1949 in film

Last updated September 23, 2025

The year 1949 in film involved some significant events.

Top-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten 1949 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Highest-grossing films of 1949
Rank	Title	Distributor	Domestic rentals
1	Jolson Sings Again	Columbia	$5,000,000^[1]
2	Battleground	MGM	$4,722,000^[2]
3	I Was a Male War Bride	20th Century Fox	$4,100,000^[3]
4	Sands of Iwo Jima	Republic	$4,000,000^[3]
5	The Stratton Story	MGM	$3,831,000^[2]
6	Pinky	20th Century Fox	$3,800,000^[4]
7	Mr. Belvedere Goes to College	20th Century Fox	$3,700,000^[4]
8	Neptune's Daughter	MGM	$3,477,000^[2]
9	Little Women	MGM	$3,425,000^[2]
10	Sorrowful Jones	Paramount	$3,400,000^[4]

Events

April 26 – June 21 – Ealing comedies Passport to Pimlico , Whisky Galore! and Kind Hearts and Coronets are released in the UK, leading to 1949 being remembered as one of the peak years of the Ealing comedies.
November 15 – Following the prior year's Supreme Court decision in United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. , Paramount Pictures is split into two separate companies with the creation of Paramount Pictures Corporation for production-distribution and United Paramount Theaters for the theater operations.
December 21 – Cecil B. DeMille's Samson and Delilah , starring Hedy Lamarr, Victor Mature, George Sanders, Angela Lansbury, and Henry Wilcoxon, receives its televised world premiere at the Paramount and Rivoli theatres in New York City.^[5] The film opens in Los Angeles on January 13, 1950, and becomes a massive commercial success. At the 23rd Academy Awards, the film wins the awards for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design.

Awards

Category/Organization	7th Golden Globe Awards February 23, 1950	22nd Academy Awards March 23, 1950
Best Film	All the King's Men
Best Director	Robert Rossen All the King's Men	Joseph L. Mankiewicz A Letter to Three Wives
Best Actor	Broderick Crawford All the King's Men
Best Actress	Olivia de Havilland The Heiress
Best Supporting Actor	James Whitmore Battleground	Dean Jagger Twelve O'Clock High
Best Supporting Actress	Mercedes McCambridge All the King's Men
Best Screenplay, Adapted	Robert Pirosh Battleground	Joseph L. Mankiewicz A Letter to Three Wives
Best Screenplay, Original	Robert Pirosh Battleground	Robert Pirosh Battleground
Best Foreign Language Film	Bicycle Thieves

Top ten money making stars

Rank	Actor/Actress
1.	Bob Hope
2.	Bing Crosby
3. (tie)	Bud Abbott Lou Costello
4.	John Wayne
5.	Gary Cooper
6.	Cary Grant
7.	Betty Grable
8.	Esther Williams
9.	Humphrey Bogart
10.	Clark Gable

Notable films released in 1949

United States unless stated

Serials

Adventures of Sir Galahad , starring George Reeves and Charles King
Batman and Robin , starring Robert Lowery
Bruce Gentry , starring Tom Neal
Federal Agents vs. Underworld, Inc , starring Kirk Alyn and Rosemary LaPlanche
Ghost of Zorro , starring Clayton Moore and Pamela Blake
The James Brothers of Missouri , starring Keith Richards and Noel Neill
King of the Rocket Men , starring Tristram Coffin and Mae Clarke
Radar Patrol vs Spy King , starring Kirk Alyn

Short film series

Births

January 1 – Mbissine Thérèse Diop, Senegalese actress
January 6 – Rudolf van den Berg, Dutch director and screenwriter (died 2025)
January 7
- George Buza, American-born Canadian actor
- Steven Williams, American actor
January 9 – Vincent Grass, Belgian actor
January 12 – Wayne Wang, Hong Kong-born director
January 14 – Lawrence Kasdan, American director and screenwriter
January 17 – Andy Kaufman, American actor and comedian (died 1984)
January 24 – John Belushi, American actor and comedian (died 1982)
January 26 – David Strathairn, American actor
January 27 – Zbigniew Rybczyński, Polish film and video cinematographer and director
February 2
- Jack McGee, American actor
- Brent Spiner, American actor, comedian and musician
February 8
- Brooke Adams, American actress
- Niels Arestrup, French-Danish actor, director and screenwriter (died 2024)
February 9 – Judith Light, American actress
February 16 – Marc de Jonge, French actor (died 1996)
February 27 - Debra Monk, American actress, singer and writer
March 2 – Gates McFadden, American actress
March 3
- Gloria Hendry, American actress and former model
- Sandy Martin, American actress, director and producer
March 12 – Rob Cohen, American director, producer and writer
March 16
- Erik Estrada, American actor and police officer
- Victor Garber, Canadian actor
- Joseph Pilato, American actor (died 2019)
March 22 – Fanny Ardant, French actress
March 28
- Josephine Chaplin, American actress (died 2023)
- Masatō Ibu, Japanese actor
March 31 – Regina Baff, American actress
April 2
- Ron Palillo, American actor (died 2012)
- Pamela Reed, American actress
April 5 – John Berg, American actor (died 2007)
April 8 – John Madden, English director
April 9 – Sorcha Cusack, Irish actress
April 11 – Bernd Eichinger, German producer, director and screenwriter (died 2011)
April 14 – John Shea, American actor
April 20
- Jessica Lange, American actress
- Veronica Cartwright, English-born actress
April 21 – Patti LuPone, American actress and singer
April 24 – Peter Friedman, American actor
April 26 – Dominic Sena, American director
April 28
- Paul Guilfoyle, American actor
- Bruno Kirby, American actor, singer, voice artist and comedian (died 2006)
May 3 – Ron Canada, American actor
May 7 – Marilyn Burns, American actress (died 2014)
May 10 – Walter von Hauff, German actor
May 13 – Zoë Wanamaker, American-born British actress
May 18
- Marco Perella, American character actor
- Hubert Saint-Macary, French actor
May 20 – Dave Thomas, Canadian comedian, actor and television writer
May 21 – Will Ryan, American voice actor, singer and musician (died 2021)
May 22 – Cheryl Campbell, English actress
May 24 – Jim Broadbent, English actor
May 25 – Joe Unger, American actor
May 26
- Pam Grier, American actress
- Tom McCleister, American actor
- Philip Michael Thomas, American retired actor and musician
May 28 – Sandy Helberg, German-born American actor
May 29 – Cotter Smith, American actor
May 31 – Tom Berenger, American actor
June 5 – Guts Ishimatsu, Japanese actor and comedian
June 10 – Frankie Faison, American actor
June 11 – Sherman Howard, American actor
June 12 – Roger Aaron Brown, American character actor
June 14 – Antony Sher, British actor (died 2021)
June 15
- Simon Callow, English actor, director and writer
- Richard Henzel, American actor
- Jim Varney, American actor and comedian (died 2000)
June 16 – Geoff Pierson, American actor
June 22 – Meryl Streep, American actress
June 29 – Greg Burson, American voice actor (died 2008)
July 3 – Masato Harada, Japanese director, film critic and actor
July 5 – Ed O'Ross, American actor
July 7 – Shelley Duvall, American actress (died 2024)
July 12
- Diana Hardcastle, English actress
- Bernice Stegers, English actress
July 24 – Michael Richards, American actor, writer, producer and retired comedian
July 27
- Maury Chaykin, American-Canadian actor (died 2010)
- Susan Gordon, American child actress (died 2011)
July 28 – Randall Wallace, American screenwriter, director and producer
August 2 – Madeline Smith, English actress
August 3 – Philip Casnoff, American actor
August 5 - Penne Hackforth-Jones, Australian actress (died 2013)
August 8 – Keith Carradine, American actor
August 11 – Ian Charleson, Scottish actor (died 1990)
August 15 – Phyllis Smith, American actress
August 17 – Julian Fellowes, English actor, writer, director and screenwriter
August 20 – Patrick Kilpatrick, American actor, director and screenwriter
August 21 – Loretta Devine, American actress
August 23 – Shelley Long, American actress
August 24 – Joe Regalbuto, American actor and director
August 25 – John Savage, American actor
August 31
- Richard Gere, American actor
- Stephen McKinley Henderson, American actor
September 1 – Luminița Gheorghiu, Romanian actress (died 2021)
September 4 – Eero Spriit, Estonian actor and producer
September 5 – Steve Sweeney, American comedian and actor
September 13 – Burghart Klaußner, German actor
September 16 – Ed Begley, Jr., American actor
September 18 – Beth Grant, American character actress
September 19 – Ernie Sabella, American actor
September 21 - Yūsaku Matsuda, Japanese actor (died 1989)
September 25
- Pedro Almodóvar, Spanish director
- Caroline Kava, American actress
October 2 – Larry Sellers, Osage-American actor and stuntman (died 2021)
October 4 – Armand Assante, American actor
October 8
- Maggie Ollerenshaw, English actress
- Sigourney Weaver, American actress
October 10 – Jessica Harper, American actress
October 13 – Tarık Akan, Turkish actor and activist (d. 2016)
October 15 – Tanya Roberts, American actress (died 2021)
October 20 – George Harris, British actor
October 21 – LaTanya Richardson Jackson, American actress
October 25
- Brian Kerwin, American actor
- Ross Bagdasarian Jr., American actor, singer, animator and producer
October 30 – Leon Rippy, American character actor
November 1 – Jeannie Berlin, American actress and screenwriter
November 6 – Brad Davis, American actor (died 1991)
November 7
- Terry Camilleri, Australian actor
- Ben Guillory, American actor and director
November 10 – Ann Reinking, American actress and singer (died 2020)
November 14 – Gary Grubbs, American character actor
November 17 – Jon Avnet, American director, writer and producer
November 19 - Nigel Bennett, English-born Canadian actor, director and writer
November 27
- Chris Ellis, American actor
- Gerrit Graham, American actor
- Arlene Klasky, American animator, graphic designer, producer and co-founder of Klasky Csupo
November 28
- Alexander Godunov, Russian-American film actor (died 1995)
- Paul Shaffer, Canadian singer, composer, actor and musician
November 29 – Garry Shandling, American stand-up comedian, actor, director, writer and producer (died 2016)
November 30
- Don "Magic" Juan, American actor
- Margaret Whitton, American actress (died 2016)
- Nicholas Woodeson, English actor
December 3 – Heather Menzies, Canadian-American actress (died 2017)
December 4 – Jeff Bridges, American actor
December 5 – Pamela Blair, American actress (died 2023)
December 7 – Tom Waits, American musician and actor
December 8 – Nancy Meyers, American filmmaker
December 10 – Enrique Castillo, American actor, writer, director and producer
December 12 – Bill Nighy, British actor
December 13 – Robert Lindsay, English actor
December 15 – Don Johnson, American actor
December 18 – Kai Wulff, German-born American actor
December 19
- Marlene Clark, American actress (died 2023)
- Nancy Kyes, American former actress
- Kjell Nilsson, Swedish actor
- Rita Taggart, American actress
December 21 – Michael Horse, American actor
December 22 – Graham Beckel, American character actor
December 25 – Sissy Spacek, American actress
December 28 – Hilton McRae, Scottish actor

Deaths

January 6 – Victor Fleming, 59, American director and producer, The Wizard of Oz , Gone With the Wind , Captains Courageous , Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
January 19 – William Wright, 38, American actor, Philo Vance Returns , Eve Knew Her Apples
January 20 – Nora Gregor, 47, Austrian actress, The Rules of the Game , But the Flesh Is Weak
February 19 – Jean Gillie, 33, English actress, Decoy
March 16 – Leyland Hodgson, 56, English actor, Under Nevada Skies , Kiss the Blood Off My Hands
April 15 – Wallace Beery, 64, American actor, Grand Hotel , The Champ , Robin Hood , Viva Villa!
April 18 – Will Hay, 60, English comedian, actor and director, Oh, Mr. Porter! , Hey! Hey! USA
April 22 – Charles B. Middleton, 74, American actor (born 1874), Flash Gordon
August 9 – Harry Davenport, 83, American actor (born 1866), Gone with the Wind , The Ox-Bow Incident
September 4 – Olof Ås, 56, Swedish actor, stage manager (born 1892)
September 10 – Robert Middlemass, 66, American playwright, actor, (born 1883), Lady in the Death House , A Sporting Chance
September 14 – Romuald Joubé, 73, French actor (born 1876)
September 18 – Frank Morgan, 59, American actor (born 1890), The Wizard of Oz
September 20 – Richard Dix, 56, American actor (born 1893), Cimarron , Redskin
October 14 – Fritz Leiber, Sr., 67, American actor (born 1882)
October 22 – Craig Reynolds, 42, American actor (born 1907), Gold Mine in the Sky , Slander House
November 25 – Bill Robinson, 72, American dancer and actor (born 1878), Stormy Weather , The Little Colonel
November 27 – Tom Walls, 66, English actor and director (born 1883), Stormy Weather , Lady in Danger
December 16 – Sidney Olcott, 76, Canadian-born American film director (born 1873)
December 31 – Howard Hickman, 69, American actor, director, writer (born 1880), The Kansas Terrors , Gone with the Wind

Film debuts

Joss Ackland – Landfall
Julie Adams – Red, Hot and Blue
Dorothy Alison – Eureka Stockade
Julie Andrews – The Singing Princess
Val Avery – Rope of Sand
Keiko Awaji – Stray Dog
Jim Backus – One Last Fling
Neville Brand – Battleground
Robert Brown – The Third Man
Yul Brynner – Port of New York
Richard Burton – The Last Days of Dolwyn
Ernest Clark – Private Angelo
Adrienne Corri – The Romantic Age
Michael Craig – Passport to Pimlico
Tony Curtis – Criss Cross
Basil Dignam – Maytime in Mayfair
Robert Easton – Undertow
Richard Egan – The Story of Molly X
Denholm Elliott – Dear Mr. Prohack
Jacques Fabbri – Rendezvous in July
Michel Galabru – Dernière heure, édition spéciale
Eddie Garcia – Kahit ang mundo'y magunaw
Beverly Garland – D.O.A.
Alexander Gauge – The Interrupted Journey
Frank Gerstle – D.O.A.
Walter Giller – Artistenblut
Michael Goodliffe – The Small Back Room
Tom Greenway – Impact
Margaretha Krook – Only a Mother
Jack Kruschen – Red, Hot and Blue
Jerry Lewis – My Friend Irma
Dean Martin – My Friend Irma
Pierre Mondy – Rendezvous in July
Jeanne Moreau – Last Love
Patricia Neal – John Loves Mary
Nimmi – Barsaat
Hubert Noël – Forbidden to the Public
Philippe Noiret – Gigi
Edwin Richfield – The Jack of Diamonds
Yves Robert – Les dieux du dimanche
Kasey Rogers – Special Agent
Maurice Ronet – Rendezvous in July
Vito Scotti – Criss Cross
Anne Seymour – All the King's Men
Joe Turkel – City Across the River
Renata Vanni – El Paso
Max von Sydow – Only a Mother
James Whitmore – The Undercover Man

References

↑ Finler, Joel Waldo (2003). The Hollywood Story. Wallflower Press. pp. 356–357. ISBN 978-1-903364-66-6.
1 2 3 4 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
1 2 Finler, Joel Waldo (2003). The Hollywood Story. Wallflower Press. pp. 358–359. ISBN 978-1-903364-66-6.
1 2 3 "Top 20 Films of 1949 by Domestic Revenue". boxofficereport.com. Archived from the original on 2008-06-15.
↑ "Boxoffice Magazine – December 10, 1949, p. 26". Boxoffice . Archived from the original on 2013-08-11.

External links

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[Finler-1] Finler, Joel Waldo (2003). The Hollywood Story. Wallflower Press. pp. 356–357. ISBN 978-1-903364-66-6.

[Mannix-2] 1 2 3 4 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.

[Finler2-3] 1 2 Finler, Joel Waldo (2003). The Hollywood Story. Wallflower Press. pp. 358–359. ISBN 978-1-903364-66-6.

[1949DomesticRevenue-4] 1 2 3 "Top 20 Films of 1949 by Domestic Revenue". boxofficereport.com. Archived from the original on 2008-06-15.

[BoxOffice_December_10,_1949_page_26-5] "Boxoffice Magazine – December 10, 1949, p. 26". Boxoffice . Archived from the original on 2013-08-11.

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