The year 1949 in film involved some significant events.

The top ten 1949 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

• April 26–June 21 – Ealing comedies Passport to Pimlico, Whisky Galore! and Kind Hearts and Coronets are released in the UK, leading to 1949 being remembered as one of the peak years of the Ealing comedies.
• November 15 – Following the prior year's Supreme Court decision in United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc., Paramount Pictures is split into two separate companies with the creation of Paramount Pictures Corporation for production-distribution and United Paramount Theaters for the theater operations.
• December 21 – Cecil B. DeMille's Samson and Delilah, starring Hedy Lamarr, Victor Mature, George Sanders, Angela Lansbury, and Henry Wilcoxon, receives its televised world premiere at the Paramount and Rivoli theatres in New York City.^[5] The film opens in Los Angeles on January 13, 1950, and becomes a massive commercial success. At the 23rd Academy Awards, the film wins the awards for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design.

United States unless stated

• Adventures of Sir Galahad, starring George Reeves and Charles King
• Batman and Robin, starring Robert Lowery
• Bruce Gentry, starring Tom Neal
• Federal Agents vs. Underworld, Inc, starring Kirk Alyn and Rosemary LaPlanche
• Ghost of Zorro, starring Clayton Moore and Pamela Blake
• The James Brothers of Missouri, starring Keith Richards and Noel Neill
• King of the Rocket Men, starring Tristram Coffin and Mae Clarke
• Radar Patrol vs Spy King, starring Kirk Alyn

• Mickey Mouse (1928–1952)
• Looney Tunes (1930–1969)
• Merrie Melodies (1931–1969)
• Popeye (1933–1957)
• Color Rhapsodies (1934–1949)
• The Three Stooges (1934–1959)
• Donald Duck (1934–1956)
• Pluto (1937–1951)
• Chip and Dale (1943–1956)
• Andy Panda (1939–1949)
• Goofy (1939–1953)
• Tom and Jerry (1940–1958)
• The Fox and the Crow (1941–1950)
• Woody Woodpecker (1941–1949)
• Mighty Mouse (1942–1955)
• Droopy (1943–1958)
• Blackie the Sheep (1947–1949)
• Red Hot Riding Hood (1943–1949)
• Jan Wickman Shorts (1949–1994)
• Noveltoons (1943–1967)

• Mbissine Thérèse Diop, Senegalese actress
• January 7
  • George Buza, American-born Canadian actor
  • Steven Williams, American actor
• January 9 - Vincent Grass, Belgian actor
• January 12 – Wayne Wang, Hong Kong-born director
• January 14 – Lawrence Kasdan, American director and screenwriter
• January 16 – Caroline Munro, English actress and model
• January 17 – Andy Kaufman, American actor and comedian (died 1984)
• January 24 – John Belushi, American actor and comedian (died 1982)
• January 26
  • Deep Roy, Kenyan-British actor
  • David Strathairn, American actor
• January 27 – Zbigniew Rybczyński, Polish film and video cinematographer and director
• February 2
  • Jack McGee, American actor
  • Brent Spiner, American actor, comedian and musician
• February 8 – Brooke Adams, American actress
• February 9 - Judith Light, American actress
• March 2 - Gates McFadden, American actress
• March 3 - Gloria Hendry, American actress and former model
• March 12 – Rob Cohen, American director, producer and writer
• March 16
  • Erik Estrada, American actor and police officer
  • Victor Garber, Canadian actor
  • Joseph Pilato, American actor (died 2019)
• March 22 – Fanny Ardant, French actress
• March 28 - Josephine Chaplin, American actress (died 2023)
• April 2
  • Ron Palillo, American actor (died 2012)
  • Pamela Reed, American actress
• April 5 - John Berg, American actor (died 2007)
• April 8
  • John Madden, English director
• April 11 - Bernd Eichinger, German producer, director and screenwriter (died 2011)
• April 14 – John Shea, American actor
• April 20
  • Jessica Lange, American actress
  • Veronica Cartwright, English-born actress
• April 21 - Patti LuPone, American actress and singer
• April 26 - Dominic Sena, American director
• April 28
  • Paul Guilfoyle, American actor
  • Bruno Kirby, American actor, singer, voice artist and comedian (died 2006)
• May 3 - Ron Canada, American actor
• May 7 - Marilyn Burns, American actress (died 2014)
• May 26 - Pam Grier, American actress and singer
• May 18 - Hubert Saint-Macary, French actor
• May 20 - Dave Thomas, Canadian comedian, actor and television writer
• May 21 - Will Ryan, American voice actor, singer and musician (died 2021)
• May 22 - Cheryl Campbell, English actress
• May 24 – Jim Broadbent, English actor
• May 25 - Joe Unger, American actor
• May 26
  • Pam Grier, American actress
  • Tom McCleister, American actor
  • Philip Michael Thomas, American retired actor and musician
• May 28 - Sandy Helberg, German-born American actor
• May 29 - Cotter Smith, American actor
• May 31 – Tom Berenger, American actor
• June 10 - Frankie Faison, American actor
• June 12 - Roger Aaron Brown, American character actor
• June 14 - Antony Sher, British actor (died 2021)
• June 15
  • Simon Callow, English actor, director and writer
  • Richard Henzel, American actor
  • Jim Varney, American actor and comedian (died 2000)
• June 22 – Meryl Streep, American actress
• June 29 - Greg Burson, American voice actor (died 2008)
• July 5 - Ed O'Ross, American actor
• July 7 – Shelley Duvall, American actress
• July 12
  • Diana Hardcastle, English actress
  • Bernice Stegers, English actress
• July 24 - Michael Richards, American actor, writer, producer and retired comedian
• July 27
  • Maury Chaykin, American-Canadian actor (died 2010)
  • Susan Gordon, American child actress (died 2011)
• August 2 - Madeline Smith, English actress
• August 8 – Keith Carradine, American actor
• August 11 - Ian Charleson, Scottish actor (died 1990)
• August 17 – Julian Fellowes, English actor, writer, director and screenwriter
• August 20 - Patrick Kilpatrick, American actor, director and screenwriter
• August 21 – Loretta Devine, American actress
• August 23 – Shelley Long, American actress
• August 25 – John Savage, American actor
• August 31
  • Richard Gere, American actor
  • Stephen McKinley Henderson, American actor
• September 1 – Luminița Gheorghiu, Romanian actress (died 2021)
• September 4 – Eero Spriit, Estonian actor and producer
• September 13 - Burghart Klaußner, German actor
• September 16 – Ed Begley, Jr., American actor
• September 18 - Beth Grant, American character actress
• September 19 - Ernie Sabella, American actor
• September 25 – Pedro Almodóvar, Spanish director
• October 4 – Armand Assante, American actor
• October 8 – Sigourney Weaver, American actress
• October 10 – Jessica Harper, American actress
• October 15 – Tanya Roberts, American actress (died 2021)
• October 20 - George Harris, British actor
• October 21 - LaTanya Richardson Jackson, American actress
• October 30 - Leon Rippy, American character actor
• November 6 - Brad Davis, American actor (died 1991)
• November 7 - Terry Camilleri, Australian actor
• November 10 - Ann Reinking, American actress and singer (died 2020)
• November 27
  • Gerrit Graham, American actor
  • Arlene Klasky, American animator, graphic designer, producer and co-founder of Klasky Csupo
• November 28
  • Alexander Godunov, Russian-American film actor (died 1995)
  • Paul Shaffer, Canadian singer, composer, actor and musician
• November 29 – Garry Shandling, American stand-up comedian, actor, director, writer and producer (died 2016)
• November 30
  • Margaret Whitton, American actress (died 2016)
  • Nicholas Woodeson, English actor
• December 3 - Heather Menzies, Canadian-American actress (died 2017)
• December 4 – Jeff Bridges, American actor
• December 7 - Tom Waits, American musician and actor
• December 8 - Nancy Meyers, American filmmaker
• December 10 - Enrique Castillo, American actor, writer, director and producer
• December 12 – Bill Nighy, English actor
• December 13 - Robert Lindsay, English actor
• December 15 – Don Johnson, American actor
• December 19
  • Marlene Clark, American actress (died 2023)
  • Kjell Nilsson, Swedish actor
• December 21 - Michael Horse, American actor
• December 22 - Graham Beckel, American character actor
• December 25 – Sissy Spacek, American actress
• December 28 - Hilton McRae, Scottish actor

• January 6 – Victor Fleming, 59, American director and producer, The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, Captains Courageous, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• January 19 – William Wright, 38, American actor, Philo Vance Returns, Eve Knew Her Apples
• January 20 – Nora Gregor, 47, Austrian actress, The Rules of the Game, But the Flesh Is Weak
• February 19 – Jean Gillie, 33, English actress, Decoy
• March 16 – Leyland Hodgson, 56, English actor, Under Nevada Skies, Kiss the Blood Off My Hands
• April 15 – Wallace Beery, 64, American actor, Grand Hotel, The Champ, Robin Hood, Viva Villa!
• April 18 – Will Hay, 60, English comedian, actor and director, Oh, Mr. Porter!, Hey! Hey! USA
• April 22 – Charles B. Middleton, 74, American actor (born 1874), Flash Gordon
• August 9 – Harry Davenport, 83, American actor (born 1866), Gone with the Wind, The Ox-Bow Incident
• September 4 – Olof Ås, 56, Swedish actor, stage manager (born 1892)
• September 10 – Robert Middlemass, 66, American playwright, actor, (born 1883), Lady in the Death House, A Sporting Chance
• September 14 – Romuald Joubé, 73, French actor (born 1876)
• September 18 – Frank Morgan, 59, American actor (born 1890), The Wizard of Oz
• September 20 – Richard Dix, 56, American actor (born 1893), Cimarron, Redskin
• October 14 – Fritz Leiber, Sr., 67, American actor (born 1882)
• October 22 – Craig Reynolds, 72, American actor (born 1907), Gold Mine in the Sky, Slander House
• November 25 – Bill Robinson, 72, American dancer and actor (born 1878), Stormy Weather, The Little Colonel
• November 27 – Tom Walls, 66, English actor and director (born 1883), Stormy Weather, Lady in Danger
• December 16 – Sidney Olcott, 76, Canadian-born American film director (born 1873)
• December 31 – Howard Hickman, 69, American actor, director, writer (born 1880), The Kansas Terrors, Gone with the Wind

• Julie Andrews – The Singing Princess
• Neville Brand – Battleground
• Yul Brynner – Port of New York
• Richard Burton – The Last Days of Dolwyn
• Tony Curtis – Criss Cross
• Denholm Elliott – Dear Mr. Prohack
• Jerry Lewis – My Friend Irma
• Dean Martin – My Friend Irma
• Jeanne Moreau – Last Love
• Patricia Neal – John Loves Mary
• Nimmi – Barsaat
• Philippe Noiret – Gigi
• Vito Scotti – Criss Cross
• Joe Turkel – City Across the River
• Max von Sydow – Only a Mother
• James Whitmore – The Undercover Man