February 1961 in Film & Television History

Events in Film & TV

Film Premiere

Feb 1 John Huston's film drama "The Misfits" officially premieres at the Loews Capitol in NYC, after a sneak preview at Reno, Nevada's Grenada Theatre; the final movie for both Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe was written by Monroe's husband Arthur Miller, and also featured Montgomery Cliff

Feb 6 KOAP TV channel 10 in Portland, OR (PBS) begins broadcasting

Film & TV History

Feb 7 Jane Fonda made her acting debut in the NBC drama "A String of Beads"

Music Recording

Feb 13 Frank Sinatra launches Reprise label under Warner Bros Records

Birthdays in Film & TV

Feb 2 Lauren Lane, American actress (C. C. Babcock-The Nanny), born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Feb 3 Keith Gordon, American actor (Dressed to Kill, Legend of Billie Jean), born in NYC, New York
Feb 5 Tim Meadows, American actor & comedian, born in Highland Park, Michigan
Feb 8 Bruce Timm, American artist and TV Producer (DC Animated Universe), born in Oklahoma
Feb 9 Jussi Lampi, Finnish musician and actor, born in Lappajärvi, Finland
Feb 10 Alexander Payne, American film director (Sideways), born in Omaha, Nebraska
Feb 11 Carey Lowell, American actress (Me & Him, Guardian, Dangerously Close), born in New York City, New York
Feb 13 Henry Rollins [Garfield], American musician (Big Ugly Mouth; Talking From the Box), monologuist, and actor, born in Washington, D.C.
Feb 20 Imogen Stubbs, actress (Summer Story), born in Rothbury, England
Feb 21 Bertha Faye, American wrestler (d. 2001)
Feb 21 Christopher Atkins, American actor (Peter-Dallas, Blue Lagoon), born in Rye, New York
Feb 21 Martha Hackett, American actress (Star Trek:Voyager), born in Boston, Massachusetts
Feb 22 Debbie Linden, Scottish actress (Kenny Everett Show), born in Glasgow, Scotland
Feb 27 Grant Shaud, American actor (Miles Silverburg in Murphy Brown), born in Evanston, Illinois

Deaths in Film & TV

Feb 3 Anna May Wong [Wong Liu-tsong], Chinese-American actress, 1st Asian-American movie star (Shanghai Express; Gallery of Mme Lui-Tsang), and 1st Asian-American on US currency (American Women series quarter, 2022), dies of a heart attack at 56
Feb 8 William Duncan, Scottish actor (Hopalong Rides Again, Thunder Trail), dies at 81
Feb 11 Eduard R Verkade, Dutch actor and director (Pygmalion), dies at 82
Feb 14 Wallis Clark, British-American stage and screen actor (Penny Serenade; Great Guy; Postal Inspector; Easy Money), dies at 78
Feb 15 Jack Whiting, American actor and singer (Marge & Gower Champion Show), dies at 59
Feb 17 Nita Naldi [Anita Donna Dooley], American stage and silent film actress (Blood & Sand; Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde), dies of a heart attack at 66