Peepers), dies at 45
- Jul 23 Betsy van Es, Flemish actress (Un soir de joie), dies at 55
- Jul 23 Harry Haden, actor (Harry-Stu Erwin Show), dies at 73
- Jul 25 Isaak Iosifovich Dunayevsky, Soviet operetta and film composer, dies at 55
- Aug 5 Carmen Miranda, Portuguese-born Brazilian samba singer and actress (Down Argentine Way), dies of a heart attack at 46
- Aug 5 Suzan (Susan) Ball, American actress, dies of cancer at 21
- Aug 23 Reginald Tate, British actor (b. 1896)
- Sep 1 Philip Loeb, actor (Jake-Goldbergs), dies at 61
- Sep 28 Arthur Donaldson, Swedish American actor, dies at 86
James Dean
Sep 30 James Dean, American actor and cultural icon (Giant, Rebel Without a Cause), and 1st actor to be posthumously nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award, dies in a car crash at age 24

James Dean
- Sep 30 Michael Chekhov, Russian-American actor (Rhapsody, Abie's Irish Rose), dies at 64
- Oct 1 Charles Christie, American film studio owner, dies at 75
- Oct 2 O B Clarence, English actor (Penn of Pensnsylvania), dies at 85
- Oct 9 Alice Joyce, actress (Song O' My Heart), dies at 65
- Oct 15 Fumio Hayasaka, Japanese film score composer (Rashomon; Seven Samurai), dies of tuberculosis at 41
- Oct 19 John Hodiak, American actor (Battleground, A Bell for Adamo, Lifeboat), dies from coronary thrombosis at 41
- Nov 9 Tom Powers, actor (Station West, Destination Moon), dies at 65
- Nov 22 Shemp Howard [Samuel Horwitz], American actor and comedian (3 Stooges), dies of a heart attack at 60
- Dec 1 Chief Thundercloud [Victor Daniels], Cherokee actor (The Lone Ranger, Colt .45), dies from stomach cancer at 57
- Dec 5 Paul Harvey, American actor (Spellbound, Calamity Jane, Heldorado, Jamboree), dies at 73
- Dec 21 Dorothy Bernard, actress (Margaret-Life With Father), dies at 65
- Dec 24 Nana Bryant, American stage and screen actress (Ladies of the Chorus; Our Miss Brooks - "Mrs. Nestor"), dies at 67