We love to celebrate the history of cinema here at More Movies and we really enjoy delving in to the rich history of the film industry. Each week, we like to highlight some of the most interesting moments in the world of movies, including milestone releases, births and deaths of the industry’s most notable characters, along with other historic happenings. This week we cover the period between 25th – 31st January.
American actor W. C. Fields, star of early Hollywood films such as It’s a Gift and The Bank Dick, was born in Philadelphia
29th January, 1880
American actor Howard Wendell, known for his roles in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Murder Your Wife, was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania
25th January, 1908
Austrian-born American actor John Banner, known for his roles in 36 Hours and Hitler, was born in Vienna, Austria
28th January, 1910
Irish actor Eddie Byrne, known for his minor role in Star Wars: A New Hope, and films such as Island of Terror and The Mummy, was born in Birmingham, England
31st January, 1911
American actor Carey Loftin, known for his roles in Duel and The French Connection, was born in Blountstown, Florida
31st January, 1914
American actor Vito Scotti, known for his roles in The Godfather, Flying Nun and Barefoot in the Park, was born in San Francisco, California
26th January, 1918
American actor John Forsythe, known for his roles in The Trouble with Harry, Scrooged and Charlie’s Angels, was born in Penns Grove, New Jersey
29th January, 1918
Walt Disney starts work as an artist with KC Slide Co for $40 a week
29th January, 1920
American actress Donna Reed, known for her roles in From Here to Eternity and It’s a Wonderful Life, was born in Denison, Iowa
27th January, 1921
American actress Carol Channing, known for her roles in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Hello Dolly, was born in Seattle, Washington
31st January, 1921
American actor William Sylvester, known for his roles in 2001: A Space Odyssey and Gemini Man, was born in Oakland, California
31st January, 1922
American actor Paul Newman, known for his roles in Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting, was born in Cleveland, Ohio
26th January, 1925
American actor Gene Hackman, known for his roles in Bonnie & Clyde, Under Fire and The French Connection, was born in San Bernardino, California
30th January, 1930
American actor Dean Jones, known for his roles in Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo and The Love Bug, was born in Decatur, Alabama
25th January, 1931
City Lights, American silent romantic comedy film directed by Charlie Chaplin, starring himself and Virginia Cherrill, premieres in the Los Angeles Theatre
30th January, 1931
American actor Alan Alda, known for his roles in M*A*S*H, What Women Want and The Aviator, was born in New York City
28th January, 1936
British actress Vanessa Redgrave, known for her roles in Blow-Up, Julia and Murder on the Orient Express, was born in London, England
30th January, 1937
American actor Tom Selleck, known for his roles in Quigley Down Under, Three Men and a Baby and theMagnum P.I. TV series, was born in Detroit, Michigan
29th January, 1945
American actor David Strathairn, known for his roles in LA Confidential and The Bourne Ultimatum, was born in San Francisco, California
26th January, 1949
American TV talk show host and actress Oprah Winfrey, known for her roles in The Color Purple, The Butler and Selma, was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi
29th January, 1954
American comicbook writer Frank Miller, famous for his work on the Batman, 300 and Sin City comics, and subsequent films, was born in Olney, Maryland
27th January, 1957
American filmmaker Frank Darabont, famous for directing The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, was born in Montbéliard, France
28th January, 1959
Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty was released in the U.S.A.
29th January, 1959
Walt Disney’s animated film 101 Dalmatians, based on the novel by Dodie Smith and directed by Clyde Geronimi and Hamilton Luske, was released in the U.S.A.
25th January, 1961
The Misfits premieres in New York City, the final movie for both Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe
31st January, 1961
Dr Strangelove, directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Peter Sellers and George C. Scott, premieres in the U.S.A.
29th January, 1964
Scottish actor Alan Cumming, famous for his roles in X2, GoldenEye and Spy Kids, was born in Aberfeldy, Scotland
27th January, 1965
Japanese-American actress Tamlyn Tomita, known for her roles in the Karate Kid Part II and The Day After Tomorrow, was born in Okinawa, Japan
27th January, 1966
M*A*S*H, directed by Robert Altman, starring Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould, was released in the U.S.A.
25th January, 1970
Movie rating system modifies “M” rating to “PG”
27th January, 1970
British actor Malcolm Keen, known for his roles in The Lodger, The Manxman and The Murder Party, dies aged 82
30th January, 1970
British actress & singer-songwriter Minnie Driver, known for his roles in Good Will Hunting and The Phantom of the Opera, was born in London, England
31st January, 1970
Romanian actor Edward G. Robinson, famous for his roles in Double Indemnity, The Stranger and The Ten Commandments, died aged 79
26th January, 1973
Austrian-born American actor John Banner, known for his roles in 36 Hours and Hitler, died of a abdominal haemorrhage aged 63
28th January, 1973
British actor Christian Bale, famous for his roles in Batman Begins, American Psycho and The Machinist, was born in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales
30th January, 1974
English actress Olivia Colman, known for her roles in The Favourite, The Iron lady and Hot Fuzz, was born in Norwich, England
30th January, 1974
American actor David Newell, famous for his roles in Runaway Bride, White Heat and Dangerous Curves, died aged 75
25th January, 1980
American actor Jason James Richter, famous for his role in Free Willy, was born in Medford, Oregon
29th January, 1980
American actor Elijah Wood, most famous for his role as Frodo in The Lord of the Rings movies, was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
28th January, 1981
American singer-songwriter & actor Justin Timberlake, famous for his roles in The Social Network, Friends with Benefits and Bad Teacher, was born in Memphis, Tennessee
31st January, 1981
English comedian and actor Stanley Holloway, famous for his roles in My Fair Lady, The Lavender Hill Mob and Brief Encounter, died aged 91
30th January, 1982
American actress Ava Gardner, famous for her roles in Mogambo, The Killers and Show Boat, died of pneumonia aged 67
25th January, 1990
Canadian actor Cameron Bright, famous for his roles in The Twilight Saga and X-Men: The Last Stand, was born in Victoria, British Columbia
26th January, 1993
American actor William Sylvester, famous for his roles in 2001: A Space Odyssey and Gemini Man, died aged 72
25th January, 1995
Israeli author, dramatist, screenwriter, and Oscar-nominated film director Ephraim Kishon died aged 80
29th January, 2005
American actor Christian Brando, son of Marlon Brando, who appeared in The Secret Life of an American Wife and I Love You, Alice B. Toklas! as a child, died of pneumonia aged 49
26th January, 2008
Legendary English film score composer John Barry, famous for his work on the James Bond films as well as Zulu, The Ipcress File and Hanover Street, died aged 77
30th January, 2011
English actor John Hurt, famous for his roles in Elephant Man, Alien and Midnight Express, died aged 77
25th January, 2017
Marvel film Black Panther, directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Chadwick Boseman, premieres in Los Angeles
29th January, 2018
Well there we have our picks for this week in film history. Be sure to check back next week for some more fun film facts and tidbits. If you think we missed something important, be sure to let us know in the comments.
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