The following television-related events took place during 1961.

List of years in television (table)
In radio
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
+...

Events

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Debuts

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Programs/programmes

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Ending this year

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Date Show Debut
January 1 General Motors Presents (Can) 1958
January 6 Dan Raven 1960
February 13 Klondike
April 7 Happy
April 12 My Sister Eileen
April 24 Acapulco 1961
April 30 The Tab Hunter Show 1960
May 15 The Americans 1961
May 23 The Tom Ewell Show 1960
May 31 Peter Loves Mary
June 20 The Army Game (UK) 1957
June 27 Stagecoach West 1960
June 29 The Ford Show 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 1960
December 15 Sam and Friends 1955
December 28 The Investigators 1961
Unknown This Is Your Life (US) 1952

Changes of network affiliation

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Show Moved from Moved to
Walt Disney Presents ABC NBC
The Detectives
Rocky and His Friends
The Wonderful World of Disney
Bachelor Father NBC ABC
Mister Ed Syndication CBS

Births

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Date Name Notability
January 2 Gabrielle Carteris Actress (Beverly Hills, 90210)
January 4 Graham McTavish Actor
January 7 Jeff Richmond Actor
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)
Al Jean Writer
January 10 Evan Handler Actor
January 13 Julia Louis-Dreyfus Actress (Seinfeld, Veep)
January 19 Paul McCrane Actor (ER)
Mark Roberts TV producer
January 26 Sharyl Attkisson American journalist
January 31 Oren Koules Film producer
February 2 Lauren Lane Actress (The Nanny)
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
February 10 George Stephanopoulos TV host
Jay Pickett Actor (died 2021)
February 18 Alison Owen English film producer
February 21 Christopher Atkins Actor (Dallas)
February 23 Trent Lehman Actor (Nanny and the Professor) (died 1982)
February 24 Kasi Lemmons Actress
February 27 Grant Shaud Actor (Murphy Brown)
James Worthy NBA basketball player
March 3 Mary Page Keller Actress (Duet)
March 4 Steven Weber Actor (Wings, Once and Again)
March 8 Camryn Manheim Actress (The Practice, Ghost Whisperer, 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 NBA basketball player and coach
April 2 Christopher Meloni Actor (NYPD Blue, 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)
April 17 Carlo Rota Canadian actor (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
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 and voice actor (Rocko's Modern Life, Camp Lazlo)
May 4 Mary Elizabeth McDonough Actress (The Waltons)
May 6 George Clooney Actor (ER)
Wally Wingert Actor
Gina Riley Actress, comedian (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, Lilo & Stitch: The Series, Catscratch)
May 22 Jeremy Gelbwaks Actor (The Partridge Family)
May 27 Peri Gilpin Actress (Frasier, Make It or Break It)
Cathy Silvers Actress (Happy Days)
May 29 Melissa Etheridge Singer, voice actress
Linda Wallem Actress (Rocko's Modern Life, Nurse Jackie)
May 30 Ralph Carter Actor (Michael Evans on Good Times)
May 31 Lea Thompson Actress (Caroline in the City)
June 1 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)
June 29 Kimberlin Brown Actress (The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful)
Sharon Lawrence Actress (NYPD Blue)
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)
July 19 Pat Gibson Irish quizzer
Campbell Scott Actor
July 21 Kym Whitley Actress and comedian (My Brother and Me, College Road Trip)
July 22 Calvin Fish English-born sports commentator, previously racing driver
Keith Sweat Singer
July 23 Woody Harrelson Actor (Woody Boyd on Cheers)
David Kaufman Voice actor (Freakazoid!, Danny Phantom, Superman: The Animated Series, The Buzz on Maggie)
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)
July 27 Janet Tamaro Writer
E. D. Hill American journalist
July 30 Laurence Fishburne Actor (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Black-ish)
August 4 Barack Obama Politician and 44th president of the United States
Lauren Tom Actress (Pepper Ann, Futurama, Rocket Power, Teacher's Pet, Kim Possible, Fillmore!, Codename: Kids Next Door, Teen Titans, American Dragon: Jake Long, The Replacements)
Michael Gelman Executive producer of Live with Kelly and Ryan
August 5 Janet McTeer Actress
August 7 Maggie Wheeler Actress
Brian Conley Actor
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
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, The Expanse)
August 25 Billy Ray Cyrus Singer and actor (Hannah Montana)
Ally Walker Actress (Santa Barbara, Profiler)
Joanne Whalley Actress
August 26 Kari Lizer Actress
August 27 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)
September 15 Dan Marino NFL football player and analyst (The NFL Today)
Colin McFarlane Actor, voice actor and narrator (Outlander, Doctor Who)
Noel MacNeal Actor
September 16 Jen Tolley Actress
September 21 Nancy Travis Actress (Last Man Standing)
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
September 30 Crystal Bernard Actress (Wings)
Erica Ehm TV host and VJ (MuchMusic)
Eric Stoltz Actor
October 3 Marcus Giamatti Actor (Judging Amy)
October 4 David W. Harper Actor (The Waltons)
Kazuki Takahashi Manga creator (Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal) (died 2022)[4]
October 8 Simon Burke Actor (Devil's Playground)
October 9 Ellen Wheeler Actress (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!)
November 4 Jeff Probst Host (Survivor)
Ralph Macchio Actor
November 8 Leif Garrett Actor
November 9 Lisa McRee News anchor
November 11 Luca Zingaretti Italian actor (Inspector Montalbano)
November 14 Elizabeth Keifer Actress (Guiding Light)
November 19 Meg Ryan Actress (As the World Turns)
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
December 9 Joe Lando Actor (Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman)
David Anthony Higgins Actor (Malcolm in the Middle)
December 13 Karen Witter Actress
December 16 Jon Tenney Actor
Bill Hicks Comedian (died 1994)
December 23 Carol Smillie Scottish television presenter
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

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Date Name Age Notability
February 3 Anna May Wong 56 American actress
May 22 Joan Davis 53 Actress (I Married Joan)
August 26 Gail Russell 36 American actress
August 30 Charles Coburn 84 Actor
September 10 Leo Carrillo 80 Actor (The Cisco Kid)
October 11 Chico Marx 74 Actor (member of the Marx Brothers)
November 24 Ruth Chatterton 68 Actress

Television debuts

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ es:Venevision#Historia#Inicios (Spanish language) Retrieved January 7, 2016
  2. ^ Telefe#History Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  3. ^ KBS1#History Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  4. ^ Dooley, Ben (2022-07-07). "Kazuki Takahashi, Yu-Gi-Oh! Creator, Dies at 60". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-03-08.