Editing 1961 in television

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{more citations needed|date=January 2017}}
{{Year nav topic5|1961|television|radio|film|music}}<!--no space 1961-->

The following [[television]]-related events took place during 1961.

__TOC__

==Events==
*January 20 – [[John F. Kennedy]] is the first [[President of the United States|U.S. president]] to be inaugurated with a color telecast. [[NBC]] covers the inauguration in color.
*January 25 
**John F. Kennedy holds the first live televised presidential press conference.
**''[[Danger Man]]'' (United Kingdom) (1960–1961, 1964–1966) is cancelled due to lack of interest from Australian broadcasters. The series will be revived later.
*February 19 – [[CFTM-TV]], future flagship station of Quebec's [[TVA (TV network)|TVA]] network, begins broadcasting in Montreal.
*March 1 – [[Venevision]] officially renamed from [[Televisa (Venezuela)|Televisa of Venezuela]].<ref>[[:es:Venevision#Historia#Inicios]] (Spanish language) Retrieved January 7, 2016</ref>
*April 11 – The [[Eichmann trial]] is the first televised trial, shown on a one-day delay basis in the U.S. with videotape flown in daily from Jerusalem
*April 29 
**[[Westward Television]], the first [[ITV (TV channel)|ITV]] franchise for [[South West England]], begins broadcasting.
**''[[Wide World of Sports (U.S. TV series)|Wide World of Sports]]'' debuts on the [[American Broadcasting Company]].
*May 5 – [[Alan B. Shepard]] is the first U.S. astronaut in space aboard the spacecraft [[Freedom 7]] in a 15-min. [[suborbital flight]]. The launch is watched by 45 million U.S. viewers.
*May 9 – In a speech on "[[Television and the Public Interest]]" to the [[National Association of Broadcasters]] in the United States, [[Federal Communications Commission]] chairman [[Newton N. Minow]] describes commercial television programming as a "vast wasteland" and tells the broadcasters that they could do a better job of serving the public.
*May 29 – [[Dave Garroway]] announces his decision to quit the ''[[Today (U.S. TV program)|Today]]'' show on [[NBC]] in the United States.
*July 1 – The [[soap opera]] series ''[[The Brighter Day]]'' airs its first episode after taping locations are moved from [[New York City]] to [[Los Angeles]]. As a result, key character Babby Dennis and her love interest are written out of the series: the actors who played them didn't want to relocate.
*July 21 &ndash; Dicon Television Canal 11, as predecessor for [[Telefe]], a major [[television network]] in [[Argentina]], starts its first official regular broadcasting service from [[Buenos Aires]].<ref>[[Telefe#History]] Retrieved January 13, 2017.</ref>
*September 1 – [[Border Television]], the ITV franchise for the English-Scottish Border and [[Isle of Man]], begins broadcasting.
*September 21 – In France, the [[Organisation de l'armée secrète]] (OAS) slips an anti-[[Charles de Gaulle|de Gaulle]] message into TV programming.
*September 23 – [[NBC]] begins its long-running ''[[NBC Saturday Night at the Movies]]'' participating, with a broadcast of the 1953 [[Marilyn Monroe]] picture ''[[How to Marry a Millionaire]]''.
*September 30 – [[Grampian Television]], the ITV franchise for [[North East Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region)|North East Scotland]], begins broadcasting.
*October 1 – [[CTV Television Network]] (CTV) is launched in Canada, the first privately owned network in the country.
*October 29 – [[DZBB-TV|DZBB-TV Channel 7]], the fourth television station in the [[Philippines]] owned by [[GMA Network, Inc.|Republic Broadcasting System]] (modern-day [[GMA Network]]) of American war correspondent Robert "Uncle Bob" Stewart, is launched after the success of radio station [[DZBB-AM|DZBB]].
*November 4 – [[RAI|Radiotelevisione italiana]]'s second television channel, Rete 2 (later named [[Rai 2]]), first broadcasts to 52% of the available households in [[Italy]].
*November 19 – [[Lucille Ball]] marries [[Gary Morton]] in New York City.
*December 15 – ''[[Sam and Friends]]'' broadcasts its last episode in the United States.
*December 31
** [[Raidió Teilifís Éireann|Telefís Éireann]] (later known as RTÉ) starts television broadcasts, bringing television to [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] for the first time.
** [[KBS1]], a major television station in [[South Korea]], starts its first regular broadcasting service from [[Seoul]].<ref>[[KBS1#History]] Retrieved January 13, 2017.</ref>
** [[WBNB-TV|WBNB]] airs the first television broadcast in the [[Virgin Islands]]. (The station would be destroyed by [[Hurricane Hugo]] in 1989.)
*[[Prudencia Grifell]] (born 1879 in Spain) makes the first of many Mexican [[telenovela]] appearances in ''[[Niebla (TV series)|Niebla]]''.

==Debuts==
*January 5 – ''[[Mister Ed]]'' on [[CBS]] (1961–1966)
*January 7 – ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]'' on ITV in UK (1961–1969)
*January 23 – ''[[The Americans (1961 TV series)|The Americans]]'' on NBC
*January 30 – ''[[The Yogi Bear Show]]'' in syndication (1961-1962)
*February 27 – ''[[Acapulco (1961 TV series)|Acapulco]]'' on NBC (1961) 
*March 17 – ''[[Five Star Jubilee]]'' on NBC
*April 3 – ''[[Minna no Uta]]'' on [[NHK]]
*Mat 26 – ''[[Inspector Hornleigh Intervenes]]'' on West Germany's [[Westdeutscher Rundfunk|WDR]]
*June 4 – ''[[Sportschau]]'' on [[ARD (broadcaster)|ARD]]
*April 29 – ABC's [[Wide World of Sports (U.S. TV series)|''Wide World of Sports'']] (1961–2006)
*August 19 – ''[[Four Corners (Australian TV program)|Four Corners]]'', Australia's first current affairs program (1961–present)
*September 9 – ''[[The Jo Stafford Show (1961 TV series)|The Jo Stafford Show]]'' on ITV (1961)
*September 17 – ''[[Car 54, Where Are You?]]'' on NBC (1961–1963)
*September 26 – ''[[Ichabod and Me]]'' on CBS (1961-1962)
*September 27 – ''[[Top Cat]]'' on ABC (1961-1962) 
*September 28 – ''[[Hazel (TV series)|Hazel]]'' on NBC (1961–1966)
*October 1 – 
**''[[Bus Stop (TV series)|Bus Stop]]'' on ABC (1961–1962)
**''[[CTV National News]]'' (1961–present)
**''[[Songs of Praise]]'' on BBC (1961–present)
*October 2 –
**''[[Ben Casey]]'' on ABC (1961–1966)
**''[[Password (American game show)|Password]]'' on CBS (1961–1967)
**''[[Window on Main Street]]'' on CBS (1961–1962)
*October 3 – ''[[The Dick Van Dyke Show]]'' on CBS (1961–1966)
*October 4 –
**''[[The Alvin Show]]'' on CBS (1961–1962)
**''[[Playdate (Canadian TV series)|Playdate]]'' on CBC (Canada) (1961–1964)
*October 5
**''[[The Investigators (1961 TV series)|The Investigators]]'' (1961)
**''[[The New Bob Cummings Show]]'' (1961–1962)
*October 6 – ''[[Straightaway (TV series)|Straightaway]]'' (1961–1962)
*October 7 – ''[[It's Academic]]'' (1961–present)
*October 30 – ''[[The News with Uncle Bob]]'' (1961-1972)
*November 8 – ''[[KVN]]'' (Клуб, Весёлых и Находчивых, ''Klub Vesyólykh i Nakhódchivykh'', "Club of the Funny and Inventive") on The First Channel in the Soviet Union (1961–1972, 1986–present)
*November 13 – ''[[Camera Canada]]'' on [[CBC Television]] (1961-1963)
*December 11 – ''[[The Mike Douglas Show]]'' (1961–1981)
*December 31 – ''[[RTÉ News: Nine O'Clock]]'' on [[RTÉ One]]

==Programs/programmes==
*''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' (1955–1962)
*''[[American Bandstand]]'' (1952–1989)
*''[[Armchair Theatre]]'' (UK) (1956–1968)
*''[[As the World Turns]]'' (1956–2010)
*''[[Blue Peter]]'' (UK) (1958–present)
*''[[Bonanza]]'' (1959–1973)
*''[[Bozo the Clown]]'' (1949–present)
*''[[Bringing Up Buddy]]'', 1960–1961
*''[[Candid Camera]]'' (1948–present)
*''[[Captain Kangaroo]]'' (1955–1984)
*''[[Carols by Candlelight]]'' (1952–present)
*''[[Cheyenne (television)|Cheyenne]]'' (1955–1962)
*''[[Come Dancing]]'' (UK) (1949–1995)
*''[[Coronation Street]]'' (UK) (1960–present)
*''Danger Man'' (UK) (1960–1961, 1964–1966)
*''[[Dixon of Dock Green]]'' (UK) (1955–1976)
*''[[Face the Nation]]'' (1954–present)
*''[[Grandstand (BBC)|Grandstand]]'' (UK) (1958–2007)
*''[[Gunsmoke]]'' (1955–1975)
*''[[Hallmark Hall of Fame]]'' (1951–present)
*''[[Hancock's Half Hour]]'' (1956–1962)
*''[[Hato no kyujitsu]]'' (1953-2001)
*''[[Hawaiian Eye]]'' (1959–1963)
*''[[Inspector Hornleigh Intervenes]]'' (West Germany) (1961)
*''[[Juke Box Jury]]'' (1959–1967, 1979, 1989–1990)
*''[[Leave It to Beaver]]'' (1957–1963)
*''[[Love of Life]]'' (1951–1980)
*''[[Margie (TV series)|Margie]]'', 1961–1962
*''[[Meet the Press]]'' (1947–present)
*''[[My Three Sons]]'' (1960–1972)
*''[[Dagsrevyen]]'' (1958–present)
*''[[Opportunity Knocks (UK TV series)|Opportunity Knocks]]'' (UK) (1956–1978)
*''[[Panorama (TV series)|Panorama]]'' (UK) (1953–present)
*''[[The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show|Rocky and His Friends]]'' (1959-1961) ends earlier in 1961 to resume later in 1961 on NBC as ''The Bullwinkle Show'' (1961–1964)
*''[[Search for Tomorrow]]'' (1951–1986)
*''[[The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet]]'' (1952–1966)
*''[[The Andy Griffith Show]]'' (1960–1968)
*''[[The Alvin Show]]'' (1961-1962)
*''[[The Bell Telephone Hour]]'' (1959–1968)
*''[[The Bugs Bunny Show]]'' (1960-2000)
*''[[The Donna Reed Show]]'' (1958–1966)
*''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'' (1948–1971)
*''[[The Edge of Night]]'' (1956–1984)
*''[[The Flintstones]]'' (1960–1966)
*''[[The Good Old Days (UK TV series)|The Good Old Days]]'' (UK) (1953–1983)
*''[[Guiding Light|The Guiding Light]]'' (1952–2009)
*''[[Huckleberry Hound|The Huckleberry Hound Show]]'' (1958–1962)
*''[[The Jack Benny Show]]'' (1950–1965)
*''[[The Lawrence Welk Show]]'' (1955–1982)
*''[[The Milton Berle Show]]'' (1954–1967)
*''[[The Price is Right (1956)|The Price Is Right]]'' (1956–1965)
*''[[The Quick Draw McGraw Show]]'' (1959–1962)
*''[[The Secret Storm]]'' (1954–1974)
*''[[The Sky at Night]]'' (UK) (1957–present)
*''[[The Yogi Bear Show]]'' (1961-1962)
*''[[Today (NBC program)|The Today Show]]'' (1952–present)
*''[[The Tonight Show]]'' (1954–present)
*''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'' (1959–1964, 1985–1989, 2002–2003)
*''[[The Voice of Firestone]]'' (1949–1963)
*''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' (UK) (1955–2003)
*''[[Top Cat]]'' (1961-1962)
*''[[Truth or Consequences]]'' (1950–1988)
*''[[Walt Disney anthology series|Walt Disney Presents]]'' (1958–1961) ends on September 17 to resume on September 24 on NBC as ''Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color'' (1961–1969)
*''[[What the Papers Say]]'' (UK) (1956–2008)
*''[[What's My Line (1950)|What's My Line]]'' (1950–1967)
*''[[WIN News]]'' (1960–present)
*''[[Window on Main Street]]'' (1961–1962)
*''[[Zoo Quest]]'' (UK) (1954–1964)

==Ending this year==
{| class="wikitable"
! Date || Show || Debut
|-
| January 1
| ''[[General Motors Theatre|General Motors Presents]]'' (Can) 
| 1958
|-
| January 6
| ''[[Dan Raven]]'' 
| rowspan="4" |1960
|-
| February 13
| ''[[Klondike (TV series)|Klondike]]'' 
|-
| April 7
| ''[[Happy (1960 TV series)|Happy]]''
|-
| April 12
| ''[[My Sister Eileen (TV series)|My Sister Eileen]]'' 
|-
| April 24
| ''[[Acapulco (1961 TV series)|Acapulco]]'' 
| 1961
|-
| April 30
| ''[[The Tab Hunter Show]]'' 
| 1960
|-
| May 15 
| ''[[The Americans (1961 TV series)|The Americans]]'' 
| 1961
|-
| May 23
| ''[[The Tom Ewell Show]]''
|rowspan="2" |1960
|-
| May 31 
| ''[[Peter Loves Mary]]''
|-
| June 20
| ''[[The Army Game]]'' (UK) 
| 1957
|-
| June 27
| ''[[Stagecoach West (TV series)|Stagecoach West]]'' 
| 1960
|-
| June 29
| ''[[The Ford Show]]'' 
|rowspan="2"| 1956
|-
| June 30
| ''[[Hancock's Half Hour]]''
|-
| July 3
| ''[[Bringing Up Buddy]]'' 
| 1960
|-
| September 18
| ''[[Peter Gunn]]'' 
| 1958
|-
| September 22
| ''[[Five Star Jubilee]]'' 
| 1961
|-
| December 1
| ''[[The Huckleberry Hound Show]]''
| 1958
|-
| December 2
| ''[[Deadline Midnight (TV series)|Deadline Midnight]]''
| 1960 
|-
| December 15
|''[[Sam and Friends]]''
| 1955
|-
| December 28
|''[[The Investigators (1961 TV series)|The Investigators]]''
| 1961
|-
| Unknown
| ''[[This Is Your Life (American franchise)|This Is Your Life]]'' (US) 
| 1952
|}

==Changes of network affiliation==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Show
! Moved from 
! Moved to
|-
|''[[Walt Disney Presents]]''
|rowspan="4"|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] 
|rowspan="4"|[[NBC]] 
|-
|''[[The Detectives (1959 TV series)|The Detectives]]''
|-
|''[[The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show|Rocky and His Friends]]''
|-
|''[[The Wonderful World of Disney]]''
|-
|''[[Bachelor Father (U.S. TV series)|Bachelor Father]]''
|[[NBC]]
|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|-
|''[[Mister Ed]]''
|[[Broadcast syndication|Syndication]]
|[[CBS]]
|}

==Births==
{| class="wikitable"
! Date || Name || Notability 
|-
| January 2
| [[Gabrielle Carteris]]
| Actress (''[[Beverly Hills, 90210]]'')
|-
| January 4
| [[Graham McTavish]]
| Actor
|-
| January 7
| [[Jeff Richmond]]
| Actor
|-
|rowspan="2"|January 9
| [[Candi Milo]]
| Actress (''[[Swat Kats: The Radical Squadron]]'', ''[[Dexter's Laboratory]]'', ''[[ChalkZone]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius]]'', ''[[¡Mucha Lucha!]]'', ''[[My Life as a Teenage Robot]]'', ''[[Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends]]'', ''[[Maya & Miguel]]'', ''[[The Life and Times of Juniper Lee]]'', ''[[The Replacements (TV series)|The Replacements]]'')
|-
| [[Al Jean]]
| Writer
|-
| January 10
| [[Evan Handler]]
| Actor
|-
| January 13 
| [[Julia Louis-Dreyfus]]
| Actress (''[[Seinfeld]]'', ''[[Veep]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"|January 19 
| [[Paul McCrane]]
| Actor (''[[ER (TV series)|ER]]'')
|-
| [[Mark Roberts (TV producer)|Mark Roberts]]
| TV producer
|-
| January 26
| [[Sharyl Attkisson]]
| American journalist
|-
| January 31 
| [[Oren Koules]]
| Film producer
|-
| February 2 
| [[Lauren Lane]]
| Actress (''{{sortname|The|Nanny}}'')
|-
| rowspan="2" | February 5 
| [[Tim Meadows]]
| Actor (''[[Saturday Night Live]]'')
|-
|[[Bruce Timm]]
|Producer and animator ([[DC Animated Universe]], ''[[Green Lantern: The Animated Series]]'', ''[[Freakazoid!]]'')
|-
| February 9
| [[Clayton Townsend]]
| TV producer
|-
|rowspan="2"|February 10
| [[George Stephanopoulos]]
| TV host
|-
| [[Jay Pickett]]
| Actor (died 2021)
|-
| February 18
| [[Alison Owen]]
| English film producer
|-
| February 21 
| [[Christopher Atkins]]
| Actor (''[[Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]'')
|-
| February 23
| [[Trent Lehman]]
| Actor (''[[Nanny and the Professor]]'') (died 1982)
|-
| February 24
| [[Kasi Lemmons]]
| Actress
|-
|rowspan="2"|February 27
| [[Grant Shaud]]
| Actor (''[[Murphy Brown]]'')
|-
| [[James Worthy]]
| [[NBA]] basketball player
|-
| March 3 
| [[Mary Page Keller]]
| Actress (''[[Duet (TV series)|Duet]]'')
|-
| March 4 
| [[Steven Weber (actor)|Steven Weber]]
| Actor (''[[Wings (NBC TV series)|Wings]]'', ''[[Once and Again]]'')
|-
| March 8 
| [[Camryn Manheim]]
| Actress (''[[The Practice]]'', ''[[Ghost Whisperer]]'', ''[[Person of Interest (TV series)|Person of Interest]]'')
|-
| March 11
| [[Elias Koteas]]
| Actor
|-
| March 14
| [[Penny Johnson Jerald]]
| Actress
|-
| March 17 
| [[Casey Siemaszko]]
| Actor (''[[NYPD Blue]]'')
|-
| March 18 
| [[Geoffrey Owens]]
| Actor (''[[The Cosby Show]]'')
|-
| March 21
| [[Kassie DePaiva]]
| Actress (''[[One Life to Live]]'')
|-
| March 26
| [[Billy Warlock]]
| Actor (''[[Baywatch]]'')
|-
| March 28
| [[Byron Scott (basketball)|Byron Scott]]
| [[NBA]] basketball player and coach
|-
| April 2
| [[Christopher Meloni]]
| Actor (''[[NYPD Blue]]'', ''[[Oz (TV series)|Oz]]'', ''[[Law & Order: Special Victims Unit]]'')
|-
| April 3
| [[Eddie Murphy]]
| Comedian, actor (''[[Saturday Night Live]]'')
|-
| April 6
| [[Gene Eugene]]
| Singer ([[Adam Again]]), actor (''[[The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan]]'') (died 2000)
|-
| April 7
| [[Teri Ann Linn]]
| Actress, singer (''[[The Bold and the Beautiful]]'')
|-
| April 10
| [[Nicky Campbell]]
| Scottish television presenter
|-
| April 14
| [[Robert Carlyle]]
| Scottish actor (''[[Stargate Universe]]'', ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon a Time]]'')
|-
| April 17
| [[Carlo Rota]]
| Canadian actor (''[[24 (TV series)|24]]'')
|-
| April 18 
| [[Jane Leeves]]
| English actress (Daphne Moon on ''[[Frasier]]'')
|-
| April 19
| [[Alan Kirschenbaum]]
| Writer (died 2012)
|-
| April 21
| [[Cathy Cavadini]]
| Voice actress (Blossom on ''[[The Powerpuff Girls]]'')
|-
| April 22
| [[Byron Allen]]
| Producer
|-
|rowspan="3"| April 23 
| [[Dirk Bach]] 
| Comedian, actor and TV host (died 2012)
|-
| [[Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson]] 
| Actor
|-
| [[George Lopez]]
| Comedian, actor (''[[George Lopez]]'')
|-
| April 29
| [[Stacey Snider]]
| American film industry executive
|-
| April 30 
| [[Isiah Thomas]]
| [[NBA]] basketball player and TV commentator
|-
| May 1
| [[Marilyn Milian]]
| Judge
|-
| May 3
| [[Joe Murray (animator)|Joe Murray]]
| Animator and voice actor (''[[Rocko's Modern Life]], [[Camp Lazlo]]'')
|-
| May 4
| [[Mary Elizabeth McDonough]]
| Actress (''[[The Waltons]]'')
|-
|rowspan="3"| May 6 
| [[George Clooney]]
| Actor (''[[ER (TV series)|ER]]'')
|-
| [[Wally Wingert]]
| Actor
|-
| [[Gina Riley]]
| Actress, comedian (''[[Fast Forward (Australian TV series)|Fast Forward]]'')
|-
| May 9
| [[John Corbett]]
| Actor (''[[Northern Exposure]]'', ''[[Sex and the City]]'')
|-
| May 12 
| [[Lar Park Lincoln]]
| Actress (''[[Knots Landing]]'')
|-
| May 13
| [[Dennis Rodman]]
| [[NBA]] basketball player
|-
| May 14
| [[Tim Roth]]
| Actor
|-
| May 15
| [[Giselle Fernández]]
| American television journalist
|-
| May 16
| [[Kevin McDonald]]
| Actor (''[[The Kids in the Hall (TV series)|The Kids in the Hall]]'', ''[[Lilo & Stitch: The Series]]'', ''[[Catscratch]]'')
|-
| May 22
| [[Jeremy Gelbwaks]]
| Actor (''[[The Partridge Family]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"| May 27
| [[Peri Gilpin]]
| Actress (''[[Frasier]]'', ''[[Make It or Break It]]'')
|-
| [[Cathy Silvers]]
| Actress (''[[Happy Days]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"| May 29 
| [[Melissa Etheridge]]
| Singer, voice actress
|-
| [[Linda Wallem]]
| Actress (''[[Rocko's Modern Life]]'', ''[[Nurse Jackie]]'')
|-
| May 30 
| [[Ralph Carter]]
| Actor ([[Michael Evans (Good Times)|Michael Evans]] on ''[[Good Times]]'')
|-
| May 31 
| [[Lea Thompson]]
| Actress (''[[Caroline in the City]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"|June 1
| [[Mark Curry (actor)|Mark Curry]]
| Actor (''[[Hangin' with Mr. Cooper]]'')
|-
| [[Aaron Sorkin]]
| Screenwriter
|-
| June 5
| [[Mary Kay Bergman]]
| Voice actress (Every female character on ''[[South Park]]'' seasons 1–3) (died 1999)
|-
| June 6
| [[Wes Johnson]]
| Actor
|-
| June 9
| [[Michael J. Fox]]
| Actor (Alex P. Keaton on ''[[Family Ties]]'')
|-
| June 15
| [[Jim Hanks]]
| Actor
|-
| June 24
| [[Iain Glen]]
| Actor
|-
| June 25
| [[Ricky Gervais]]
| English actor and comedian (''[[The Office (British TV series)|The Office]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"| June 29 
| [[Kimberlin Brown]]
| Actress (''[[The Young and the Restless]]'', ''[[The Bold and the Beautiful]]'')
|-
| [[Sharon Lawrence]]
| Actress (''[[NYPD Blue]]'')
|-
|rowspan="3"|July 1
| [[Diana, Princess of Wales]]
| Member of the British royal family (died 1997)
|-
| [[Carl Lewis]]
| Track and field athlete
|-
| [[Dominic Keating]]
| English actor (''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]]'')
|-
| July 9
| [[Raymond Cruz]]
| Actor
|-
| July 15
| [[Forest Whitaker]]
| Actor
|-
| July 18
| [[Elizabeth McGovern]]
| Actress (''[[Downton Abbey]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"| July 19
| [[Pat Gibson]]
| Irish quizzer
|-
| [[Campbell Scott]]
| Actor
|-
| July 21
| [[Kym Whitley]]
| Actress and comedian (''[[My Brother and Me]], [[College Road Trip]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"| July 22
| [[Calvin Fish]]
| English-born sports commentator, previously racing driver
|-
| [[Keith Sweat]]
| Singer
|-
|rowspan="2"| July 23 
| [[Woody Harrelson]]
| Actor (Woody Boyd on ''[[Cheers]]'')
|-
| [[David Kaufman (actor)|David Kaufman]]
| Voice actor (''[[Freakazoid!]]'', ''[[Danny Phantom]]'', ''[[Superman: The Animated Series]]'', ''[[The Buzz on Maggie]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"| July 25
| [[Bobbie Eakes]]
| Actress and singer (''[[The Bold and the Beautiful]]'', ''[[One Life to Live]]'')
|-
| [[Katherine Kelly Lang]]
| Actress (''[[The Bold and the Beautiful]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"| July 27
| [[Janet Tamaro]]
| Writer
|-
| [[E. D. Hill]]
| American journalist
|-
| July 30
| [[Laurence Fishburne]]
| Actor (''[[CSI: Crime Scene Investigation]]'', ''[[Black-ish]]'')
|-
|rowspan="3"| August 4 
| [[Barack Obama]]
| Politician and 44th president of the United States
|-
| [[Lauren Tom]]
| Actress (''[[Pepper Ann]]'', ''[[Futurama]]'', ''[[Rocket Power]]'', ''[[Teacher's Pet (TV series)|Teacher's Pet]]'', ''[[Kim Possible]]'', ''[[Fillmore!]]'', ''[[Codename: Kids Next Door]]'', ''[[Teen Titans (TV series)|Teen Titans]]'', ''[[American Dragon: Jake Long]]'', ''[[The Replacements (TV series)|The Replacements]]'')
|-
| [[Michael Gelman]]
| Executive producer of ''[[Live with Kelly and Ryan]]''
|-
| August 5
| [[Janet McTeer]]
| Actress
|-
|rowspan="2"| August 7
| [[Maggie Wheeler]]
| Actress
|-
| [[Brian Conley]]
| Actor
|-
|rowspan="2"|August 13 
| [[Dawnn Lewis]]
| Actress (''[[A Different World]]'', ''[[Hangin' with Mr. Cooper]]'')
|-
| [[Sam Champion]]
| American weather anchor
|-
| August 14 
| [[Susan Olsen]]
| Actress (Cindy on ''[[The Brady Bunch]]'')
|-
| August 18
| [[Bob Woodruff]]
| American television journalist
|-
|rowspan="2"|August 20
| [[Joe Pasquale]]
| Actor
|-
| [[Asha Blake]]
| Actor
|-
| August 21
| [[Stephen Hillenburg]]
| Creator of ''[[SpongeBob SquarePants]]'' (died 2018)
|-
| August 24
| [[Jared Harris]]
| English actor (''[[Mad Men]]'', ''[[Fringe (TV series)|Fringe]]'', ''[[The Expanse (TV series)|The Expanse]]'')
|-
|rowspan="3"|August 25
| [[Billy Ray Cyrus]]
| Singer and actor (''[[Hannah Montana]]'')
|-
| [[Ally Walker]]
| Actress (''[[Santa Barbara (TV series)|Santa Barbara]]'', ''[[Profiler (TV series)|Profiler]]'')
|-
| [[Joanne Whalley]]
| Actress
|-
| August 26
| [[Kari Lizer]]
| Actress
|-
| August 27
| [[Mark Curry (television presenter)|Mark Curry]]
| Presenter
|-
| August 28
| [[Jennifer Coolidge]]
| Actress
|-
| September 1
| [[Eugenio Derbez]]
| Actor
|-
| September 6
| [[Bruce W. Smith]]
| Producer
|-
| September 11 
| [[Elizabeth Daily]]
| Voice actress (''[[Rugrats]]'', ''[[The Powerpuff Girls]]'', ''[[ChalkZone]]'')
|-
| rowspan="3"| September 15 
| [[Dan Marino]]
| [[NFL]] football player and analyst (''[[The NFL Today]]'')
|-
| [[Colin McFarlane]]
| Actor, voice actor and narrator (''[[Outlander (TV series)|Outlander]]'', ''[[Doctor Who]]'')
|-
| [[Noel MacNeal]]
| Actor
|-
| September 16
| Jen Tolley
| Actress
|-
| September 21
| [[Nancy Travis]]
| Actress (''[[Last Man Standing (U.S. TV series)|Last Man Standing]]'')
|-
| rowspan="2"| September 22
| [[Bonnie Hunt]]
| Actress, comedian (''[[The Bonnie Hunt Show]]'')
|-
| [[Catherine Oxenberg]]
| Actress
|-
| September 23 
| [[Chi McBride]] 
| Actor (''[[The John Larroquette Show]]'', ''[[Boston Public]]'')
|-
| September 24
| [[Allen Bestwick]]
| American sportscaster
|-
| September 25
| [[Heather Locklear]]
| Actress (''[[Melrose Place]]'')
|-
| September 27
| [[Andy Lau]]
| Actor
|-
| September 28
| [[Gregory Jbara]]
| Actor
|-
|rowspan="3"| September 30 
| [[Crystal Bernard]]
| Actress (''[[Wings (1990 TV series)|Wings]]'')
|-
| [[Erica Ehm]]
| TV host and VJ ([[MuchMusic]])
|-
| [[Eric Stoltz]]
| Actor
|-
| October 3
| [[Marcus Giamatti]]
| Actor (''[[Judging Amy]]'')
|-
| rowspan="2" | October 4 
| [[David W. Harper]]
| Actor (''[[The Waltons]]'')
|-
| [[Kazuki Takahashi]]
| Manga creator (''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! (1998 TV series)|Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'', ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX]]'', ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's]]'', ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal]]'') (died 2022)<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dooley |first=Ben |date=2022-07-07 |title=Kazuki Takahashi, Yu-Gi-Oh! Creator, Dies at 60 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/07/world/asia/kazuki-takahashi-yu-gi-oh-dead.html |access-date=2024-03-08 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
|-
| October 8 
| [[Simon Burke]]
| Actor (''[[Devil's Playground (TV series)|Devil's Playground]]'')
|-
| October 9
| [[Ellen Wheeler]]
| Actress (''[[Another World (TV series)|Another World]]'', ''[[All My Children]]'')
|-
| October 13
| [[Doc Rivers]]
| [[NBA]] basketball player and coach
|-
| October 16
| [[Kim Wayans]]
| Actress, comedian (''[[In Living Color]]'')
|-
| October 25
| [[Chad Smith]]
| American musician
|-
| October 26
| [[Dylan McDermott]]
| Actor (''[[The Practice]]'')
|-
| October 30
| [[Larry Wilmore]]
| Actor
|-
| November 3 
| [[Kari Michaelsen]]
| Actress (''[[Gimme a Break!]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"| November 4 
| [[Jeff Probst]]
| Host (''[[Survivor (U.S. TV series)|Survivor]]'')
|-
| [[Ralph Macchio]]
| Actor
|-
| November 8
| [[Leif Garrett]]
| Actor
|-
| November 9
| [[Lisa McRee]]
| News anchor
|-
| November 11 
| [[Luca Zingaretti]]
| Italian actor (''[[Inspector Montalbano (TV series)|Inspector Montalbano]]'')
|-
| November 14 
| [[Elizabeth Keifer]]
| Actress (''[[Guiding Light]]'')
|-
| November 19
| [[Meg Ryan]]
| Actress (''[[As the World Turns]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"| November 22
| [[Gary Valentine]]
| Actor and comedian (''[[The King of Queens]]'')
|-
| [[Mariel Hemingway]]
| Actress
|-
| November 26
| [[Marcy Walker]]
| Soap opera actress
|-
| November 28
| [[Martin Clunes]]
| English actor and comedian (''[[Doc Martin]]'')
|-
| November 29
| [[Kim Delaney]]
| Actress (''[[NYPD Blue]]'')
|-
| December 1
| [[Jeremy Northam]]
| Actor
|-
| December 2
| [[Gaby Köster]]
| Actress, comedian
|-
| December 8
| [[Mikey Robins]]
| Australian media personality
|-
|rowspan="2"| December 9
| [[Joe Lando]]
| Actor (''[[Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman]]'')
|-
| [[David Anthony Higgins]]
| Actor (''[[Malcolm in the Middle]]'')
|-
| December 13
| [[Karen Witter]]
| Actress
|-
|rowspan="2"| December 16
| [[Jon Tenney]]
| Actor
|-
| [[Bill Hicks]]
| Comedian (died 1994)
|-
| December 23
| [[Carol Smillie]]
| Scottish television presenter
|-
|rowspan="2"| December 24 
| [[Eriko Kitagawa]]
| Screenwriter (''[[Aishiteiru to Itte Kure]]'')
|-
| [[Wade Williams]]
| Actor (''[[Prison Break]]'')
|-
| December 30 
| [[Sean Hannity]]
| Talk show host (''[[Hannity]]'')
|-
| December 31
| [[Joanna Johnson]]
| Actress (''[[The Bold and the Beautiful]]'')
|}

==Deaths==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Date || Name || Age ||class="unsortable" |Notability 
|-
|February 3 
|[[Anna May Wong]]
|align="center"|56
| American actress
|-
|May 22 
|[[Joan Davis]]
|align="center"|53
|Actress (''[[I Married Joan]]'')
|-
|August 26  
|[[Gail Russell]] 
|align="center"|36 
|American actress
|-
|August 30 
|[[Charles Coburn]] 
|align="center"|84 
|Actor
|-
|September 10 
|[[Leo Carrillo]]
|align="center"|80
|Actor (''[[The Cisco Kid]]'')
|-
|October 11 
|[[Chico Marx]]
|align="center"|74
|Actor (member of the [[Marx Brothers]])
|-
|November 24 
|[[Ruth Chatterton]]
|align="center"|68
|Actress
|}

==Television debuts==
*[[James Brolin]] – ''Follow the Sun''
*[[James Caan]] – ''[[Route 66 (TV series)|Route 66]]''
*[[John Davis Chandler]] – ''[[The Asphalt Jungle (TV series)|The Asphalt Jungle]]''
*[[Julie Christie]] – ''[[A for Andromeda]]''
*[[Dabney Coleman]] – ''[[Naked City (TV series)|Naked City]]''
*[[Samantha Eggar]] – ''Rob Roy''
*[[Jane Fonda]] – ''A String of Beads''
*[[Gene Hackman]] – ''[[Tallahassee 7000]]''
*[[Dustin Hoffman]] – ''Naked City''
*[[John Hurt]] – ''[[Probation Officer (TV series)|Probation Officer]]''
*[[Derek Jacobi]] – ''[[BBC Sunday-Night Play]]''
*[[Tim Matheson]] – ''[[Window on Main Street]]''
*[[Sarah Miles]] – ''[[Deadline Midnight (TV series)|Deadline Midnight]]''
*[[Millie Perkins]] – ''[[Wagon Train]]''
*[[Rob Reiner]] – ''Manhunt''
*[[Andy Romano]] – ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]''
*[[W. Morgan Sheppard]] – ''[[Theatre Night]]''
*[[Glynn Turman]] – ''[[Play of the Week (TV series)|Play of the Week]]''
*[[Gene Wilder]] – ''Play of the Week''

==See also==
* [[1961–62 United States network television schedule]]

{{Years in TV by country|1961}}
{{Years in television}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:1961 in television| ]]