Events in Film & TV
Film Premier
1932 "Grand Hotel" directed by Edmund Goulding and starring Greta Garbo and John Barrymore premieres in New York, includes the line "I want to be alone" (Best Picture/Production 1932)
Greta Garbo
- 1953 KFDX TV channel 3 in Wichita Falls, TX (NBC) begins broadcasting
Birthdays in Film & TV
- 1887 Harold Lockwood, American actor (Tess of the Storm Country), born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 1918)
- 1898 Lily Pons, French opera singer (Met Opera) and actress (That Girl From Paris), born in Draguignan, France (d. 1976)
- 1899 Chief Thundercloud [Victor Daniels], Cherokee actor (The Lone Ranger, Colt .45), born in Muskogee, Indian Territory (d. 1955) (d. 1955)
- 1907 Hardie Gramatky, American author and animator (Little Toot), born in Dallas, Texas (d. 1979)
- 1908 Virginia Cherrill, American actress (Lake Extra, Brat, City Lights, Delicious), born in Santa Barbara, California (d. 1996)
- 1912 Eric Feldary, Hungarian actor (Hold Back the Dawn, 16 Fathoms Deep), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 1968)
- 1912 Walter "Walt" Gorney, American character actor (Friday the 13th, Trading Places), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2004)
- 1916 Brian Connell, British writer and broadcaster, born in Hertford (d. 1999)
- 1923 Ann Miller, American actress and dancer (On the Town), born in Chireno, Texas (d. 2004)
- 1925 Oliver Postgate, English animator, puppeteer and writer, born in Hendon, London (d. 2008)
- 1926 Jane Withers, American actress, model, and singer (All Together Now, Josephine the plumber), born in Atlanta, Georgia
- 1928 Hardy Krüger, German actor (The Flight of the Phoenix), born in Wedding, Berlin, Germany
- 1929 Elspet Gray, Lady Rix, Scottish actress (4 Weddings & a Funeral, Solo, Tenko), born in Inverness, Inverness-shire, Scotland (d. 2013)
- 1930 Bryan Magee, British philosopher, politician and broadcaster (Modern British Philosophy), born in London
- 1936 Charles Napier, American actor (Night Stalker, Rambo), born in Mt. Union, Kentucky (d. 2011)
- 1942 Bill Bryden, British stage and film director, born in Greenock, Scotland
- 1942 Frank Bank, American actor (Lumpy-Leave it to Beaver), born in Hollywood, California (d. 2013)
- 1943 Charles Ludlam, American playwright and actor (Big Easy), born in NYC, New York (d. 1987)
- 1946 Ed O'Neill, American comedian and actor (Al Bundy-Married with Children), born in Youngstown, Ohio
- 1946 Peter L de Baan, Dutch actor, director and playwright (Leonce & Lena)
- 1947 Dan Lauria, American actor (Jack Arnold-Wonder Years), born in Brooklyn, New York
David Letterman
1947 David Letterman, American comedian (Late Night), born in Indianapolis, Indiana
David Letterman
- 1948 Jeremy Beadle, English television presenter (Beadle's About), born in London, England (d. 2008)
- 1950 David Cassidy, American singer and actor (Keith-Partridge Family), born in NYC, New York (d. 2017)
- 1956 Alex Briley, American actor (Can't Stop the Music), born in NYC, New York
- 1956 Andy Garcia, Cuban-American actor (Stand & Deliver, 8 Million Ways to Die), born in Havana, Cuba
- 1956 Doris Baaten, Dutch actress (Sesame Street, Fien), born in Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
- 1956 Walter Salles, Brazilian filmmaker (The Motorcycle Diaries), born in Rio de Janeiro
- 1958 Howard Stableford, English actor and host, born in Preston, Lancashire
- 1959 Elissa Leeds, American actress (Cissy-Dorothy), born in NYC, New York
- 1961 Magda Szubanski, Australian actress (Kath & Kim), born in Liverpool, Merseyside, England
- 1962 Takada Nobuhiko, Japanese wrestler, born in Isogo-ku, Yokohama
- 1965 Tom O'Brien, American actor and director, born in Burbank, California
- 1967 Mellow Man Ace, Cuban-American rapper and actor (Only the Strong), born in Pinar del Río, Pinar del Río, Cuba
- 1968 Alicia Coppola, American actress (Lorna Devon-Another World), born in Huntington, New York
Shannen Doherty
1971 Shannen Doherty, American actress (Little House, Beverly Hills 90210), born in Memphis, Tennessee
Shannen Doherty
- 1971 Nicholas Brendon, American actor (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), born in Los Angeles, California
- 1973 Claudia Jordan, American actress (The Real Housewives of Atlanta), born in Providence, Rhode Island
- 1974 Belinda Emmett, Australian actress (Home and Away), born in Gosford, New South Wales, Australia (d. 2006)
- 1974 Marley Shelton, American actress (Sin City), born in Los Angeles, California
- 1977 Sarah Jane Morris, American actress (Brothers & Sisters), born in Memphis, Tennessee
- 1977 Jordana Spiro, American actress, born in Manhattan, New York
- 1978 Eddie Robinson, actor (Neil Atwater-Swan's Crossing)
- 1978 Riley Smith, American actor, born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Claire Danes
1979 Claire Danes, American actress (Angela-My So Called Life, Romeo & Juliet), born in NYC, New York
Claire Danes
- 1979 Paul Nicholls, English actor (EastEnders), born in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England
- 1979 Jennifer Morrison, American actress (Once Upon a Time, House), born in Chicago, Illinois
- 1985 Jeísa Chiminazzo, Brazilian supermodel (IMG Models), born in Muçum, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
- 1987 Brooklyn Decker, American fashion model (Sports Illustrated Swimsuit), born in Kettering, Ohio
- 1994 Saoirse Ronan, Irish American actress (Brooklyn, Ladybird), born in The Bronx, New York
Weddings in Film & TV
Wedding of Interest
1974 "Coal Miner's Daughter" actress Sissy Spacek weds art director Jack Fisk
Sissy Spacek
Divorces in Film & TV
Divorce of Interest
1935 Actress Mary Astor (28) divorces Dr. Franklyn Thorpe after 4 years of marriage
Mary Astor
Divorce of Interest
1992 Actress Lisa Bonet files for divorce from singer Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz
Deaths in Film & TV
- 1959 James Gleason, American writer and actor (Bishop's Wife, Flying Fool), dies at 76
- 1961 Philippine "Pine" Belder, [Mary de Klerk], actress, dies at 93
- 1974 Carl Jaffe, German actor (1st Man in Space, Escapement), dies at 72
- 1976 Paul Ford, American actor (Phil Silvers Show), dies at 74
- 1984 Ruth Taylor, actress (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), dies at 76
- 1987 Mike Von Erich, American wrestler
- 1989 Gerald Flood, British actor (Doctor Who, Patton), dies of a heart attack at 61
- 2006 Rajkumar [Singanalluru Puttaswamayya Muthuraju], Indian actor and singer in Kannada cinema and cultural icon, dies at 76
- 2010 Palito, Filipino comedian (b. 1934)
- 2010 Peter Haskell, American actor (Bracken's World, Rituals), dies at 75
- 2013 Michael France, American screenwriter, dies from complications from diabetes at 51
- 2016 David Gest, American television producer, dies at 62
- 2016 Anne Jackson, American stage actress (Twice Around the Park), dies at 90
April in History
Yes, We Have Some Bananas
A strange fruit went on sale in London on this day, the like of which nobody had seen before. Known to scientists as the Plantaine fruit, it is now unremarkable.
April 10, 1633Hallelujah! Music That Moved a King
Few can fail to be moved by Handel's Messiah oratorio, culminating in the Hallelujah Chorus. It was even said to have brought a king to his feet.
April 13, 1742Iceberg Sinks 'Unsinkable' Titanic
The Titanic hit an iceberg on her maiden voyage and sank on this day in history. She took with her to the bottom of the sea some of the world’s richest people.
April 15, 1912Madame Tussaud's Bloody Background
Madame Tussaud, famous for her waxworks, perfected her art in the grimmest of 'schools' – the French Revolution - where she made models of guillotined heads.
April 16, 1850
