1947 in film

The year 1947 in film involved some significant events.

Events

February 23 – Ealing Studios release the film Hue and Cry, regarded as the first of the UK's famous Ealing Comedies.^[1]
April 19 – Monogram Pictures release their first film under their Allied Artists banner, It Happened on Fifth Avenue.
May 22 – Great Expectations is premiered in New York.
August 31 – The first Edinburgh International Film Festival opens at the Playhouse Cinema, presented by the Edinburgh Film Guild as part of the Edinburgh Festival of the Arts. Originally specialising in documentaries, it will become the world's oldest continually running film festival.^[2]
November 24 – The United States House of Representatives of the 80th Congress votes 346 to 17 to approve citations for contempt of Congress against the "Hollywood Ten".
November 25 – The Waldorf Statement is released by the executives of the United States motion picture industry, marking the beginning of the Hollywood blacklist.

Awards

Category/Organization	5th Golden Globe Awards March 10, 1948	20th Academy Awards March 20, 1948
Best Film	Gentleman's Agreement
Best Director	Elia Kazan Gentleman's Agreement
Best Actor	Ronald Colman A Double Life
Best Actress	Rosalind Russell Mourning Becomes Electra	Loretta Young The Farmer's Daughter
Best Supporting Actor	Edmund Gwenn Miracle on 34th Street
Best Supporting Actress	Celeste Holm Gentleman's Agreement
Best Screenplay, Adapted	George Seaton Miracle on 34th Street	George Seaton Miracle on 34th Street
Best Screenplay, Original	George Seaton Miracle on 34th Street	Sidney Sheldon The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer

Top-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten 1947 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Highest-grossing films of 1947
Rank	Title	Distributor	Domestic rentals
1	Welcome Stranger	Paramount	$6,100,000^[3]
2	The Egg and I	Universal	$5,500,000^[3]
3	Life with Father	Warner Bros.	$5,057,000^[4]
4	Forever Amber	20th Century Fox	$5,000,000^[3]
5	Unconquered	Paramount	$4,633,486^[5]
6	Road to Rio	Paramount	$4,500,000^[3]
7	Green Dolphin Street	MGM	$4,384,380^[6]
8	The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer	RKO	$4,200,000^[7]
9	Mother Wore Tights	20th Century Fox	$4,100,000^[8]
10	Cass Timberlane	MGM	$3,983,000^[6]

Notable films released in 1947

United States unless stated

Serials

The Black Widow, starring Bruce Edwards
Brick Bradford, starring Kane Richmond
Jack Armstrong
Jesse James Rides Again, starring Clayton Moore and Linda Stirling
The Sea Hound, starring Buster Crabbe
Son of Zorro, starring George Turner and Peggy Stewart
The Vigilante, starring Ralph Byrd

Short film series

Mickey Mouse (1928–1953)
Looney Tunes (1930–1969)
Terrytoons (1930–1964)
Merrie Melodies (1931–1969)
The Three Stooges (1934–1959)
Donald Duck (1934–1956)
Andy Panda (1939–1949)
Color Rhapsodies (1934–1949)
The Fox and the Crow (1941–1950)
Bugs Bunny (1940–1964)
Chip and Dale (1943–1956)
Red Hot Riding Hood (1943–1949)
Popeye (1933–1957)
Tom and Jerry (1940–1958)
George and Junior (1946–1948)
Mighty Mouse (1942–1955)
Pluto (1937–1951)
Goofy (1939–1953)
Woody Woodpecker (1941–1949)
Yosemite Sam (1945–1963)

Births

January 4 – Tim Rooney, American actor (d. 2006)
January 8 – David Bowie, English singer, songwriter and actor (d. 2016)^[9]
January 10 – Mario Ernesto Sánchez, Cuban-American actor (d. 2025)
January 11
- William Caskey Swaim, American actor
- Vinny Vella, American actor, talk show host and comedian (d. 2019)
January 15 – Andrea Martin, Canadian-American actress
January 17
- Joanna David, English actress
- Jane Elliot, American actress
- Peter Werner, American director (d. 2023)
January 18 – Takeshi Kitano, Japanese writer-director, actor, comedian, author and video game creator
January 23 – Joel Douglas, American producer
January 26 – Richard Portnow, American actor
January 27 – Peter Burroughs, British actor
January 29 – Ernie Lively, American actor and acting coach (d. 2021)
January 31
- Jonathan Banks, American actor
- Glynn Turman, American actor, writer, director and producer
February 2 – Farrah Fawcett, American actress (d. 2009)
February 3
- Paul Auster, American novelist, screenwriter and director (d. 2024)
- Stephen McHattie, Canadian actor
- Tonea Stewart, American actress
February 5 – David Ladd, American producer and actor
February 7 – Wayne Allwine, American voice actor (d. 2009)
February 11 – Brian Capron, English actor
February 24 – Edward James Olmos, American actor
February 28 – Stephanie Beacham, English actress
March 1 – Alan Thicke, Canadian-American actor (d. 2016)
March 4 – Gunnar Hansen, Icelandic actor (d. 2015)
March 6
- Martin Kove, American actor and martial artist
- Rob Reiner, American actor, comedian, producer and director (d. 2025)^[10]
March 9 – Frank Grimes, Irish actor (d. 2025)
March 10 – Colin Stinton, Canadian actor
March 12 – Rupert Frazer, British actor
March 18
- Patrick Barlow, English actor, comedian and playwright
- Aleksander Krupa, Polish actor
- Nicholas Le Prevost, English actor
March 19
- Glenn Close, American actress
- Dermot Crowley, Irish stage, film and television actor
March 20 – Anthony Peck, American actor (d. 1996)
March 22 – Tony Pope, American voice actor (d. 2004)
March 23
- Terry Alexander, American actor
- Kim Hee-ra, South Korean movie actor
March 25 – Elton John, English singer and songwriter
March 26 – John Morton, American movie actor, stuntman and writer
March 27 – Chick Vennera, American actor (d. 2021)
April 2
- Sam Anderson, American actor
- Ezra Dagan, Israeli actor
April 6 – John Ratzenberger, American actor
April 11
- Peter Riegert, American actor, director and screenwriter
- Meshach Taylor, American actor (d. 2014)
April 12 – Dan Lauria, American actor
April 15 – Lois Chiles, American actress
April 17 – Charles Frank, American actor
April 18
- Cindy Pickett, American actress
- James Woods, American actor
April 19 – Gillian Jones, Australian actress
April 21 - Sam Weisman, American director and producer, previously actor
April 25
- Jeffrey DeMunn, American actor
- Myra Turley, American actress
April 26 – Ron McLarty, American actor and playwright (d. 2020)
April 30 – Elizabeth Hawthorne, New Zealand actress
May 2 - Nirut Sirijanya, Thai actor
May 4 – Richard Jenkins, American actor
May 6 – Alan Dale, New Zealand actor
May 8
- Jamie Donnelly, American actress
- Katia Tchenko, French actress
May 9 – Anthony Higgins, English actor
May 13 – Charles Gordon, American producer (d. 2020)
May 14 – Hans Strydom, South African actor and writer
May 16 – Bill Smitrovich, American actor
May 18 – Hugh Keays-Byrne, British-Australian actor and director (d. 2020)
May 25 – Jacki Weaver, Australian actress
May 31 – Steven Kampmann, American actor, writer and director
June 1 – Jonathan Pryce, Welsh actor
June 6 – Robert Englund, American actor
June 10 – Fred Asparagus, American comedian and actor (d. 1998)
June 11 - Ken Bones, English actor
June 18 – Hanns Zischler, German actor
June 19 – Youn Yuh-jung, South-Korean actress
June 20 – Candy Clark, American actress
June 21
- Michael Gross, American actor
- Lex van Delden, Dutch actor and singer (d. 2010)
June 22 – David Lander, American character actor, comedian, musician and baseball scout (d. 2020)
June 23
- Bryan Brown, Australian actor
- Kerry Rossall, American stunt coordinator, stuntman, actor and producer
June 24 – Peter Weller, American actor
June 25 – Jimmie Walker, American actor and comedian
June 29 - Richard Lewis, American stand-up comedian, actor and writer (d. 2024)
June 30 – Tõnis Rätsep, Estonian actor
July 2
- Larry David, American comedian, writer, actor and television producer
- Stephen Stucker, American actor (d. 1986)
July 6
- Richard Beckinsale, English actor (d. 1979)^[11]
- Shelley Hack, American actress and producer
July 9 – O. J. Simpson, American football player and actor (d. 2024)^[12]
July 19 - Rikiya Yasuoka, Japanese actor (d. 2012)
July 22
- Albert Brooks, American actor, comedian and director
- J. Kenneth Campbell, American actor
July 23 - Mohan Agashe, Indian actor
July 24 – Robert Hays, American actor
July 29 – Dennis Cleveland Stewart, American actor and dancer (d. 1994)
July 30
- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austrian-born American actor, bodybuilder and 38th Governor of California
- William Atherton, American actor
July 31 – Richard Griffiths, English actor (d. 2013)
August 3 – John Wesley, American actor (d. 2019)
August 5 – Angry Anderson, Australian singer-songwriter, television personality and actor
August 6 - Oliver Tobias, English actor
August 8 - George Costigan, English actor
August 15 – Jenny Hanley, English actress
August 17 - Jennifer Rhodes, American actress
August 19 – Gerald McRaney, American actor
August 20 – Ray Wise, American actor
August 22 – Cindy Williams, American actress (d. 2023)
August 24 – Anne Archer, American actress
August 27 – Barbara Bach, American actress
August 28
- James Aubrey, English actor (d. 2010)
- Alice Playten, American actress (d. 2011)
August 31 – Mona Marshall, American voice actress
September 4 - David St. James, American character actor and comedian
September 6
- Jane Curtin, American actress and comedian
- Keone Young, American actor and voice actor
September 7 – David McGillivray, British screenwriter
September 12 – Bjørn Floberg, Norwegian actor
September 14 – Sam Neill, New Zealand actor (d. 2026)
September 15 – Sandra Prinsloo, South African actress
September 21 – Stephen King, American author
September 23
- Caroline Lagerfelt, French-born American actress
- Mary Kay Place, American actress
September 24 – R. H. Thomson, Canadian actor
September 27
- Denis Lawson, Scottish actor and director
- Meat Loaf, American singer and actor (d. 2022)
September 29 – Martin Ferrero, American actor
October 1
- Stephen Collins, American actor
- Richard E. Council, American actor
October 7 - Jill Larson, American actress
October 13 – Susan Blommaert, American actress
October 16 – David Zucker, American director, producer and screenwriter
October 17
- Simi Garewal, Indian actress and talk show host
- Rajendra Gupta, Indian actor and director
- Michael McKean, American actor and comedian
October 18 – Joe Morton, American actor
October 23
- Miles Anderson, British actor
- Frank DiLeo, American actor (d. 2011)
October 24 – Kevin Kline, American actor
October 26 – Ene Järvis, Estonian actress (d. 2025)
October 27 - Angus MacInnes, Canadian actor (d. 2024)
October 29 – Richard Dreyfuss, American actor
November 7 - Holmes Osborne, American character actor
November 9 - Robert David Hall, American actor
November 11 - Roberto Nobile, Italian actor (d. 2022)
November 13 – Joe Mantegna, American actor
November 17 - Steven E. de Souza, American screenwriter, producer and director
November 21 – Tiny Ron Taylor, American actor (d. 2019)
November 24
- Sasson Gabai, Israeli actor
- Dwight Schultz, American actor and voice actor
November 25
- Jonathan Kaplan, American producer and director (d. 2025)
- John Larroquette, American actor
- Tracey Walter, American character actor
November 30
- Stuart Baird, English editor, producer and director
- Jude Ciccolella, American actor and singer
- David Mamet, American filmmaker and screenwriter
December 4 – Tõnu Kark, Estonian actor
December 5 – JoBe Cerny, American actor
December 8 – Bruce Kimmel, American actor, director, writer
December 10 – Kathy Lamkin, American actress (d. 2022)
December 12 – Wings Hauser, American actor, screenwriter, director and musician (d. 2025)
December 13 - Darlene Cates, American actress (d. 2017)
December 16 – Ben Cross, English actor (d. 2020)
December 17 – Wes Studi, Cherokee American actor and film producer
December 25
- Twink Caplan, American actress, comedian and producer
- Michael D. Roberts, American actor
December 26
- Trina Parks, American actress
- Peter Sattmann, German actor (d. 2025)
December 28 – Peter MacGregor-Scott, British producer (d. 2017)
December 29 – Ted Danson, American actor
December 31 – Tim Matheson, American actor, director and producer

Deaths

January 26 – Grace Moore, 48, American opera singer and actress, One Night of Love, The King Steps Out, When You're in Love
February 12 – Sidney Toler, 72, American actor, Charlie Chan in the Secret Service, The Chinese Cat^[13]
March 8 – Victor Potel, 57, American actor and comedian, Sullivan's Travels, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, The Palm Beach Story, The Egg and I
May 18 – Lucile Gleason, 59, American actress, I Like It That Way, A Successful Failure, Should Husbands Work?, The Clock
May 31 – Adrienne Ames, 39, American actress, The Death Kiss, You're Telling Me!, Slander House, Gigolette
June 1 – Anna Hofman-Uddgren, 79, Swedish director and actress
June 5 – Nils Olaf Chrisander, 63, Swedish actor and director
July 15 – Henry Kolker, 72, American actor and director, Baby Face, Holiday, The Great Swindle, The Parson of Panamint
July 28 – Robert Homans, 69, American actor, Suicide Squad, The Grapes of Wrath, Night Monster, The Scarlet Clue
August 30 – Gunnar Sommerfeldt, 56, Danish actor and director
September 21 – Harry Carey, 69, American actor, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Angel and the Badman, Red River, Beyond Tomorrow
October 1 – Olive Borden, 40, American actress, 3 Bad Men, Half Marriage, Leave It to Me
October 13 – LeRoy Mason, 44, American actor, The Painted Stallion, Silver Stallion
October 17 – John Halliday, 67, American actor, The Philadelphia Story, Intermezzo
October 18 – Harry C. Bradley, 78, American actor, Beyond the Law, Sing While You're Able
October 24 – Dudley Digges, 68, Irish actor, The Maltese Falcon, Mutiny on the Bounty, The Fight for Life^[14]
November 10 – Jack Rockwell, 57, American actor
November 26 – Ernie Adams, 62, American actor The Pride of the Yankees, Invisible Ghost
December 21 – Mark Hellinger, 47, American producer, High Sierra, They Drive By Night, The Two Mrs. Carrolls
December 26 – Urban Gad, 68, Danish director and screenwriter, The Abyss, Little Angel, The Island of the Lost

Film debuts

Georg Adelly – Private Karlsson on Leave
Anouk Aimée – La maison sous la mer
Lola Albright – The Unfinished Dance
Terence Alexander – Fame Is the Spur
Richard Anderson – The Pearl
Richard Basehart – Repeat Performance
Timothy Bateson – The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby
Ed Begley – Boomerang
Honor Blackman – Fame Is the Spur
Wilfrid Brambell – Odd Man Out
Dora Bryan – Odd Man Out
Frank Cady – Violence
George Chakiris – Song of Love
Helen Cherry – The Courtneys of Curzon Street
Fred Clark – The Unsuspected
Russ Conway – Buck Privates Come Home
Henry Corden – The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Wendell Corey – Desert Fury
Rosalie Crutchley – Take My Life
Arlene Dahl – My Wild Irish Rose
Cesare Danova – The Captain's Daughter
Ted de Corsia – The Lady from Shanghai
Frank de Kova – Kiss of Death
Maurice Denham – The Man Within
Ivan Desny – La fleur de l'âge
Diana Dors – Code of Scotland Yard
Howard Duff – Brute Force
Jack Elam – Mystery Range
Gene Evans – Under Colorado Skies
Mel Ferrer – The Fugitive
Anne Francis – This Time for Keeps
Bert Freed – Carnegie Hall
Gloria Henry – Sport of Kings
Jimmy Hunt – My Brother Talks to Horses
Sid James – Black Memory
Geoffrey Keen – Odd Man Out
Barry Kelley – Boomerang
DeForest Kelley – Fear in the Night
Mickey Knox – I Walk Alone
Henry Kulky – A Likely Story
Joi Lansing – When a Girl's Beautiful
Cloris Leachman – Carnegie Hall
Janet Leigh – The Romance of Rosy Ridge
Ken Lynch – Gentleman's Agreement
Marion Marshall – Gentleman's Agreement
Donna Martell – Apache Rose
Sean McClory – Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome
William Mervyn – The Loves of Joanna Godden
Toshiro Mifune – Snow Trail
Hayley Mills – So Well Remembered
Martin Milner – Life with Father
John Mitchum – The Prairie
Marilyn Monroe – The Shocking Miss Pilgrim
Paulene Myers – Boomerang
Dandy Nichols – Hue and Cry
Dan O'Herlihy – Hungry Hill
Werner Peters – Between Yesterday and Tomorrow
William Edward Phipps – Crossfire
Wensley Pithey – The Mark of Cain
Sidney Poitier – Sepia Cinderella
Denver Pyle – The Guilt of Janet Ames
Thelma Ritter – Miracle on 34th Street
William Schallert – The Foxes of Harrow
Gerald Sim – Fame Is the Spur
Constance Smith – Jassy
Jan Sterling – Tycoon
Kenneth Tobey – Dangerous Venture
Leopoldo Trieste – Preludio d'amore
Michael Ward – An Ideal Husband
Russell Waters – The Woman in the Hall
Jesse White – Kiss of Death
Richard Widmark – Kiss of Death

References

↑ "Hue and Cry". screenonline. BFI. Retrieved 2010-07-09.
↑ "Scotland Hosts the World's Longest Running Film Festival". Scotland.com. Retrieved 2014-07-18.
1 2 3 4 Finler, Joel Waldo (2003). The Hollywood Story. Wallflower Press. pp. 356–357. ISBN 978-1-903364-66-6.
↑ Warner Bros financial information in The William Schaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1–31 p 28 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551
↑ Birchard 2004, p. 329.
1 2 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
↑ Jewel, Richard. "RKO Film Grosses: 1931–1951" in Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol 14 No 1, 1994 p55
↑ Finler, Joel Waldo (2003). The Hollywood Story. Wallflower Press. pp. 358–359. ISBN 978-1-903364-66-6.
↑ Adam Sweeting (11 January 2016). "David Bowie obituary". Guardian. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
↑ Carlson, Michael (December 15, 2025). "Rob Reiner obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
↑ Clayton, David (2008). The Richard Beckinsale Story. Stroud: History Press. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-7509-5061-9.
↑ Michael Carlson (11 April 2024). "OJ Simpson obituary". Guardian. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
↑ "Sidney Toler Dies. Film Charlie Chan. Veteran Stage, Screen Star Played Chinese Detective Since 1939. Had Been Playwright". The New York Times. February 13, 1947. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
↑ "Dudley Digges, 68, Noted Actor Dead", The New York Times, October 25, 1947, p. L19. ProQuest Historical Newspapers (Ann Arbor, Michigan); subscription access through The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library.

Bibliography

Birchard, Robert S. (2004). Cecil B. DeMille's Hollywood. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0813123240.

External links

[1] "Hue and Cry". screenonline. BFI. Retrieved 2010-07-09.

[2] "Scotland Hosts the World's Longest Running Film Festival". Scotland.com. Retrieved 2014-07-18.

[Finler-3] 1 2 3 4 Finler, Joel Waldo (2003). The Hollywood Story. Wallflower Press. pp. 356–357. ISBN 978-1-903364-66-6.

[warners-4] Warner Bros financial information in The William Schaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1–31 p 28 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551

[FOOTNOTEBirchard2004329-5] Birchard 2004, p. 329.

[Mannix-6] 1 2 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.

[rko-7] Jewel, Richard. "RKO Film Grosses: 1931–1951" in Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol 14 No 1, 1994 p55

[Finler2-8] Finler, Joel Waldo (2003). The Hollywood Story. Wallflower Press. pp. 358–359. ISBN 978-1-903364-66-6.

[9] Adam Sweeting (11 January 2016). "David Bowie obituary". Guardian. Retrieved 22 March 2026.

[10] Carlson, Michael (December 15, 2025). "Rob Reiner obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved December 15, 2025.

[11] Clayton, David (2008). The Richard Beckinsale Story. Stroud: History Press. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-7509-5061-9.

[12] Michael Carlson (11 April 2024). "OJ Simpson obituary". Guardian. Retrieved 22 March 2026.

[13] "Sidney Toler Dies. Film Charlie Chan. Veteran Stage, Screen Star Played Chinese Detective Since 1939. Had Been Playwright". The New York Times. February 13, 1947. Retrieved September 28, 2016.

[14] "Dudley Digges, 68, Noted Actor Dead", The New York Times, October 25, 1947, p. L19. ProQuest Historical Newspapers (Ann Arbor, Michigan); subscription access through The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

Events

Awards

Top-grossing films (U.S.)

Notable films released in 1947

#

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Serials

Short film series

Births

Deaths

Film debuts

References

Bibliography

External links