1946 in film

The year 1946 in film involved some significant events, with The Best Years of Our Lives winning seven Academy Awards.

Top-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten 1946 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Events

• February 14 - Charles Vidor's Gilda starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford shows audiences one of the most famous scenes of the 20th century: Rita Hayworth singing "Put The Blame On Mame".
• April 22 - The Allies in Japan begin burning the prints of Japanese films banned for non-democratic or "feudal" content.
• November 21 – William Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives premieres in New York featuring an ensemble cast including Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, and Harold Russell.
• December 20 – Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, featuring James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Henry Travers, and Thomas Mitchell opens in New York.

Awards

Notable films released in 1946

United States unless stated

A

• Angel on My Shoulder
• Anna and the King of Siam, starring Irene Dunne, Rex Harrison and Linda Darnell
• Aru yo no Tonosama

B

• Bad Bascomb, starring Wallace Beery, Margaret O'Brien and Marjorie Main
• The Bandit of Sherwood Forest, starring Cornel Wilde
• The Beast with Five Fingers, starring Robert Alda and Peter Lorre
• Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bête), directed by Jean Cocteau, starring Jean Marais and Josette Day
• The Best Years of Our Lives, directed by William Wyler, starring Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews and Harold Russell – winner of 8 Oscars
• Beware, directed by Bud Pollard, starring Louis Jordan
• The Big Sleep, directed by Howard Hawks, starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall
• Black Beauty, starring Mona Freeman and Richard Denning
• The Blue Dahlia, starring Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake
• Blue Skies, starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire
• Boom in the Moon, starring Buster Keaton
• A Boy and His Dog, starring Harry Davenport

C

• The Captive Heart, the first Prisoner of War film from World War II
• Canyon Passage, starring Dana Andrews
• Centennial Summer
• The Chase
• Children of Paradise (U.S. release)
• Cloak and Dagger
• Cluny Brown, starring Charles Boyer and Jennifer Jones

D

• The Dark Corner, starring Lucille Ball and Mark Stevens
• The Dark Mirror, starring Olivia de Havilland
• Deception
• Decoy, a film noir starring Jean Gillie
• Devotion
• The Diary of a Chambermaid
• Dragonwyck, starring Gene Tierney
• Dressed to Kill, a Sherlock Holmes mystery directed by Roy William Neill, starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes, and Nigel Bruce as Watson (released in U.K. as Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Code)
• Duel in the Sun, starring Jennifer Jones, Gregory Peck, Joseph Cotten and Lillian Gish

G

• Gallant Journey, directed by William A. Wellman
• Gilda, starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford
• Great Expectations, directed by David Lean, starring John Mills, Jean Simmons and Valerie Hobson
• Green for Danger, starring Alastair Sim and Trevor Howard
• The Green Years

H

• The Harvey Girls, directed by George Sidney, starring Judy Garland and John Hodiak
• Henry V (U.S. release)
• Humoresque, starring Joan Crawford and John Garfield

I

• I See a Dark Stranger
• It's a Wonderful Life, directed by Frank Capra, starring James Stewart, Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore
• Ivan the Terrible

J

• The Jolson Story, a biopic of Al Jolson starring Larry Parks

K

• The Kid from Brooklyn
• The Killers, directed by Robert Siodmak, starring Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner

L

• Let There Be Light, documentary directed by John Huston
• Little Giant, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello

M

• Make Mine Music
• Magnificent Doll, starring Ginger Rogers and David Niven
• A Matter of Life and Death, written and directed by Powell and Pressburger, starring David Niven
• Monsieur Beaucaire, starring Bob Hope
• The Murderers Are Among Us (Die Mörder sind unter uns), starring Hildegard Knef
• My Darling Clementine, directed by John Ford, starring Henry Fonda and Linda Darnell

N

• Night and Day
• A Night in Casablanca with the Marx Brothers
• No Regrets for Our Youth (Waga seishun ni kuinashi)
• Nobody Lives Forever
• Notorious, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman

O

• The Outlaw (re-release)
• The Overlanders

P

• Paisan, directed by Roberto Rossellini (Italy)
• Patrie, directed by Louis Daquin (France)
• People Are Funny, starring Jack Haley
• The Postman Always Rings Twice, starring Lana Turner and John Garfield

R

• The Razor's Edge, starring Tyrone Power and Gene Tierney
• Renegade Girl, starring Ann Savage
• The Return of Monte Cristo, starring Louis Hayward
• Road to Utopia, starring Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour and Bob Hope

S

• The Seventh Veil (U.S. release)
• She-Wolf of London. starring June Lockhart
• Shoeshine (Sciuscià), directed by Vittorio De Sica
• Shock, directed by Alfred L. Werker, starring Vincent Price and Lynn Bari
• Sister Kenny, starring Rosalind Russell
• Somewhere In The Night, starring John Hodiak
• Song of the South by Walt Disney, combines animation and live action.
• The Spiral Staircase, starring Dorothy McGuire
• A Stolen Life, starring Bette Davis
• The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, starring Barbara Stanwyck
• The Strange Woman, starring Hedy Lamarr and George Sanders
• The Stranger, directed by and starring Orson Welles, Loretta Young and Edward G. Robinson

T

• Terror by Night, a Sherlock Holmes mystery directed by Roy William Neill, starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes, and Nigel Bruce as Watson
• Theirs Is the Glory
• Three Strangers
• Three Wise Fools, starring Margaret O'Brien and Lionel Barrymore
• The Time of Their Lives, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello
• To Each His Own, starring Olivia de Havilland
• Tomorrow Is Forever, starring Orson Welles
• Two Sisters from Boston, starring Kathryn Grayson, June Allyson, Lauritz Melchior, Jimmy Durante and Peter Lawford.

U

• Utamaro and His Five Women (Utamaro o meguru gonin no onna)

V

• The Verdict

W

• Wake Up and Dream
• Wanted for Murder
• The Wife of Monte Cristo, directed by Edgar G. Ulmer
• Without Reservations

Y

• The Yearling, starring Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman

Serials

• Daughter of Don Q
• Chick Carter, Detective
• The Crimson Ghost
• Hop Harrigan
• King of the Forest Rangers, starring Larry Thompson
• Lost City of the Jungle
• The Mysterious Mr. M
• The Phantom Rider, starring Robert Kent and Peggy Stewart
• The Scarlet Horseman
• Son of the Guardsman

Short film series

• Shirley Temple (1932–1946)
• The Three Stooges (1934–1959)
• Popular Science (1935–1950)

Animated short film series

• Mickey Mouse (1928–1953)
• Looney Tunes (1930–1969)
• Terrytoons (1930–1964)
• Merrie Melodies (1931–1969)
• Popeye (1933–1957)
• Color Rhapsodies (1934–1949)
• Donald Duck (1936–1956)
• Pluto (1937–1951)
• Andy Panda (1939–1949)
• Goofy (1939–1953)
• Bugs Bunny (1940–1964)
• Tom and Jerry (1940–1958)
• The Fox and the Crow (1941–1950)
• Woody Woodpecker (1941–1949)
• Mighty Mouse (1942–1955)
• Droopy (1943–1958)
• Chip and Dale (1943–1956)
• Screwball Squirrel (1944–1946)
• Yosemite Sam (1945–1963)
• George and Junior (1946–1948)

Births

• January 1 - Rick Hurst, American actor (d. 2025)
• January 5 – Diane Keaton, American actress, producer and director (d. 2025)
• January 6 – Cheng Pei-Pei, Chinese actress (d. 2024)
• January 7 – Arnis LÄ«cÄ«tis, Latvian actor (d. 2022)
• January 16 – Kabir Bedi, Indian actor
• January 19 – Dolly Parton, American country singer and actress
• January 20 – David Lynch, American director (d. 2025)
• January 26
• Christopher Hampton, British director and screenwriter
• Gene Siskel, American film critic and journalist (d. 1999)
• February 2
• Blake Clark, American stand-up comedian, actor and voice actor
• J. E. Freeman, American actor (d. 2014)
• February 4 – Ivano Marescotti, Italian actor (d. 2023)
• February 5 – Charlotte Rampling, English actress
• February 7 – Pete Postlethwaite, English actor (d. 2011)
• February 8 – Alex Diakun, Canadian actor
• February 13 – Joe Estevez, American actor, director and producer
• February 20 – Brenda Blethyn, English actress
• February 21
• Tyne Daly, American actress
• Anthony Daniels, English actor, voice actor and mime artist
• Alan Rickman, English actor (d. 2016)
• March 1 – Lana Wood, American actress and producer
• March 6 – Martin Kove, American actor and martial artist
• March 7
• Dan Grimaldi, American actor
• John Heard, American actor (d. 2017)
• March 9 – Alexandra Bastedo, British actress (d. 2014)
• March 12
• Dean Cundey, American cinematographer and filmmaker
• Liza Minnelli, American singer and actress
• Frank Welker, American actor, voice actor and former stand-up comedian
• March 14 – Steve Kanaly, American actor
• March 21 – Timothy Dalton, British actor
• March 27 – Carl Weintraub, American actor
• March 29 – Paul Herman, American actor (d. 2022)
• April 3 – Nicholas Jones, English character actor
• April 5
• Jane Asher, English actress
• Björn Granath, Swedish actor (d. 2017)
• April 8
• Stuart Pankin, American actor
• Tim Thomerson, American actor and comedian
• April 12 – Ed O'Neill, American actor and comedian
• April 15
• Bob DeSimone, American actor
• Michael Tucci, American actor
• April 18 – Hayley Mills, English actress
• April 19 – Tim Curry, English actor and singer
• April 20 – Haruhiko Yamanouchi, Japanese actor
• April 22 – John Waters, American filmmaker, writer and actor
• April 23 – Blair Brown, American actress
• April 25
• Andrzej Seweryn, Polish actor and director
• Talia Shire, American actress
• April 29 – Wayne Robson, Canadian actor (d. 2011)
• May 1 – Joanna Lumley, British actress
• May 2 – David Suchet, English actor
• May 9 – Candice Bergen, American actress
• May 10 - Maureen Lipman, English actress and comedian
• May 11 – Ago Roo, Estonian actor
• May 13 – Tim Pigott-Smith, English actor (d. 2017)
• May 18 – Andreas Katsulas, American actor (d. 2006)
• May 19 – André the Giant, French professional wrestler and actor (d. 1993)
• May 20 – Cher, American singer and actress
• May 22 – Jack Kehler, American character actor (d. 2022)
• May 23 – Anthony May, English actor (d. 2021)
• June 1 – Brian Cox, Scottish actor
• June 2 - Lasse Hallström, Swedish director
• June 3 – Penelope Wilton, English actress
• June 5 – John Bach, British-born New Zealand actor
• June 8 – Alan Scarfe, British-Canadian actor (d. 2024)
• June 12 – Jack Thibeau, American actor
• June 15
• Angela Down, English actress
• Roy Holder, English actor (d. 2021)
• June 26
• Ricky Jay, American actor and writer (d. 2018)
• Leo Rossi, American actor, writer and producer
• June 28
• Bruce Davison, American actor and director
• Gilda Radner, American comedian and actress (d. 1989)
• July 2 – Ron Silver, American actor (d. 2009)
• July 6 – Sylvester Stallone, American actor and director
• July 9 – Norbert Weisser, German actor
• July 10 – Sue Lyon, American actress (d. 2019)
• July 11 - Beverly Todd, American actress
• July 13 – Cheech Marin, American actor and comedian
• July 14 – Vincent Pastore, American actor
• July 16
• Dave Goelz, American puppeteer and actor
• Richard LeParmentier, American actor (d. 2013)
• July 17 – Alun Armstrong, English actor
• July 18 – Dicken Ashworth, English actor
• July 20 – Randal Kleiser, American director, producer, screenwriter and actor
• July 22 – Danny Glover, American actor and director
• July 27 – Rade Å erbedžija, Croatian actor, director and musician
• August 6 – Peter Simonischek, Austrian actor (d. 2023)
• August 9 – Alain Dorval, French voice actor of Sylvester Stallone, from 1976 to 2024 (d 2024).
• August 14 – Antonio Fargas, American actor
• August 15 - Tony Robinson, English actor
• August 16 – Lesley Ann Warren, American actress and singer
• August 19
• Ti Lung, Hong Kong actor
• Christopher Malcolm, Scottish actor, director and producer (d. 2014)
• August 20 – José Wilker, Brazilian actor (d. 2014)
• August 24 – BP Fallon, Irish actor
• August 26 – Alison Steadman, English actress
• August 29 – Lindy Davies, Australian actress and director
• August 30 – Peggy Lipton, American actress, model and singer (d. 2019)
• September 1 – Susan Backlinie, American actress and stuntwoman (d. 2024)
• September 5 – Dennis Dugan, American director, actor, writer and comedian
• September 13 – Frank Marshall, American producer and director
• September 15
• Tommy Lee Jones, American actor
• Oliver Stone, director and producer
• September 18 – Struan Rodger, British actor
• September 19 – Michael Elphick, English actor (d. 2002)
• September 22 – John Woo, Hong Kong director, producer and screenwriter
• September 25
• Mary Beth Hurt, American actress (d. 2026)
• Drew Snyder, American actor
• September 26 – Togo Igawa, Japanese character actor
• September 28
• Peter Egan, British actor
• Jeffrey Jones, American actor
• October 2 – Dale Soules, American actress
• October 3 - William Hall Jr., American actor (d. 2025)
• October 4 – Susan Sarandon, American actress
• October 6 – John Hostetter, American actor and visual artist (d. 2016)
• October 10
• Charles Dance, English actor
• Ben Vereen, American actor
• October 14 – Katy Manning, British actress
• October 15 – John Getz, American actor
• October 16 – Suzanne Somers, American actress and singer (d. 2023)
• October 22 – Richard McGonagle, American actor
• October 27 – Ivan Reitman, Slovak-born Canadian director and producer (d. 2022)
• October 31 – Stephen Rea, Northern Irish actor
• November 3
• Michael Champion, American singer, musician and actor (d. 2021)
• Tom Savini, American prosthetic makeup artist, actor, stunt performer and director
• November 4 – John Callen, English-born New Zealand actor and director
• November 6 – Sally Field, American actress
• November 7 – John Aylward, American actor (d. 2022)
• November 10 - Alaina Reed Hall, American actress and singer (d. 2009)
• November 16 – Dan Shor, American actor, director and writer
• November 20
• Sullivan Walker, Trinidadian actor (d. 2012)
• Samuel E. Wright, American actor and singer (d. 2021)
• November 21 – Andrew Davis, American director, producer and writer
• November 22 – Paul A. Partain, American actor (d. 2005)
• November 26 – Mark L. Lester, American director, screenwriter and producer
• November 29 - Nathan Jung, American actor and stuntman (d. 2021)
• December 1 – Maggie Steed, English actress and comedian
• December 8
• Frank Pesce, American actor (d. 2022)
• John Rubinstein, American actor, composer and director
• December 14
• Patty Duke, American actress (d. 2016)
• Lynne Marie Stewart, American actress (d. 2025)
• December 16 – Charles Dennis, Canadian actor, director and screenwriter
• December 17
• Jayne Eastwood, Canadian actress and comedian
• Eugene Levy, Canadian actor
• December 18 – Steven Spielberg, American director and producer
• December 19 – Robert Urich, American actor and producer (d. 2002)
• December 20 – John Spencer, American actor (d. 2005)
• December 21 – Josh Mostel, American actor
• December 24 – Daniel Beretta, French voice actor and singer (d. 2024)
• December 25 – Stuart Wilson, English actor
• December 29 – Marianne Faithfull, British actress and singer (d. 2025)
• December 31 – Margaret Travolta, American actress

Deaths

• January 13 – Enid Stamp Taylor, English actress
• February 5 – George Arliss, English actor
• April 1 – Noah Beery Sr., American actor
• June 23 – William S. Hart, American actor
• July 10 - Slim Summerville, American actor and director
• August 8 – Paul Porcasi, Italian actor
• August 10 – Léon Gaumont, French film pioneer
• August 12 – Egon Brecher, Austrian actor, director
• August 13 – H. G. Wells, British science fiction writer
• August 26 – Jeanie MacPherson, American actress and screenwriter
• August 28 – Florence Turner, American actress
• September 21 – Olga Engl, Austrian actress
• October 8 – John St. Polis, American actor
• November 2 – Gabriel Gabrio, French actor
• November 18 – Donald Meek, Scottish-American actor
• December 12 – Renée Jeanne Falconetti, French actress
• December 25 – W. C. Fields, American comedian and actor

Film debuts

• Rodolfo Acosta – Soy un prófugo
• Patricia Barry – Her Kind of Man
• Raymond Burr – Without Reservations
• Eddie Byrne – I See a Dark Stranger
• Hamilton Camp – Bedlam
• Gianna Maria Canale – The Black Eagle
• Paul Carpenter – This Man Is Mine
• Adolfo Celi – A Yank in Rome
• Kirk Douglas – The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
• William Fawcett – Stars Over Texas
• John Hoyt – O.S.S.
• Martha Hyer – The Locket
• Erland Josephson – It Rains on Our Love
• Sam Kydd – The Captive Heart
• Burt Lancaster – The Killers
• Norman Leavitt – The Harvey Girls
• Gina Lollobrigida – The Black Eagle
• Lois Maxwell – A Matter of Life and Death
• Michael Medwin – Piccadilly Incident
• Slim Pickens – Smoky
• Liam Redmond – I See a Dark Stranger
• Enrico Maria Salerno – Unknown Man of San Marino
• Yvonne Sanson – The Black Eagle
• Emil Sitka – One Exciting Week
• José Luis López Vázquez – María Fernanda la Jerezana
• Yves Vincent – Devil and the Angel
• Georges Wilson – Martin Roumagnac

References

External links

• List of 1946 films at IMDb
• List of 1946 deaths at IMDb
• List of 1946 births at IMDb
• Secret History of Cinema: 1946 by Chris Fujiwara and A. S. Hamrah