1961

Births

• February 28 — Rae Dawn Chong
• March 25 — John Stockwell
• April 27 — Moana Pozzi
• May 10 — Luciano Doria
• May 30 — John Terlesky
• August 22 — Rick Sloane
• August 24 — John Fasano
• September 30 — Crystal Bernard
• October 7 — Kent Lipham

Deaths

• February 11 — Enzo Masetti
• March 3 — William Vedder
• June 10 — Vivienne Osborne
• July 4 — Franklyn Farnum
• July 22 — Eduard Von Winterstein
• September 15 — Harry Tyler
• November 13 — Wally Brown

Movie Premieres

• January 1 — Hamlet (West Germany)
• February 20 — Reptilicus (Denmark)
• March 29 — Gorgo (U.S.)
• May 2 — The Beast of Yucca Flats
• June 11 — Ring of Terror
• July 19 — Invasion of the Neptune Men (Japan)
• August 19 — Hercules and the Captive Women (Italy)
• September 13 — Bloodlust!
• October 27 — Gorgo (U.K.)
• December 13 — The Phantom Planet

Events

• April 17 — At the 33rd Academy Awards, the following awards are presented.
  • Freddie Francis wins the Best Cinematography (Black and White) Award for Sons and Lovers.
  • Russell Metty wins the Best Cinematography (Color) Award for Sparticus.
  • Gene Warren and Tim Baar win the Best Special Effects Award for The Time Machine.