Years in film
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The year 1946 in film involved some significant events. The Best Years of Our Lives, released this year, became the highest-grossing film of the 1940s, and went on to win seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor.

Top-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten 1946 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Events

• February 14 - Charles Vidor's Gilda starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford shows audiences one of the most famous scenes of the 20th century: Rita Hayworth singing "Put The Blame On Mame".

• November 21 – William Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives premieres in New York featuring an ensemble cast including Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, and Harold Russell.

• December 20 – Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, featuring James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Henry Travers, and Thomas Mitchell opens in New York.

Awards

Notable films released in 1946

United States unless stated

A

• Angel on My Shoulder
• Anna and the King of Siam, starring Irene Dunne, Rex Harrison and Linda Darnell
• Aru yo no Tonosama

B

• Bad Bascomb, starring Wallace Beery, Margaret O'Brien and Marjorie Main
• The Bandit of Sherwood Forest, starring Cornel Wilde
• The Beast with Five Fingers, starring Robert Alda and Peter Lorre
• Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bête), directed by Jean Cocteau, starring Jean Marais and Josette Day
• The Best Years of Our Lives, directed by William Wyler, starring Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews and Harold Russell – winner of 8 Oscars
• Beware, directed by Bud Pollard, starring Louis Jordan
• The Big Sleep, directed by Howard Hawks, starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall
• Black Beauty, starring Mona Freeman and Richard Denning
• The Blue Dahlia, starring Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake
• Blue Skies, starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire
• Boom in the Moon, starring Buster Keaton
• A Boy and His Dog, starring Harry Davenport

C

• The Captive Heart, the first Prisoner of War film from World War II
• Canyon Passage, starring Dana Andrews
• Centennial Summer
• Children of Paradise (U.S. release)
• Cluny Brown, starring Charles Boyer and Jennifer Jones

D

• The Dark Corner, starring Lucille Ball and Mark Stevens
• The Dark Mirror, starring Olivia de Havilland
• Deception
• Decoy, a film noir starring Jean Gillie
• Devotion
• The Diary of a Chambermaid
• Dragonwyck, starring Gene Tierney
• Dressed to Kill, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce
• Duel in the Sun, starring Jennifer Jones, Gregory Peck, Joseph Cotten and Lillian Gish

G

• Gallant Journey, directed by William A. Wellman
• Gilda, starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford
• Great Expectations, directed by David Lean, starring John Mills, Jean Simmons and Valerie Hobson
• Green for Danger, starring Alastair Sim and Trevor Howard
• The Green Years

H

• The Harvey Girls, directed by George Sidney, starring Judy Garland and John Hodiak
• Henry V (U.S. release)
• Humoresque, starring Joan Crawford and John Garfield

I

• I See a Dark Stranger
• It's a Wonderful Life, directed by Frank Capra, starring James Stewart, Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore
• Ivan the Terrible

J

• The Jolson Story, a biopic of Al Jolson starring Larry Parks

K

• The Kid from Brooklyn
• The Killers, directed by Robert Siodmak, starring Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner

L

• Little Giant, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello

M

• Make Mine Music
• Magnificent Doll, starring Ginger Rogers and David Niven
• A Matter of Life and Death, written and directed by Powell and Pressburger, starring David Niven
• Monsieur Beaucaire, starring Bob Hope
• The Murderers Are Among Us (Die Mörder sind unter uns), starring Hildegard Knef
• My Darling Clementine, directed by John Ford, starring Henry Fonda and Linda Darnell

N

• Night and Day
• A Night in Casablanca with the Marx Brothers
• No Regrets for Our Youth (Waga seishun ni kuinashi)
• Nobody Lives Forever
• Notorious, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman

O

• The Outlaw (re-release)
• The Overlanders

P

• Paisan, directed by Roberto Rossellini (Italy)
• Patrie, directed by Louis Daquin (France)
• People Are Funny, starring Jack Haley
• The Postman Always Rings Twice, starring Lana Turner and John Garfield

R

• The Razor's Edge, starring Tyrone Power and Gene Tierney
• Renegade Girl, starring Ann Savage
• The Return of Monte Cristo, starring Louis Hayward
• Road to Utopia, starring Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour and Bob Hope

S

• The Seventh Veil (U.S. release)
• She-Wolf of London. starring June Lockhart
• Shoeshine (Sciuscià), directed by Vittorio De Sica
• Shock, directed by Alfred L. Werker, starring Vincent Price and Lynn Bari
• Sister Kenny, starring Rosalind Russell
• Somewhere In The Night, starring John Hodiak
• Song of the South by Walt Disney, combines animation and live action.
• The Spiral Staircase, starring Dorothy McGuire
• A Stolen Life, starring Bette Davis
• The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, starring Barbara Stanwyck
• The Strange Woman, starring Hedy Lamarr and George Sanders
• The Stranger, directed by and starring Orson Welles, Loretta Young and Edward G. Robinson

T

• Terror by Night, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce
• Theirs Is the Glory
• Three Strangers
• Three Wise Fools, starring Margaret O'Brien and Lionel Barrymore
• The Time of Their Lives, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello
• To Each His Own, starring Olivia de Havilland
• Tomorrow Is Forever, starring Orson Welles
• Two Sisters from Boston, starring Kathryn Grayson, June Allyson, Lauritz Melchior, Jimmy Durante and Peter Lawford.

U

• Utamaro and His Five Women (Utamaro o meguru gonin no onna)

V

• The Verdict

W

• Wake Up and Dream
• Wanted for Murder
• The Wife of Monte Cristo, directed by Edgar G. Ulmer
• Without Reservations

Y

• The Yearling, starring Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman

Serials

• Daughter of Don Q
• Chick Carter, Detective
• The Crimson Ghost
• Hop Harrigan
• King of the Forest Rangers, starring Larry Thompson
• Lost City of the Jungle
• The Mysterious Mr. M
• The Phantom Rider, starring Robert Kent and Peggy Stewart
• The Scarlet Horseman
• Son of the Guardsman

Short film series

• Shirley Temple (1932–1946)
• The Three Stooges (1934–1959)
• Popular Science (1935–1950)

Animated short film series

• Mickey Mouse (1928–1952)
• Looney Tunes (1930–1969)
• Terrytoons (1930–1964)
• Merrie Melodies (1931–1969)
• Popeye (1933–1957)
• Color Rhapsodies (1934–1949)
• Donald Duck (1936–1956)
• Pluto (1937–1951)
• Andy Panda (1939–1949)
• Goofy (1939–1953)
• Bugs Bunny (1940–1962)
• Tom and Jerry (1940–1958)
• The Fox and the Crow (1941–1950)
• Woody Woodpecker (1941–1949)
• Mighty Mouse (1942–1955)
• Droopy (1943–1958)
• Chip and Dale (1943–1956)
• Screwball Squirrel (1944–1946)
• Yosemite Sam (1945–1963)
• George and Junior (1946–1948)

Births

• January 5 – Diane Keaton, American actress, producer and director
• January 7 - Arnis Līcītis, Latvian actor (d. 2022)
• January 14 - Jack Thibeau, American actor
• January 19 – Dolly Parton, country singer and actress
• January 20 – David Lynch, director
• January 26 – Gene Siskel, film critic, Siskel and Ebert (d. 1999)
• February 2 - Blake Clark, American stand-up comedian, actor and voice actor
• February 3 - Stephen McHattie, Canadian actor
• February 7 – Pete Postlethwaite, English actor (d. 2011)
• February 8 - Alex Diakun, Canadian actor
• February 13 - Joe Estevez, American actor, director and producer
• February 20 – Brenda Blethyn, English actress
• February 21
  • Tyne Daly, American actress
  • Anthony Daniels, English actor, voice actor and mine artist
  • Alan Rickman, English actor (d. 2016)^[7]
• March 1 - Lana Wood, American actress and producer
• March 6 - Martin Kove, American actor and martial artist
• March 7
  • Dan Grimaldi, American actor
  • John Heard (actor), American actor (d. 2017)
• March 9 - Alexandra Bastedo, British actress (d. 2014)
• March 12
  • Liza Minnelli, singer and actress
  • Frank Welker, American actor, voice actor and former stand-up comedian
• March 21 – Timothy Dalton, actor
• March 28 - Dianne Wiest, American actress
• March 29 - Paul Herman, American actor (d. 2022)
• April 12 - Ed O'Neill, American actor and comedian
• April 15
  • Bob DeSimone, American actor
  • Michael Tucci, American actor
• April 19 – Tim Curry, English actor and singer
• April 20 - Haruhiko Yamanouchi, Japanese actor
• April 25 – Talia Shire, American actress
• April 29 - Wayne Robson, Canadian actor (d. 2011)
• May 1
  • Joanna Lumley, British actress
  • John Woo, Hong Kong director, producer and screenwriter
• May 2 - David Suchet, English actor
• May 9 – Candice Bergen, actress
• May 13 - Tim Pigott-Smith, English actor (d. 2017)
• May 18 - Andreas Katsulas, American actor (d. 2006)
• May 19 - André the Giant, French professional wrestler and actor (d. 1993)
• May 20 – Cher, singer and actress
• May 22 - Jack Kehler, American character actor (d. 2022)
• June 1 - Brian Cox (actor), Scottish actor
• June 3 - Penelope Wilton, English actress
• June 15
  • Angela Down, English actress
  • Roy Holder, English actor (d. 2021)
• June 26 - Ricky Jay, American actor and writer (d. 2018)
• June 28
  • Bruce Davison, American actor and director
  • Gilda Radner, American comedian and actress (d. 1989)
• July 2 – Ron Silver, American actor (d. 2009)
• July 6 – Sylvester Stallone, actor and director
• July 10 – Sue Lyon, actress (d. 2019)
• July 13 – Cheech Marin, actor and comedian
• July 14 - Vincent Pastore, American actor
• July 16 - Richard LeParmentier, American actor (d. 2013)
• July 17 - Alun Armstrong, English actor
• July 22 – Danny Glover, actor and director
• July 27 - Rade Šerbedžija, Croatian actor, director and musician
• August 6 - Peter Simonischek, Austrian actor
• August 16 – Lesley Ann Warren, actress and singer
• August 19 - Christopher Malcolm, Scottish actor, director and producer (d. 2014)
• August 29 - Lindy Davies, Australian actress and director
• September 5 - Dennis Dugan, American director, actor, writer and comedian
• September 13 - Frank Marshall (filmmaker), American producer and director
• September 15
  • Tommy Lee Jones, actor
  • Oliver Stone, director and producer
• September 18 - Gailard Sartain, American actor
• September 28 – Jeffrey Jones, actor
• October 2 - Dale Soules, American actress
• October 4 – Susan Sarandon, actress
• October 10 - Charles Dance, English actor
• October 15 – John Getz, actor
• October 27 – Ivan Reitman, Slovakian-born Canadian director and producer (d. 2022)
• October 31 – Stephen Rea, Northern Irish actor
• November 3 - Tom Savini, American prosthetic makeup artist, actor, stunt performer and director
• November 6 – Sally Field, actress
• November 7 - John Aylward, American actor (d. 2022)
• November 20 - Samuel E. Wright, American actor and singer (d. 2021)
• November 22 - Paul A. Partain, American actor (d. 2005)
• December 4 - Cheng Pei-pei, Chinese actress
• December 8 - Frank Pesce, American actor (d. 2022)
• December 14 – Patty Duke, actress (d. 2016)
• December 17
  • Jayne Eastwood, Canadian actress and comedian
  • Eugene Levy, Canadian actor
• December 18 – Steven Spielberg, director and producer
• December 25 - Stuart Wilson (actor), English actor
• unknown – Omar Al-Shammaa, Lebanese actor, voice actor

Deaths

• January 13 – Enid Stamp Taylor, English actress
• February 5 – George Arliss, English actor
• April 1 – Noah Beery Sr., American actor
• June 23 – William S. Hart, American actor
• July 10 - Slim Summerville, American actor and director
• August 8 – Paul Porcasi, Italian actor
• August 10 – Léon Gaumont, French film pioneer
• August 12 – Egon Brecher, Austrian actor, director
• August 13 – H. G. Wells, British science fiction writer
• August 26 – Jeanie MacPherson, American actress and screenwriter
• August 28 – Florence Turner, American actress
• September 21 – Olga Engl, Austrian actress
• October 8 – John St. Polis, American actor
• November 2 – Gabriel Gabrio, French actor
• November 18 – Donald Meek, Scottish-American actor
• December 12 – Renée Jeanne Falconetti, French actress
• December 25 – W. C. Fields, American comedian and actor

Film Debuts

• Kirk Douglas
• Burt Lancaster