1962 in film

The top ten 1962 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

• February – Warner Bros. buy the film rights for My Fair Lady for the unprecedented sum of $5.5 million plus 47¼% of the gross over $20 million.
• May – The Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards are officially founded by the Taiwanese government.
• June 18 – MCA Inc. finalize their merger with Decca-Universal.
• July 25 – Darryl F. Zanuck, one of the founders of 20th Century Fox, becomes president, replacing Spyros Skouras. Skouras becomes chairman of the board.
• August 5 – Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe is found dead of a drug overdose.
• September 7 – Filming of Sergei Bondarchuk's War and Peace begins and will continue for another 5 years.
• October 5 – Dr. No launches the James Bond series, the second longest-running film franchise of all time (next to Godzilla), still running 60 years later (No Time to Die, 2021). It also launches the career of Sean Connery.

Academy Awards:

Best Picture: Lawrence of Arabia – Horizon-Spiegel-Lean, Columbia

Best Director: David Lean – Lawrence of Arabia

Best Actor: Gregory Peck – To Kill a Mockingbird

Best Actress: Anne Bancroft – The Miracle Worker

Best Supporting Actor: Ed Begley – Sweet Bird of Youth

Best Supporting Actress: Patty Duke – The Miracle Worker

Best Foreign Language Film: Sundays and Cybele (Les dimanches de ville d'Avray), directed by Serge Bourguignon, France

Golden Globe Awards:

Drama:

Best Picture: Lawrence of Arabia

Best Actor: Gregory Peck – To Kill a Mockingbird

Best Actress: Geraldine Page – Sweet Bird of Youth

Comedy or Musical:

Best Picture − Comedy: That Touch of Mink

Best Picture − Musical: The Music Man

Best Actor: Marcello Mastroianni – Divorce Italian Style

Best Actress: Rosalind Russell – Gypsy

Other

Best Supporting Actor: Omar Sharif – Lawrence of Arabia

Best Supporting Actress: Angela Lansbury – The Manchurian Candidate

Best Director: David Lean – Lawrence of Arabia

Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):

Keeper of Promises (O Pagador de Promessas), directed by Anselmo Duarte, Brazil

Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival):

Family Diary (Cronaca familiare, Journal intime), directed by Valerio Zurlini, France / Italy

My Name is Ivan (Ivanovo detstvo), directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, USSR

Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):

A Kind of Loving, directed by John Schlesinger, United Kingdom

All of these films are from the United States unless stated.

United States unless stated

• Looney Tunes (1930–1969)
• Terrytoons (1930–1964)
• Merrie Melodies (1931–1969)
• Bugs Bunny (1940–1964)
• Yosemite Sam (1945–1963)
• Speedy Gonzales (1953–1968)
• The Alvin Show (1961-1962)

• January 4 – Michael France, American screenwriter (d. 2013)
• January 5 – Suzy Amis Cameron, American actress
• January 7 – Kiiri Tamm, Estonian actress
• January 9 - Conrad Goode, American actor, screenwriter, screenwriter, producer and musician
• January 10 – C. Martin Croker, American animator and voice actor (d. 2016)
• January 11 – Kim Coles, American actress, comedian and game show host
• January 16 - Peter Lurie, American voice actor, sports anchor and television personality
• January 17 – Jim Carrey, Canadian actor and comedian
• January 20 - Sophie Thompson, British actress
• January 21 - Marie Trintignant, French actress (d. 2003)
• January 23 - Richard Roxburgh, Australian actor, writer, producer and director
• February 2 - Michael T. Weiss, American actor
• February 4 - Michael Riley, Canadian actor
• February 5 – Jennifer Jason Leigh, American actress
• February 7 - Eddie Izzard, English stand-up comedian, actor, writer and political activist
• February 13 – Michele Greene, American actress
• February 14 - Sakina Jaffrey, American actress
• February 16 - Alexa Kenin, American actress (d. 1985)
• February 17 – Lou Diamond Phillips, American actor
• February 18 - Julie Strain, American actress and model (d. 2021)
• February 22
  • Steve Irwin, Australian zookeeper, television personality, conservationist, actor (d. 2006)
  • Ethan Wayne, American actor
• February 27 – Adam Baldwin, American actor
• March 2 - Jon Bon Jovi, American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor
• March 8 – Cecilia Yip, Hong Kong actress
• March 10 – Jasmine Guy, American actress, singer, dancer and director
• March 11 - Jeffrey Nordling, American actor
• March 12
  • Julia Campbell, American actress
  • Chris Sanders, American actor, animator, director and voice actor
  • Titus Welliver, American actor
• March 18
  • Thomas Ian Griffith, American actor
  • Etsushi Toyokawa, Japanese actor
• March 20 – Stephen Sommers, American director, screenwriter and producer
• March 21
  • Matthew Broderick, American actor
  • Kathy Greenwood, Canadian actress and comedian
  • Rosie O'Donnell, American actress and comedian
• March 23 - Jenny Wright, American actress
• March 25 - Thom Bierdz, American actor
• April 2 – Clark Gregg, American actor, director and screenwriter
• April 3 - Jennifer Rubin, American actress and model
• April 5 - Lana Clarkson, American actress and model (d. 2003)
• April 15 – Tom Kane, American actor and voice actor
• April 18 - Jeff Dunham, American ventriloquist, stand-up comedian and actor
• April 24 - Jason Salkey, English actor
• April 27 – James LeGros, American actor
• May 5 - Manoj Sood, Indo-Canadian actor
• May 9 - Sean McNamara, American director, producer, actor and screenwriter
• May 12 – Emilio Estevez, American actor
• May 14 - Danny Huston, American actor, director and writer
• May 17 - Craig Ferguson, Scottish-American television host, comedian, author and actor
• May 18
  • Nathaniel Parker, English actor
  • Karel Roden, Czech actor
• May 26 – Bobcat Goldthwait, American actor, comedian and director
• May 29 - John D. LeMay, American former actor
• May 31 - Sebastian Koch, German actor
• June 5
  • Jeff Garlin, American comedian and actor
  • Ken Hudson Campbell, American actor
• June 6 - Todd Kimsey, American actor (d. 2016)
• June 7 - Lance Reddick, American actor and musician (d. 2023)
• June 10
  • Gina Gershon, American actress
  • Tzi Ma, Hong Kong-American actor
• June 13 – Ally Sheedy, American actress
• June 16 - Arnold Vosloo, South African-American actor
• June 19 – Paula Abdul, American singer
• June 22 - Nicholas Lea, Canadian actor
• June 27
  • Emel Heinreich, Turkish-Austrian actress, author and film-director
  • Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Hong Kong actor
• June 30 - Predrag Bjelac, Serbian actor
• July 1 - Andre Braugher, American actor
• July 2 - Doug Benson, American comedian, television host and actor
• July 3
  • Tom Cruise, American actor
  • Thomas Gibson, American actor
• July 4 - Neil Morrissey, English actor, voice actor, comedian, singer and businessman
• July 8 - Oreste Baldini, Italian actor and voice actor
• July 13
  • Michael Jace, American former character actor
  • Tom Kenny, American actor, voice actor, singer and comedian
• July 15 – Martin Roach, Canadian actor
• July 18 - Lee Arenberg, American actor
• July 19 – Anthony Edwards, American actor
• July 20 – Carlos Alazraqui, voice actor
• July 23 - Eriq La Salle, American actor, director, writer and producer
• July 29
  • Kevin Chapman, American actor
  • Kevin Spirtas, American actor
• July 31 – Wesley Snipes, American actor
• August 1 - Jesse Borrego, American actor
• August 6 – Michelle Yeoh, Malaysian actress
• August 12 - Miss Cleo, American television personality (d. 2016)
• August 13 – John Slattery, American actor
• August 14 - Steve Reevis, Native American actor (d. 2017)
• August 16 – Steve Carell, American actor, comedian, voice artist, producer, writer, director
• August 20
  • Geoffrey Blake, American actor
  • Ravil Isyanov, Russian actor (d. 2021)
• August 24 – David Koechner, American actor and comedian
• August 25 - Rusty Schwimmer, American character actress and singer
• August 27 – Vic Mignogna, American voice actor
• August 28 - David Fincher, American filmmaker
• August 29
  • Ian James Corlett, Canadian-American voice actor
  • Lycia Naff, American actress
• August 31 – Dee Bradley Baker, American voice actor
• September 1 - Michelle Meyrink, Canadian former actress
• September 8 – Thomas Kretschmann, German actor
• September 11 – Kristy McNichol, American actress
• September 12 - Amy Yasbeck, American actress
• September 15 – Scott McNeil, Australian-Canadian voice actor
• September 17
  • Paul Feig, American actor, director, comedian and filmmaker
  • Baz Luhrmann, Australian director
• September 19 - Cheri Oteri, American actress and comedian
• September 21 - Mark Holden, Canadian actor, writer and producer
• September 22 - Rob Morrow, American actor and director
• September 24 – Nia Vardalos, Canadian-American actress and producer
• September 26 – Melissa Sue Anderson, American actress
• October 1
  • Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Nigerian-British actor and producer
  • Esai Morales, American actor
• October 2 – Jeff Bennett, American actor and voice actor
• October 5 - Ricky Harris, American producer, actor and comedian (d. 2016)
• October 6 - Joaquín Cosío, Mexican actor
• October 11 – Joan Cusack, American actress
• October 12 – Deborah Foreman, American actress
• October 13 – Kelly Preston, American actress (d. 2020)
• October 14 - Trevor Goddard, English actor (d. 2003)
• October 15 - Simon Kunz, English actor
• October 16 - Christian Stolte, American character actor
• October 17 - Mike Judge, American actor, animator, filmmaker and musician
• October 20 - David Mickey Evans, American director and screenwriter
• October 22 - Bob Odenkirk, American actor, comedian, writer, director and producer
• October 26 – Cary Elwes, English actor
• October 27 - Brontis Jodorowsky, Mexican-French actor
• October 28
  • Jason Watkins, English actor
  • Daphne Zuniga, American actress
• November 1 - Brenda Chapman, American writer, storyboard artist and director
• November 7 - Tracie Savage, American actress and journalist
• November 9 - Rick Batalla, American actor
• November 11
  • Gerard Horan, English actor
  • Demi Moore, American actress
• November 14 – Harland Williams, Canadian-American actor and comedian
• November 18 - Tim Guinee, American actor
• November 19 – Jodie Foster, American actress and director
• November 28 – Jon Stewart, American actor and comedian
• November 29 – Andrew McCarthy, American actor
• December 9 – Felicity Huffman, American actress[3]
• December 10 - Scott Capurro, American comedian, writer and actor
• December 14 - Ginger Lynn, American pornographic actress
• December 19 – Jill Talley, American actress
• December 22 – Ralph Fiennes, English actor
• December 23 - Peter Ramsey, American storyboard artist, story artist, director, writer and producer

• January 13 – Ernie Kovacs, 42, American comedian, actor, North to Alaska, Bell, Book and Candle
• January 28 – Hermann Wlach, 77, Austrian actor, The Pearl Maker of Madrid
• February 1 – Carey Wilson, American screenwriter, Mutiny on the Bounty
• February 19 – James Barton, American actor, Here Comes the Groom, Yellow Sky
• February 20 – Halliwell Hobbes, 84, British actor, Gaslight, That Hamilton Woman
• February 27 – Willie Best, 48, American actor, Nothing but the Truth, The Red Dragon
• February 28 – Chic Johnson, 70, American comedian, actor, Hellzapoppin'
• March 17 – Frank Orth, 82, American actor, Nancy Drew... Detective, Here Come the Girls
• April 10 – Michael Curtiz, 75, Hungarian-born director, Casablanca, The Adventures of Robin Hood
• April 15 – Clara Blandick, 85, American actress, The Wizard of Oz, Tom Sawyer
• April 17 – Louise Fazenda, 66, American actress, Tillie's Punctured Romance, Alice in Wonderland
• April 22
  • Angus MacPhail, 59, British screenwriter, Spellbound, The Wrong Man
  • Vera Reynolds, 62, American actress, The Night Club, Feet of Clay
• May 14 – Florence Auer, 82, American actress, The Bishop's Wife, State of the Union
• June 2 – Aeneas MacKenzie, 72, Scottish screenwriter, The Ten Commandments, Ivanhoe
• June 6 – Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, 63, American actor, Nevada, Southwest Passage
• June 19
  • Frank Borzage, 69, American director, actor, A Farewell to Arms, 7th Heaven
  • Will Wright, 68, American actor, Quantrill's Raiders, Alias Jesse James
• June 24 – Lucile Watson, 83, Canadian actress, Waterloo Bridge, Made for Each Other
• July 2 – Valeska Suratt, 80, American stage and screen actress, The Immigrant
• July 4 – Rex Bell, 58, American actor, Broadway to Cheyenne, Law and Lead
• July 13 – Jerry Wald, 50, American screenwriter and producer, Mildred Pierce, Peyton Place
• July 23 – Victor Moore, 86, American actor, It Happened on Fifth Avenue, Louisiana Purchase
• July 30 – Myron McCormick, 54, American actor, The Hustler, No Time for Sergeants
• August 5 – Marilyn Monroe, 36, American actress, Hollywood icon, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Some Like It Hot
• August 23 – Hoot Gibson, 70, American actor, Action, The Horse Soldiers
• September 7 – Louis King, 64, American director, Typhoon, Green Grass of Wyoming
• October 2 – Frank Lovejoy, 50, American actor, The Hitch-Hiker, Goodbye, My Fancy
• October 6 – Tod Browning, 82, American director, Dracula, Freaks
• October 26 – Louise Beavers, 60, American actress, Holiday Inn, The Jackie Robinson Story
• November 15 – Irene, American costume designer, Shall We Dance, Midnight Lace
• December 15 – Charles Laughton, 63, British actor, Spartacus, Witness for the Prosecution
• December 17 – Thomas Mitchell, 70, American actor, It's a Wonderful Life, Gone with the Wind
• December 21 – Syd Saylor, 67, American actor, The Lost Jungle, The Three Mesquiteers
• December 23 – Luis Alberni, 76, Spanish actor, Svengali, The Count of Monte Cristo
• December 28 – Kathleen Clifford, 75, American actress, When the Clouds Roll By, Richard the Lion-Hearted
• December 29 – Hugh Sinclair, 59, British actor, The Saint's Vacation, Judgment Deferred

• Erick Avari – Kanchenjungha
• Bernardo Bertolucci (director) – The Grim Reaper
• Peter Bowles – Live Now, Pay Later
• Jackie Chan – Big and Little Wong Tin Bar
• Julie Christie – Crooks Anonymous
• Michel Colombier (film composer) – The Suitor
• Tom Courtenay – Private Potter
• Charles Durning – The Password Is Courage
• Robert Duvall – To Kill a Mockingbird
• Samantha Eggar – Dr. Crippen
• Sally Field – Moon Pilot
• Paul Gleason – Panic in Year Zero!
• Sid Haig – The Firebrand
• John Hurt – The Wild and the Willing
• Ian McShane – The Wild and the Willing
• Arthur Malet – Convicts 4
• Sarah Miles – Term of Trial
• Sydney Pollack (actor) – War Hunt
• Jack Riley – Days of Wine and Roses
• W. Morgan Sheppard – Strongroom
• Tom Skerritt – War Hunt
• Terence Stamp – Term of Trial
• David Warner – We Joined the Navy
• William Windom – To Kill a Mockingbird

• List of 1962 films at IMDb
• List of 1962 deaths at IMDb
• List of 1962 births at IMDb