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.Cinemagoing in the United Kingdom reaches an all-time peak, with 1,635 million admissions during the year.(*) After theatrical re-issue(s)
Academy Awards:
Best Picture:
The Best Years of Our Lives – Goldwyn, RKO RadioBest Director:
William Wyler –
The Best Years of Our LivesBest Actor:
Fredric March –
The Best Years of Our LivesBest Actress:
Olivia de Havilland –
To Each His OwnBest Supporting Actor:
Harold Russell –
The Best Years of Our LivesBest Supporting Actress:
Anne Baxter –
The Razor's EdgeGolden Globe Awards:
Best Picture:
The Best Years of Our LivesBest Director:
Frank Capra –
It's a Wonderful LifeBest Actor:
Gregory Peck –
The YearlingBest Actress:
Rosalind Russell –
Sister KennyBest Film Promoting International Understanding:
The Last Chance (Switzerland)
GRAND PRIX (Cannes Film Festival):
Portrait of Maria (
María Candelaria), directed by Emilio Fernández, Mexico
The Turning Point (Великий перелом,
Velikiy perelom), directed by Fridrikh Ermler, Soviet Union
La Symphonie pastorale, directed by Jean Delannoy, France
The Last Chance (
Die Letzte Chance), directed by Leopold Lintberg, Switzerland
Men Without Wings (
Muži bez křídel), directed by František Čáp, Czechoslovakia
Rome, Open City (
Roma, città aperta), directed by
Roberto Rossellini, Italy
U.S.A. unless stated
A
Abilene Town, starring Randolph Scott and Ann DvorakAngel on My Shoulder, starring Paul Muni, Anne Baxter, Claude RainsAnmol Ghadi (Precious Time)Anna and the King of Siam, starring Irene Dunne, Rex Harrison, Linda DarnellAppointment with Crime, starring William HartnellB
Bad Bascomb, starring Wallace Beery and Margaret O'BrienThe Bandit (Il Bandito), starring Anna MagnaniLa Bataille du rail (The Battle of the Rails), directed by René ClémentThe Beast with Five Fingers, starring Robert Alda and Peter LorreBeauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bête), directed by Jean Cocteau, starring Jean Marais and Josette DayBedlam, starring Boris KarloffThe Best Years of Our Lives, directed by William Wyler, starring Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Harold Russell – winner of 8 OscarsBeware, starring Louis JordanThe Big Sleep, directed by Howard Hawks, starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren BacallBlack Angel, starring Dan DuryeaThe Blue Dahlia, starring Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, William Bendix, Hugh BeaumontBlue Skies, starring Bing Crosby and Fred AstaireBoom in the Moon (El Moderno Barba Azul), starring Buster KeatonC
Canyon Passage, directed by Jacques Tourneur, starring Dana Andrews and Brian DonlevyThe Captive Heart, starring Michael Redgrave, the first Prisoner of War film from World War IICentennial Summer, starring Jeanne Crain and Cornel WildeThe Chase, starring Robert Cummings and Michele MorganCluny Brown, starring Charles Boyer and Jennifer JonesCrack-Up, starring Pat O'Brien and Claire TrevorCrisis (Kris), directed by Ingmar BergmanCross My Heart, starring Betty HuttonD-F
The Dark Corner, starring Lucille Ball and Mark StevensThe Dark Mirror, starring Olivia de HavillandA Day in the Country (Partie de campagne), directed by Jean RenoirDeception, starring Bette Davis and Paul HenreidDecoy, a film noir starring Jean GillieDevotion, starring Ida Lupino, Olivia de Havilland, Paul HenreidThe Diary of a Chambermaid, directed by Jean Renoir, starring Paulette GoddardDitte, Child of Man (Ditte Menneskebarn)Doll Face, starring Vivian Blaine, Dennis O'Keefe, Perry Como and Carmen MirandaDragonwyck, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, starring Gene Tierney and Vincent PriceDressed to Kill, starring Basil Rathbone (as Sherlock Holmes), Nigel Bruce, Patricia MorisonDuel in the Sun, directed by King Vidor, starring Jennifer Jones, Gregory Peck, Joseph Cotten, Lionel Barrymore, Lillian GishEnamorada, starring Pedro ArmendárizFrom This Day Forward, starring Joan Fontaine, Mark Stevens, Harry Morgan, Rosemary DeCampG
Gallant Journey, directed by William A. Wellman, starring Glenn Ford and Janet BlairGilda, directed by Charles Vidor, starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn FordGod's Country, starring Robert Lowery and Buster KeatonGreat Expectations, directed by David Lean, starring John Mills, Jean Simmons, Valerie Hobson – (GB)Green for Danger, starring Alastair Sim and Trevor HowardThe Green Years, starring Charles Coburn and Hume CronynH-J
The Harvey Girls, directed by George Sidney, starring Judy Garland and John HodiakThe Hoodlum Saint, starring William PowellHumoresque, starring Joan Crawford and John GarfieldIf I'm Lucky, starring Vivian Blaine, Perry Como and Carmen MirandaI See a Dark Stranger, directed by Frank Launder, starring Deborah Kerr and Trevor HowardIt Rains on Our Love (Det regnar på vår kärlek), directed by Ingmar BergmanIt's a Wonderful Life, directed by Frank Capra, starring James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel BarrymoreIt Shouldn't Happen to a Dog, starring Carole LandisJanie Gets Married, starring Joan LeslieThe Jolson Story, a biopic of Al Jolson starring Larry ParksK-L
The Kid from Brooklyn, starring Danny KayeThe Killers, directed by Robert Siodmak, starring Burt Lancaster and Ava GardnerA Letter for Evie, starring Marsha HuntLittle Giant, starring Bud Abbott and Lou CostelloLittle Iodine, directed by Reginald Le BorgThe Locket, starring Laraine Day, Brian Aherne and Robert MitchumLondon Town, directed by Wesley Ruggles, starring Sid Field and Petula Clark – (GB)Love Laughs at Andy Hardy, starring Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone, Sara Haden, Bonita GranvilleM
Make Mine Music, starring Nelson Eddy, Dinah Shore, Benny GoodmanThe Man Who Dared, starring Leslie Brooks and Forrest TuckerMargie, directed by Henry King, starring Jeanne Crain, Alan Young, Glenn Langan, Conrad Janis, Barbara LawrenceA Matter of Life and Death, written and directed by Powell and Pressburger, starring David NivenMen Without Wings (Muži bez křídel)Miss Susie Slagle's, starring Veronica Lake and Joan CaulfieldThe Murderers Are Among Us (Die Mörder sind unter uns), starring Hildegard Knef – (Germany)My Darling Clementine, directed by John Ford, starring Henry Fonda, Victor Mature, Walter Brennan, Linda DarnellMy Reputation, starring Barbara Stanwyck and George BrentThe Mysterious Mr. ValentineN
Neecha Nagar (Lowly City), directed by Chetan Anand – winner of Palme d'Or at the 1st Cannes Film FestivalNight and Day, starring Cary Grant (as Cole Porter)A Night in Casablanca, with the Marx BrothersNight Editor, starring Janis CarterNight in Paradise, starring Merle Oberon and Gale SondergaardNo Regrets for Our Youth (Waga seishun ni kuinashi), directed by Akira KurosawaNobody Lives Forever, starring John GarfieldNotorious, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant and Ingrid BergmanO-Q
The Others (La Otra), starring Dolores del RíoThe Overlanders, starring Chips RaffertyPaisan, directed by Roberto RosselliniPiccadilly Incident, starring Anna Neagle and Michael WildingThe Postman Always Rings Twice, directed by Tay Garnett, starring Lana Turner and John GarfieldR-S
The Razor's Edge, starring Tyrone Power and Gene TierneyRoad to Utopia, starring Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour and Bob HopeA Scandal in Paris, directed by Douglas Sirk, starring George Sanders and Carole LandisSchool for Secrets, directed by Peter Ustinov, starring Ralph RichardsonThe Secret of the Whistler, starring Richard DixShe-Wolf of London, starring June LockhartShe Wrote the Book, starring Joan DavisShock, directed by Alfred L. Werker, starring Vincent Price and Lynn BariShoeshine (Sciuscià), directed by Vittorio De SicaSister Kenny, starring Rosalind RussellSmithySomewhere in Berlin (Irgendwo in Berlin)Somewhere in the Night, starring John HodiakSong of the South by Walt Disney, combines animation and live actionThe Spiral Staircase, starring Dorothy McGuireA Stolen Life, starring Bette DavisThe Stone Flower (Kamennyy tsvetok)Strange HolidayThe Strange Love of Martha Ivers, directed by Lewis Milestone, starring Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, Kirk DouglasThe Stranger, directed by and starring Orson Welles, with Loretta Young, Edward G. RobinsonSwing Parade of 1946, starring The Three Stooges and Gale StormLa Symphonie Pastorale, directed by Jean Delannoy, starring Michèle MorganT-V
Tangier, starring Maria MontezTerror by Night, starring Basil Rathbone (as Sherlock Holmes) and Nigel BruceTheirs is the GloryThose Who Make Tomorrow, directed by Akira KurosawaThree Strangers, starring Sydney Greenstreet, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Peter LorreTill the Clouds Roll By, starring Judy Garland, June Allyson, Lena HorneThe Time of Their Lives, starring Bud Abbott and Lou CostelloTo Each His Own, starring Olivia de HavillandTomorrow is Forever, starring Claudette Colbert and Orson WellesThe Trap, aka Charlie Chan in the Trap, starring Sidney Toler (in his final film)Two Smart People, directed by Jules Dassin, starring Lucille Ball and John HodiakTwo Years Before the Mast, starring Alan Ladd and Brian DonlevyUtamaro and His Five Women (Utamaro o meguru gonin no onna), directed by Kenji Mizoguchi – (Japan)The Verdict, directed by Don Siegel, starring Sydney Greenstreet and Peter LorreW-Z
Wake Up and Dream, starring June HaverThe Walls Came Tumbling Down, starring Marguerite ChapmanWanted for Murder (aka A Voice in the Night), starring Eric Portman and Dulcie Gray – (GB)The Well-Groomed Bride, starring Olivia de HavillandWhere Words Fail (Donde mueren las palabras)Wife Wanted, starring Kay FrancisWithout Reservations, starring Claudette Colbert and John WayneThe Yearling, starring Gregory Peck and Jane WymanThe Years Between, starring Michael Redgrave and Valerie HobsonDaughter of Don QChick Carter, DetectiveThe Crimson GhostHop HarriganKing of the Forest RangersLost City of the JungleThe Mysterious Mr. MThe Phantom Rider, starring Robert Kent and Peggy StewartThe Scarlet HorsemanSon of the GuardsmanShirley Temple (1932–1946)The Three Stooges (1934–1959)Popular Science (1935–1950)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 (1943–1946)Yosemite Sam (1945–1963)George and Junior (1946–1948)January 5 – Diane Keaton, American actress, producer and directorJanuary 19 – Dolly Parton, American country singer and actressJanuary 20 – David Lynch, American directorJanuary 26 – Gene Siskel, American film critic, Siskel and Ebert (d. 1999)February 7 – Pete Postlethwaite, English actor (d. 2011)February 20Brenda Blethyn, English actressSandy Duncan, American actress, comedian, dancer, and singerFebruary 21 – Alan Rickman, English actor (d. 2016)March 12 – Liza Minnelli, American singer and actressMarch 21 – Timothy Dalton, Welsh actorApril 18 – Hayley Mills, English actress and singerApril 19 – Tim Curry, English actor and singerApril 21 – Claire Denis, French directorApril 25 – Talia Shire, American actressMay 9 – Candice Bergen, American actress and modelMay 20 – Cher, American singer and actressJune 1 – Brian Cox, Scottish actorJune 14 - Donald Trump, Actor, President of the United StatesJune 15 – Brigitte Fossey, French actressJuly 6 – Sylvester Stallone, American actor, screenwriter and directorJuly 13 – Cheech Marin, American actor and comedianJuly 22 – Danny Glover, American actor and directorAugust 16 – Lesley Ann Warren, American actress and singerSeptember 15Oliver Stone, American director and producerTommy Lee Jones, American actorSeptember 19 – Michael Elphick, English actor (d. 2002)September 28 – Jeffrey Jones, American actorOctober 4 – Susan Sarandon, American actressOctober 15 – John Getz, American actorOctober 27 – Ivan Reitman, Slovakian-born director and producerOctober 31 – Stephen Rea, Northern Irish actorNovember 6 – Sally Field, American actress and singerDecember 14 – Patty Duke, American actress (d. 2016)December 17 – Eugene Levy, Canadian actor, comedian and directorDecember 18 – Steven Spielberg, American director and producerJanuary 5 – Slim Summerville, 53, American actor and comedian, All Quiet on the Western Front, Captain January, Niagara Falls, Charlie Chan in RenoJanuary 25 - Otto Brower, 55, American director, Paramount on Parade, The Phantom EmpireFebruary 1 – Jenő Törzs, 58, Hungarian actor, Secret of St. Job Forest, Alraune, Oliver Twist, Number 111February 5 - George Arliss, 77, British actor, Disraeli, The House of Rothschild, Alexander HamiltonFebruary 6 – Justus D. Barnes, 84, American actor, The Great Train RobberyApril 1 – Noah Beery, Sr., 64, American actor, She Done Him Wrong, The Trail Beyond, The Mark of Zorro, Mystery LinerJune 8 - Svend Melsing, 57, Danish actor, Hotel Paradis, De kloge og vi galeJune 23 – William S. Hart, 81, American actor, The Narrow Trail, The Silent Man, The Money Corral, The Return of Draw EganJuly 2 – Mary Alden, 63, American actress, The Birth of a Nation, The Plastic Age, Brown of Harvard, Strange InterludeAugust 9 – Léon Gaumont, 82, French film pioneerAugust 13 – H. G. Wells, 79, British science fiction writer, The First Men in the Moon, The Invisible Man, The War of the Worlds, The Island of Dr. MoreauAugust 26 – Jeanie MacPherson, 59, American actress and screenwriter, Dynamite, Manslaughter, The Godless Girl, The CaptiveAugust 28 – Florence Turner, 61, American actress, The Chinese ParrotSeptember 21 – Olga Engl, 75, Austrian actress, Phantom, FrauenmoralOctober 31 – Gabriel Gabrio, 59, French actor, Pépé le Moko, Wooden Crosses, Lucrezia Borgia, GigoletteNovember 18 – Donald Meek, 68, American actor, Stagecoach, You Can't Take It with You, Captain Blood, State FairDecember 12 – Renée Jeanne Falconetti, 54, French actress, The Passion of Joan of ArcDecember 25 – W. C. Fields, 66, American comedian and actor, The Bank Dick, It's a Gift, Never Give a Sucker an Even Break, My Little ChickadeeKirk Douglas – The Strange Love of Martha IversBurt Lancaster – The KillersDean Martin – Film Vodvil: Art Mooney and OrchestraYves Montand – Star Without Light