1950 in television
Encyclopedia
The year 1950 in television involved some significant events.
Below is a list of television
-related events in 1950.
Below is a list of television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
-related events in 1950.
Events
- February 12 – European Broadcasting UnionEuropean Broadcasting UnionThe European Broadcasting Union is a confederation of 74 broadcasting organisations from 56 countries, and 49 associate broadcasters from a further 25...
(EBU) inaugurated. - February 23 – First televised report of general election results in the UKUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. - April 3 – The BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
aspect ratioAspect ratio (image)The aspect ratio of an image is the ratio of the width of the image to its height, expressed as two numbers separated by a colon. That is, for an x:y aspect ratio, no matter how big or small the image is, if the width is divided into x units of equal length and the height is measured using this...
changes from 5:4 to 4:3. - May - Desilu ProductionsDesilu ProductionsDesilu Productions was a Los Angeles, California-based company jointly owned by actors Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, who were married to each other from 1940 to 1960....
formed by Desi ArnazDesi ArnazDesi Arnaz was a Cuban-born American musician, actor and television producer. While he gained international renown for leading a Latin music band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra, he is probably best known for his role as Ricky Ricardo on the American TV series I Love Lucy, starring with Lucille Ball, to...
and Lucille BallLucille BallLucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
. - August 31 – First television broadcast station in MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, XHTV, Mexico City on channel 4. - September 18 – First television broadcast station in BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, PRF-TV, São Paulo on channel 3. - September 30 – First BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television broadcast from an aircraft. - October 10 – The FCCFederal Communications CommissionThe Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
approves CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
color TV system, effective November 20. - The number of homes in the USUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that own a television set reaches the one million mark.
Debuts
- February 2 – What's My Line (1950) debuts on CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
(1950–1967). - February 25 – Your Show of ShowsYour Show of ShowsYour Show of Shows is a live 90-minute variety show that appeared weekly in the United States on NBC , from February 25, 1950, until June 5, 1954, featuring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca....
premieres on NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
(1950–1954). - March 23 – Beat the ClockBeat the ClockBeat the Clock is a Goodson-Todman game show which has aired on American television in several versions since 1950.The original show, hosted by Bud Collyer, ran on CBS from 1950–1958 and ABC from 1958–1961. The show was revived in syndication as The New Beat the Clock from 1969–1974, with Jack Narz...
premieres on CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
(1950–1961). - June 17 – October 12 – Hawkins FallsHawkins FallsHawkins Falls, Population 6200 is the first successful American television soap opera. Sponsored by Unilever's blue detergent, Surf, the program began as a one hour comedy-drama on June 17, 1950, and ran in prime time on the NBC network until October 12, 1950.On April 2, 1951, the series was moved...
premieres on NBC. also (1951–1955). - July 10 – Your Hit ParadeYour Hit ParadeYour Hit Parade, is an American radio and television music program that was broadcast from 1935 to 1955 on radio, and seen from 1950 to 1959 on television. It was sponsored by American Tobacco's Lucky Strike cigarettes. During this 24-year run, the show had 19 orchestra leaders and 52 singers or...
premieres on NBC. - July 11 – Andy PandyAndy PandyAndy Pandy is a British children's television series that premiered on BBC TV in June or July 1950. The original series of programmes was shown until 1970, when a new series was made. A third series was made in 2002...
premieres on the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
(1950, 1970, 2002). - September 7 – The game show Truth or ConsequencesTruth or ConsequencesTruth or Consequences is an American quiz show originally hosted on NBC radio by Ralph Edwards and later on television by Edwards , Jack Bailey , Bob Barker , Bob Hilton and Larry Anderson . The television show ran on CBS, NBC and also in syndication...
debuts (1950–1988). - September 18 - The Paul Winchell ShowThe Paul Winchell ShowThe Paul Winchell Show, or The Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney Show, was a variety program which aired on NBC prime time from 1950 to 1954, starring ventriloquist Paul Winchell and his dummy, Jerry Mahoney.-Series premise:...
debuts on NBC under the title The Speidel Show. - October 5 – The comedy quiz show You Bet Your LifeYou Bet Your LifeYou Bet Your Life is an American quiz show that aired on both radio and television. The original and best-known version was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. The show debuted on ABC Radio in October 1947, then moved to CBS Radio in September...
, starring Groucho MarxGroucho MarxJulius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...
, premiers (1950–1961). - October 12 – The George Burns and Gracie Allen ShowBurns and AllenBurns and Allen, an American comedy duo consisting of George Burns and his wife, Gracie Allen, worked together as a comedy team in vaudeville, films, radio and television and achieved great success over four decades.-Vaudeville:...
debuts (1950–1958). - October 28 – The Jack Benny Show, starring Jack BennyJack BennyJack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
, premiers (1950–1965). - Cisco Kid debuted, starring Duncan RenaldoDuncan RenaldoRenault Renaldo Duncan , better known as Duncan Renaldo, was an American actor who portrayed The Cisco Kid in films and on the 1950-1956 American TV series, The Cisco Kid.-Early years:...
and Leo CarrilloLeo CarrilloLeopoldo Antonio Carrillo , was an American actor, vaudevillian, political cartoonist, and conservationist.-Family roots:...
(1950–1956).
Television shows
Series | Debut | Ended |
---|---|---|
Picture Page Picture Page Picture Page is a British television programme, broadcast on the BBC Television Service from 1936 to 1939, and again after the service's hiatus during the Second World War from 1946 until 1952... (UK) |
October 8, 1936 | 1939 |
1946 | 1952 | |
For The Children For The Children For The Children is a British television programme, the first to be designed especially for young children of school age. First broadcast on the BBC Television Service at 3pm on Saturday 24 April 1937, for its first two years the series was only ten minutes in length... (UK) |
April 24, 1937 | 1939 |
July 7, 1946 | 1950 | |
The Voice of Firestone Televues | 1943 | 1947 |
1949 | 1963 | |
Kaleidoscope Kaleidoscope (TV series) Kaleidoscope was a British television programme, transmitted on the BBC Television Service from 1946 until 1953. A light entertainment show, it was one of the most popular programmes of the immediate post-war era.... (UK) |
November 2, 1946 | 1953 |
Gillette Cavalcade of Sports Gillette Cavalcade of Sports The Gillette Cavalcade of Sports was an American network radio program and later television program that included broadcasts of a variety of sports, although it is primarily remembered by many for its focus on boxing.-Overview and background:... |
November 8, 1946 | June 24, 1960 |
Muffin the Mule Muffin the Mule Muffin the Mule is a puppet character in British television programmes for children. The original programmes featuring the character were presented by Annette Mills, sister of John Mills, & aunt to Hayley Mills, and broadcast live by the BBC from their studios at Alexandra Palace from 1946 to 1952... (UK) |
1946 | 1955 |
You Are an Artist You Are an Artist You Are an Artist is an NBC television series, which first aired on NBC flagship station WNBT-TV in New York City on November 1, 1946 and then on the NBC Television network until 1950.-Production history:... |
1946 | 1950 |
Kraft Television Theater | May 7, 1947 | 1958 |
Kukla, Fran and Ollie Kukla, Fran and Ollie Kukla, Fran and Ollie is an early American television show using puppets, originally created for children but soon watched by more adults than children. It did not have a script and was entirely ad-libbed... |
October 13, 1947 | 1957 |
Meet the Press Meet the Press Meet the Press is a weekly American television news/interview program produced by NBC. It is the longest-running television series in American broadcasting history, despite bearing little resemblance to the original format of the program seen in its television debut on November 6, 1947. It has been... |
November 6, 1947 | |
Mary Kay and Johnny Mary Kay and Johnny Mary Kay and Johnny is the first situation comedy broadcast on network television in the United States. Starring real-life married couple Mary Kay Stearns and Johnny Stearns, the series is the first program to show a couple sharing a bed, and the first television series to show a woman's pregnancy... |
November 18, 1947 | March 11, 1950 |
Howdy Doody Howdy Doody Howdy Doody is an American children's television program that was created and produced by E. Roger Muir and telecast on NBC in the United States from 1947 until 1960. It was a pioneer in children's television programming and set the pattern for many similar shows... |
December 27, 1947 | September 24, 1960 |
Café Continental Café Continental Café Continental was a British television variety show on the BBC Television Service from 1947 to 1953. Broadcast live from the BBC's studios at Alexandra Palace, the programme opened with a "Maître d'hôtel" who welcomed the television audience to the "cafe" set and told them that "your table has... (UK) |
1947 | 1953 |
Juvenile Jury Juvenile Jury Juvenile Jury is an American children's game show which originally ran on NBC from April 3, 1947 to August 1, 1954. It was hosted by Jack Barry and featured a panel of kids aged ten or less giving advice to solve the problems of other kids.-Controversy:... |
1947 | 1954 |
Small Fry Club Small Fry Club The Small Fry Club, also known as Movies for Small Fry, is one of the earliest TV series made for children. Aired from 11 March 1947 to 15 June 1951 on the DuMont Television Network, it was hosted by "Big Brother Bob Emery".-Broadcast history:... |
1947 | 1951 |
Television Newsreel Television Newsreel Television Newsreel was a British television programme, the first regular news programme to be made in the UK. Produced by the BBC and screened on the BBC Television Service from 1948 to 1954 at 7.30pm, it adapted the traditional cinema newsreel form for the television audience, covering news and... (UK) |
January 5, 1948 | 1954 |
The Original Amateur Hour | January 18, 1948 | September 27, 1970 |
Court of Current Issues Court of Current Issues The Court of Current Issues is a public-affairs and debate series which aired live on Tuesday nights from 1948-1951 on the DuMont Television Network... |
February 9, 1948 | June 26, 1951 |
Author Meets the Critics Author Meets the Critics Author Meets the Critics was an American talk show which aired on NBC, ABC, and the DuMont Television Network. The series began as a mid-season replacement on NBC on April 4, 1948, but moved to ABC in 1949... |
April 1948 | October 10, 1954 |
Hollywood Screen Test Hollywood Screen Test Hollywood Screen Test was a talent show which aired on American Broadcasting Company from 1948 to 1953. It is believed to be the first series ever broadcast on ABC.... |
April 15, 1948 | 1953 |
Texaco Star Theater Texaco Star Theater Texaco Star Theater is an American comedy-variety show, broadcast on radio from 1938 to 1949 and telecast from 1948 to 1956. It was one of the first successful examples of American television broadcasting, remembered as the show that gave Milton Berle the nickname "Mr... |
June 8, 1948 | 1953 |
The Ed Sullivan Show The Ed Sullivan Show The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan.... |
June 20, 1948 | June 6, 1971 |
Candid Camera Candid Camera Candid Camera is a hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as Candid Microphone June 28, 1947... |
August 10, 1948 | |
CBS Evening News CBS Evening News CBS Evening News is the flagship nightly television news program of the American television network CBS. The network has broadcast this program since 1948, and has used the CBS Evening News title since 1963.... |
August 15, 1948 | |
Foodini the Great Foodini the Great Foodini the Great was an early CBS children's television series. A 15-minute puppet show, it was performed live at 6:30 p.m. Monday to Friday from August 23, 1948, to June 23, 1951.... |
August 23, 1948 | June 23, 1951 |
Actors Studio Actors Studio (TV series) Actors Studio is an American TV show which aired for 65 episodes, from September 26, 1948 to October 26 on the fledgling ABC Television Network; then from November 1, 1949 to June 23, 1950 on CBS Television.... |
September 1948 | June 1950 |
Ford Theatre Ford Theatre Ford Theatre was a radio and television anthology series broadcast in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s. At various times the television series appeared on all three major television networks, while the radio version was broadcast on two separate networks and on two separate coasts... |
October 17, 1948 | July 10, 1957 |
The Morey Amsterdam Show The Morey Amsterdam Show The Morey Amsterdam Show is an American sitcom which ran from 1948-1949 on CBS Television and 1949-1950 on the DuMont Television Network , for a total of 71 episodes.-Synopsis:... |
December 17, 1948 | October 12, 1950 |
The Alan Dale Show The Alan Dale Show The Alan Dale Show was an early American television program broadcast on the now defunct DuMont Television Network and then on CBS .-Broadcast history:... |
1948 | 1951 |
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts is an American radio and television variety show which ran on CBS from 1946 until 1958... |
1948 | January 1, 1958 |
Break the Bank Break the Bank (1948) Break the Bank is an American quiz show which aired variously on Mutual Radio and ABC, CBS and NBC television from 1945 to 1957.-Radio:Sponsored by Vicks, the series began on radio October 20, 1945, heard Saturdays on Mutual until April 13, 1946. Initially, it featured different hosts each week,... |
1948 | 1957 |
Cartoon Teletales | 1948 | 1950 |
Celebrity Time Celebrity Time Celebrity Time was an American game and audience participation television series which aired originally aired on CBS and ABC from November 1948 to September 1952... |
1948 | September 1952 |
Club Seven | 1948 | 1951 |
The Philco Television Playhouse The Philco Television Playhouse The Philco Television Playhouse, a live television anthology series sponsored by Philco, was telecast from 1948 to 1955. Produced by Fred Coe, the NBC series was seen on Sundays from 9:00pm to 10:00pm... |
1948 | 1955 |
Winner Take All | 1948 | 1952 |
The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Goldbergs is a comedy-drama broadcast from 1929 to 1946 on American radio, and from 1949 to 1956 on American television. It was adapted into a 1948 play, Me and Molly, and a 1973 Broadway musical, Molly.-Radio:... |
January 17, 1949 | 1956 |
Ripley's Believe It or Not! Ripley's Believe It or Not! Ripley's Believe It or Not! is a franchise, founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims... |
March 1, 1949 | October 5, 1950 |
Think Fast Think Fast (game show) Think Fast was an American quiz show that ran on ABC from March 26, 1949 to October 8, 1950.The program revolved around a group of five panelists who would compete to see who had the most to say about a particular subject... |
March 26, 1949 | October 8, 1950 |
Captain Video Captain Video Captain Video and His Video Rangers is an American science fiction television series. It was broadcast on the DuMont Television Network, and was the first series of its kind on American television... |
June 27, 1949 | April 1, 1955 |
Mama Mama (TV series) Mama is a weekly Maxwell House-sponsored CBS television comedy-drama series which ran from July 1, 1949 until March 17, 1957.Based on the Kathryn Forbes memoir Mama's Bank Account, which was also adapted for the 1944 John Van Druten play and subsequent 1948 film I Remember Mama, it told the... |
July 1, 1949 | March 17, 1957 |
Martin Kane, Private Eye Martin Kane, Private Eye Martin Kane, Private Eye was an early radio series and television crime series sponsored by United States Tobacco Company.- Radio:Martin Kane, Private Eye began as a 1949-52 radio series starring William Gargan in the title rôle as New York City private detective Martin Kane... |
August 7, 1949 | June 17, 1954 |
The Little Revue The Little Revue The Little Revue was an early broadcast television series, which ran on the ABC network from 1949-1950.The program broadcast music performers and other variety show elements. It was first broadcast on September 4, 1949, and stayed on Sunday evenings until March 1950, where it moved to Friday... |
September 4, 1949 | April 21, 1950 |
The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked Texas Ranger who, with his Native American companion Tonto, fights injustice in the American Old West. The character has become an enduring icon of American culture.... |
September 15, 1949 | June 6, 1957 |
Come Dancing Come Dancing Come Dancing was a BBC TV ballroom dancing competition show that ran on and off from 1949 to 1998, becoming one of television's longest-running shows.... (UK) |
September 29, 1949 | 1995 |
The Aldrich Family The Aldrich Family The Aldrich Family, a popular radio teenage situation comedy , was also presented in films, television and comic books. In the radio series' well-remembered weekly opening exchange, awkward teen Henry's mother called, "Hen-reeeeeeeeeeeee! Hen-ree Al-drich!", and he responded with a breaking... |
October 2, 1949 | May 29, 1953 |
The Life of Riley The Life of Riley The Life of Riley, with William Bendix in the title role, is a popular American radio situation comedy series of the 1940s that was adapted into a 1949 feature film, a long-run 1950s television series , and a 1958 Dell comic book... |
October 4, 1949 | March 28, 1950 |
January 2, 1953 | August 22, 1958 | |
The Ruggles The Ruggles The Ruggles is an early American family-oriented situation comedies. The series, broadcast live on ABC, with a few episodes recorded on kinescope, began November 3, 1949--a month after radio hit The Life of Riley moved to television on NBC---and ended on June 19, 1952... |
November 3, 1949 | June 19, 1952 |
One Man's Family One Man's Family One Man's Family, is a long-running American radio soap opera. It was heard for almost three decades, from 1932 to 1959. Created by Carlton E. Morse, it was the longest-running uninterrupted serial in the history of American radio... |
November 4, 1949 | June 21, 1952 |
March 1, 1954 | April 1, 1955 | |
Arthur Godfrey and His Friends Arthur Godfrey and His Friends Arthur Godfrey and His Friends is an American television variety show hosted by Arthur Godfrey. The hour-long series aired on CBS from January 1949, to June 1957 , then again as a half-hour show from September 1958, to April 1959.Many of Godfrey's musical acts were culled from Arthur Godfrey's... |
1949 | 1959 |
What's My Line? What's My Line? What's My Line? is a panel game show which originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, with several international versions and subsequent U.S. revivals. The game tasked celebrity panelists with questioning contestants in order to determine their occupations.... |
February 2, 1950 | 1975 |
Your Show of Shows Your Show of Shows Your Show of Shows is a live 90-minute variety show that appeared weekly in the United States on NBC , from February 25, 1950, until June 5, 1954, featuring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca.... |
February 25, 1950 | June 5, 1954 |
Hawkins Falls Hawkins Falls Hawkins Falls, Population 6200 is the first successful American television soap opera. Sponsored by Unilever's blue detergent, Surf, the program began as a one hour comedy-drama on June 17, 1950, and ran in prime time on the NBC network until October 12, 1950.On April 2, 1951, the series was moved... |
June 17, 1950 | July 1, 1955 |
Your Hit Parade Your Hit Parade Your Hit Parade, is an American radio and television music program that was broadcast from 1935 to 1955 on radio, and seen from 1950 to 1959 on television. It was sponsored by American Tobacco's Lucky Strike cigarettes. During this 24-year run, the show had 19 orchestra leaders and 52 singers or... |
July 10, 1950 | 1959 |
1974 | 1974 | |
Andy Pandy Andy Pandy Andy Pandy is a British children's television series that premiered on BBC TV in June or July 1950. The original series of programmes was shown until 1970, when a new series was made. A third series was made in 2002... (UK) |
July 11, 1950 | 1970 |
2002 | 2005 | |
Truth or Consequences Truth or Consequences Truth or Consequences is an American quiz show originally hosted on NBC radio by Ralph Edwards and later on television by Edwards , Jack Bailey , Bob Barker , Bob Hilton and Larry Anderson . The television show ran on CBS, NBC and also in syndication... |
September 7, 1950 | 1988 |
You Bet Your Life You Bet Your Life You Bet Your Life is an American quiz show that aired on both radio and television. The original and best-known version was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. The show debuted on ABC Radio in October 1947, then moved to CBS Radio in September... |
October 5, 1950 | 1961 |
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show | October 12, 1950 | 1958 |
The Jack Benny Show | October 28, 1950 | 1965 |
The Adventures of Ellery Queen The Adventures of Ellery Queen The Adventures of Ellery Queen is the title of a radio series and four separate television series made from the 1950s through the 1970s. They were based on the fictional character and pseudonymous writer Ellery Queen.-Radio:... |
1950 | 1959 |
1975 | 1976 | |
The Cisco Kid The Cisco Kid The Cisco Kid refers to a character found in numerous film, radio, television and comic book series based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his 1907 short story "The Caballero's Way", published in the collection Heart of the West... |
1950 | 1956 |
Peanuts Peanuts Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward... |
1950 | 2000 |
Ending this year
- For The ChildrenFor The ChildrenFor The Children is a British television programme, the first to be designed especially for young children of school age. First broadcast on the BBC Television Service at 3pm on Saturday 24 April 1937, for its first two years the series was only ten minutes in length...
(UK) (1937–1939; 1946–1950). - Actor's Studio (1948–1950).
- Cartoon Teletales (1948–1950).
- Mary Kay and JohnnyMary Kay and JohnnyMary Kay and Johnny is the first situation comedy broadcast on network television in the United States. Starring real-life married couple Mary Kay Stearns and Johnny Stearns, the series is the first program to show a couple sharing a bed, and the first television series to show a woman's pregnancy...
(1947–1950). - You Are an ArtistYou Are an ArtistYou Are an Artist is an NBC television series, which first aired on NBC flagship station WNBT-TV in New York City on November 1, 1946 and then on the NBC Television network until 1950.-Production history:...
(1946–1950).
Births
- January 3 - Victoria PrincipalVictoria PrincipalVictoria Principal is an American actress, best known for her role as Pamela Barnes Ewing on the CBS nighttime drama Dallas from 1978 to 1987.-Early life:...
, actressActorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity... - January 7 - Erin GrayErin GrayErin Gray is an American actress, perhaps best known for her roles as Kate Summers in the situation comedy Silver Spoons and as Colonel Wilma Deering in the science fiction television series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century....
, actress - January 16 - Debbie AllenDebbie AllenDeborrah Kaye “Debbie” Allen is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, television director, television producer, and a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities...
, actress, dancer, choreographer - January 20 – Liza GoddardLiza GoddardLiza Goddard is an English television and stage actress best known for her work in the 1970s and 1980s.-Early life:Goddard was born in Smethwick, West Midlands, England...
, English actress - January 23 - Richard Dean AndersonRichard Dean AndersonRichard Dean Anderson is an American television and film actor, producer and composer. He began his television career in 1976 as Dr. Jeff Webber in the American soap opera series General Hospital, then rose to prominence as the lead actor in the television series MacGyver...
, actor - January 29 - Ann JillianAnn JillianAnn Jillian is an American actress, who started acting at age 10. Her career reached its zenith in the 1980s, with her best-known role being that of waitress Cassie Cranston on the sitcom It's a Living.-Early life and career:...
, actress - January 30 - Trinidad SilvaTrinidad SilvaTrinidad Silva, Jr. was an American actor who played small supporting roles in a number of films of the 1980s. His television work includes the role of Jesus Martinez on the television series Hill Street Blues....
, actor (d. 1988) - February 3 – Morgan FairchildMorgan FairchildMorgan Fairchild is an American actress. She achieved prominence during the late 1970s and early 1980s with continuing roles in several television series, in which she usually conveyed a glamorous image. Fairchild has also performed in live theater and played guest roles in television comedies...
, actress - February 12 - Michael IronsideMichael IronsideMichael Ironside is a Canadian-born actor. He has also worked as a voice actor, producer, film director, and screenwriter in movie and television series in various Canadian and American productions. He is best known for playing villains and "tough guy" heroes, though he has also portrayed...
, Canadian actor - February 18 - Cybill ShepherdCybill ShepherdCybill Lynne Shepherd is an American actress, singer and former model. Her best known roles include starring as Jacy in The Last Picture Show, as Betsy in Taxi Driver, as Madeleine Spencer in Psych, as Maddie Hayes on Moonlighting, as Cybill Sheridan on Cybill, and as Phyllis Kroll on The L...
, actress - March 18 - Brad DourifBrad DourifBradford Claude "Brad" Dourif is an American film and television actor who gained early fame for his portrayal of Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and has since appeared in a number of memorable roles, including the voice of Chucky in the Child's Play franchise, Younger Brother in...
, actor - March 30 - Robbie ColtraneRobbie ColtraneRobbie Coltrane, OBE is a Scottish actor, comedian and author. He is known both for his role as Dr...
, Scottish actor - April 26 – Warren ClarkeWarren Clarke-Biography:Clarke was born in Oldham, Lancashire. His first television appearance was in the long running Granada soap opera Coronation Street, initially as Kenny Pickup in 1966 and then as Gary Bailey in 1968. His first major film appearance was in Stanley Kubrick's controversial A Clockwork...
, actor - April 4 - Christine LahtiChristine LahtiChristine Lahti is an American actress and film director. Lahti has had a successful career in television and film. Throughout her career she has garnered 2 Golden Globe Awards from 8 Nominations, An Emmy Award from 6 Nominations and 2 Academy Award nominations...
, actress - April 12 - David CassidyDavid CassidyDavid Bruce Cassidy is an American actor, singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his role as the character of Keith Partridge in the 1970s musical/sitcom The Partridge Family. He was one of pop culture's most celebrated teen idols, enjoying a successful pop career in the 1970s, and...
, actor, singer - April 13 - Ron PerlmanRon PerlmanRonald N. "Ron" Perlman is an American television, film and voice over actor. He is known for having played Vincent in the TV series Beauty and the Beast , a Deathstroke figure known as Slade in the animated series Teen Titans, Clarence "Clay" Morrow in Sons of Anarchy, the comic book character...
, actor - April 28 – Jay LenoJay LenoJames Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
, comedian, talk show host - June 8 - Kathy BakerKathy BakerKatherine Whitton "Kathy" Baker is an American stage, film and television actress.-Career:Baker began her career at San Francisco's Magic Theatre, performing in several of Sam Shepard's plays before getting her break in an off-Broadway production of Fool for Love opposite Ed Harris...
, actress - June 13 - Belinda Bauer, Australian actress
- July 26 - Susan GeorgeSusan George (actress)Susan Melody George is an English film and television actress, and film producer.-Career:She trained at the Stage School, Corona Theatre School and has acted since the age of four, appearing on both television and film...
, English actress - September 21 – Bill MurrayBill MurrayWilliam James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in a number of critically and commercially successful comedic films, including Caddyshack , Ghostbusters , and...
, actor, comedian, Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture... - September 29 – Patricia HodgePatricia HodgePatricia Ann Hodge is an English actor.-Early life:The daughter of the Royal Hotel owner/manager Eric and his wife Marion , Hodge attended Wintringham Girls' Grammar School on Weelsby Avenue in Grimsby and then St...
, English actress - October 3 – Pamela HensleyPamela HensleyPamela Gail Hensley is an American actress. She is best known for playing Princess Ardala on the 1979-1981 television series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and C.J...
, actress - October 5 - Jeff ConawayJeff ConawayJeffrey Charles William Michael "Jeff" Conaway was an American actor best known for his roles in the movie Grease and the US television series Taxi and Babylon 5. Conaway was featured on the first season of reality series Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew...
, actor (d. 2011) - October 17 - Howard RollinsHoward RollinsHoward Ellsworth Rollins, Jr. was an American television, film, and stage actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Coalhouse Walker, Jr...
, actor (d. 1996) - October 31 – John CandyJohn CandyJohn Franklin Candy was a Canadian actor and comedian. He rose to fame as a member of the Toronto branch of The Second City and its related Second City Television series, and through his appearances in comedy films such as Stripes, Splash, Cool Runnings, The Great Outdoors, Spaceballs, and Uncle...
, Canadian comedian and actor (d. 1994)