April 1961 in Film & Television History

Events in Film & TV

Apr 3 Jacques Offenbach and Yip Harburg's musical "The Happiest Girl in the World", starring Cyril Ritchard and Justine Rule, opens at Martin Beck Theatre, NYC; runs for 97 performances

TV Show Appearance

Apr 5 Barbra Streisand appears on "Jack Paar Show"

Apr 14 1st live television broadcast from Soviet Union
Apr 15 Meredith Willson's musical "The Music Man", starring Robert Preston and Barbara Cook, closes at Majestic Theater, NYC. after 1375 performances, 5 Tony Awards, and a Grammy

Academy Awards

Apr 17 33rd Academy Awards: "Apartment" wins best film, Burt Lancaster & Elizabeth Taylor win best actor, actress

Film & TV History

Apr 17 Jimmy Stewart accepts an honorary Oscar on behalf of his friend Gary Cooper, who is too ill to attend

Music History

Apr 23 Singer Judy Garland appears in concert at Carnegie Hall, NYC; event is recorded for a double live album, wins Grammy Award for Album of the Year (the first such win by a female artist)

Apr 29 ABC's "Wide World of Sports" debuts

Birthdays in Film & TV

Apr 1 Jennifer Runyon, American actress (Cindy-A Very Brady Christmas), born in Chicago, Illinois
Apr 1 Mark White, British rock guitarist, singer-songwriter and record producer (ABC - "All of My Heart", born in Sheffield, England
Apr 2 Christopher Meloni, American actor (Law & Order; Runaway Bride), born in Washington, D.C.

Eddie Murphy (61 years old)

Apr 3 American comedian and actor (SNL, 1980-84; 48 Hours; Beverly Hills Cop; Raw; Pluto Nash), born in Brooklyn, New York

Apr 5 Lisa Zane, American actress, born in Chicago, Illinois
Apr 6 Gene Eugene [Andrusco], Canadian-American actor, singer-songwriter (Adam Again; Lost Dogs), and record producer, born in Fort Frances, Ontario (d. 2000)
Apr 8 Richard Hatch, American reality television personality (Survivor), born in Newport, Rhode Island
Apr 10 Jeb Stuart Adams, American actor (Flowers in the Attic), born in Hollywood, California
Apr 10 Olivia Brown, American actress (Det Trudy Joplin-Miami Vice), born in Frankfurt, Germany
Apr 11 Lucky Vanous, American model (GQ, Diet Coke), born in Lincoln, Nebraska
Apr 11 Vincent Gallo, American actor, director, writer (Buffalo '66, The Brown Bunny), born in Buffalo, New York
Apr 12 Magda Szubanski, Australian actress (Kath & Kim), born in Liverpool, Merseyside, England

Robert Carlyle (61 years old)

Apr 14 British actor (Trainspotting, The Full Monty), born in Glasgow, Scotland

Apr 15 Lynne Austin, American model (First Hooters girl), Playboy playmate (Jul, 1986), born in Plant City, Florida
Apr 18 Jane Leeves, English actress (Murphy Brown, Daphne Moon-Fraiser), born in London, England
Apr 18 Steve Lombardi, American professional wrestler (The Brooklyn Brawler), born in Brooklyn, New York
Apr 20 Konstantin Lavronenko, Russian actor (Vozvrashcheniye), born in Rostov-on-Don, Russia
Apr 20 Nicholas Lyndhurst, English actor (Only Fools and Horses, Goodnight Sweetheart), born in Emsworth, England
Apr 22 Byron Allen, comedian (Real People, Byron Allen Show), born in Los Angeles, California
Apr 23 George Lopez, Mexican-American actor and comedian, born in Mission Hills, Los Angeles
Apr 23 Terry Gordy, American professional wrestler, born in Chattanooga, Tennessee (d. 2001)
Apr 26 Joan Chen [Chen Chong], Chinese-American actress (Heaven & Earth, The Last Emperor), born in Shanghai, China
Apr 29 Fumihiko Tachiki, Japanese seiyū (voice actor), born in Nagasaki, Japan

Deaths in Film & TV

Apr 2 August Defresne, Dutch playwright and director (Anno Christi 969), dies at 67
Apr 10 Irene Warfield, American silent screen actress (Satan Sanderson), dies at about 65 [exact birthdate unconfirmed]
Apr 12 Philippine "Pine" Belder [Mary de Klerk], actress, dies at 93
Apr 24 Lee Moran, American actor (Circus Clown), dies of heart ailment at 72 (b. 1888)