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v t e

The year 1952 in film involved some significant events.

Top-grossing films

United States

The top ten 1952 released films by box office gross in the United States are as follows:

International

Events

• January 10 – Cecil B. DeMille's circus epic, The Greatest Show on Earth, is premièred at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.^[13]
• March 27 – The MGM musical Singin' in the Rain premieres at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
• May 26 – Decision reached in Joseph Burstyn, Inc. v. Wilson determining that certain provisions of the New York Education Law allowing a censor to forbid the commercial showing of any non-licensed motion picture film, or revoke or deny the license of a film deemed to be "sacrilegious," was a "restraint on freedom of speech" and thereby a violation of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
• September 19 – While Charlie Chaplin is at sea on his way to the United Kingdom, the United States Attorney-General, James P. McGranery, announces plans to review his right to return to the US.^[14]
• September 30 – The Cinerama multiple-projection widescreen system, invented by Fred Waller, makes its début in New York with the film This Is Cinerama.^[15]
• November 27 – Bwana Devil, the first American, feature-length, color 3-D film, is released, and begins the demand for 3-D films that lasts for the next two years.

Awards

Notable films released in 1952

United States unless stated

#

• 1st of April, 2000 – (Austria)
• 5 Fingers, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, starring James Mason

A

• Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello
• Above and Beyond, starring Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker
• Affair in Trinidad, starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford
• Against All Flags, starring Errol Flynn and Maureen O'Hara
• Alraune, starring Hildegard Knef and Erich von Stroheim – (West Germany)
• Andrine og Kjell – (Norway)
• Androcles and the Lion, starring Jean Simmons and Victor Mature
• Angel Face, starring Robert Mitchum and Jean Simmons
• Angels One Five, starring Jack Hawkins – (GB)
• Anhonee, starring Raj Kapoor and Nargis – (India)
• At Sword's Point, starring Maureen O'Hara and Cornel Wilde
• The Atomic City, starring Gene Barry and Lydia Clarke

B

• Babes in Bagdad, starring Paulette Goddard and Gypsy Rose Lee
• The Bad and the Beautiful, starring Lana Turner, Kirk Douglas, Walter Pidgeon, Dick Powell, Barry Sullivan, Gloria Grahame
• Baiju Bawra, starring Meena Kumari – (India)
• The Beast Must Die (La Bestia debe morir) – (Argentina)
• Because of You, starring Loretta Young
• Because You're Mine, starring Mario Lanza
• The Belle of New York, starring Fred Astaire and Vera-Ellen
• Les Belles de nuit (Beauties of the Night), directed by René Clair – (France)
• Belles on Their Toes, starring Myrna Loy, Jeanne Crain, Debra Paget
• Bend of the River, directed by Anthony Mann, starring James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Julie Adams, Rock Hudson
• Beware, My Lovely, starring Ida Lupino and Robert Ryan
• Big Jim McLain, starring John Wayne and James Arness
• The Big Sky, starring Kirk Douglas
• The Big Trees, starring Kirk Douglas
• The Black Castle, starring Stephen McNally, Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr.
• Blackbeard the Pirate, starring Robert Newton
• Brandy for the Parson, starring James Donald and Kenneth More – (GB)
• Buffalo Bill in Tomahawk Territory, starring Clayton Moore
• The Bushwackers, starring John Ireland and Lawrence Tierney

C

• California Conquest, starring Cornel Wilde and Teresa Wright
• Captive Women, starring Robert Clarke
• Carbine Williams, starring James Stewart and Jean Hagen
• The Card, starring Alec Guinness, Glynis Johns, Petula Clark – (GB)
• Carrie, starring Laurence Olivier, Jennifer Jones, Miriam Hopkins
• Carson City, starring Randolph Scott
• Casque d'Or (Golden Helmet), directed by Jacques Becker, starring Simone Signoret – (France)
• Children of Hiroshima (Gembaku no ko) – (Japan)
• Ciguli Miguli – (Yugoslavia)
• The City Stands Trial (Processo alla città), directed by Luigi Zampa – (Italy)
• Clash by Night, directed by Fritz Lang, starring Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Ryan, Paul Douglas, Marilyn Monroe
• Come Back, Little Sheba, starring Burt Lancaster and Shirley Booth
• The Crimson Pirate, starring Burt Lancaster

D

• Dark River (Las aguas bajan turbias) – (Argentina)
• Deadline - U.S.A., directed by Richard Brooks, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ethel Barrymore, Kim Hunter, Jim Backus, Martin Gabel
• Denver and Rio Grande, starring Edmond O'Brien and Sterling Hayden
• Derby Day, starring Anna Neagle and Michael Wilding – (Britain)
• Desperate Search, starring Howard Keel and Jane Greer
• The Devil Makes Three, starring Gene Kelly
• Diplomatic Courier, directed by Henry Hathaway, starring Tyrone Power
• Don't Bother to Knock, starring Richard Widmark, Anne Bancroft, Marilyn Monroe
• Down Among the Z Men, starring The Goons – (GB)
• Dreamboat, starring Ginger Rogers, Clifton Webb, Elsa Lanchester, Anne Francis

E

• Emergency Call, directed by Lewis Gilbert, starring Jack Warner, Anthony Steel, Joy Shelton and Freddie Mills – (U.K.)
• Europa '51, directed by Roberto Rossellini, starring Ingrid Bergman – (Italy)
• The Eyes Leave Tracks (Los ojos dejan huella), starring Raf Vallone – (Spain)

F

• Face to Face, starring James Mason and Robert Preston
• Fanfan la Tulipe (a.k.a. Fearless Little Soldier), starring Gérard Philipe and Gina Lollobrigida – (France)
• Flaming Feather, starring Sterling Hayden
• Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice ( Ochazuke no aji), directed by Yasujirō Ozu – (Japan)
• Flesh and Fury, starring Tony Curtis and Jan Sterling
• Forbidden Games (Jeux interdits), directed by René Clément – winner of Oscar for best foreign language film – (France)

G

• A Girl in Every Port, starring Groucho Marx, William Bendix, Marie Wilson, Dee Hartford
• Gloria Mairena, directed by Luis Lucia, starring Juanita Reina, Eduardo Fajardo, Rafael Arcos (Spain)
• The Golden Coach (Le Carrosse d'or), directed by Jean Renoir, starring Anna Magnani – (France/Italy)
• The Greatest Show on Earth, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, starring Betty Hutton, Cornel Wilde, Charlton Heston, Gloria Grahame, Dorothy Lamour, James Stewart

H

• Hangman's Knot, starring Randolph Scott, Donna Reed, Lee Marvin
• Hans Christian Andersen, starring Danny Kaye and Farley Granger
• The Happy Family, directed by Muriel Box, starring Stanley Holloway and Kathleen Harrison – (GB)
• The Happy Time, starring Charles Boyer and Bobby Driscoll
• Has Anybody Seen My Gal?, starring Piper Laurie, Rock Hudson, Charles Coburn
• Heidi, directed by Luigi Comencini – (Switzerland)
• Hellgate, starring Sterling Hayden
• Hiawatha, starring Vince Edwards
• High Noon, directed by Fred Zinnemann, starring Gary Cooper (Oscar for best actor) and Grace Kelly
• Los hijos de María Morales (The Children of Maria Morales), starring Pedro Infante – (Mexico)
• Holiday for Sinners, starring Gig Young and Janice Rule
• The Holly and the Ivy, starring Ralph Richardson and Celia Johnson – (GB)
• Home at Seven, directed by and starring Ralph Richardson – (GB)
• Horizons West, starring Robert Ryan, Rock Hudson, Raymond Burr
• Hunted, directed by Charles Crichton, starring Dirk Bogarde and Jon Whiteley – (GB)

I

• The I Don't Care Girl, starring Mitzi Gaynor and Oscar Levant
• I Dream of Jeanie, starring Bill Shirley
• Ikiru (To Live), directed by Akira Kurosawa, starring Takashi Shimura – winner of Golden Bear – (Japan)
• The Importance of Being Earnest, directed by Anthony Asquith, starring Michael Redgrave – (GB)
• Indian Uprising, starring George Montgomery
• It Grows on Trees, starring Irene Dunne
• Ivanhoe, starring Robert Taylor, Joan Fontaine, Elizabeth Taylor

J

• Jaal (Net), starring Dev Anand – (India)
• Jack and the Beanstalk, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello
• Japanese War Bride, starring Shirley Yamaguchi and Don Taylor
• The Jazz Singer, starring Danny Thomas and Peggy Lee
• Jolanda la figlia del corsaro nero (Jolanda, the Daughter of the Black Corsair) – (Italy)
• Jumping Jacks, starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis
• Just This Once, starring Janet Leigh, Peter Lawford

K

• Kangaroo, starring Maureen O'Hara, Peter Lawford
• Kansas City Confidential, starring John Payne and Coleen Gray
• Kid Monk Baroni, starring Leonard Nimoy

L

• Lady in the Iron Mask, starring Louis Hayward
• Lambert the Sheepish Lion
• The Last Page, a.k.a. Man Bait, starring George Brent, Marguerite Chapman, Diana Dors – (GB)
• The Life of Oharu (Saikaku ichidai onna), directed by Kenji Mizoguchi – (Japan)
• Lightning (Inazuma), directed by Mikio Naruse – (Japan)
• Limelight, directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin, with Claire Bloom
• Lola the Coalgirl, directed by Luis Lucia and starring Juanita Reina, Virgilio Teixeira (Spain)
• Lone Star, starring Clark Gable and Ava Gardner
• Lost in Alaska, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello
• Lovely to Look At, starring Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Red Skelton
• Lure of the Wilderness, starring Jean Peters, Jeffrey Hunter, Walter Brennan
• The Lusty Men, starring Robert Mitchum

M

• Macao, starring Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell
• Mandy, starring Phyllis Calvert and Jack Hawkins – (GB)
• The Marrying Kind, starring Judy Holliday
• Meet Danny Wilson, starring Frank Sinatra
• The Member of the Wedding, starring Julie Harris
• The Merry Widow, starring Lana Turner
• Mexican Bus Ride (Subida al cielo), directed by Luis Buñuel – (Mexico)
• Million Dollar Mermaid, starring Esther Williams and Victor Mature
• The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima, starring Gilbert Roland
• Les Misérables, starring Michael Rennie, Robert Newton, Debra Paget
• Monkey Business, starring Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, Charles Coburn, Marilyn Monroe
• Monsoon, starring Diana Douglas and Ursula Thiess
• Montana Belle, starring Jane Russell
• Moulin Rouge, starring José Ferrer and Zsa Zsa Gabor – (GB)
• My Cousin Rachel, starring Olivia de Havilland and Richard Burton
• My Pal Gus, starring Richard Widmark and George Winslow
• My Six Convicts, starring Gilbert Roland
• My Son John, starring Robert Walker and Van Heflin

N

• The Narrow Margin, directed by Richard Fleischer, starring Charles McGraw
• Neighbours – (Canada)
• Never Look Back directed by Francis Searle, starring Rosamund John – (GB)
• No Room for the Groom, directed by Douglas Sirk, starring Tony Curtis and Piper Laurie

O

• O. Henry's Full House, an anthology film starring Charles Laughton, David Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, Richard Widmark, Anne Baxter, Jeanne Crain
• One Big Affair, starring Evelyn Keyes
• One Minute to Zero, directed by Tay Garnett, starring Robert Mitchum and Ann Blyth
• Othello (a.k.a. The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice), written, directed by and starring Orson Welles
• Outcast of the Islands, directed by Carol Reed, starring Ralph Richardson and Trevor Howard – (GB)
• The Overcoat (Il Cappotto) – (Italy)

P

• Pahit-Pahit Manis, starring Titien Sumarni and Chatir Harro (Indonesia)
• Panta Rhei, directed by Bert Haanstra
• Pat and Mike, starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn
• Phone Call from a Stranger, starring Shelley Winters and Gary Merrill
• The Pickwick Papers, starring James Hayter and James Donald – (GB)
• Le Plaisir (a.k.a. House of Pleasure), directed by Max Ophüls, starring Claude Dauphin – (France)
• The Planter's Wife, directed by Ken Annakin, starring Claudette Colbert, Jack Hawkins & Anthony Steel – (GB)
• Pony Soldier, starring Tyrone Power
• The Pride of St. Louis, starring Dan Dailey
• The Prisoner of Zenda, starring Stewart Granger, Deborah Kerr, James Mason, Jane Greer

Q

• The Quiet Man, directed by John Ford, starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara

R

• Rancho Notorious, starring Marlene Dietrich
• Red Ball Express, starring Jeff Chandler
• Red Planet Mars, starring Peter Graves
• Retreat, Hell!, starring Frank Lovejoy
• Return of the Texan, starring Dale Robertson and Joanne Dru
• Reverón, directed by Margot Benacerraf
• Road to Bali, starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope
• Rome 11:00 – (Italy)
• Room for One More, starring Cary Grant and Betsy Drake
• Ruby Gentry, starring Jennifer Jones, Charlton Heston and Karl Malden

S

• Sailor Beware, starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis
• Sangdil, starring Dilip Kumar and Madhubala – (India)
• Saturday Island, starring Linda Darnell and Tab Hunter – (GB)
• The Savage, starring Charlton Heston and Susan Morrow
• Scandal Sheet, starring Broderick Crawford and Donna Reed
• Scaramouche, starring Stewart Granger and Janet Leigh
• The Scarlet Flower (Alenkiy tsvetochek) – (U.S.S.R.)
• Sea Tiger, starring Marguerite Chapman
• Secrets of Women (Kvinnors väntan), directed by Ingmar Bergman, starring Eva Dahlbeck – (Sweden)
• Siempre tuya (Forever Yours) – (Mexico)
• Singin' in the Rain, starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen, Donald O'Connor
• The Sniper, directed by Edward Dmytryk
• The Snow Maiden (Snegurochka) – (U.S.S.R.)
• The Snows of Kilimanjaro, starring Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner
• Something Money Can't Buy, directed by Pat Jackson, starring Patricia Roc, Anthony Steel, Moira Lister & A.E. Matthews – (U.K.)
• Something to Live For, directed by George Stevens, starring Joan Fontaine and Teresa Wright
• Son of Paleface, directed by Frank Tashlin, starring Bob Hope, Jane Russell, Roy Rogers
• Song of the Sea (O canto do mar), directed by Alberto Cavalcanti – (Brazil)
• The Sound Barrier, directed by David Lean, starring Ralph Richardson – (GB)
• Springfield Rifle, starring Gary Cooper and Phyllis Thaxter
• The Star, starring Bette Davis and Sterling Hayden
• Stars and Stripes Forever, starring Clifton Webb, Debra Paget, Robert Wagner and Ruth Hussey
• Steel Town, starring Ann Sheridan and John Lund
• The Steel Trap, starring Joseph Cotten and Teresa Wright
• The Stooge, starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis
• Stop, You're Killing Me, starring Broderick Crawford and Claire Trevor
• The Story of Will Rogers, starring Will Rogers Jr. and Jane Wyman
• Sudden Fear, starring Joan Crawford, Jack Palance, Gloria Grahame

T

• The Hour of 13, starring Peter Lawford
• The Thief, starring Ray Milland
• This Is Cinerama, directed by Merian C. Cooper
• Thunderbirds, starring John Derek
• Tico-Tico no Fubá, directed by Adolfo Celi – (Brazil)
• Toto in Colour (Totò a colori), starring Totò – (Italy)
• Toxi, directed by Robert A. Stemmle (West Germany)
• Trent's Last Case, starring Orson Welles and Michael Wilding – (GB)
• The Turning Point, starring William Holden, Alexis Smith, Edmond O'Brien
• Two Cents Worth of Hope (Due soldi di speranza) – (Italy)

U

• Umberto D., directed by Vittorio De Sica – (Italy)
• Untamed Frontier, starring Joseph Cotten and Shelley Winters

V

• La villa Santo-Sospir, short film directed by Jean Cocteau – (France)
• Viva Zapata!, starring Marlon Brando and Jean Peters

W

• We're Not Married!, starring Ginger Rogers, Marilyn Monroe, Eve Arden, Paul Douglas, Eddie Bracken, Mitzi Gaynor
• The White Reindeer (Valkoinen peura) – (Finland)
• The White Sheik (Lo sceicco bianco), directed by Federico Fellini – (Italy)
• Who Goes There!, starring Nigel Patrick and Valerie Hobson – (GB)
• Wide Boy, starring Sydney Tafler and Susan Shaw – (GB)
• The Wild North, starring Stewart Granger and Cyd Charisse
• Wings of Danger, directed by Terence Fisher, starring Zachary Scott – (GB)
• The Witch (Noita palaa elämään) – (Finland)
• With a Song in My Heart, starring Susan Hayward
• A Woman Without Love (Una mujer sin amor), directed by Luis Buñuel – (Mexico)
• The World in His Arms, starring Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn, Ann Blyth

Y

• You for Me, starring Peter Lawford, Jane Greer, Gig Young
• Young Man with Ideas, starring Glenn Ford and Ruth Roman

Film releases

January–March

• February 7 - Viva Zapata!
• February 13 - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (re-release)
• February 19 - Retreat, Hell!
• February 22
  • 5 Fingers
  • One Big Affair

April–June

• April 4 - With a Song in My Heart
• May 2 - The Narrow Margin
• May 15 - Outcast of the Islands
• June 13 - No Room for the Groom
• June 26 - The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men

July–September

• July 21 - One Minute to Zero
• July 23 - Untamed Frontier
• August 21 - The Quiet Man
• September 18 - O. Henry's Full House

October–December

• November 26 - Bwana Devil
• December 25
  • The Bad and the Beautiful
  • Come Back, Little Sheba

Serials

• Blackhawk, starring Kirk Alyn
• King of the Congo, starring Buster Crabbe
• Radar Men from the Moon, starring George D. Wallace and Aline Towne
• Son of Geronimo starring Clayton Moore
• Zombies of the Stratosphere, starring Judd Holdren and Leonard Nimoy

Short film series

• Mickey Mouse (1928–1953)
• Looney Tunes (1930–1969)
• Terrytoons (1930–1964)
• Merrie Melodies (1931–1969)
• Popeye (1933–1957)
• The Three Stooges (1934–1959)
• Donald Duck (1936)-(1956)
• Goofy (1939–1953)
• Tom and Jerry (1940–1958)
• Bugs Bunny (1940–1962)
• Mighty Mouse (1942–1955)
• Chip and Dale (1943–1956)
• Droopy (1943–1958)
• Yosemite Sam (1945–1963)

Births

• January 1 - David Andrews, American character actor
• January 6
  • Armelia McQueen, American actress (died 2020)
  • Frank Sivero, Italian-American character actor
• January 11 - Bille Brown, Australian actor (died 2013)
• January 18 - Michael Angelis, English actor (died 2020)
• January 22 – Ace Vergel, Filipino actor (died 2007)
• February 2 - Carol Ann Susi, American actress (died 2014)
• February 4
  • Lisa Eichhorn, American actress
  • Richard Lineback, American actor
• February 12 – Simon MacCorkindale, English actor (died 2010)
• February 14 - Anton Lesser, English actor
• March 2 – Laraine Newman, American actress, voice actress, comedian and writer
• March 4 - Ronn Moss, American actor, musician and singer-songwriter
• March 6 - John David Carson, American actor (died 2009)
• March 11 - James Fleet, English actor
• March 19 – Harvey Weinstein, American producer
• March 24 - Nicholas Campbell, Canadian actor and filmmaker
• March 27 – Kalju Orro, Estonian actor
• April 1 – Annette O'Toole, American actress
• April 5 - Mitch Pileggi, American actor
• April 6 – Marilu Henner, American actress
• April 7
  • Dennis Hayden, American actor, producer and writer
  • Clarke Peters, American-British actor, writer and director
• April 8 - Andrew Stahl, American actor
• April 10
  • Robert Miranda, American actor
  • Steven Seagal, American actor & martial artist
• April 11 - Michael Thomas, British actor (died 2019)
• April 15 – Glenn Shadix, American actor (died 2010)
• April 16 – Billy West, American voice actor, musician, singer and songwriter
• April 17 - Joe Alaskey, American stand-up comedian, actor, voice artist, and impressionist (died 2016)
• April 26 - Spice Williams-Crosby, American actress
• April 28 – Mary McDonnell, American actress
• May 1 - Pierre van Pletzen, South African actor, writer and director
• May 2 – Christine Baranski, American actress
• May 6 – Gregg Henry, American actor & musician
• May 9 - Patrick Ryecart, English actor
• May 11
  • Shohreh Aghdashloo, Iranian-American actress
  • Frances Fisher, British-born American actress
• May 14 – Robert Zemeckis, American director
• May 15 – Chazz Palminteri, American actor
• May 20 - Julia Deakin, English actress
• May 21 - Mr. T, American actor, bodyguard, television personality and retired professional wrestler
• May 28 - Denis Akiyama, Canadian actor (died 2018)
• May 31 – Carole Achache, French writer, photographer and actress (died 2016)^[16]
• June 4 - Kerry Shale, Canadian actor and writer
• June 5 - Connie Chiume, South African actress and filmmaker
• June 7 – Liam Neeson, Northern Irish actor
• June 18
  • Miriam Flynn, American voice actress and character actress
  • Carol Kane, American actress
  • Isabella Rossellini, Italian actress
• June 19 - Virginia Hey, Australian actress
• June 20
  • John Goodman, American actor
  • Larry Riley, American actor and musician (died 1992)
• June 22 - Graham Greene, Canadian actor
• June 26 - Peter Crombie, American actor (died 2024)
• June 30 - Patrick Pinney, American actor
• July 1
  • Dan Aykroyd, Canadian actor & comedian
  • Brian George, Israeli-English actor, voice artist, comedian and singer
• July 3 - Rick Ducommun, Canadian stand-up comedian, actor, writer and producer (died 2015)
• July 6 - Dean Parisot, American director
• July 8 - Mary Ellen Trainor, American character actress (died 2015)
• July 11
  • Tim de Zarn, American actor
  • Stephen Lang, American actor
• July 13 - Rosemary Dunsmore, Canadian actress and director
• July 14 - Stan Shaw, American actor
• July 15
  • Celia Imrie, English actress
  • Terry O'Quinn, American actor
  • Judson Scott, American actor
• July 17 - David Hasselhoff, American actor, singer, producer and television personality
• July 20
  • Adrian Biddle, English cinematographer (died 2005)
  • Nathaniel Lees, New Zealand actor and director
• July 21 - George Wallace, American comedian and actor
• July 24 – Gus Van Sant, American director
• August 10
  • Daniel Hugh Kelly, American actor
  • Diane Venora, American actress
• August 12 - Ronald Guttman, Belgian actor and producer
• August 16 – Reginald VelJohnson, American actor
• August 18 – Patrick Swayze, American actor & dancer (died 2009)
• August 19 – Jonathan Frakes, American actor & director
• August 26 – Michael Jeter, American actor (died 2003)
• August 27 – Paul Reubens, American actor, comedian, writer and producer (died 2023)
• September 1 - Michael Massee, American actor (died 2016)
• September 4
  • Alan Blumenfeld, American character actor
  • Rishi Kapoor, Indian actor (died 2020)
• September 5 - Michael Horton, American actor
• September 6 - Vitali Baganov, Russian actor
• September 8 - David R. Ellis, American director and stunt performer (died 2013)
• September 9 - Angela Cartwright, British-American actress
• September 13 - Christine Estabrook, American actress
• September 16 – Mickey Rourke, American actor and screenwriter
• September 19 – Rein Aedma, Estonian actor
• September 24 – Christopher Reeve, American actor (died 2004)
• September 25 - Colin Friels, Scottish-born Australian actor
• September 29 - Gábor Csupó, Hungarian animator, writer, director, producer, and graphic designer
• September 30
  • John Finn, American character actor
  • Al Leong, American stuntman and actor
• October 5 - Harold Faltermeyer, German musician and composer
• October 7
  • Mary Badham, American actress
  • Tom McBride, American actor (died 1995)
• October 13 - John Lone, Chinese-American actor
• October 14 - Rick Aviles, American stand-up comedian and actor (died 1995)
• October 22
  • Jeff Goldblum, American actor
  • John Howard, Australian actor
• October 27 – Roberto Benigni, Italian actor
• October 28
  • Annie Potts, American actress
  • Jim Turner, American actor and stand-up comedian
• October 30 - Emily Kuroda, American actress
• November 3
  • Roseanne Barr, American actress and stand-up comedian
  • Jim Cummings, American voice actor
• November 6 - Gary Goetzman, American producer and actor
• November 8 – Alfre Woodard, American actress
• November 9 - John Megna, American actor and director (died 1995)
• November 13 - Art Malik, Pakistani-born British actor
• November 14
  • Bill Farmer, American voice actor and comedian
  • Chris Noonan, Australian filmmaker and actor
  • Maggie Roswell, American actress, comedian, writer and producer
• November 15 – Randy Savage, American professional wrestler, commentator, actor, rapper and professional baseball player (died 2011)
• November 18 – Delroy Lindo, British actor
• November 24 – Ulrich Seidl, Austrian director
• November 28 - S. Epatha Merkerson, American actress
• November 29 - Jeff Fahey, American actor
• November 30 – Mandy Patinkin, American actor
• December 1 - Forry Smith, American actor
• December 2 - Keith Szarabajka, American actor
• December 3 - Mel Smith, English comedian, actor and director (died 2013)
• December 8 - Greg Collins, American character actor and former professional football linebacker
• December 9 - Michael Dorn, American actor
• December 12 – Sarah Douglas, English actress
• December 20 – Jenny Agutter, English actress
• December 21 - Dennis Boutsikaris, American character actor
• December 25 - CCH Pounder, Guayanese-born American actress
• December 29 – Külliki Saldre, Estonian actress

Deaths

• January 18 – Curly Howard, comedian (b. 1903), The Three Stooges
• January 25 – Polly Moran, actress (b. 1883), Chasing Rainbows, Adam's Rib
• March 1 – Gregory La Cava, director (b. 1892), My Man Godfrey, Stage Door
• March 26 – J. P. McGowan, director (b. 1880), Where the West Begins, Tarzan and the Golden Lion
• April 21 – Leslie Banks, actor (b. 1890), The Most Dangerous Game, Jamaica Inn
• May 9 – Canada Lee, actor (b. 1907), Lifeboat, Lost Boundaries, Cry, the Beloved Country
• May 21 – John Garfield, actor (b. 1913), Body and Soul, Nobody Lives Forever, Gentleman's Agreement
• May 8 – William Fox, movie executive (b. 1879), 7th Heaven
• May 26 – Richard Rober, actor (b. 1910), The Well, The File on Thelma Jordon
• June 27 – Elmo Lincoln, actor (b. 1889), Tarzan of the Apes, The Adventures of Tarzan
• July 6 – Gertrud Wolle, actress (b. 1891), The Hound of the Baskervilles
• August 2 – J. Farrell MacDonald, actor (b. 1875), Me and My Gal, The Last Alarm
• August 18 – Ralph Byrd, actor (b. 1909), Dick Tracy's Dilemma, The Vigilante
• August 28 – Lamar Trotti, screenwriter (b. 1900), The Ox-Bow Incident, Cheaper by the Dozen
• September 7 – Gertrude Lawrence, actress (b. 1898), Rembrandt, The Glass Menagerie
• October 11 – Jack Conway, director (b. 1888), Boom Town, Libeled Lady, Viva Villa!
• October 17 – Julia Dean, stage and screen actress (b. 1878), A Society Exile, The Curse of the Cat People
• October 20 – Basil Radford, actor (b. 1887), Crook's Tour, The Galloping Major
• October 23 – Susan Peters, actress (b. 1921), Song of Russia, Random Harvest
• October 26 – Hattie McDaniel, actress (b. 1893), Gone with the Wind, Saratoga
• November 1 – Dixie Lee, actress (b. 1912), Manhattan Love Song, Love in Bloom
• November 6 – George H. Reed, actor, (b. 1866), Huckleberry Finn, Green Pastures

Film Debuts