January 1966 in Film & Television History

Events in Film & TV

Jan 2 National Football League Championship, Lambeau Field, Green Bay: Green Bay Packers beat Cleveland Browns, 23-12; first NFL title game televised in colour; last one played before Super Bowl era
Jan 4 WFLD TV channel 32 in Chicago, IL (IND) begins broadcasting

Pro Wrestling

Jan 7 Gene Kiniski beats Lou Thesz in St Louis, to become NWA wrestling champion

Jan 8 The Who and The Kinks perform on the last "Shindig" TV show on ABC
Jan 11 "Daktari" African adventure series premieres on CBS TV

Batman

Jan 12 "Batman", starring Adam West as Batman, Burt Ward as Robin, and Cesar Romero as The Joker, debuts on ABC

Jan 24 WDIO TV channel 10 in Duluth, MN (ABC) begins broadcasting
Jan 25 WCMC (now WMGM) TV channel 40 in Wildwood, NJ (NBC) 1st broadcast

Sweet Charity

Jan 29 Neil Simons, Coleman & Fields' musical "Sweet Charity" premieres at Palace Theater in NYC for 608 performances

Birthdays in Film & TV

Jan 1 Hito Steyerl, German artist and filmmaker (Factory of the Sun), born in Munich, West Germany [1]
Jan 1 Rawley Valberde, American actor (Amado-Santa Barbara), born in Oceanside, California
Jan 6 Fernando Carrillo, Venezuelan actor, born in Caracas, Venezuela
Jan 8 Loretta Lee [Lee Lai Chan], Chinese actress (Happy Ghost), born in British Hong Kong
Jan 8 Maria Pitillo, American actress (Ryan's Hope, Natural Born Killers), born in Elmira, New York
Jan 9 Candi Milo, American voice actress (My Life as a Teenage Robot; New Looney Tunes), born in Palm Springs, California
Jan 11 Marc Acito, American novelist and humorist
Jan 12 Olivier Martinez, French actor (The Horseman on the Roof), born in Paris, France

Patrick Dempsey (57 years old)

Jan 13 American actor (Grey's Anatomy), born in Lewiston, Maine

Jan 13 Simon Shelton Barnes, British actor (Teletubbies-Tinky Winky), born in Bethnal Green, London (d. 2018)
Jan 14 Daniel J. Schneider, American actor (Dennis-Head of the Class), born in Memphis, Tennessee
Jan 20 Rainn Wilson, American actor (The Office, Juno), born in Seattle, Washington
Jan 22 Carlton Haselrig, American football guard (Pro Bowl 1992; Pittsburgh Steelers) and wrestler (6 x NCAA titles; Pitt-Johnstown), born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania (d. 2020)
Jan 24 Jimeoin, Northern Irish comedian, born in Royal Leamington Spa, United Kingdom
Jan 27 Tamlyn Tomita, Okinawa, actress (Karate Kid 2, Ming Li-Santa Barbara)
Jan 30 Daphne Ashbrook, American actress (Liz-Our Family Honor), born in Long Beach, California

Weddings in Film & TV

George Harrison & Pattie Boyd

Jan 21 Quiet Beatle George Harrison (22) weds British model Pattie Boyd (21) at the registry office in Epsom, Surrey, England, Paul serves as best man; divorce in 1977

Deaths in Film & TV

Jan 3 Rex Lease, American actor (Fast Bullets, Sunny Skies, Custer's Last Stand), dies at 62
Jan 22 Herbert Marshall, English actor (Trouble in Paradise; The Little Foxes), dies at 75
Jan 31 Elizabeth Patterson, American stage, silent and sound screen character actress (The Boy Friend; Intruder in the Dust; I Love Lucy - "Mrs. Trumbull"), dies of pneumonia at 91