Editing 1971 in television

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{More citations needed|date=February 2013}}
{{Year nav topic5|1971|television|radio|film|music}}

The year 1971 involved some significant events in television. Below is a list of notable TV-related events.

==Events==
<!-- no rationale: [[File:Greenacres.jpg|right|thumb|250px|''Green Acres'', along with other "rural" CBS comedies, were canceled ''en masse'' in the spring of 1971.]] -->
*January 1 – The final [[cigarette]] advertisements are televised in the United States, with the final one occurring during that evening's broadcast of ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]'' on [[NBC]].
*January 3 – [[BBC]] [[Open University]] broadcasts begin in the [[UK]].
*January 12 – [[CBS]] airs the first episode of ''[[All in the Family]],'' with a disclaimer at the beginning of the program warning viewers about potentially offensive content. Within a year, it became television's most popular program, and started a trend toward realism in [[situation comedy|situation comedies]].
*January 27 – [[Valerie Barlow]] is electrocuted by a faulty hairdryer, and then perishes in a house fire on ''[[Coronation Street]]''.
*February 23 – ''The Selling of the Pentagon'' documentary airs on [[CBS]].
*March 2 – On an ''[[All in the Family]]'' episode, [[Archie Bunker|Archie]] and [[Edith Bunker|Edith]] get brand new next-door neighbors—[[Michael Stivic|Michael]] and [[Gloria Stivic|Gloria]]'s best friend, [[Lionel Jefferson]] (played by [[Michael Jonas Evans|Mike Evans]]) and his parents.  The episode marks [[Isabel Sanford]]'s first appearance as [[Louise Jefferson]]; George Jefferson would not be depicted on-screen until [[1973 in television|1973]] (by [[Sherman Hemsley]]).
*March 11 – [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] cancels ''[[The Lawrence Welk Show]]'' after sixteen years on the network. The show, however, returns to the airwaves in [[Television syndication|syndication]] in September, where it would run for another eleven years.
*March 16 - [[CBS]] releases its schedule for the fall 1971 season, adding new shows with urban/suburban appeal and cancelling what [[Pat Buttram]] would later call "every show that had a tree in it," among them Buttram's ''[[Green Acres]]'', ''[[The Beverly Hillbillies]]'', and ''[[Mayberry R.F.D.]]''<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1971/03/17/archives/cbs-lineup-for-fall-omits-onceprized-country-comedies.html "C.B.S. Line-Up For Fall Omits Once Prized Country Comedies,"] from ''The New York Times'', 3/17/1971 (accessed 7/25/2020)</ref><ref>[https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1971/1971-03-22-BC.pdf "A major face-lifting at CBS-TV,"] from ''Broadcasting'', 3/22/1971 (p. 78)</ref>  Two other victims of CBS' "[[rural purge]]," ''[[Lassie (1954 TV series)|Lassie]]'' and ''[[Hee Haw]]'', would continue in first-run [[television syndication|syndication]] that fall.
*April 3 – [[RTÉ]] launches [[Color television]] in Ireland with the [[Eurovision Song Contest 1971]], held in Dublin.
*April 4 - [[PBS]] airs [[Peter Paul and Mary]]'s "The Song is Love" movie documentary, directed by the most unlikely of people, [[horror movie]]'s [[Tobe Hooper]].
*June 7 – The UK children's magazine show ''[[Blue Peter]]'' buries a [[time capsule]] in the grounds of [[BBC Television Centre]]; it would be unearthed on the first episode of the year 2000.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/590900.stm "Blue Peter digs up the past,"] from BBC News, 1/4/2000 (accessed 7/24/2020)</ref>
*August 1 - The much-acclaimed 6-hour BBC [[miniseries]] ''[[The Six Wives of Henry VIII (BBC TV series)|The Six Wives of Henry VIII]]'', starring [[Keith Michell]] as [[Henry VIII|Henry]], makes its U.S. premiere; CBS would air it over 6 consecutive Sundays through September 5.
*September 13 – U.S. network prime time programming shrinks as the original [[Prime Time Access Rule]] takes effect. NBC, unable to take advantage, immediately feels the pinch and fails to win any of the 1971–72 season's first thirteen weeks.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}
*October 2 – ''[[Soul Train]]'' debuts in syndication. 
*October 21 – One-off [[Television drama|drama]] ''[[Edna, the Inebriate Woman]]'', starring [[Patricia Hayes]], is shown by [[BBC One]] in its ''[[Play for Today]]'' slot.
*November – Top-rated ''[[As the World Turns]]'' loses the #1 slot in the daytime [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsens]] for the first time since 1959.
*[[Michael Zaslow]] first appears as Roger Thorpe on ''[[Guiding Light|The Guiding Light]]''.

==Programs==
*''[[60 Minutes]]'' (1968–present)
*''[[A Charlie Brown Christmas]]'' (1965–present, aired annually)
*''[[All in the Family]]'' (1971–1979)
*''[[Wide World of Sports (U.S. TV series)|ABC's Wide World of Sports]]'' (1961–1998)
*''[[All My Children]]'' (1970–2011)
*''[[American Bandstand]]'' (1952–1989)
*''[[Another World (TV series)|Another World]]'' (1964–1999)
*''[[As the World Turns]]'' (1956–2010)
*''[[Bewitched]]'' (1964–1972)
*''[[Blue Peter]]'' (UK) (1958–present)
*''[[Bonanza]]'' (1959–1973)
*''[[Bozo the Clown]]'' (1949–present)
*''[[Bright Promise]]'' (1969–1972)
*''[[Candid Camera]]'' (1948–2014)
*''[[Captain Kangaroo]]'' (1955–1984)
*''[[Charlie Brown's All-Stars]]'' (1966–1972, aired annually)
*''[[Clangers]]'' (UK) (1969–1972)
*''[[Come Dancing]]'' (UK) (1949–1995)
*''[[Coronation Street]]'', UK (1960–present)
*''[[Crossroads (soap opera)|Crossroads]]'' (UK) (1964–1988, 2001–2003)
*''[[Dad's Army]]'' (UK) (1968–1977)
*''[[Days of Our Lives]]'' (1965–present)
*''[[Death Valley Days]]'' (1952–1975)
*''[[Dixon of Dock Green]]'' (UK) (1955–1976)
*''[[Doctor Who]]'', UK (1963–1989, 1996, 2005–present)
*''[[Doomwatch]]'' (UK) (1970–1972)
*''[[Face the Nation]]'' (1954–present)
*''[[Famous Jury Trials]]'' (1971–1972)
*''[[Four Corners (Australian TV program)|Four Corners]]'' (Australia) (1961–present)
*''[[General Hospital]]'' (1963–present)
*''[[Grandstand (BBC)|Grandstand]]'' (UK) (1958–2007)
*''[[Gunsmoke]]'' (1955–1975)
*''[[Hallmark Hall of Fame]]'' (1951–present)
*''[[Hawaii Five-O (1968 TV series)|Hawaii Five-O]]'' (1968–1980)
*''[[Hee Haw]]'' (1969–1993)
*''[[Here's Lucy]]'' (1968–1974)
*''[[Hockey Night in Canada]]'' (1952–present)
*''[[Ironside (TV series)|Ironside]]'' (1967–1975)
*''[[It's Academic]]'' (1961–present)
*''[[It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown]]'' (1966–present, aired annually)
*''[[Jeopardy!]]'' (1964–1975, 1984–present)
*''[[Kimba the White Lion]]'' (1966–1967), re-runs
*''[[Laugh-In]]'' (1968–1973)
*''[[Love is a Many Splendored Thing (TV series)|Love is a Many Splendored Thing]]'' (1967–1973)
*''[[Love of Life]]'' (1951–1980)
*''[[Love, American Style]]'' (1969–1974)
*''[[Magpie (TV series)|Magpie]]'' (UK) (1968–1980)
*''[[Mannix]]'' (1967–1975)
*''[[Marcus Welby, M.D.]]'' (1969–1976)
*''[[Mary Tyler Moore (TV series)|Mary Tyler Moore]]'' (1970–1977)
*''[[McCloud (TV series)|McCloud]]'' (1970–1977)
*''[[Meet the Press]]'' (1947–present)
* ''[[The Mind of Mr. J.G. Reeder]]'' (UK) (1969-1971)
*''[[Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series)|Mission: Impossible]]'' (1966–1973)
*''[[Mister Rogers' Neighborhood]]'' (1968–2001)
*''[[Monday Night Football]]'' (1970–present)
*''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'' (UK) (1969–1974)
*''[[Wild Kingdom|Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom]]'' (1963–1988, 2002–present)
*''[[My Three Sons]]'' (1960–1972)
*''[[One Life to Live]]'' (1968–2012)
*''[[Opportunity Knocks (UK TV series)|Opportunity Knocks]]'', UK (1956–1978)
*''[[Panorama (TV series)|Panorama]]'', UK (1953–present)
*''[[Password (American game show)|Password]]'' (1962–1967, 1971–1975, 1979–1982, 1984–1989, 2008–)
*''[[Play for Today]]'' (UK) (1970–1984)
*''[[Play School (Australian TV series)|Play School]]'' (1966–present)
*''[[Professional Bowlers Tour]]'' (1962–1997)
*''[[Room 222]]'' (1969–1974)
*''[[Search for Tomorrow]]'' (1951–1986)
*''[[Sesame Street]]'' (1969–present)
*''[[The Benny Hill Show]]'' (1969–1989)
*''[[The Brady Bunch]]'' (1969–1974)
*''[[The Carol Burnett Show]]'' (1967–1978)
*''[[The Courtship of Eddie’s Father]]'' (1969-1972)
*''[[The Dean Martin Show]]'' (1965–1974)
*''[[The Dick Cavett Show]]'' (1969–1974)
*''[[The Doctors (soap opera)|The Doctors]]'' (1963–1982)
*''[[The Doris Day Show]]'' (1968–1973)
*''[[The Edge of Night]]'' (1956–1984)
*''[[The Flip Wilson Show]]'' (1970–1974)
*''[[The Good Old Days (UK TV series)|The Good Old Days]]'', UK (1953–1983)
*''[[Guiding Light|The Guiding Light]]'' (1952–2009)
*''[[The Late Late Show (Ireland)|The Late Late Show]]'', [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] (1962–present)
*''[[The Lawrence Welk Show]]'' (1955–1982)
*''[[The Mike Douglas Show]]'' (1961–1981)
*''[[The Mod Squad]]'' (1968–1973)
*''[[The Money Programme]]'' (UK) (1966–present)
*''[[The Newlywed Game]]'' (1966–1974)
*''[[The Odd Couple (1970 TV series)|The Odd Couple]]'' (1970–1975)
*''[[The Partridge Family]]'' (1970–1974)
*''[[The Secret Storm]]'' (1954–1974)
*''[[The Sky at Night]]'' (UK) (1957–present)
*''[[Today (NBC program)|The Today Show]]'' (1952–present)
*''[[The Tonight Show]]'' (1954–present; 1962–92 as ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]'')
*''[[Walt Disney anthology television series|The Wonderful World of Disney]]'' (1969–79 under this title)
*''[[The World Tonight (ABS-CBN)|The World Tonight]]'', Philippines (1962–present)
*''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'', UK (1955–2003)
*''[[Tom and Jerry]]'' (1965–1972, 1975–1977, 1980–1982)
*''[[Top of the Pops]]'' (UK) (1964–2006)
*''[[Truth or Consequences]]'' (1950–1988)
*''[[What the Papers Say]]'' (UK) (1956–2008)
*''[[What's My Line?]]'' (1968–1975, syndicated version)
*''[[Where the Heart Is (1969 TV series)|Where the Heart Is]]'' (1969–1973)
*''[[World of Sport (UK TV series)|World of Sport]]'' (UK) (1965–1985)
*''[[Z-Cars]]'', UK (1962–1978)

===Debuts===
*January 10 – ''[[Masterpiece (TV series)|Masterpiece Theatre]]'' on [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] (1971–)
*January 12 – ''[[All in the Family]]'' on CBS (1971–79)
*April 2 – ''[[The Return of Ultraman]]'' on ''[[Tokyo Broadcasting System|TBS]]'' in Japan (1971–72)
*April 3 – ''[[Kamen Rider (1971 TV series)|Kamen Rider]]'' on [[MBS TV]] and [[TV Asahi|NET]] in Japan (1971–73)
*April 10 – ''[[The Two Ronnies]]'' on [[BBC One|BBC1]] in the UK (1971–87)
*June 19 - ''[[Parkinson (TV series)|Parkinson]]'' on [[BBC One|BBC1]] (1971–82, 1987–88, 1998–2004, then on [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] from 2004 to 2007)
* July 4 - ''[[The Cat in the Hat (TV special)]]'' on [[CBS]] (1971)
*August 1 – ''[[The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour]]'' on CBS (1971–74)
*September 11 –
**''[[Sabrina, the Teenage Witch]]'' (1971–72) and ''[[Help! It's the Hair Bear Bunch]]'' (1971–74) both on CBS Saturday Morning.
**''[[The Jackson 5ive]]'' (1971–73), ''[[The Funky Phantom]]'' (1971–72), and ''[[Lidsville]]'' (1971–73), all on ABC Saturday Morning.
*September 15 - ''[[Columbo (TV series)|Columbo]]'' (1971–78) as part of a rotation of detective shows on the ''[[NBC Mystery Movie]]''
*September 17 –
**''[[McMillan & Wife]]'' on NBC (1971–77)
**''[[O'Hara, U.S. Treasury]]'' on CBS (1971–72)
*September 18 – ''[[The New Dick Van Dyke Show]]'' on CBS (1971–74)
*September 19 – ''[[The Jimmy Stewart Show]]'' on NBC (1971–72)
*September 21 – ''The [[Old Grey Whistle Test]]'' on [[BBC Two|BBC2]] (1971–87)
*October 2 – ''[[Soul Train]]'', the [[African-American]] equivalent to ''[[American Bandstand]]'' (1971–2006)
*October 10 – ''[[Upstairs, Downstairs (1971 TV series)|Upstairs, Downstairs]]'' in the UK on [[ITV (TV channel)|ITV]] (1971–75, 2010–)
*October 25 – ''[[The Electric Company]]'', a skit-based children's program aimed at teaching reading skills, on [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] (1971–77)

===Ending this year===
{| class="wikitable"
! Date 
! Show 
! Debut
|-
| January 1
| ''[[Headmaster (TV series)|Headmaster]]''
| 1970
|-
| January 7 
| ''[[Nancy (TV series)|Nancy]]'' 
| 1970
|-
| February 24
| ''[[To Rome with Love (TV series)|To Rome with Love]]''
| 1969
|-
| March 4
| ''[[Family Affair]]'' 
| 1966
|-
| March 19
| ''[[That Girl]]'' 
| 1966
|-
| rowspan="2"| March 23 
| ''[[Julia (1968 TV series)|Julia]]''
| 1968
|-
| ''[[The Beverly Hillbillies]]'' 
| 1962
|-
| March 28
| ''[[Hogan's Heroes]]'' 
| 1965
|-
| March 29 
| ''[[Mayberry R.F.D.]]'' 
| 1968
|-
| April 2 
| ''[[Dark Shadows]]'' 
| 1966
|-
| April 27 
| ''[[Green Acres]]'' 
| 1965
|-
| May 5 
| ''[[The Johnny Cash Show (TV series)|The Johnny Cash Show]]'' 
| 1969
|-
| June 6 
| ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'' 
| 1948
|-
| July 24 
| ''[[UFO (British TV series)|UFO]]'' (UK) 
| 1970
|-
|October 22 
|''[[What's New? (U.S. TV series)|What's New]]'' 
|1959
|}

===Changes of network affiliation===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Show
! Moved from 
! Moved to
|-
|''[[Hee Haw]]''
|rowspan="2"|[[CBS]]  
|rowspan="4"|[[Broadcast syndication|Syndication]]
|-
|''[[Lassie (1954 TV series)|Lassie]]''
|-
|''[[Let's Make a Deal]]''
|rowspan="3"|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|-
|''[[The Lawrence Welk Show]]''
|-
|''[[The Road Runner Show]]''
|CBS
|}

==Births==
{| class="wikitable"
! Date || Name || Notability 
|-
| January 2
| [[Taye Diggs]]
| American actor (''[[Private Practice (TV series)|Private Practice]]'')
|-
| rowspan="2"| January 7 
| [[Kevin Rahm]]
| American actor (''[[Judging Amy]]'', ''[[Desperate Housewives]]'', ''[[Mad Men]]'')
|-
| [[Jeremy Renner]]
| American actor (''[[The Unusuals]]'')
|-
| rowspan="2"| January 11
| [[Mary J. Blige]]
| American singer and actress
|-
| [[Rachelle Wilkos]]
| American television producer
|-
| January 12 
| [[Jay Burridge]]
| UK presenter (''[[SMart]]'')
|-
| January 13 
| [[Sarah Tansey]]
| UK actress (''[[Heartbeat (UK TV series)|Heartbeat]]'')
|-
| January 15 
| [[Regina King]]
| American actress (''[[227 (TV series)|227]]'', ''[[Southland (TV series)|Southland]]'', ''[[The Boondocks (TV Series)|The Boondocks]]'')
|-
| January 16 
| [[Jonathan Mangum]]
| American actor
|-
|January 17
|[[Diamond and Silk|"Silk"]]
|American conservative political commentator ([[Fox News]], [[Newsmax TV]])
|-
| rowspan="2"| January 19 
| [[Shawn Wayans]]
| American actor (''[[In Living Color]]'', ''[[The Wayans Bros.]]'')
|-
| [[Heather Bambrick]]
| Canadian jazz singer
|-
| January 20 
| [[Pixie McKenna]]
| Irish presenter (''[[Embarrassing Bodies]]'')
|-
| January 24
| [[Kenya Moore]]
| American actress
|-
| January 25
| [[Ana Ortiz]]
| American actress (''[[Devious Maids]]'', ''[[Home: Adventures with Tip and Oh]]'')
|-
| January 26
| [[Dorian Gregory]]
| American actor (''[[Charmed]]'')
|-
| January 27
| [[Guillermo Rodriguez (comedian)|Guillermo Rodriguez]]
| American talk show personality
|-
| rowspan="2"| February 1
| [[Michael C. Hall]]
| American actor (''[[Six Feet Under (TV series)|Six Feet Under]]'', ''[[Dexter (TV series)|Dexter]]'')
|-
| [[Hynden Walch]]
| American actress (''[[Chalkzone]]'', ''[[Teen Titans (TV series)|Teen Titans]]'', ''[[Adventure Time]]'', ''[[Teen Titans Go!]]'')
|-
| February 3 
| [[Jayne Middlemiss]]
| UK presenter (''[[Orange Playlist]]'')
|-
| February 4
| [[Trent Dawson]]
| American actor (''[[As the World Turns]]'')
|-
| February 6
| [[Brian Stepanek]]
| American actor
|-
| February 8
| [[Susan Misner]]
| American actress
|-
| February 9
| [[Sharon Case]]
| American actress (''[[The Young and the Restless]]'')
|-
| February 12
| [[Scott Menville]]
| American actor (''[[Teen Titans (TV series)|Teen Titans]]'', ''[[Teen Titans Go!]]'', ''[[Captain Planet and the Planeteers]]'')
|-
| February 13
| [[Galen Gering]]
| American actor (''[[Days of Our Lives]]'')
|-
| February 15 
| [[Alex Borstein]]
| American actress and comedian (''[[Mad TV]]'', ''[[Family Guy]]'')
|-
| February 16 
| [[Amanda Holden]]
| UK actress (''[[Wild at Heart (British TV series)|Wild at Heart]]'')
|-
| February 23 
| [[Melinda Messenger]]
| British presenter, model (''[[Live from Studio Five]]'')
|-
| rowspan="2"| February 25 
| [[Sean Astin]]
| American actor (''[[Rudy (film)|Rudy]]'', ''[[Special Agent Oso]]'', ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012 TV series)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'') and son of [[Patty Duke]]
|-
| [[Jessica Yellin]]
| American journalist
|-
| February 27
| [[Charles Baker (actor)|Charles Baker]]
| American actor
|-
| March 2 
| [[Lisa Lackey]]
| Australian actress (''[[Heroes (U.S. TV series)|Heroes]]'')
|-
| March 4 
| [[Shavar Ross]]
| American actor (''[[Diff'rent Strokes]]'', ''[[Family Matters]]'')
|-
| March 5
| [[Yuri Lowenthal]]
| American voice actor (''[[Ben 10]]'', ''[[Legion of Super Heroes (TV series)|Legion of Super Heroes]]'', ''[[Naruto]]'', ''[[Bleach (manga)|Bleach]]'')
|-
| rowspan="2"| March 9 
| [[Emmanuel Lewis]]
| American actor (''[[Webster (TV series)|Webster]]'')
|-
| [[Kinga Rusin]]
| Polish news presenter
|-
| March 10
| [[Jon Hamm]]
| American actor (''[[Mad Men]]'')
|-
| March 11
| [[Johnny Knoxville]]
| American actor, host and stunt performer (''[[Jackass (TV series)|Jackass]]'')
|-
| March 13
| [[Tracy Wells]]
| American actress (''[[Mr. Belvedere]]'')
|-
| March 16
| [[Alan Tudyk]]
| American actor (''[[Firefly (TV series)|Firefly]]'', ''[[Dollhouse (TV series)|Dollhouse]]'', ''[[Suburgatory]]'', ''[[Star vs. the Forces of Evil]]'')
|-
| rowspan="2"| March 20
| [[Murray Bartlett]]
| Australian actor (''[[Guiding Light]]'')
|-
| [[Alexander Chaplin]]
| American actor (''[[Spin City]]'')
|-
| rowspan="2"| March 22
| [[Keegan-Michael Key]]
| American actor and comedian (''[[Mad TV]]'', ''[[Key & Peele]]'', ''[[Playing House (TV series)|Playing House]]'')
|-
| [[Will Yun Lee]]
| American actor
|-
| rowspan="2"| March 24
| [[Megyn Price]]
| American actress (''[[Grounded for Life]]'', ''[[Rules of Engagement (TV series)|Rules of Engagement]]'')
|-
| [[Tig Notaro]]
| American actress
|-
| March 25
| [[Randall Emmett]] 
| American film producer and television personality
|-
| March 27
| [[Nathan Fillion]] 
| Canadian-American actor (''[[Firefly (TV series)|Firefly]]'', ''[[Two Guys and a Girl]]'', ''[[Castle (TV series)|Castle]]'')
|-
| April 7
| [[Tamala Edwards]]
| American television news anchor and reporter
|-
| rowspan="2"| April 12 
| [[Nicholas Brendon]]
| American actor (''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', ''[[Criminal Minds]]'')
|-
| [[Shannen Doherty]]
| American actress (''[[Beverly Hills, 90210]]'', ''[[Charmed]]'') (d. 2024)
|-
| April 14
| [[Faith Salie]]
| American actress
|-
| April 15
| [[Andrew Daly]]
| American actor and comedian (''[[Mad TV]]'', ''[[Review (TV series)|Review]]'')
|-
| April 16
| [[Peter Billingsley]]
| Actor
|-
| April 17
| [[Jim Acosta]]
| American broadcast journalist
|-
| April 18
| [[Fredro Starr]]
| American rapper and actor (''[[Moesha]]'')
|-
| April 20
| [[Brody Hutzler]]
| American soap opera actor
|-
| rowspan="2"| April 28
| [[Simbi Khali]]
| American actress (''[[Martin (TV series)|Martin]]'', ''[[3rd Rock from the Sun]]'')
|-
| [[Bridget Moynahan]]
| American actress (''[[Blue Bloods (TV series)|Blue Bloods]]'')
|-
| May 1
| [[Shep (British dog)|Shep]]
| British dog actor (''[[Blue Peter]]'') (d. 1987)
|-
| May 6
| [[Geneva Carr]]
| American actress
|-
| May 7
| [[Ivan Sergei]]
| American actor (''[[Charmed]]'', ''[[Crossing Jordan]]'')
|-
| May 12 
| [[Jamie Luner]]
| American actress (''[[Just the Ten of Us]]'', ''[[Melrose Place]]'')
|-
| May 14
| [[Deanne Bray]]
| American actress
|-
| May 26 
| [[Matt Stone]]
| American writer and animator (''[[South Park]]'')
|-
| May 30
| [[John Ross Bowie]]
| American actor (''[[Speechless (TV series)|Speechless]]'')
|-
| June 2
| [[Anthony Montgomery]]
| American actor (''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]]'')
|-
| rowspan="2"| June 4
| [[Noah Wyle]]
| American actor (''[[ER (TV series)|ER]]'', ''[[Falling Skies]]'')
|-
| [[James Callis]]
| English actor
|-
| rowspan="2"| June 5 
| [[Mark Wahlberg]]
| American actor and producer (''[[Entourage (U.S. TV series)|Entourage]]'')
|-
| [[Emy Coligado]]
| American actress (''[[Malcolm in the Middle]]'')
|-
| June 7
| [[Brian Anderson (sportscaster)|Brian Anderson]]
| American sportscaster
|-
| June 8
| [[Mark Feuerstein]]
| American actor (''[[Prison Break]]'', ''[[Royal Pains]]'')
|-
| rowspan="2"| June 10
| [[Reinout Oerlemans]]
| Actor
|-
| [[Taylor Armstrong]]
| American television personality
|-
|rowspan="2"| June 15
| [[Dana Bash]]
| American journalist
|-
| [[Jake Busey]]
| American actor
|-
|rowspan="2"| June 16
| [[Tupac Shakur]]
| American rapper and actor (d. 1996)
|-
| [[Eric Stangel]]
| American writer
|-
| June 22
| [[Mary Lynn Rajskub]]
| American actress (''[[24 (TV series)|24]]'')
|-
| June 23
| [[Ron Corning]]
| American television host
|-
| June 25
| [[Angela Kinsey]]
| American actress (''[[The Office (U.S. TV series)|The Office]]'')
|-
| June 28
| [[Benito Martinez (actor)|Benito Martinez]]
| American actor
|-
| June 29
| [[Christina Chang]]
| American actress
|-
| June 30
| [[Monica Potter]]
| American actress (''[[Parenthood (2010 TV series)|Parenthood]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"| July 1
| [[Julianne Nicholson]]
| American actress (''[[Law & Order: Criminal Intent]]'')
|-
| [[Melissa Peterman]]
| American actress (''[[Reba (TV series)|Reba]]'')
|-
| July 3
| [[Sway Calloway]]
| American rapper
|-
| July 4
| [[Koko (gorilla)|Koko]]
| American sign language gorilla (d. 2018)
|-
| July 5
| [[Sal Iacono]]
| American comedian
|-
| July 7
| [[Christian Camargo]]
| American actor
|-
| July 8
| [[Jason L. Riley]]
| American conservative commentator
|-
|rowspan="2"| July 9 
| [[Dani Behr]]
| English presenter, actress (''[[I'm a Celebrity... Get Me out of Here! (Series 8 UK)|I'm a Celebrity... Get Me out of Here!]]'')
|-
| [[Scott Grimes]]
| American actor (''[[Party of Five]]'', ''[[ER (TV series)|ER]]'', ''[[American Dad!]]'')
|-
| July 10
| [[Erika Jayne]]
| American singer
|-
| July 12 
| [[Kristi Yamaguchi]]
| American professional ice skater (''[[Dancing with the Stars (U.S. TV series)|Dancing with the Stars]]'' winner)
|-
| July 15
| [[Jim Rash]]
| American actor (''[[Community (TV series)|Community]]'')
|-
| July 16
| [[Corey Feldman]]
| American actor
|-
| July 18
| [[Penny Hardaway]]
| [[NBA]] basketball player
|-
| July 20
| [[Sandra Oh]]
| Canadian actress (''[[Grey's Anatomy]]'')
|-
|rowspan="3"| July 23
| [[Steven D. Binder]]
| Screenwriter
|-
| [[Alison Krauss]]
| Singer
|-
| [[Eugene Domingo]]
| Actress
|-
| July 24
| [[Patty Jenkins]]
| American film director
|-
|rowspan="2"| July 26
| [[Chris Harrison]]
| American TV host
|-
| [[Dan Harris (journalist)|Dan Harris]]
| American journalist
|-
| July 27
| [[Eric Martsolf]]
| American actor and singer (''[[Passions]]'', ''[[Days of Our Lives]]'')
|-
| July 29
| [[Bryan Dattilo]]
| American actor (''[[Days of Our Lives]]'')
|-
| rowspan="2"| July 30 
| [[Tom Green]]
| Canadian comedian (''[[The Tom Green Show]]'')
|-
| [[Christine Taylor]]
| American actress (''[[Hey Dude]]'')
|-
| July 31
| [[Eve Best]]
| Actress
|-
| August 2
| [[Sukanya Krishnan]]
| American news anchor
|-
| August 6
| [[Merrin Dungey]]
| American actress (''[[The King of Queens]]'', ''[[Alias (TV series)|Alias]]'')
|-
| August 9 
| [[Kate Gerbeau]]
| English presenter (''[[Newsround]]'')
|-
| rowspan="2"| August 10
| [[Justin Theroux]]
| American actor (''[[The Leftovers (TV series)|The Leftovers]]'')
|-
| [[Fábio Assunção]]
| Actor 
|-
| rowspan="3"| August 12
| [[Michael Ian Black]]
| American comedian and actor
|-
| [[Yvette Nicole Brown]]
| American actress (''[[Community (TV series)|Community]]'')
|-
| [[Rebecca Gayheart]]
| American actress
|-
| rowspan="2"| August 14
| [[Rhonda Ross Kendrick]]
| Actress
|-
| [[Raoul Bova]]
| Actor
|-
| August 20
| [[David Walliams]]
| Actor
|-
| August 28
| [[Daniel Goddard (actor)|Daniel Goddard]]
| Australian actor (''[[The Young and the Restless]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"| August 29
| [[Carla Gugino]]
| American actress (''[[Karen Sisco]]'', ''[[Threshold (TV series)|Threshold]]'')
|-
| [[Alex Young (studio executive)|Alex Young]]
| American studio executive
|-
| August 31
| [[Chris Tucker]]
| American actor and comedian (''[[Friday (1995 film)|Friday]]'')
|-
| September 1
| [[Ricardo Antonio Chavira]]
| American actor (''[[Desperate Housewives]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"|September 2 
| [[Lisa Snowdon]]
| British presenter (''[[Britain's Next Top Model]]'')
|-
| [[Katt Williams]]
| Stand-up comedian
|-
| rowspan="3"| September 8 
| [[Brooke Burke]]
| ''[[Dancing with the Stars]]'' winner (season 7), co-host (seasons 10–17)
|-
| [[Martin Freeman]]
| Actor
|-
| [[David Arquette]]
| Actor
|-
| rowspan="3"| September 9 
| [[Natasha Kaplinsky]]
| British presenter (''[[Strictly Come Dancing]]'' winner)
|-
| [[Eric Stonestreet]]
| American actor (''[[Modern Family]]'')
|-
| [[Henry Thomas]]
| American actor
|-
| September 14
| [[Kimberly Williams-Paisley]]
| American actress (''[[According to Jim]]'')
|-
| rowspan="2"| September 15
| [[Josh Charles]]
| American actor (''[[Sports Night]]'', ''[[The Good Wife]]'')
|-
| [[Colleen O'Shaughnessey]]
| American actress
|-
| September 16
| [[Amy Poehler]]
| American actress (''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', ''[[The Mighty B!]]'', ''[[Parks and Recreation]]'')
|-
| rowspan="2"| September 17
| [[Bobby Lee]]
| American actor and comedian (''[[Mad TV]]'')
|-
| [[Nate Berkus]]
| American television personality
|-
| September 18
| [[Jada Pinkett Smith]]
| American actress (''[[Gotham (TV series)|Gotham]]'')
|-
| September 19
| [[Sanaa Lathan]]
| American actress (''[[The Cleveland Show]]'')
|-
| rowspan="3"| September 21 
| [[Alfonso Ribeiro]]
| American actor and host (''[[Silver Spoons]]'', ''[[The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air]]'', ''[[America's Funniest Home Videos]]'')
|-
| [[Luke Wilson]]
| American actor (''[[Enlightened (TV series)|Enlightened]]'')
|-
| [[Anne-Marie Green]]
| Anchor
|-
| September 22
| [[Adam Ciralsky]]
| American journalist
|-
| September 23
| [[Sean Spicer]]
| Former [[White House Press Secretary]] (''[[Dancing with the Stars (American season 28)|Dancing with the Stars]]'', [[Newsmax TV]])
|-
| rowspan="2"| September 25
| [[Jessie Wallace]]
| British actress (''[[EastEnders]]'')
|-
| [[Brian Dunkleman]]
| Actor
|-
| September 27
| [[Amanda Detmer]]
| American actress
|-
| September 28 
| [[Liza Walker]]
| British actress (''[[Teenage Health Freak]]'')
|-
| September 29
| [[Emily Spivey]]
| American actress
|-
| September 30 
| [[Jenna Elfman]]
| American actress (''[[Dharma & Greg]]'')
|-
| October 1
| [[Andrew O'Keefe]]
| Australian television presenter
|-
| October 1
| [[Chris Savino]]
| Writer
|-
| October 5
| [[Sam Vincent (voice actor)|Samuel Vincent]]
| Canadian voice actor (Edd on ''[[Ed, Edd n Eddy]]'')
|-
| October 6
| [[Emily Mortimer]]
| Actress
|-
| October 11
| [[Justin Lin]]
| Director
|-
| rowspan="2"| October 13 
| [[Sacha Baron Cohen]]
| British comedian (''[[Da Ali G Show]]'')
|-
| [[Billy Bush]]
| Television host
|-
|rowspan="2"|October 20 
| [[Snoop Dogg]]
| American rapper and actor (''[[Doggy Fizzle Televizzle]]'')
|-
| [[Eddie Jones (basketball)|Eddie Jones]]
| [[NBA]] basketball player
|-
| October 22
| [[Chris Licht]]
| Producer
|-
| rowspan="2"| October 25
| [[Leslie Grossman]]
| American actress (''[[Popular (TV series)|Popular]]'', ''[[What I Like About You (TV series)|What I Like About You]]'')
|-
| [[Craig Robinson (actor)|Craig Robinson]]
| American actor and comedian (''[[The Office (U.S. TV series)|The Office]]'')
|-
| October 29 
| [[Winona Ryder]]
| American actress
|-
| November 2
| [[Meta Golding]]
| Haitian-American actress (''[[Criminal Minds]]'')
|-
| rowspan="2"| November 5 
| [[Corin Nemec]]
| American actor (''[[Parker Lewis Can't Lose]]'', ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'')
|-
| [[Dana Jacobson]]
| American host and correspondent
|-
| November 10 
| [[John Roberts (actor)|John Roberts]]
| American actor (''[[Bob's Burgers]]'')
|-
| November 12
| [[Rebecca Wisocky]]
| American actress
|-
| November 15
| [[Jay Harrington]]
| American actor
|-
| November 17
| [[David Ramsey]]
| American actor (''[[Dexter (TV series)|Dexter]]'', ''[[Arrow (TV series)|Arrow]]'')
|-
| November 20
| [[Joel McHale]]
| American actor (''[[Phineas and Ferb]]'', ''[[Community (TV series)|Community]]'')
|-
| November 21
| [[Michael Strahan]]
| [[NFL]] football player and journalist
|-
| rowspan="3"| November 23
| [[Vin Baker]]
| [[NBA]] basketball player
|-
| [[Lisa Kushell]]
| American comedian and actress (''[[Mad TV]]'')
|-
| [[Chris Hardwick]]
| American comedian and actor (''[[The X's]]'', ''[[Back at the Barnyard]]'', ''[[Talking Dead]]'', ''[[Sanjay and Craig]]'')
|-
| November 24
| [[Lola Glaudini]]
| American actress (''[[The Sopranos]]'', ''[[Criminal Minds]]'')
|-
| rowspan="2" | November 25 
| [[Christina Applegate]]
| American actress (''[[Married... with Children]]'', ''[[Samantha Who?]]'')
|-
|[[Diamond and Silk|"Diamond"]]
|American conservative political commentator ([[Fox News]], [[Newsmax TV]]) (d. 2023)
|-
| November 27
| [[Kirk Acevedo]]
| American actor (''[[Oz (TV series)|Oz]]'', ''[[Band of Brothers (miniseries)|Band of Brothers]]'', ''[[Fringe (TV series)|Fringe]]'', ''[[12 Monkeys (TV series)|12 Monkeys]]'')
|-
| November 29
| [[Gena Lee Nolin]]
| American actress and model (''[[The Price is Right (U.S. game show)|The Price is Right]]'', ''[[Baywatch]]'')
|-
| December 7
| [[Stephanie D'Abruzzo]]
| American actress
|-
| rowspan="3"| December 14
| [[Tia Texada]]
| American actress (''[[Third Watch]]'', ''[[The Unit]]'')
|-
| [[Michaela Watkins]]
| American actress (''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', ''[[Trophy Wife (TV series)|Trophy Wife]]'', ''[[Casual (TV series)|Casual]]'')
|-
| [[Natascha McElhone]]
| British actress
|-
| December 25
| [[Justin Trudeau]]
| Canadian politician<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2015-11-03 |title=Justin Trudeau Fast Facts |url=https://www.cnn.com/2015/11/03/americas/justin-trudeau-fast-facts/index.html |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref>
|-
| December 26 
| [[Jared Leto]]
| American actor (''[[My So-Called Life]]'')
|-
| December 27
| [[Savannah Guthrie]]
| American journalist
|-
|December 28
|[[Ana Navarro]]
|Nicaraguan-American political commentator ([[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]], [[CNN]], [[Telemundo]], ''[[The View (talk show)|The View]]'')
|-
| December 30
| [[Chris Vance (actor)|Chris Vance]]
| English actor (''[[Prison Break]]'')
|}

==Deaths==
{| class="wikitable"
! Date || Name || Age || Notability 
|-
|March 11
|[[Philo Farnsworth]]
|align="center"|64
|Television pioneer
|-
|March 16
|[[Bebe Daniels]]
|align="center"|70
|Actress (''[[42nd Street (film)|42nd Street]]'')
|-
|August 27
|[[Bennett Cerf]]
|align="center"|73
|Publisher and game show panelist (''[[What's My Line?]]'')
|-
|December 12
|[[David Sarnoff]]
|align="center"|80
|Television pioneer
|-
|December 30
|[[Melba Rae]]
|align="center"|49
|Actress (''[[Search for Tomorrow]]'')
|-
|December 31
|[[Pete Duel]]
|align="center"|31
|Actor (''[[Alias Smith and Jones]]'')
|}

==Television debuts==
*[[Keith Carradine]] – ''[[Bonanza]]''
*[[Robert Carradine]] – ''Bonanza''
*[[Chevy Chase]] – ''[[The Great American Dream Machine]]''
*[[Max Gail]] – ''[[Ironside (1967 TV series)|Ironside]]''
*[[Anna Magnani]] – ''The Automobile''
*[[Andrea Martin]] – ''[[The Hart and Lorne Terrific Hour]]''
*[[Sam Neill]] – ''The City of No''
*[[Katey Sagal]] – ''[[The Failing of Raymond]]''
*[[Mario Van Peebles]] – ''Crosscurrent''
*[[James Woods]] – ''All the Way Home''
*[[George Wyner]] – ''[[The Odd Couple (1970 TV series)|The Odd Couple]]''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Portal|Television}}
{{Years in TV by country|1971}}
{{Years in television}}

[[Category:1971 in television| ]]