Events in Film & TV
- Jan 11 ABC premiere of fact-based "Evil in Clear River"
- Jan 15 NFL analyst Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder makes several questionable comments about African Americans during a lunchtime interview on CBS' NFL Today; fired the next day
- Jan 16 4th Soap Opera Digest Awards - Days of Our Lives wins
- Jan 16 Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder fired from CBS for racial remarks
Theatrical Finale
Jan 17 Herb Gardner's stage comedy "I'm Not Rappaport", starring Judd Hirsch and Cleavon Little, closes at the Booth Theatre, NYC, after 891 performances, winning 3 Tony Awards
- Jan 19 "48 Hours" premieres on CBS-TV
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Jan 20 3rd Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: The Beach Boys; The Beatles; The Drifters; Bob Dylan; The Supremes; Woody Guthrie; Leadbelly; Les Paul; and Berry Gordy, Jr.
Golden Globes
Jan 23 45th Golden Globes: The Last Emperor, Michael Douglas, & Sally Kirkland win
- Jan 23 Bob Benoit bowls 1st 300-pt game in a televised title match
- Jan 24 1st WWF Royal Rumble - Jim Duggan wins
- Jan 24 4th Sundance Film Festival: "Heat and Sunlight" wins Grand Jury Prize Dramatic
- Jan 24 NBC premiere of fact based "The Murder of Mary Phagan"
Film & TV History
Jan 25 US Vice President George H. W. Bush and Dan Rather famously clash on "CBS Evening News" as Rather attempts to question Bush about his role in Iran-Contra affair
Birthdays in Film & TV
- Jan 7 Haley Bennett [Keeling], American actress (Cyrano; Music and Lyrics), born in Fort Myers, Florida
- Jan 7 Robert Sheehan, Irish actor, born in Port Laoise, Republic of Ireland
- Jan 12 Andrew Lawrence, American actor (Brotherly Love, Recess), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Jan 14 Jack P. Shepherd, English actor (Coronation Street), born in Pudsey, United Kingdom
- Jan 21 Felipe Neto, Brazilian vlogger (YouTube), born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Jan 28 Henry Mortensen, American actor
- Jan 30 Rob Pinkston, American actor (Punk'd), born in Atlanta, Georgia
Weddings in Film & TV
Michael Biehn
Jan 1 Actor Michael Biehn (31) weds film producer Gina Marsh
Bob Guccione
Jan 17 American magazine publisher Bob Guccione (57) weds South African dancer and actress Kathy Keeton (48), until her death in 1997
Deaths in Film & TV
- Jan 1 Marcel Hillaire, German actor (Take the Money and Run, Seven Thieves), dies from surgery complications at 79
- Jan 3 William Cagney, American producer and actor (Torrid Zone), brother of James Cagney, dies of a heart attack at 82
- Jan 6 Brent Collins, soap actor (Another World), dies of a heart attack at 46
- Jan 7 Michel Auclair [Vladimir Vujović], German actor (Funny Face, Day of the Jackal), dies at 65
Trevor Howard (1913-1988)
Jan 7 English actor in over 70 films (Brief Encounter, Superman, The Third Man), dies of bronchitis at 71
- Jan 16 Ballard Berkeley [Blascheck], British actor (Fawlty Towers, East meets West, The BFG), dies at 83
- Jan 21 Abraham Sofaer, Burmese born British actor (Naked Jungle, Elephant Walk), dies at 91
- Jan 22 Parker Fennelly, actor (Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm), dies at 96
- Jan 25 Colleen Moore, actress (These Girls Won't Talk), dies at 87
- Jan 27 Edward Pawley, American actor (Angels with Dirty Faces), dies t 86
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