Editing 1961 in film

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Year nav topic5|1961|film|television|radio|music}}
{{Yearsinfilm}}<!-- SIDEBAR NAV-BOX -->
The year '''1961 in film''' involved some significant events, with ''[[West Side Story (1961 film)|West Side Story]]'' winning 10 [[Academy Awards]].
<!--
==Events==
Any events? -->

==Top-grossing films (U.S.)==
{{see also|List of 1961 box office number-one films in the United States}}
The top ten 1961 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:
<!-- Note: We only link the studios ONCE-->
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:auto; margin:auto;"
|+ Highest-grossing films of 1961
|-
! Rank!! Title !! Distributor !! Domestic rentals
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 1
|''[[West Side Story (1961 film)|West Side Story]]''
| [[United Artists]]
| $19,645,000<ref>{{cite book |last=Pirie |first=David |date=1981 |title=Anatomy of the Movies |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers (United States)|Macmillan Publishing Co, Inc]] |page=[https://archive.org/details/anatomyofmovies00piri/page/254 254] |isbn=0-02-597540-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/anatomyofmovies00piri/page/254 }}</ref>
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 2
|''[[The Guns of Navarone (film)|The Guns of Navarone]]''
| [[Columbia Pictures|Columbia]]
| $13,000,000<ref name=Finler>{{cite book |last=Finler |first=Joel Waldo |year=2003 |title=The Hollywood Story |publisher=Wallflower Press |isbn=978-1-903364-66-6 |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=rvVhEJmbfrsC&pg=PA358#v=twopage 358–359]}}</ref>
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 3
| ''[[El Cid (film)|El Cid]]''
| [[Monogram Pictures|Allied Artists]]
| $12,000,000<ref name=Finler/>
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 4
|''[[The Parent Trap (1961 film)|The Parent Trap]]''
| rowspan="2"|[[Buena Vista Distribution|Buena Vista]]
| $9,300,000<ref name=Variety64>"All-time top film grossers", ''Variety'' 8 January 1964 p 37.</ref>
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 5
| ''[[The Absent-Minded Professor]]''
| $9,000,000<ref name=Variety64/>
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 6
| ''[[King of Kings (1961 film)|King of Kings]]''
| [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]]
| $8,000,000<ref name="Mannix">{{Citation | title = The Eddie Mannix Ledger | publisher = Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study | place = Los Angeles}}.</ref>
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 7
| ''[[Lover Come Back (1961 film)|Lover Come Back]]''
| [[Universal Pictures|Universal]]
| $7,625,000<ref name=AllTime>{{cite news|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title=All-Time Film Rental Champs|date=October 15, 1990|page=M140-M196|first=Lawrence|last=Cohn}}</ref>
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 8
| ''[[One Hundred and One Dalmatians]]''
| Buena Vista
| $6,200,000<ref>{{cite book|last=Gabler|first=Neal|title=Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=41e-Ru0wRkEC|year=2006|publisher=Vintage Books|isbn=978-0679757474|page=586}}</ref>
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 9
| ''[[La Dolce Vita]]''
| [[Cineriz]] / [[Pathé]]
| $6,000,000<ref name=Variety64/>
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 10
| ''[[Come September]]''
| Universal
| $5,772,000<ref name=AllTime/>
|-
|}

==Top-grossing films by country==
The highest-grossing 1961 films from countries outside of North America.

{| class="wikitable"
! Country || Title || Studio || Gross 
|-
| [[Cinema of India|India]]
| ''[[Gunga Jumna]]''
| [[Mehboob Studio]]
| '''$14,610,000'''{{#tag:ref|{{INR}}7 crore<ref name="boi61">{{cite news|url=http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=167&catName=MTk2MQ== |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922021755/http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=167&catName=MTk2MQ== |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-09-22 |title=Box Office 1961 |publisher=[[Box Office India]] |access-date=2011-12-21}}</ref> (US$14.61 million){{#tag:ref|4.79 [[Indian rupee]]s per [[US dollar]] from 1948 to 1966<ref>[http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/rupees-journey-since-independence-down-by-65-times-against-dollar/articleshow/22025032.cms "Rupee's journey since Independence: Down by 65 times against dollar"], ''[[The Economic Times]]'', 24 August 2013</ref>|group=n|name=RupeeUSD}}

|group=n|name=Gunga}}
|-
| [[Cinema of the Soviet Union|Soviet Union]]
| ''[[Striped Trip]]''
| [[Lenfilm]]{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}
| '''$12,720,000'''{{#tag:ref|11.45 million&nbsp;[[Soviet rouble|Rbl]]s (45.8 million tickets sold,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kinanet.livejournal.com/14172.html|title=Отечественные фильмы в советском кинопрокате|first=Sergey|last=Kudryavtsev|author-link=Sergey Kudryavtsev (film critic)}}</ref> average ticket price of 25 [[kopeck]]s),<ref name="moscow">[https://is.muni.cz/el/1421/podzim2015/FAV291/um/Roth-Ey-Moscow_Prime_Time.pdf#page=7 ''Moscow Prime Time: How the Soviet Union Built the Media Empire that Lost the Cultural Cold War'', page 48], [[Cornell University Press]], 2011</ref> 0.9 Rbl per US dollar from 1961 to 1971<ref name="russia">Archive of Bank of Russia http://cbr.ru/currency_base/OldDataFiles/USD.xls</ref>|group=n}}
|}

==Events==
* May 13 – Legendary actor [[Gary Cooper]] dies at the age of 60 in Los Angeles from colon and prostate cancer. Best known for his appearances in classic films such as ''[[Wings (1927 film)|Wings]]'', ''[[Mr. Deeds Goes to Town]]'', ''[[Sergeant York (film)|Sergeant York]]'', ''[[The Pride of the Yankees]]'' and ''[[High Noon (1952 film)|High Noon]]'', Cooper was one of the biggest stars of [[Classical Hollywood cinema|Hollywood's Golden Age]] and won two [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Academy Awards for Best Actor]].
* June 28 – [[Cubby Broccoli]] and [[Harry Saltzman]] sign a multi-picture deal with [[United Artists]] to produce a series of films based on the novels of [[Ian Fleming]] starting with either ''[[Dr. No (novel)|Dr. No]]'' or ''[[Diamonds Are Forever (novel)|Diamonds Are Forever]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Daily Variety]]|date=June 29, 1961|title=Cubby Broccoli, Saltzman Close Deal With UA|page=1}}</ref> The series goes on to become the highest-grossing film series of all time.
* July 17 – [[Trans World Airlines]] screens ''[[Come September]]'' to the press aboard one of its jets to introduce [[in-flight movie]]s.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Daily Variety]]|date=July 17, 1961|title=Screening 'September' Tonite On TWA Jet|page=3}}</ref>
* October 18 – The film version of the musical ''[[West Side Story (1961 film)|West Side Story]]'' is released. Directed by [[Robert Wise]] and [[Jerome Robbins]] and starring [[Natalie Wood]], [[Richard Beymer]], [[Russ Tamblyn]], [[Rita Moreno]] and [[George Chakiris]], it becomes the year's highest-grossing film and goes on to win ten [[Academy Awards]], including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]], [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]] (for Wise and Robbins), [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]] (for Chakiris) and [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] (for Moreno).

==Awards==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;"
|-
! rowspan="2" style="width:20px;"| Category/Organization !! colspan="2" style="width:250px;"| [[19th Golden Globe Awards]]<br>March 5, 1962 !! rowspan="2" style="width:250px;"| [[34th Academy Awards]]<br>April 9, 1962
|-
! width=200| Drama !! style="width:200px;"| Comedy or Musical
|-
| Best Film || '''''[[The Guns of Navarone (film)|The Guns of Navarone]]''''' || '''''[[A Majority of One (film)|A Majority of One]]''''' (Comedy) <br>'''''[[West Side Story (1961 film)|West Side Story]]''''' (Musical) || '''''[[West Side Story (1961 film)|West Side Story]]'''''
|-
| Best Director || colspan="2" | [[Stanley Kramer]]<br>'''''[[Judgment at Nuremberg]]''''' || [[Robert Wise]] and [[Jerome Robbins]]<br>'''''[[West Side Story (1961 film)|West Side Story]]'''''
|-
| Best Actor || [[Maximilian Schell]]<br>'''''[[Judgment at Nuremberg]]''''' || [[Glenn Ford]]<br>'''''[[Pocketful of Miracles]]''''' || [[Maximilian Schell]]<br>'''''[[Judgment at Nuremberg]]'''''
|-
| Best Actress || [[Geraldine Page]]<br>'''''[[Summer and Smoke (film)|Summer and Smoke]]''''' || [[Rosalind Russell]]<br>'''''[[A Majority of One (film)|A Majority of One]]''''' || [[Sophia Loren]]<br>'''''[[Two Women]]'''''
|-
| Best Supporting Actor || colspan="3" | [[George Chakiris]]<br>'''''[[West Side Story (1961 film)|West Side Story]]'''''
|-
| Best Supporting Actress || colspan="3" | [[Rita Moreno]]<br>'''''[[West Side Story (1961 film)|West Side Story]]'''''
|-
| Best Original Score || colspan="2" | [[Dimitri Tiomkin]]<br>'''''[[The Guns of Navarone (film)|The Guns of Navarone]]''''' || [[Henry Mancini]]<br>'''''[[Breakfast at Tiffany's (film)|Breakfast at Tiffany's]]''''' (Drama or Comedy)<br>[[Saul Chaplin]], [[Johnny Green]], [[Sid Ramin]] and [[Irwin Kostal]]<br>'''''[[West Side Story (1961 film)|West Side Story]]''''' (Musical)
|-
| Best Original Song || colspan="2" | "[[Town Without Pity (song)|Town Without Pity]]"<br>'''''[[Town Without Pity]]''''' || "[[Moon River]]"<br>'''''[[Breakfast at Tiffany's (film)|Breakfast at Tiffany's]]'''''
|-
| Best Foreign Language Film || colspan="2" | '''''[[Two Women]]''''' || '''''[[Through a Glass Darkly (film)|Through a Glass Darkly]]'''''
|}

==1961 film releases==
[[List of American films of 1961|United States]] unless stated

===January–March===
*January 1961
**6 January
***''[[The Marriage-Go-Round (film)|The Marriage-Go-Round]]''
**16 January
***''[[The Girl on the Boat (film)|The Girl on the Boat]]''
**21 January
***''[[Pigs and Battleships]]'' ([[Japanese films of 1961|Japan]])
**24 January
***''[[His and Hers (film)|His and Hers]]''
***''[[La Notte]]'' ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]]/[[French films of 1961|France]])
**25 January
***''[[One Hundred and One Dalmatians]]''
**26 January
***''[[The Mark (1961 film)|The Mark]]''
**27 January
***''[[Jhumroo]]'' ([[Bollywood films of 1961|India]])
**28 January
***''[[A Fever in the Blood]]''
***''[[The Human Condition (film series)|A Soldier's Prayer]]'' ([[Japanese films of 1961|Japan]])
*February 1961
**1 February
***''[[The Misfits (1961 film)|The Misfits]]''
**2 February
***''[[Garibaldi (film)|Garibaldi]]'' ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
**9 February
***''[[Girl with a Suitcase]]'' ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
***''[[Mother Joan of the Angels]]'' ([[List of Polish films of the 1960s|Poland]])
***''[[No Love for Johnnie]]''
**10 February
***''[[Cry for Happy]]''
**15 February
***''[[The Coachman (film)|The Coachman]]'' ([[List of South Korean films of 1961|South Korea]])
**16 February
***''[[The Long and the Short and the Tall (film)|The Long and the Short and the Tall]]''
**20 February
***''[[Nude on the Moon]]''
***''[[Reptilicus]]''
**22 February
***''[[The Great Impostor]]''
*March 1961
**1 March
***''[[Posse from Hell]]''
**2 March
***''[[The Rebel (1961 film)|The Rebel]]''
**3 March
***''[[Lola (1961 film)|Lola]]'' ([[French films of 1961|France]])
**10 March
***''[[Five Golden Hours]]'' ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
***''[[Go Naked in the World]]'' ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
**15 March
***''[[The Terror of the Tongs]]''
**16 March
***''[[The Absent-Minded Professor]]''
**20 March
***''[[Blast of Silence]]''
**22 March
***''[[All in a Night's Work (film)|All in a Night's Work]]''
**23 March
***''[[Carry On Regardless]]''
**24 March
***''[[Town Without Pity]]'' (U.S./[[List of German films: 1960s|West Germany]]/[[Cinema of Switzerland|Switzerland]])
***''[[Underworld U.S.A.]]''
**26 March
***''[[The Hoodlum Priest]]''
***''[[Konga (film)|Konga]]''
**27 March
***''[[The Assassin (1961 film)|The Assassin]]'' ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
**29 March
***''[[Gorgo (film)|Gorgo]]''
***''[[Violent Life]]'' ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
**30 March
***''[[One-Eyed Jacks]]''

===April–June===
*April 1961
**2 April
***''[[The Sins of Rachel Cade]]''
**4 April
***''[[The Greengage Summer]]''
***''[[Mr. Topaze]]''
***''[[Two Living, One Dead]]'' ([[British films of 1961|U.K]]./[[Swedish films of the 1960s|Sweden]])
**13 April
***''[[Madison Avenue (film)|Madison Avenue]]''
***''[[Nazrana (1961 film)|Nazrana]]'' ([[Bollywood films of 1961|India]])
**17 April
***''[[Master of the World (1961 film)|Master of the World]]''
**18 April
***''[[Sanctuary (1961 film)|Sanctuary]]''
**19 April
***''[[Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis]]'' ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
***''[[Please, Not Now!]]'' ([[French films of 1961|France]])
**24 April
***''[[The Secret Ways]]''
**25 April
***''[[Yojimbo]]'' ([[Japanese films of 1961|Japan]])
**27 April
***''[[The Guns of Navarone (film)|The Guns of Navarone]]''
*May 1961
**2 May
***''[[The Beast of Yucca Flats]]''
**3 May
***''[[Atlantis, the Lost Continent]]''
**4 May
***''[[Parrish (film)|Parrish]]''
**5 May
***''[[Return to Peyton Place (film)|Return to Peyton Place]]''
***''[[Teen Kanya]]'' ([[Bollywood films of 1961|India]])
**12 May
***''[[Mad Dog Coll (1961 film)|Mad Dog Coll]]''
**14 May
***''[[Angel Baby (1961 film)|Angel Baby]]''
***''[[Goliath Against the Giants]]'' ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
***''[[Viridiana]]'' ([[Mexican films of 1961|Mexico]]/[[Spanish films of 1961|Spain]])
**17 May
***''[[The Long Absence]]'' ([[French films of 1961|France]])
***''[[Professor Mamlock (1961 film)|Professor Mamlock]]'' ([[German films of 1961|East Germany]])
***''[[The Right Approach]]''
**21 May
***''[[A Bomb Was Stolen]]'' ([[List of Romanian films#1960s|Romania]])
**24 May
***''[[The Young Savages]]''
**26 May
***''[[Snow White and the Three Stooges]]''
**27 May
***''[[The Last Time I Saw Archie]]''
**29 May
***''[[A Raisin in the Sun (1961 film)|A Raisin in the Sun]]''
*June 1961
**1 June
***''[[The Pleasure of His Company]]''
**2 June
***''[[Gidget Goes Hawaiian]]''
**5 June
***''[[Taste of Fear]]''
**6 June
***''[[The Deadly Companions]]''
**7 June
***''[[The Curse of the Werewolf]]''
***''[[Scarlet Sails (film)|Scarlet Sails]]''
**8 June
***''[[The Last Sunset (film)|The Last Sunset]]''
***''[[Romanoff and Juliet (1961 film)|Romanoff and Juliet]]''
***''[[Wild in the Country]]''
**11 June
***''[[The Big Bankroll]]''
**13 June
***''[[The Lovemakers (film)|The Lovemakers]]'' ([[French films of 1961|France]])
**16 June
***''[[The Colossus of Rhodes (film)|The Colossus of Rhodes]]'' ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
**21 June
***''[[The Parent Trap (1961 film)|The Parent Trap]]''
***''[[Two Loves]]''
**22 June
***''[[Antigone (1961 film)|Antigone]]'' ([[Greek films of the 1960s|Greece]])
***''[[Black Silk]]'' ([[List of Thai films#1060s|Thailand]])
***''[[Flame in the Streets]]''
***''[[Magic Boy (film)|Magic Boy]]''
**25 June
***''[[Last Year at Marienbad]]'' ([[French films of 1961|France]])
**28 June
***''[[Fanny (1961 film)|Fanny]]''
***''[[Homicidal]]''
***''[[The Ladies Man]]''
***''[[The Naked Edge]]''
***''[[Question 7]]'' ([[German films of 1961|West Germany]]/[[American films of 1961|U.S.]])
**29 June
***''[[Goodbye Again (1961 film)|Goodbye Again]]'' ([[French films of 1961|France]]/[[American films of 1961|U.S.]])

===July–September===
*July 1961
**3 July
***''[[The Miracle of Father Malachia]]'' ([[German films of 1961|West Germany]])
**8 July
***''[[The White Snake Enchantress (film)|Panda and the Magic Serpent]]''
**9 July
***''[[Armored Command]]''
**12 July
***''[[Francis of Assisi (film)|Francis of Assisi]]''
***''[[Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea]]''
**13 July
***''[[The Exiles (1961 film)|The Exiles]]''
**14 July
***''[[Alakazam the Great]]''
**16 July
***''[[The Big Gamble (1961 film)|The Big Gamble]]''
**19 July
***''[[By Love Possessed (film)|By Love Possessed]]''
***''[[Invasion of the Neptune Men]]'' ([[Japanese films of 1961|Japan]])
**20 July
***''[[Whistle Down the Wind (film)|Whistle Down the Wind]]''
**26 July
***''[[Tammy Tell Me True]]''
***''[[Two Rode Together]]''
**30 July
***''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'' ([[Japanese films of 1961|Japan]])
**31 July
***''[[And Love Has Vanished]]'' ([[List of Yugoslav films of the 1960s|Yugoslavia]])
*August 1961
**9 August
***''[[Come September]]''
***''[[The Frightened City]]''
**12 August
***''[[The Pit and the Pendulum (1961 film)|The Pit and the Pendulum]]''
**15 August
***''[[Marines, Let's Go]]''
**23 August
***''[[The Fascist (film)|The Fascist]]'' ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
***''[[The Honeymoon Machine]]''
***''[[The Young Doctors (film)|The Young Doctors]]''
**25 August
***''[[Ada (1961 film)|Ada]]''
***''[[Gunga Jumna]]'' ([[Bollywood films of 1961|India]])
**26 August
***''[[The Houseguest and My Mother]]'' ([[List of South Korean films of 1961|South Korea]])
**29 August
***''[[The Black Monocle]]'' ([[French films of 1961|France]])
**30 August
***''[[Victim (1961 film)|Victim]]''
**31 August
***''[[Accattone]]'' ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
*September 1961
**4 September
***''[[Peace to Him Who Enters]]'' ([[Soviet films of 1961|USSR]])
**6 September
***''[[A Woman Is a Woman]]'' ([[French films of 1961|France]])
**8 September
***''[[Harry and the Butler]]'' ([[Danish films of the 1960s|Denmark]])
***''[[Striped Trip]]'' ([[Soviet films of 1961|USSR]])
**15 September
***''[[A Taste of Honey (film)|A Taste of Honey]]''
**16 September
***''[[Immortal Love]]'' ([[Japanese films of 1961|Japan]])
**20 September
***''[[Claudelle Inglish]]''
***''[[Man-Trap]]''
***''[[Nefertiti, Queen of the Nile]]'' ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
**21 September
***''[[The Fabulous Baron Munchausen]]'' ([[Czech films of the 1960s|Czechoslovakia]])
**22 September
***''[[Léon Morin, Priest]]'' ([[French films of 1961|France]])
**25 September
***''[[The Hustler]]''
**26 September
***''[[Murder, She Said]]''
***''[[A Thunder of Drums]]''
**27 September
***''[[Paris Blues]]''
**30 September
***''[[Then Nilavu]]'' ([[Bollywood films of 1961|India]])

===October–December===
*October 1961
**5 October
***''[[Breakfast at Tiffany's (film)|Breakfast at Tiffany's]]''
**8 October
***''[[The Last War (1961 film)|The Last War]]'' ([[Japanese films of 1961|Japan]])
**10 October
***''[[Splendor in the Grass]]''
**11 October
***''[[Back Street (1961 film)|Back Street]]''
***''[[The Explosive Generation]]''
***''[[King of Kings (1961 film)|King of Kings]]''
**16 October
***''[[Through a Glass Darkly (film)|Through a Glass Darkly]]'' ([[List of Swedish films of the 1960s|Sweden]])
**17 October
***''[[Bridge to the Sun]]''
***''[[What a Whopper]]''
**18 October
***''[[The Devil at 4 O'Clock]]''
***''[[Mr. Sardonicus]]''
***''[[West Side Story (1961 film)|West Side Story]]''
**21 October
***''[[Dersu Uzala (1961 film)|Dersu Uzala]]'' ([[Soviet films of 1961|USSR]])
***''[[Il Posto]]'' ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
**23 October
***''[[Johnny Nobody]]''
**26 October
***''[[The Last Judgment (1961 film)|The Last Judgment]]'' ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
**28 October
***''[[The Mask (1961 film)|The Mask]]''
**29 October
***''[[The End of Summer]]'' ([[Japanese films of 1961|Japan]])
*November 1961
**1 November
***''[[The Comancheros (film)|The Comancheros]]''
**2 November
***''[[Bachelor in Paradise (film)|Bachelor in Paradise]]''
**8 November
***''[[Susan Slade]]''
***''[[Too Late Blues]]''
**9 November
***''[[Flower Drum Song (film)|Flower Drum Song]]''
**16 November 
***''[[Hercules in the Haunted World]]'' ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
***''[[Summer and Smoke (film)|Summer and Smoke]]''
**22 November
***''[[Blue Hawaii]]''
***''[[The George Raft Story (film)|The George Raft Story]]''
***''[[Valley of the Dragons (film)|Valley of the Dragons]]''
**23 November
***''[[The Day the Earth Caught Fire]]''
**24 November
***''[[The Innocents (1961 film)|The Innocents]]''
**28 November
***''[[The Errand Boy]]''
*December 1961
**6 December
***''[[El Cid (film)|El Cid]]'' (U.S./[[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
***''[[Tintin and the Golden Fleece]]'' ([[French films of 1961|France]])
**7 December
***''[[Five Minutes to Live]]''
**13 December
***''[[Paris Belongs to Us]]''
***''[[The Young Ones (1961 film)|The Young Ones]]''
**14 December
***''[[Babes in Toyland (1961 film)|Babes in Toyland]]''
***''[[Judgment at Nuremberg]]''
***''[[The Outsider (1961 film)|The Outsider]]''
**15 December
***''[[One, Two, Three]]''
**19 December
***''[[The Children's Hour (film)|The Children's Hour]]''
***''[[A Difficult Life]]'' ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
***''[[Pocketful of Miracles]]''
***''[[When the Trees Were Tall]]'' ([[Soviet films of 1961|USSR]])
**20 December
***''[[Cash on Demand]]''
***''[[Divorce Italian Style]]'' ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
***''[[Everything's Ducky]]''
***''[[Lover Come Back (1961 film)|Lover Come Back]]''
***''[[Mysterious Island (1961 film)|Mysterious Island]]''
***''[[Sail a Crooked Ship]]''
***''[[Something Wild (1961 film)|Something Wild]]''
**22 December
***''[[The Second Time Around (1961 film)|The Second Time Around]]''
***''[[Two Women]]''([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]]/[[German films of 1961|West Germany]])
**23 December
***''[[Barabbas (1961 film)|Barabbas]]'' ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
**27 December
***''[[A Majority of One (film)|A Majority of One]]''
**28 December
***''[[Flight of the Lost Balloon]]''
**30 December
***''[[The Steamroller and the Violin]]'' ([[Soviet films of 1961|USSR]])

==Notable films released in 1961==
[[List of American films of 1961|US]] unless stated

===A===
* ''[[The Absent-Minded Professor]]'', starring [[Fred MacMurray]]
* ''[[Accattone]]'', directed by [[Pier Paolo Pasolini]] – ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
* ''[[Ada (1961 film)|Ada]]'', starring [[Dean Martin]] and [[Susan Hayward]]
* ''[[All in a Night's Work (film)|All in a Night's Work]]'', starring [[Dean Martin]] and [[Shirley MacLaine]]
* ''[[Ana wa Banati|Ana Wa Banati]]'', starring [[Salah Zulfikar]], [[Zaki Rostom]] and [[Fayza Ahmed]] – ([[List of Egyptian films of 1961|Egypt]])
* ''[[And Love Has Vanished]]'' (Dvoje) – ([[List of Yugoslav films of the 1960s|Yugoslavia]])
* ''[[Angel Baby (1961 film)|Angel Baby]]'', starring [[Salome Jens]] and [[Mercedes McCambridge]]
* ''[[Antigone (1961 film)|Antigone]]'', starring [[Irene Papas]] – ([[Greek films of the 1960s|Greece]])
* ''[[Armored Command]]'', starring [[Howard Keel]] and [[Tina Louise]]
* ''[[The Artillery Sergeant Kalen]]'' (Ogniomistrz Kaleń) – ([[List of Polish films of the 1960s|Poland]])
* ''[[The Assassin (1961 film)|The Assassin]]'' (L'Assassino), starring [[Marcello Mastroianni]] – ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
* ''[[Atlantis, the Lost Continent]]'', starring [[John Dall]]

===B===
* ''[[Babes in Toyland (1961 film)|Babes in Toyland]]'', starring [[Ray Bolger]], [[Tommy Sands (entertainer)|Tommy Sands]], [[Annette Funicello]]
* ''[[Bachelor in Paradise (film)|Bachelor in Paradise]]'', starring [[Bob Hope]], [[Lana Turner]], [[Janis Paige]], [[Jim Hutton]], [[Paula Prentiss]]
* ''[[Back Street (1961 film)|Back Street]]'', starring [[Susan Hayward]], [[John Gavin]], [[Vera Miles]]
* ''[[Banditi a Orgosolo|Bandits of Orgosolo]]'' ({{lang|it|Banditi a Orgosolo}}) – ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
* ''[[Barabbas (1961 film)|Barabbas]]'', starring [[Anthony Quinn]], [[Silvana Mangano]] and [[Jack Palance]] – ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
* ''[[The Big Bankroll]]'', aka ''King of the Roaring 20s'', starring [[David Janssen]], [[Mickey Rooney]], [[Diana Dors]]
* ''[[The Big Gamble (1961 film)|The Big Gamble]]'', starring [[Stephen Boyd]]
* ''[[The Black Monocle]]'' (Le monocle noir), directed by [[Georges Lautner]]
* ''[[Black Silk]]'' (Prae Dum) – ([[List of Thai films#1060s|Thailand]])
* ''[[Blast of Silence]]'', directed by and starring [[Allen Baron]]
* ''[[Una Americana en Buenos Aires|The Blonde from Buenos Aires]]'' (Una Americana en Buenos Aires), starring [[Mamie Van Doren]] and [[Jean-Pierre Aumont]] – ([[Argentine films of the 1960s|Argentina]]/[[French films of 1961|France]])
* ''[[Blue Hawaii]]'', starring [[Elvis Presley]] (his biggest box-office success), with [[Joan Blackman]] and [[Angela Lansbury]]
* ''[[Boatmen of Thessaloniki (film)|Boatmen of Thessaloniki]]'' (Солунските Атентатори) – ([[List of Yugoslav films of the 1960s|Yugoslavia]])
* ''[[A Bomb Was Stolen]]'' (S-a furat o bombă) – ([[List of Romanian films#1960s|Romania]])
* ''[[Moonshiners (1961 film)|Moonshiners]]'' (Samogonshchiki) – ([[Soviet films of 1961|USSR]])
* ''[[Breakfast at Tiffany's (film)|Breakfast at Tiffany's]]'', directed by [[Blake Edwards]], starring [[Audrey Hepburn]], [[George Peppard]], [[Patricia Neal]], [[Buddy Ebsen]]
* ''[[Bridge to the Sun]]'', starring [[Carroll Baker]] and [[James Shigeta]] – ([[French films of 1961|France]]/U.S.)
* ''[[By Love Possessed (film)|By Love Possessed]]'', starring [[Lana Turner]], [[Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.]], [[George Hamilton (actor)|George Hamilton]]

===C===
* ''[[Carry On Regardless]]'', starring [[Sid James]], [[Kenneth Connor]] and [[Charles Hawtrey (actor born 1914)|Charles Hawtrey]] – (U.K.)
* ''[[Cash on Demand]]'', starring [[Peter Cushing]] and [[André Morell]] – (U.K.)
* ''[[On The Tiger's Back (1961 film)|On The Tiger's Back]]'' (A cavallod della tigre ), starring [[Nino Manfredi]] – ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
* ''[[The Children's Hour (film)|The Children's Hour]]'', starring [[Audrey Hepburn]], [[Shirley MacLaine]], [[James Garner]] and [[Miriam Hopkins]]
* ''[[Chronicle of Flaming Years]]'' (Povest plamennykh let) – ([[Soviet films of 1961|USSR]])
* ''[[Claudelle Inglish]]'', starring [[Diane McBain]] and [[Arthur Kennedy (actor)|Arthur Kennedy]]
* ''[[The Coachman (film)|The Coachman]]'' (Mabu) – ([[List of South Korean films of 1961|South Korea]])
* ''[[The Colossus of Rhodes (film)|The Colossus of Rhodes]]'', directed by [[Sergio Leone]], starring [[Rory Calhoun]] – ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
* ''[[The Comancheros (film)|The Comancheros]]'', starring [[John Wayne]], [[Stuart Whitman]], [[Lee Marvin]] and [[Ina Balin]]
* ''[[Come September]]'', starring [[Rock Hudson]], Gina Lollobrigida, Sandra Dee and [[Bobby Darin]]
* ''[[The Connection (1961 film)|The Connection]]'', directed by [[Shirley Clarke]]
* ''[[Cry for Happy]]'', starring [[Glenn Ford]], [[Miyoshi Umeki]] and [[Donald O'Connor]]
* ''[[The Curse of the Werewolf]]'', starring [[Clifford Evans (actor)|Clifford Evans]] and [[Oliver Reed]] – (U.K.)

===D===
* ''[[The Day the Earth Caught Fire]]'', starring [[Edward Judd]] – (U.K.)
* ''[[The Deadly Companions]]'', directed by [[Sam Peckinpah]], starring [[Maureen O'Hara]] and [[Brian Keith]]
* ''[[Dersu Uzala (1961 film)|Dersu Uzala]]'' – ([[Soviet films of 1961|USSR]])
* ''[[The Devil at 4 O'Clock]]'', directed by [[Mervyn LeRoy]], starring [[Frank Sinatra]], [[Spencer Tracy]], [[Grégoire Aslan]]
* ''[[A Difficult Life]]'' (Una vita difficile), directed by [[Dino Risi]], starring [[Alberto Sordi]] – ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
* ''[[Divorce Italian Style]]'' (Divorzio all'italiana), directed by [[Pietro Germi]], starring [[Marcello Mastroianni]] – ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
* ''[[Dondi]]'', starring [[David Janssen]]

===E===
* ''[[El Cid (film)|El Cid]]'', directed by [[Anthony Mann]], starring [[Charlton Heston]] and [[Sophia Loren]] – (U.S./[[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
* ''[[The End of Summer]]'' (Kohayagawa-ke no aki), directed by [[Yasujirō Ozu]] – ([[Japanese films of 1961|Japan]])
* ''[[A Morte Comanda o Cangaço|The End of the Cancageiros]]'' (A Morte Comanda o Cangaço) – ([[Brazilian films of the 1960s|Brazil]])
* ''[[The Errand Boy]]'', directed by and starring [[Jerry Lewis]]
* ''[[Everything's Ducky]]'', starring [[Buddy Hackett]]
* ''[[The Exiles (1961 film)|The Exiles]]'' – documentary
* ''[[The Explosive Generation]]'', starring [[William Shatner]] and [[Patty McCormack]]

===F===
* ''[[Fanny (1961 film)|Fanny]]'', starring [[Charles Boyer]] and [[Leslie Caron]]
* ''[[The Fascist (film)|The Fascist]]'' (Il federale), starring [[Ugo Tognazzi]] – ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
* ''[[A Fever in the Blood]]'', starring [[Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.]], [[Angie Dickinson]], [[Don Ameche]] and [[Jack Kelly (actor)|Jack Kelly]]
* ''[[Five Golden Hours]]'', starring [[Robert Wagner]], [[Cyd Charisse]], [[Ernie Kovacs]]
* ''[[Five Minutes to Live]]'', starring [[Johnny Cash]]
* [[Flight of the Lost Balloon]], directed by [[Nathan Juran]] and starring [[Mala Powers]] and [[Marshall Thompson]]
* ''[[Los Inundados|Flooded Out]]'' (Los inundados), directed by [[Fernando Birri]] – ([[List of Argentine films of 1961|Argentina]])
* ''[[Flower Drum Song (film)|Flower Drum Song]]'', starring [[Nancy Kwan]]
* ''[[Francis of Assisi (film)|Francis of Assisi]]'', directed by [[Michael Curtiz]], starring [[Bradford Dillman]] and [[Dolores Hart]]
* ''[[The Frightened City]]'', starring [[Sean Connery]], [[John Gregson]], [[Yvonne Romain]]

===G===
* ''[[Garibaldi (film)|Garibaldi]]'' (Viva l'Italia!), directed by [[Roberto Rossellini]] – ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
* ''[[The George Raft Story (film)|The George Raft Story]]'', starring [[Jayne Mansfield]] and [[Ray Danton]]
* ''[[Gidget Goes Hawaiian]]'', starring [[Deborah Walley]]
* ''[[The Girl on the Boat (film)|The Girl on the Boat]]'', starring [[Norman Wisdom]] – ([[British films of 1961|U.K.]])
* ''[[Girl with a Suitcase]]'' (La Ragazza con la valigia), starring [[Claudia Cardinale]] – ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
* ''[[Go Naked in the World]]'', starring [[Gina Lollobrigida]] and [[Anthony Franciosa]] – ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
* ''[[Goliath Against the Giants]]'' (Goliath contro i giganti), directed by [[Guido Malatesta]] – ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
* ''[[Goodbye Again (1961 film)|Goodbye Again]]'', starring [[Ingrid Bergman]] and [[Yves Montand]] – ([[French films of 1961|France]]/[[American films of 1961|U.S.]])
* ''[[Gorgo (film)|Gorgo]]'', starring [[Bill Travers]] – ([[British films of 1961|U.K.]])
* ''[[The Great Impostor]]'', starring [[Tony Curtis]]
* ''[[The Greengage Summer]]'', starring [[Kenneth More]] and [[Susannah York]] – ([[British films of 1961|U.K.]])
* ''[[Gunga Jumna]]'', starring [[Dilip Kumar]] and [[Vyjayanthimala]] – ([[Bollywood films of 1961|India]])
* ''[[The Guns of Navarone (film)|The Guns of Navarone]]'', directed by [[J. Lee Thompson]], starring [[Gregory Peck]], [[David Niven]] and [[Anthony Quinn]] – ([[British films of 1961|U.K.]])

===H===
* ''[[Harry and the Butler]]'' (Harry og kammertjeneren) – ([[Danish films of the 1960s|Denmark]])
* ''[[Havoc in Heaven]]'' (aka The Monkey King), an animated films – ([[Chinese films of the 1960s|China]])
* ''[[Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis]]'', (Ercole alla conquista di Atlantide), directed by [[Vittorio Cottafavi]] – ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
* ''[[Hercules in the Haunted World]]'' (Ercole al centro della terra), directed by [[Mario Bava]] – ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
* ''[[His and Hers (film)|His and Hers]]'', directed by [[Brian Desmond Hurst]], starring [[Terry-Thomas]] and [[Janette Scott]] – ([[British films of 1961|U.K.]])
* ''[[Hogs and Warships]]'' (Buta to gunkan), directed by [[Shohei Imamura]] – ([[Japanese films of 1961|Japan]])
* ''[[Homicidal]]'', directed by [[William Castle]]
* ''[[The Honeymoon Machine]]'', starring [[Steve McQueen]], [[Brigid Bazlen]], [[Jim Hutton]], [[Paula Prentiss]]
* ''[[The Hoodlum Priest]]'', starring [[Don Murray (actor)|Don Murray]]
* ''[[The Human Condition (film series)|The Human Condition]]'' ({{transliteration|ja|Ningen no jōken}}), directed by [[Masaki Kobayashi]] – (Japan)
* ''[[The Houseguest and My Mother]]'' ({{transliteration|ko|Sarangbang sonnimgwa eomeoni}}) – ([[List of South Korean films of 1961|South Korea]])
* ''[[The Hustler]]'', directed by [[Robert Rossen]], starring [[Paul Newman]], [[Piper Laurie]], [[George C. Scott]], [[Jackie Gleason]]

===I===
* ''[[Immortal Love]]'' (Eien no hito) – ([[Japanese films of 1961|Japan]])
* ''[[The Innocents (1961 film)|The Innocents]]'', starring [[Deborah Kerr]] – (U.K.)

===J===

* ''[[Jhumroo]]'', starring [[Madhubala]] and [[Kishore Kumar]] – ([[India]])
* ''[[Johnny Nobody]]'', directed by and starring [[Nigel Patrick]] – ([[British films of 1961|U.K.]])
* ''[[Judgment at Nuremberg]]'', directed by [[Stanley Kramer]], starring [[Spencer Tracy]], [[Burt Lancaster]], [[Marlene Dietrich]], [[Maximilian Schell]], [[Judy Garland]], [[Montgomery Clift]], [[Richard Widmark]], [[William Shatner]]

===K===
* ''[[King of Kings (1961 film)|King of Kings]]'', directed by [[Nicholas Ray]], starring [[Jeffrey Hunter]], [[Robert Ryan]], [[Siobhán McKenna]], [[Hurd Hatfield]], [[Rita Gam]], [[Rip Torn]]
* ''[[The Knife (1961 film)|The Knife]]'' (Het Mes), directed by [[Fons Rademakers]] – ([[Dutch films of the 1960s|Netherlands]])

===L===
* ''[[The Ladies Man]]'', directed by and starring [[Jerry Lewis]]
* ''[[The Last Judgement (1961 film)|The Last Judgment]]'' (Il Giudizio universale), directed by [[Vittorio De Sica]] – ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
* ''[[The Last Sunset (film)|The Last Sunset]]'', starring [[Rock Hudson]], [[Kirk Douglas]], [[Dorothy Malone]], [[Joseph Cotten]], [[Carol Lynley]]
* ''[[The Last Time I Saw Archie]]'', starring [[Robert Mitchum]] and [[Jack Webb]]
* ''[[The Last War (1961 film)|The Last War]]'' (Sekai Daisensō) – ([[Japanese films of 1961|Japan]])
* ''[[Last Year at Marienbad]]'' (L'Année dernière à Marienbad), directed by [[Alain Resnais]], starring [[Delphine Seyrig]] – [[Golden Lion]] winner – ([[French films of 1961|France]])
* ''[[Léon Morin, Priest]]'' (Léon Morin, prêtre), starring [[Jean-Paul Belmondo]] – ([[French films of 1961|France]])
* ''[[Lola (1961 film)|Lola]]'', directed by [[Jacques Demy]], starring [[Anouk Aimée]] – ([[French films of 1961|France]])
* ''[[The Long Absence]]'' (Une aussi longue absence), directed by [[Henri Colpi]] – ([[French films of 1961|France]])
* ''[[The Long and the Short and the Tall (film)|The Long and the Short and the Tall]]'', starring [[Laurence Harvey]] and [[Richard Harris]] – ([[British films of 1961|U.K.]])
* ''[[Look in Any Window]]'', starring [[Paul Anka]] and [[Ruth Roman]]
* ''[[The Lovemakers (film)|The Lovemakers]]'' (La Viaccia), starring [[Claudia Cardinale]] and [[Jean-Paul Belmondo]] – ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
* ''[[Lover Come Back (1961 film)|Lover Come Back]]'', starring [[Doris Day]] and [[Rock Hudson]]

===M===
* ''[[Mad Dog Coll (1961 film)|Mad Dog Coll]]'', directed by Burt Balaban and starring [[John Davis Chandler]]
* ''[[A Majority of One]]'', starring [[Rosalind Russell]] and [[Alec Guinness]]
* ''[[Man-Trap]]'', starring [[Jeffrey Hunter]], [[David Janssen]] and [[Stella Stevens]]
* ''[[Marines, Let's Go]]'', starring [[Tom Tryon]] and [[David Hedison]]
* ''[[The Mark (1961 film)|The Mark]]'', starring [[Stuart Whitman]] and [[Maria Schell]] – ([[British films of 1961|U.K.]])
* ''[[The Marriage-Go-Round]]'', starring [[James Mason]] and [[Julie Newmar]]
* ''[[The Mask (1961 film)|The Mask]]'', starring [[Paul Stevens (actor)|Paul Stevens]] – ([[List of Canadian films|Canada]])
* ''[[Master of the World (1961 film)|Master of the World]]'', directed by [[William Witney]], starring [[Vincent Price]] and [[Charles Bronson]]
* ''[[The Miracle of Father Malachia]]'' ({{lang|de|Das Wunder des Malachias}}), directed by [[Bernhard Wicki]] – ([[List of German films: 1960s|West Germany]])
* ''[[The Misfits (1961 film)|The Misfits]]'', directed by [[John Huston]], starring [[Marilyn Monroe]], [[Clark Gable]] and [[Montgomery Clift]]
* ''[[Mother Joan of the Angels]]'' (Matka Joanna od Aniołów), directed by [[Jerzy Kawalerowicz]] – ([[List of Polish films of the 1960s|Poland]])
* ''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'', directed by [[Ishirō Honda]] – (Japan)
* ''[[Mr. Sardonicus]]'', directed by [[William Castle]]
* ''[[Mr. Topaze]]'' (a.k.a. I Like Money), directed by and starring [[Peter Sellers]] – ([[British films of 1961|U.K.]])
* ''[[Murder, She Said]]'', directed by [[George Pollock (director)|George Pollock]] and starring [[Margaret Rutherford]] – ([[British films of 1961|U.K.]])
*''[[Mysterious Island (1961 film)|Mysterious Island]]'', starring [[Michael Craig (actor)|Michael Craig]], [[Michael Callan]] and [[Joan Greenwood]]

===N===
* ''[[The Naked Edge]]'', starring [[Gary Cooper]] (in his final film) and [[Deborah Kerr]]
* ''[[Nazrana (1961 film)|Nazrana]]'' (Gift), starring [[Raj Kapoor]] and [[Vyjayanthimala]] – ([[Bollywood films of 1961|India]])
* ''Nefertiti, Queen of the Nile'' (Nefertiti, regina del Nilo), starring [[Jeanne Crain]] and [[Vincent Price]] – ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
* ''[[No Love for Johnnie]]'', starring [[Peter Finch]] – (U.K.)
* ''[[La Notte]]'' (The Night), directed by [[Michelangelo Antonioni]], starring [[Marcello Mastroianni]] and [[Jeanne Moreau]] – Golden Bear winner – ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]]/[[French films of 1961|France]])
* ''[[Nude on the Moon]]'', directed by [[Doris Wishman]]

===O===
* ''[[One-Eyed Jacks]]'', directed by and starring [[Marlon Brando]], with [[Karl Malden]], [[Katy Jurado]], [[Ben Johnson (actor)|Ben Johnson]]
* ''[[One Hundred and One Dalmatians]]'', featuring the voices of [[Rod Taylor]] and [[Betty Lou Gerson]]
* ''[[One, Two, Three]]'', directed by [[Billy Wilder]], starring [[James Cagney]], [[Horst Buchholz]], [[Pamela Tiffin]], [[Arlene Francis]]
* ''[[The Outsider (1961 film)|The Outsider]]'', a biography starring [[Tony Curtis]] as World War II Marine [[Ira Hayes]]

===P===
* ''[[The Parent Trap (1961 film)|The Parent Trap]]'', starring [[Hayley Mills]], [[Maureen O'Hara]] and [[Brian Keith]]
* ''[[Paris Belongs to Us]]'' (Paris nous appartient), directed by [[Jacques Rivette]] – ([[French films of 1961|France]])
* ''[[Paris Blues]]'', starring [[Sidney Poitier]], [[Paul Newman]], [[Joanne Woodward]] and [[Diahann Carroll]]
* ''[[Parrish (film)|Parrish]]'', starring [[Troy Donahue]], [[Connie Stevens]], [[Claudette Colbert]]
* ''[[Peace to Him Who Enters]]'' (Mir vkhodyashchemu) – ([[Soviet films of 1961|USSR]])
* ''[[Pigs and Battleships]]'' (Buta to gunkan), directed by [[Shohei Imamura]] – ([[Japanese films of 1961|Japan]])
* ''[[The Pit and the Pendulum (1961 film)|The Pit and the Pendulum]]'', starring [[Vincent Price]]
* ''[[Plácido (film)|Plácido]]'', directed by [[Luis García Berlanga]] – ([[Spanish films of 1961|Spain]])
* ''[[Please, Not Now!]]'' (La bride sur le cou), starring [[Brigitte Bardot]] – ([[French films of 1961|France]])
* ''[[The Pleasure of His Company]]'', starring [[Fred Astaire]] and [[Debbie Reynolds]]
* ''[[Pocketful of Miracles]]'', final film of director [[Frank Capra]], starring [[Bette Davis]], [[Glenn Ford]], [[Hope Lange]] and [[Arthur O'Connell]]
* ''[[Portrait of a Mobster]]'', starring [[Vic Morrow]]
* ''[[Posse from Hell]]'', directed by Herbert Coleman, starring [[Audie Murphy]] and [[John Saxon]]
* ''[[Il Posto|Il posto]]'', directed by [[Ermanno Olmi]] – ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
*''[[Professor Mamlock (1961 film)|Professor Mamlock]]'', directed by Konrad Wolf – ([[List of East German films#1960s|East Germany]])

===Q===
* ''[[Question 7]]'', directed by [[Stuart Rosenberg]] – (U.S./[[List of German films of the 1960s|West Germany]])

===R===
* ''[[A Raisin in the Sun (1961 film)|A Raisin in the Sun]]'', starring [[Sidney Poitier]] and [[Ruby Dee]]
* ''[[The Rebel (1961 film)|The Rebel]]'', starring [[Tony Hancock]] – (U.K.)
* ''[[Return to Peyton Place (film)|Return to Peyton Place]]'', directed by [[José Ferrer]], starring [[Carol Lynley]], [[Tuesday Weld]] and [[Eleanor Parker]]
* ''[[The Right Approach]]'', starring [[Martha Hyer]], [[Frankie Vaughan]] and [[Juliet Prowse]]
* ''[[Romanoff and Juliet (1961 film)|Romanoff and Juliet]]'', starring [[Peter Ustinov]] and [[Sandra Dee]]
* ''[[The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone]]'', starring [[Vivien Leigh]] and [[Warren Beatty]] – (U.K.)

===S===
* ''[[Sail a Crooked Ship]]'', starring [[Ernie Kovacs]], [[Robert Wagner]], [[Dolores Hart]] and [[Frank Gorshin]]
* ''[[Sanctuary (1961 film)|Sanctuary]]'', starring [[Lee Remick]] and [[Yves Montand]]
* ''[[Scarlet Sails (film)|Scarlet Sails]]'' (Алые Паруса), directed by [[Alexandr Ptushko]] – ([[Soviet films of 1961|USSR]])
* ''[[The Second Time Around (1961 film)|The Second Time Around]]'', starring [[Debbie Reynolds]], [[Andy Griffith]] and [[Juliet Prowse]]
* ''[[The Secret Ways]]'', starring [[Richard Widmark]]
* ''[[Seetarama Kalyanam]]'', directed by and starring [[N. T. Rama Rao]] – ([[Telugu films of 1961|India]])
* ''[[Sennin Buraku (film)|Sennin Buraku]]'' (Hermit Village) – ([[Japanese films of 1961|Japan]])
* ''[[The Sins of Rachel Cade]]'', starring [[Angie Dickinson]]
* ''[[A Soldier's Prayer]]'' (Ningen no jôken), directed by [[Masaki Kobayashi]] – (Japan)
* ''[[Something Wild (1961 film)|Something Wild]]'', starring [[Carroll Baker]] and [[Ralph Meeker]]
* ''[[A Song About the Gray Pigeon]]'' (Piesen o sivém holubovi), directed by Stanislav Barabáš – ([[Czech films of the 1960s|Czechoslovakia]])
* ''[[Splendor in the Grass]]'', starring [[Natalie Wood]] and [[Warren Beatty]]
* ''[[Spotlight on a Murderer]]'' (Pleins feux sur l'assassin), directed by [[Georges Franju]] – ([[French films of 1961|France]])
* ''[[The Steamroller and the Violin]]'' (Katok i skripka), directed by [[Andrei Tarkovsky]] – (USSR)
* ''[[A Storm of Love]]'', starring [[Salah Zulfikar]] and [[Nahed Sherif]] – ([[List of Egyptian films of 1961|Egypt]])
* ''[[Summer and Smoke (film)|Summer and Smoke]]'', starring [[Geraldine Page]] and [[Laurence Harvey]]
* ''[[Susan Slade]]'', starring [[Troy Donahue]] and [[Connie Stevens]]

===T===
* ''[[Tammy Tell Me True]]'', starring [[Sandra Dee]]
* ''[[Taste of Fear]]'', starring [[Susan Strasberg]] – ([[British films of 1961|U.K]].)
* ''[[Taxi for Tobruk]]'' (Un taxi pour Tobrouk), directed by [[Denys de La Patellière]] – ([[French films of 1961|France]])
* ''[[Then Nilavu]]'' (Honeymoon), starring [[Gemini Ganesan]] and [[Vyjayanthimala]] – ([[Tamil films of 1961|India]])
* ''[[A Taste of Honey (film)|A Taste of Honey]]'', directed by [[Tony Richardson]], starring [[Rita Tushingham]] – ([[British films of 1961|U.K]].)
* ''[[El Hub Keda|That's What Love Is]]'', directed by [[Mahmoud Zulfikar]], starring [[Salah Zulfikar]], [[Sabah (singer)|Sabah]] – ([[List of Egyptian films of 1961|Egypt]])
* ''[[The Terror of the Tongs]]'', starring [[Geoffrey Toone]], [[Christopher Lee]] and [[Yvonne Monlaur]] – ([[British films of 1961|U.K]].)
* ''[[Three Daughters]]'' (Teen Kanya), directed by [[Satyajit Ray]] – ([[Bengali films of the 1960s|India]])
* ''[[Through a Glass Darkly (film)|Through a Glass Darkly]]'' (Såsom i en spegel), directed by [[Ingmar Bergman]] – ([[Swedish films of the 1960s|Sweden]])
* ''[[A Thunder of Drums]]'', starring [[Richard Boone]], [[George Hamilton (actor)|George Hamilton]] and [[Luana Patten]]
* ''[[Tintin and the Golden Fleece]]'' (Tintin et le mystère de la toison d'or), directed by [[Jean-Jacques Vierne]] – ([[French films of 1961|France]])
* ''[[Too Late Blues]]'', starring [[Bobby Darin]]
* ''[[Town Without Pity]]'' (Stadt ohne Mitleid), directed by [[Gottfried Reinhardt]] and starring [[Kirk Douglas]] – (U.S./[[List of German films: 1960s|West Germany]]/[[Cinema of Switzerland|Switzerland]])
* ''[[Two Living, One Dead]]'', directed by [[Anthony Asquith]], starring [[Patrick McGoohan]] – ([[British films of 1961|U.K]]./Sweden)
* ''[[Two Loves]]'', starring [[Shirley MacLaine]]
* ''[[Two Rode Together]]'', starring [[James Stewart]] and [[Richard Widmark]]

===U===
* ''[[Underworld U.S.A.]]'', directed by [[Samuel Fuller]], starring [[Cliff Robertson]]

===V===
*''[[Valley of the Dragons (1961 film)|Valley of the Dragons]]''
* ''[[Victim (1961 film)|Victim]]'', directed by [[Basil Dearden]], starring [[Dirk Bogarde]] and [[Sylvia Syms]] – (U.K.)
* ''[[Violent Life]]'' (Una vita violenta) – ([[Italian films of 1961|Italy]])
* ''[[Viridiana]]'', directed by [[Luis Buñuel]] – [[Palme d'Or]] winner – ([[Mexican films of 1961|Mexico]]/[[Spanish films of 1961|Spain]])
* ''[[Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea]]'', starring [[Walter Pidgeon]], [[Joan Fontaine]], [[Robert Sterling]], [[Peter Lorre]], [[Barbara Eden]]

===W===
* ''[[We Were Young (film)|We Were Young]]'' (A byahme mladi) – ([[Bulgarian films of the 1960s|Bulgaria]])
* ''[[West Side Story (1961 film)|West Side Story]]'', starring [[Natalie Wood]], [[Richard Beymer]], [[Russ Tamblyn]], [[Rita Moreno]], [[George Chakiris]]
*''[[What A Whopper]]'', directed by [[Gilbert Gunn]], starring [[Adam Faith]], [[Sid James|Sidney James]], [[Carole Lesley]] and [[Terence Longdon]] – (U.K.)
* ''[[When the Trees Were Tall]]'' (Kogda derevya byli bolshimi) – ([[Soviet films of 1961|USSR]])
* ''[[Whistle Down the Wind (film)|Whistle Down the Wind]]'', directed by [[Bryan Forbes]], starring [[Hayley Mills]] and [[Alan Bates]] – (U.K.)
* ''[[Wife Number 13]]'' (Al zouga talattashar) – ([[Egyptian films of the 1960s|Egypt]])
* ''[[Wild in the Country]]'', starring [[Elvis Presley]] with [[Hope Lange]], [[Tuesday Weld]], [[Millie Perkins]]
* ''[[A Woman Is a Woman]]'' (Une Femme est une femme), directed by [[Jean-Luc Godard]], starring [[Jean-Paul Belmondo]] and [[Anna Karina]] – ([[French films of 1961|France]])

===Y===
* ''[[Yojimbo (film)|Yojimbo]]'', directed by [[Akira Kurosawa]], starring [[Toshiro Mifune]] – ([[Japanese films of 1961|Japan]])
* ''[[The Young Doctors (film)|The Young Doctors]]'', starring [[Ben Gazzara]] and [[Dick Clark]]
* ''[[The Young Ones (1961 film)|The Young Ones]]'', starring [[Cliff Richard]] and [[The Shadows]] – (U.K.)
* ''[[The Young Savages]]'', starring [[Burt Lancaster]] and [[Dina Merrill]]

==Short film series==
* ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' ([[1930 in film|1930]]–[[1969 in film|1969]])
* ''[[Terrytoons]]'' ([[1930 in film|1930]]–[[1964 in film|1964]])
* ''[[Merrie Melodies]]'' ([[1931 in film|1931]]–[[1969 in film|1969]])
* ''[[Goofy]]'' ('''1961''')
* ''[[Tom and Jerry]]'' ([[1940 in film|1940]]–[[1967 in film|1967]])
* ''[[Noveltoons]]'' ([[1943 in film|1943]]–[[1967 in film|1967]])
* ''[[Loopy De Loop]]'' ([[1959 in film|1959]]–[[1965 in film|1965]])
* ''[[The Alvin Show]]'' (1961–[[1962 in film|1962]])

==Births==
* January 2
**[[Neil Dudgeon]], English actor
**[[Todd Haynes]], American director
**[[Paula Hamilton]], English model and actress
* January 4 - [[Graham McTavish]], Scottish actor
* January 9 - [[Candi Milo]], American actress, voice actress and singer
* January 10
**[[Evan Handler]], American actor
**[[Mark Venturini]], American actor (died 1996)
* January 12 - [[Simon Russell Beale]], English actor
* January 13 - [[Julia Louis-Dreyfus]], American actress
* January 17 - [[Brian Helgeland]], American screenwriter, producer and directoe
* January 18 - [[Bob Peterson (filmmaker)|Bob Peterson]], American animator, director, screenwriter and voice actor 
*January 20 - [[Janey Godley]], Scottish comedian and actress (died 2024)
* January 24 – [[Nastassja Kinski]], German actress
* January 25 - [[Roger Yuan]], American martial artist, stunt coordinator/performer and actor
* February 5 - [[Tim Meadows]], American actor and comedian
* February 11 – [[Carey Lowell]], American actress
* February 13 - [[Henry Rollins]], American singer, writer, actor, comedian and presenter
* February 20 - [[Imogen Stubbs]], English actress and writer
* February 21
**[[Christopher Atkins]], American actor
**[[Martha Hackett]], American actress
* February 23 - [[David Warshofsky]], American actor
* February 24
**[[Kasi Lemmons]], American director, screenwriter and actress
**[[Emilio Rivera]], American actor and stand-up comedian
* February 28
**[[Rae Dawn Chong]], Canadian-American actress
**[[Mark Ferguson (actor)|Mark Ferguson]], Australian actor
* March 4 – [[Steven Weber]], American actor
* March 8 – [[Camryn Manheim]], American actress
* March 11
**[[Elias Koteas]], Canadian actor
**[[Greg Kramer]], British-Canadian actor and director (died 2013)
* March 17
**[[Dana Reeve]], American actress and singer (died 2006)
**[[Casey Siemaszko]], American actor
* March 21 – [[Kassie DePaiva]], American actress and singer
* March 25
**[[John Stockwell (actor)|John Stockwell]], American actor, director, producer and writer
**[[Aron Warner]], American producer and voice actor
* March 29 - [[Amy Sedaris]], American actress, comedian and writer
* March 31 - [[Gary Winick]], American filmmaker (died 2011)
* April 2 - [[Christopher Meloni]], American actor
* April 3 – [[Eddie Murphy]], American actor and comedian
* April 5 - [[Lisa Zane]], American actress and singer
* April 6 – [[Gene Eugene]], Canadian actor, lead singer of [[Adam Again]] (died 2000)
* April 10 - [[Lorraine Ashbourne]], English actress
* April 12 - [[Magda Szubanski]], Australian comedy actress
* April 14 – [[Robert Carlyle]], Scottish actor
* April 18
**[[Jane Leeves]], English actress
**[[Joe Whyte]], American actor
* April 20 - [[Mike Pniewski]], American actor
* April 21
**[[Cathy Cavadini]], American voice actress
**[[Kate Vernon]], Canadian-born American actress
* April 23 
**[[Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson]], Icelandic actor
**[[George Lopez]], American comedian and actor
* May 2 - [[Beeban Kidron]], British filmmaker
* May 5 - LeAnn Vaylen, American actress and singer
* May 6
**[[George Clooney]] American actor, writer, director and producer
**[[Wally Wingert]], American actor, voice actor, singer and former radio personality
* May 8 – [[David Winning]], Canadian-American director, producer and screenwriter
* May 9 - [[John Corbett]], American actor and singer
* May 12 - [[Lar Park Lincoln]], American actress (died 2025)
* May 13 - [[Siobhan Fallon Hogan]], American actress and comedian
* May 14 – [[Tim Roth]], English actor
* May 16 - [[Kevin McDonald]], Canadian actor, voice actor and comedian
* May 17 - [[Corey Johnson (actor)|Corey Johnson]], American character actor
* May 20 - [[Owen Teale]], Welsh character actor
* May 21 - [[Brent Briscoe]], American character actor and screenwriter (died 2017)
* May 22 - [[Ann Cusack]], American actress and singer
* May 23 - [[Karen Duffy]], American writer, television personality and actress
* May 26 - [[Tarsem Singh]], Indian director
* May 30 – [[Harry Enfield]], English actor, comedian, writer and director.
* May 31 – [[Lea Thompson]], American actress
* June 2: [[Liam Cunningham]], Irish actor
* June 4: [[Julie White]], American actress
* June 5: [[Mary Kay Bergman]], American voice actress and voice-over teacher (died 1999)
* June 9
**[[Michael J. Fox]], Canadian actor
**[[Aaron Sorkin]], American screenwriter, actor, writer, producer and director
* June 13 - [[Bruce Thomas (actor)|Bruce Thomas]], American actor
* June 15 - [[Jim Hanks]], American actor and filmmaker
* June 24 - [[Iain Glen]], Scottish actor
* June 25
**[[Timur Bekmambetov]], Russian-Kazakh director, producer and screenwriter
**[[Ricky Gervais]], English comedian, actor, writer, producer and director
* June 27
**[[Meera Syal]], English comedian, writer, singer and actress
**[[Tim Whitnall]], English playwright, screenwriter and actor
* July 9 – [[Raymond Cruz]], American actor
* July 10 - [[Ian Mercer]], English actor
* July 12 - [[Caroline Bliss]], English actress
* July 14 – [[Jackie Earle Haley]], American actor
* July 15
**[[Lolita Davidovich]], Canadian actress
**[[Forest Whitaker]], American actor
* July 17 - [[Anthony Lee (actor)|Anthony Lee]], American actor (died 2000)
* July 18 – [[Elizabeth McGovern]], American actress
* July 19 - [[Campbell Scott]], American actor, producer and director
* July 21 - [[Kym Whitley]], American comedian and actress
* July 23 – [[Woody Harrelson]], American actor
* July 28 - [[Debi Sue Voorhees]], American actress
* July 30 – [[Laurence Fishburne]], American actor
* August 3 - [[Molly Hagan]], American actress
* August 4 - [[Lauren Tom]], American actress
* August 5
**[[Tawny Kitaen]], American actress and model (died 2021)
**[[Janet McTeer]], English actress
* August 7 - [[Maggie Wheeler]], American actress
* August 14
**[[John Hillcoat]], Australian director and screenwriter
**[[Susan Olsen]], American actress and radio host
* August 16
**[[Elpidia Carrillo]], Mexican actress and director
**[[Noam Murro]], Israeli director and producer
* August 18 - [[Glenn Plummer]], American actor
* August 19 - [[Tony Longo]], American actor (died 2015)
* August 20 - [[Joe Pasquale]], English comedian, actor and television personality
* August 21 
**[[Eric Darnell]], American animator, storyboard artist, director, writer and voice actor
**[[Stephen Hillenburg]], American animator, writer, producer, director, marine science educator and creator of ''[[SpongeBob SquarePants]]'' (died 2018)
* August 22 - [[Stephen Stanton]], American actor, voice actor, comedian and visual effects artist
* August 23 - [[Michael "Bear" Taliferro]], American actor, sportsman and singer (died 2006)
* August 24 - [[Jared Harris]], British actor
* August 25
**[[Ally Walker]], American actress
**[[Joanne Whalley]], English actress
* August 27 - [[Tim Johnson (film director)|Tim Johnson]], American director and producer
* August 28 – [[Jennifer Coolidge]], American actress
* August 30 - [[Ely Pouget]], American actress
* August 31 - [[Leonard L. Thomas]], American actor
* September 2 - [[Eugenio Derbez]], Mexican actor, comedian and filmmaker
* September 9 - [[Steven Eckholdt]], American actor
* September 11
**[[E. G. Daily]], American actress
**[[Virginia Madsen]], American actress
* September 15
**[[Noel MacNeal]], American actor, director, puppeteer and writer
**[[Colin McFarlane]], English actor
* September 16 - Jen Tolley, American-Canadian actress, voice actress and singer
* September 18 – [[James Gandolfini]], American actor (died 2013)
* September 20
**[[Morwenna Banks]], British comedy actress, writer and producer
**[[James Colby]], American actor (died 2018)
* September 21 - [[Nancy Travis]], American actress
* September 22 – [[Bonnie Hunt]], American actress and comedian
* September 23 - [[Chi McBride]], American actor
* September 25 - [[Heather Locklear]], American actress
* September 28 - [[Gregory Jbara]], American actor and singer
* September 30 - [[Eric Stoltz]], American actor, director and producer
* October 1 - [[Steve Purcell]], American cartoonist, animator, game designer, and voice actor
* October 4 - [[Kazuki Takahashi]], Japanese author and creator of ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'' (died 2022)
* October 8 - [[Shira Piven]], American director, actress and producer
* October 10 - [[Jodi Benson]], American actress, voice actress and singer
* October 16 
** [[Randy Vasquez]], American actor and director
** [[Kim Wayans]], American actress and comedian
* October 17 - [[John Okafor]], Nigerian actor and comedian (died 2024)
* October 26 – [[Dylan McDermott]], American actor
* October 27 - [[Joanna Scanlan]], British actress and screenwriter
* October 31 – [[Peter Jackson]], New Zealand director
* November 1 - [[Lauren-Marie Taylor]], American actress
* November 3 - [[Lee Montgomery]], Canadian actor
* November 4 – [[Ralph Macchio]], American actor
* November 5
**[[Gina Mastrogiacomo]], American actress (died 2001)
**[[Philip Moon (actor)|Philip Moon]], American actor of Asian descent
* November 8 - [[John Costelloe (actor)|John Costelloe]], American actor (died 2008)
* November 14 – [[D. B. Sweeney]], American actor
* November 18 - [[Nick Chinlund]], American actor
* November 19 – [[Meg Ryan]], American actress
* November 22 – [[Mariel Hemingway]], American actress
* November 24 - [[Robin Stille]], American actress (died 1996)
* November 25 - [[Simon Fisher-Becker]], British actor (died 2025)
* November 27
**[[Samantha Bond]], English actress
**[[Rebecca Ferratti]], American model and actress
**[[Steve Oedekerk]], American actor, stand-up comedian, director, editor, producer and screenwriter
**[[Kurt Max Runte]], Canadian actor
* November 28
**[[Alfonso Cuarón]], Mexican director
**[[Martin Clunes]], English actor, comedian, director and television presenter
**[[Neil Mullarkey]], English actor, writer and comedian
* November 29 – [[Tom Sizemore]], American actor (died 2023)
* December 1 - [[Jeremy Northam]], English actor and singer
* December 6 - [[Colin Salmon]], British actor
* December 11 - [[Kimberly Scott]], American actress
* December 16
**[[Shane Black]], American filmmaker and actor
**Gretchen Palmer, American actress
**[[Sam Robards]], American actor
**[[LaChanze]], American actress and singer
**[[Jon Tenney]], American actor
* December 26 - [[John Lynch (actor)|John Lynch]], Irish actor

==Deaths==
* January 13 – [[Blanche Ring]], 89, American singer and actress, ''[[The Yankee Girl]]'', ''[[It's the Old Army Game]]''
* January 14 – [[Barry Fitzgerald]], 72, Irish actor, ''[[Going My Way]]'', ''[[The Quiet Man]]''
* February 2 – [[Anna May Wong]], 56, American actress, ''[[Shanghai Express (film)|Shanghai Express]]'', ''[[The Thief of Bagdad (1924 film)|The Thief of Bagdad]]''
* February 15 – [[Jack Whiting (actor)|Jack Whiting]], 59, American actor, singer and dancer, ''[[Sailing Along]]'', ''[[Give Me a Sailor]]''
* February 17 – [[Nita Naldi]], 66, American actress, ''[[Blood and Sand (1922 film)|Blood and Sand]]'', ''[[Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920 Paramount film)|Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]''
* February 26 – [[Harry Bannister]], 71, American actor, ''[[The Girl of the Golden West (1930 film)|The Girl of the Golden West]]''
* March 6 – [[George Formby]], 56, British actor, entertainer, ''[[It's in the Air (1938 film)|It's in the Air]]'', ''[[Off the Dole]]''
* March 12 – [[Belinda Lee]], 25, British actress, ''[[Long Night in 1943]]'', ''[[The Goddess of Love]]'' (automobile accident)
* March 14 – [[Lies Noor]], 23, Indonesian actress, ''Pulang'' (encephalitis)
* March 29 – [[Fritzi Ridgeway]], 62, American actress, ''[[Ruggles of Red Gap (1923 film)|Ruggles of Red Gap]]'', ''[[This Is Heaven]]''
* April 27 – [[Roy Del Ruth]], 67, American director, ''[[The Maltese Falcon (1931 film)|The Maltese Falcon]]'', ''[[Broadway Melody of 1938]]''
* May 4 – [[Anita Stewart]], 66, American silent-film actress, ''[[The Combat (1916 film)|The Combat]]'', ''[[The Suspect (1916 film)|The Suspect]]''
* May 13 – [[Gary Cooper]], 60, American actor, ''[[High Noon]]'', ''[[Meet John Doe]]'', ''[[The Pride of the Yankees]]'', ''[[Sergeant York (film)|Sergeant York]]''
* May 18 – [[Henry O'Neill]], 69, American actor, ''[[Shadow of the Thin Man]]'', ''[[Anchors Aweigh (film)|Anchors Aweigh]]''
* May 19 – [[Ben Corbett]], 69, American actor, ''[[The Fighting Renegade]]'', ''[[Six-Gun Trail]]''
* May 22 
**[[Edward F. Cline]], 69, American director, ''[[You Can't Cheat an Honest Man]]'', ''[[Never Give a Sucker an Even Break]]''
**[[Joan Davis]], 53, American actress, ''[[Hold That Ghost]]'', ''[[If You Knew Susie (film)|If You Knew Susie]]''
* June 2 – [[George S. Kaufman]], 71, American playwright, ''[[A Night at the Opera (film)|A Night at the Opera]]''
* June 10 – [[Vivienne Osborne]], 64, American actress, ''[[Supernatural (film)|Supernatural]]'', ''[[Luxury Liner (1933 film)|Luxury Liner]]''
* June 14 – [[Eddie Polo]], 86, Austrian-American actor, ''[[The Vanishing Dagger]]''
* June 15 – [[Luther Reed]], 72, American director, ''[[Rio Rita (1929 film)|Rio Rita]]'', ''[[Hit the Deck (1930 film)|Hit the Deck]]''
* June 17 – [[Jeff Chandler (actor)|Jeff Chandler]], 42, American actor, ''[[Broken Arrow (1950 film)|Broken Arrow]]'', ''[[Merrill's Marauders (film)|Merrill's Marauders]]''
* June 27 – [[Paul Guilfoyle (actor, born 1902)|Paul Guilfoyle]], 58, American actor, ''[[Winterset (film)|Winterset]]'', ''[[The Grapes of Wrath (film)|The Grapes of Wrath]]''
* June 30 – [[Lee de Forest]], 87, American inventor of [[Phonofilm]]
* July 4 – [[Franklyn Farnum]], 83, American actor, ''[[The Life of Emile Zola]]'', ''[[The Lost Weekend (film)|The Lost Weekend]]'', ''[[The Greatest Show on Earth (film)|The Greatest Show on Earth]]''
* July 9 – [[Alan Marshal (actor)|Alan Marshal]], 52, Australian actor, ''[[The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (film)|The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes]]'', ''[[House on Haunted Hill]]''
* July 23 – [[Valentine Davies]], 55, American screenwriter and director, ''[[The Glenn Miller Story]]'', ''[[The Benny Goodman Story]]''
* July 28 – [[Harry Gribbon]], 76, American silent comedy actor, ''[[Fatty and Mabel at the San Diego Exposition]]'', ''[[Down on the Farm (1920 film)|Down on the Farm]]'', ''[[A Small Town Idol]]'', ''[[The Cameraman]]''
* August 4 – [[Maurice Tourneur]], 85, French director, ''[[The Last of the Mohicans (1920 American film)|The Last of the Mohicans]]'', ''[[The Poor Little Rich Girl]]''
* August 17 – [[Violet Kemble-Cooper]], 74, British actress, ''[[The Invisible Ray (1936 film)|The Invisible Ray]]'', ''[[David Copperfield (1935 film)|David Copperfield]]''
* August 20 – [[Dorothy Burgess]], 54, American actress, ''[[In Old Arizona]]'', ''[[Black Moon (1934 film)|Black Moon]]''
* August 27 – [[Gail Russell]], 36, American actress, ''[[Angel and the Badman]]'', ''[[Seven Men from Now]]''
* August 30 – [[Charles Coburn]], 84, American actor, ''[[Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953 film)|Gentlemen Prefer Blondes]]'', ''[[The Lady Eve]]''
* September 10 – [[Leo Carrillo]], 81, American actor, ''[[Viva Villa!]]'', ''[[Phantom of the Opera (1943 film)|Phantom of the Opera]]''
* September 20 – [[Andrzej Munk]], 39, Polish director and screenwriter, ''[[Man on the Tracks]]'', ''[[Passenger (1963 film)|Passenger]]''
* September 22 – [[Marion Davies]], 64, American actress, ''[[Show People]]'', ''[[Cain and Mabel]]''
* September 23 
**[[John Eldredge (actor)|John Eldredge]], 57, American actor, ''[[The Woman in Red (1935 film)|The Woman in Red]]'', ''[[His Brother's Wife (1936 film)|His Brother's Wife]]'' 
**[[Billy House]], 72, American actor, ''[[Rogues of Sherwood Forest]]'', ''[[Bedlam (1946 film)|Bedlam]]''
* September 25 – [[Frank Fay (American actor)|Frank Fay]], 69, American actor, ''[[Under a Texas Moon (film)|Under a Texas Moon]]'', ''[[The Matrimonial Bed]]''
* September 26 – [[Juanita Hansen]], 66, American actress, ''[[The Magic Cloak of Oz]]'', ''[[The Phantom Foe]]''
* October 1 – [[Donald Cook (actor)|Donald Cook]], 60, American actor, ''[[The Public Enemy]]'', ''[[Baby Face (film)|Baby Face]]''
* October 11 – [[Chico Marx]], 74, American actor, member of the [[Marx Brothers]], ''[[A Night at the Opera (film)|A Night at the Opera]]'', ''[[Duck Soup (1933 film)|Duck Soup]]''
* October 13
**[[Maya Deren]], 44, American experimental filmmaker, ''[[Meshes of the Afternoon]]'', ''[[At Land]]''
**[[Zoltan Korda]], 66, Hungarian director, ''[[The Four Feathers (1939 film)|The Four Feathers]]'', ''[[Cry, the Beloved Country]]''
* October 18 – [[Tsuru Aoki]], 69, Japanese-born American actress, ''[[The Dragon Painter]]''
* October 22 – [[Joseph Schenck]], 82, Russian-born American pioneer motion picture executive, ''[[The General (1926 film)|The General]]'', ''[[Sherlock Jr.]]''
* October 29 – [[Astrid Holm]], 68, Danish actress, ''[[The Phantom Carriage]]'', ''[[Häxan]]''
* November 15 
**[[Elsie Ferguson]], 78, American actress, ''[[The Witness for the Defense]]'', ''[[Scarlet Pages]]''
**[[Douglas Walton (actor)|Douglas Walton]], 51, Canadian actor, ''[[Bride of Frankenstein]]'', ''[[Murder, My Sweet]]''
* November 18 – [[Eduard Tisse]], 64, Soviet cinematographer, ''[[Battleship Potemkin]]'', ''[[Ivan the Terrible (1944 film)|Ivan the Terrible]]''
* November 24 – [[Ruth Chatterton]], 68, American actress, ''[[Dodsworth (film)|Dodsworth]]'', ''[[Female (1933 film)|Female]]''
* December 20 – [[Moss Hart]]. 57, American playwright, ''[[Gentleman's Agreement]]'', ''[[A Star Is Born (1954 film)|A Star Is Born]]''
* December 27 – [[Bernard McConville]], 74, American screenwriter, ''[[A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1921 film)|A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court]]'', ''[[The Phantom of the Opera (1925 film)|The Phantom of the Opera]]''

==Film debuts==
*[[Ann-Margret]] – ''[[Pocketful of Miracles]]''
*[[Ed Asner]] – ''[[The Murder Men (film)|The Murder Men]]''
*[[Warren Beatty]] – ''[[Splendor in the Grass]]''
*[[William Berger (actor)|William Berger]] – ''[[Back Street (1961 film)|Back Street]]''
*[[Roscoe Lee Browne]] – ''[[The Connection (1961 film)|The Connection]]''
*[[John Davis Chandler]] – ''[[Mad Dog Coll (1961 film)|Mad Dog Coll]]''
*[[Sonny Chiba]] – ''[[Invasion of the Neptune Men]]''
*[[Leonardo Cimino]] – ''Mad Dog Coll''
*[[Keir Dullea]] – ''[[Hoodlum Priest (film)|Hoodlum Priest]]''
*[[Chad Everett]] – ''[[Claudelle Inglish]]'' 
*[[Mimsy Farmer]] – ''[[Gidget Goes Hawaiian]]''
*[[Louis Gossett Jr.]] – ''[[A Raisin in the Sun (1961 film)|A Raisin in the Sun]]''
*[[Gene Hackman]] – ''Mad Dog Coll''
*[[Lance Henriksen]] – ''[[The Outsider (1961 film)|The Outsider]]''
*[[Sammo Hung]] – ''Ai de jiao yu''
*[[Anna Karina]] – ''[[A Woman Is a Woman]]''
*[[George Kennedy]] – ''[[The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come (1961 film)|The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come]]''
*[[Harvey Korman]] – ''[[Living Venus]]''
*[[Eddy Mitchell]] – ''[[Daniella by Night]]''
*[[Dudley Moore]] – ''[[The Third Alibi]]''
*[[Lance Percival]] – ''[[Three on a Spree]]''
*[[Joe Pesci]] – ''[[Hey, Let's Twist!]]''
*[[Burt Reynolds]] – ''[[Angel Baby (1961 film)|Angel Baby]]''
*[[Doris Roberts]] – ''[[Something Wild (1961 film)|Something Wild]]''
*[[Aldo Sambrell]] – ''[[King of Kings (1961 film)|King of Kings]]''
*[[Stefania Sandrelli]] – ''Gioventù di notte''
*[[Telly Savalas]] – ''Mad Dog Coll''
*[[George Segal]] – ''[[The Young Doctors (film)|The Young Doctors]]''
*[[Rita Tushingham]] – ''[[A Taste of Honey (film)|A Taste of Honey]]''
*[[Oleg Vidov]] – ''[[My Friend, Kolka!]]''

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=n}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?title_type=feature,short&release_date=1961-01-01,1961-12-31&adult=include&sort=num_votes,desc List of 1961 films] at [[IMDb]]
*[https://www.imdb.com/search/name/?death_date=1961-01-01,1961-12-31&adult=include List of 1961 deaths] at [[IMDb]]
* [https://www.imdb.com/search/name/?birth_date=1961-01-01,1961-12-31&adult=include List of 1961 births] at [[IMDb]]

{{1961 films}}

[[Category:1961 in film| ]]
[[Category:Film by year]]