1940 in film

Y

• Young People, starring Shirley Temple
• Young Tom Edison, starring Mickey Rooney
• You're Not So Tough, starring the Dead End Kids

Serials

• Adventures of Red Ryder, directed by William Witney and John English
• Deadwood Dick, directed by James W. Horne
• Drums of Fu Manchu, starring Henry Brandon and Robert Kellard, directed by William Witney and John English
• Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe, starring Buster Crabbe
• The Green Archer, starring Victor Jory, directed by James W. Horne
• The Green Hornet, starring Warren Hull
• Junior G-Men, starring the Dead End Kids
• King of the Royal Mounted starring Allan Lane, directed by William Witney and John English
• Mysterious Doctor Satan, starring Eduardo Ciannelli, directed by William Witney and John English
• The Shadow, starring Victor Jory, directed by James W. Horne
• Terry and the Pirates, starring William Tracy, directed by James W. Horne
• Winners of the West, starring Dick Foran and Anne Nagel

Short film series

• Buster Keaton (1917–1941)
• Laurel and Hardy (1921–1943)
• Our Gang (1922–1944)
• Charley Chase (1924–1940)
• The Three Stooges (1934–1959)

Animated short film series

• Krazy Kat (1925–1940)
• Mickey Mouse (1928–1953)
• Looney Tunes (1930–1969)
• Terrytoons (1930–1964)
• Merrie Melodies (1931–1969)
• Scrappy (1931–1941)
• Popeye (1933–1957)
• Color Rhapsodies (1934–1949
  )
• Donald Duck (1937–1956)
• Pluto (1937–1951)
• Walter Lantz Cartunes (also known as New Universal Cartoons or Cartune Comedies) (1938–1942)
• Goofy (1939–1955)
• Andy Panda (1939–1949)
  • Knock Knock! (first appearance of Woody Woodpecker)
• Tom and Jerry (1940–1958)
  • Puss Gets the Boot

Births

• January 3 – Thelma Schoonmaker, American editor
• January 10 – Walter Hill, American director, screenwriter and producer
• January 20 – Krishnam Raju, Indian actor (died 2022)
• January 22 – John Hurt, English actor (died 2017)^[7]
• January 25 – Paolo Graziosi, Italian actor (died 2022)
• January 27
  • James Cromwell, American actor
  • Reynaldo Rey, American actor, comedian and television personality (died 2015)
• January 29 – Katharine Ross, American actress
• January 31 – Stuart Margolin, American actor and director (died 2022)
• February 4
  • George A. Romero, American director, producer and screenwriter (died 2017)^[8]
  • John Schuck, American actor
• February 5 – Dick Warlock, American actor and stuntman
• February 12 – Ralph Bates, English actor (died 1991)
• February 17
  • Matija Barl, Slovenian actor, producer and translator (died 2018)
  • Jo Kendall, British actress (died 2022)
• February 19 – Carlin Glynn, American singer and actress (died 2023)
• February 23 – Peter Fonda, American actor (died 2019)
• February 27
  • Howard Hesseman, American actor (died 2022)
  • Bill Hunter, Australian actor (died 2011)
• February 29 – Harvey Jason, English actor
• March 3 – Patricia Gage, Scottish actress (died 2010)
• March 7 – Daniel J. Travanti, American actor
• March 9 – Raul Julia, Puerto Rican actor (died 1994)
• March 10 – Chuck Norris, American actor and martial artist
• March 11 - William Callaway, American retired voice actor
• March 26 – James Caan, American actor (died 2022)
• March 27 – Austin Pendleton, American actor, playwright, theatre director and instructor
• April 1 – Aliza Gur, Israeli actress
• April 3 – Wolf Kahler, German actor
• April 6 – Pedro Armendáriz Jr., Mexican actor (died 2011)
• April 14 – Julie Christie, British actress
• April 15 – Julie Sommars, American actress
• April 17 – Billy Fury, English singer and actor (died 1983)
• April 20 - James Gammon, American actor (died 2010)
• April 21 – George DiCenzo, American character actor (died 2010)
• April 24 – Michael Parks, American actor and singer (died 2017)
• April 25 – Al Pacino, American actor
• April 29 – Max Cullen, Australian actor
• April 30 – Burt Young, American actor (died 2023)
• May 2 – Jo Ann Pflug, American actress
• May 5 – Lance Henriksen, American actor
• May 8 – Emilio Delgado, Mexican-American actor, voice artist and singer (died 2022)
• May 15 – Lainie Kazan, American actress and singer
• May 17
  • Valie Export, Austrian director
  • Peter Gerety, American actor
• May 28 – Josie Lloyd, American actress and director (died 2020)
• June 1 – René Auberjonois, American actor (died 2019)
• June 2 – Maree Cheatham, American actress
• June 7
  • Tom Jones, Welsh singer and actor
  • Ronald Pickup, English actor (died 2021)
• June 8 – Nancy Sinatra, American singer and actress
• June 20 – John Mahoney, English-born American actor (died 2018)
• June 21 – Mariette Hartley, American actress
• June 22 – Abbas Kiarostami, Iranian director (died 2016)
• June 23 – Adam Faith, English actor and singer (died 2003)
• June 26 – Luis Valdez, American playwright, screenwriter, director and actor
• July 4 – Karolyn Grimes, American actress
• July 7 – Ringo Starr, English drummer (The Beatles)
• July 13 – Patrick Stewart, English actor
• July 18 – James Brolin, American actor
• July 22 – Alex Trebek, Canadian-American game show host and television personality (died 2020)
• July 24 – Dan Hedaya, American actor
• July 28 –
  Phil Proctor
  , American actor, voice actor and member of the Firesign Theatre
• July 30 – Nicolau Breyner, Portuguese actor (died 2016)
• August 3 – Martin Sheen, American actor
• August 15
  • Maria Grazia Buccella, Italian actress
  • Ze'ev Revach, Israeli comedian, film actor, director
• August 19 – Jill St. John, American actress
• August 23 – Tony Bill, American actor, producer and director
• August 25 – Wilhelm von Homburg, German boxer, actor and professional wrestler (died 2004)
• August 26 - Don LaFontaine, American voice actor (died 2008)
• August 27 – Sonny Sharrock, American jazz guitarist (died 1994)
• August 31
  • Larry Hankin, American character actor, performer, director, comedian and producer.
  • Jack Thompson, Australian actor
• September 2 - Harry Northup, American actor
• September 3 – Pauline Collins, British actress
• September 5 – Raquel Welch, American actress (died 2023)
• September 7 – Dario Argento, Italian director, producer and screenwriter
• September 11 – Brian De Palma, American director, producer and screenwriter
• September 12 – Linda Gray, American actress, director and producer
• September 18 – Frankie Avalon, American actor and singer
• September 19
  • Caroline John, English actress (died 2012)
  • Paul Williams, American actor and singer
• September 20 - Jonathan Hardy, New Zealand-Australian actor, writer and director (died 2012)
• September 21 – Bill Kurtis, American producer and narrator
• September 22 – Anna Karina, Danish-born French actress, director and singer (died 2019)
• September 25 – Roberto Del Giudice, Italian voice actor (died 2007)
• October 9 – John Lennon, English singer-songwriter and musician (The Beatles) (shot to death 1980)
• October 14 – Cliff Richard, English singer and actor
• October 16 – Barry Corbin, American actor
• October 19 – Michael Gambon, Irish-English actor (died 2023)
• October 25 - Jimmy Herman, Indigenous-Canadian actor (died 2013)
• October 26 – Tilo Prückner, German actor (died 2020)
• October 28 – Nic de Jager, South African actor
• October 29 - Jack Shepherd, English actor
• November 2 – Gigi Proietti, Italian actor (died 2020)
• November 4 – Manuel Ojeda, Mexican actor (died 2022)
• November 5 – Elke Sommer, German actress
• November 7 - Dakin Matthews, American actor
• November 13 – Rudolf Schwarzkogler, Austrian experimental filmmaker (died 1969)
• November 14 – Bill Bolender, American character actor
• November 15 – Sam Waterston, American actor
• November 20 – Helma Sanders-Brahms, German director (died 2014)
• November 22 – Terry Gilliam, American-born British screenwriter, director and animator (Monty Python's Flying Circus)
• November 27 – Bruce Lee, Chinese-American martial artist and actor (died 1973)
• December 1 – Richard Pryor, American comedian and actor (died 2005)
• December 11 – Donna Mills, American actress
• December 13
  • Volli Käro, Estonian actor
  • Carol Locatell, American actress (died 2023)
• December 24
  • Janet Carroll, American character actress (died 2012)
  • Sharon Farrell, American actress
• December 28 – Don Francisco, Chilean television host
• December 31 – Tim Considine, American actor and writer (died 2022)

Deaths

• January 4 – Flora Finch, 72, American actress, A Cure for Pokeritis, The Cat and the Canary, Quality Street, Her Crowning Glory
• January 22 – E. Alyn Warren, 65, American actor, The Mysterious Mr. Wong, Get That Man, Revolt of the Zombies, Port of Seven Seas
• February 20 – George Periolat, 66, American actor, The Mark of Zorro, One Rainy Afternoon, Morning Glory, What Price Hollywood?
• March 5 – Maxine Elliott, 66, American actress, Fighting Odds
• April 9 –
  Mrs. Patrick Campbell, 75, English actress, Riptide, One More River
• April 11 – Hemmo Kallio, 77, Finnish actor, Anna Liisa
• May 25 –
  Joe De Grasse, 67, Canadian-born American film director, Heart o' the Hills, The Scarlet Car, The Girl of the Night
• July 1 – Ben Turpin, 70, American actor, Saps at Sea, Mr. Flip, A Clever Dummy
• July 15 – Donald Calthrop, 52, English actor, Scrooge, Blackmail, Murder!, Major Barbara
• September 25 – Marguerite Clark, 57, American actress, Scrambled Wives, Easy to Get, All of a Sudden Peggy, A Girl Named Mary
• October 10 – Berton Churchill, 63, Canadian actor, Stagecoach, I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, In Old Chicago, Heroes for Sale
• October 12 – Tom Mix, 60, American actor, The Miracle Rider, Riders of the Purple Sage, Sky High
• December 13 – Wilfred Lucas, 69, Canadian-born American actor, screenwriter, director, Modern Times, A Chump at Oxford, The Girl and Her Trust

Debuts

• Dana Andrews – Lucky Cisco Kid
• John Banner – Spring Parade
• Anne Baxter – 20 Mule Team
• Joe Besser – Hot Steel
• Anthony Caruso – Johnny Apollo
• Abbott and Costello – One Night in the Tropics
• Hugh Griffith – Night Train to Munich
• Van Johnson – Too Many Girls
• Arthur Kennedy – City for Conquest
• Deborah Kerr – Contraband
• Karl Malden – They Knew What They Wanted
• Terry Moore – Maryland
• Milo O'Shea – Contraband
• Rebel Randall – Turnabout
• Donna Reed – Convicted Woman
• Herbert Rudley – Abe Lincoln in Illinois
• Robert Ryan – The Ghost Breakers
• Phil Silvers – Hit Parade of 1941
• Gale Storm – Tom Brown's School Days
• Gene Tierney – The Return of Frank James
• David Tomlinson – Garrison Follies
• Forrest Tucker – The Westerner
• James Westerfield – The Howards of Virginia
• Gig Young – Misbehaving Husbands
• Devi Dja – Road to Singapore

References