The year 1961 in film involved some significant events, with West Side Story winning 10 Academy Awards.

The top ten 1961 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

The highest-grossing 1961 films from countries outside of North America.

• May 13 – Legendary actor Gary Cooper dies at the age of 60 in Los Angeles from colon and prostate cancer. Best known for his appearances in classic films such as Wings, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Sergeant York, The Pride of the Yankees and High Noon, Cooper was one of the biggest stars of Hollywood's Golden Age and won two Academy Awards for Best Actor.
• June 28 – Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman sign a multi-picture deal with United Artists to produce a series of films based on the novels of Ian Fleming starting with either Dr. No or Diamonds Are Forever.^[13] The series goes on to become the highest-grossing film series of all-time.
• July 17 – Trans World Airlines screens Come September to the press aboard one of its jets to introduce in-flight movies.^[14]
• October 18 – The film version of the musical West Side Story is released. Directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins and starring Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno and George Chakiris, it becomes the year's highest-grossing film and goes on to win ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (for Wise and Robbins), Best Supporting Actor (for Chakiris) and Best Supporting Actress (for Moreno).

United States unless stated

US unless stated

• Looney Tunes (1930–1969)
• Terrytoons (1930–1964)
• Merrie Melodies (1931–1969)
• Goofy (1961)
• Tom and Jerry (1940–1967)
• Noveltoons (1943–1967)
• Loopy De Loop (1959–1965)
• The Alvin Show (1961–1962)

• January 2
  • Neil Dudgeon, English actor
  • Todd Haynes, American director
• January 4 - Graham McTavish, Scottish actor
• January 9 - Candi Milo, American actress, voice actress and singer
• January 10 - Mark Venturini, American actor (died 1996)
• January 12 - Simon Russell Beale, English actor
• January 13
  • Julia Louis-Dreyfus, American actress
• January 18 - Bob Peterson, American animator, director, screenwriter and voice actor
• January 24 – Nastassja Kinski, German actress
• January 25 - Roger Yuan, American martial artist, stunt coordinator/performer and actor
• February 5 - Tim Meadows, American actor and comedian
• February 11 – Carey Lowell, American actress
• February 13 - Henry Rollins, American singer, writer, actor, comedian and presenter
• February 20 - Imogen Stubbs, English actress and writer
• February 21
  • Christopher Atkins, American actor
  • Martha Hackett, American actress
• February 23 - David Warshofsky, American actor
• February 24
  • Kasi Lemmons, American director, screenwriter and actress
  • Emilio Rivera, American actor and stand-up comedian
• February 28
  • Rae Dawn Chong, Canadian-American actress
  • Mark Ferguson, Australian actor
• March 4 – Steven Weber, American actor
• March 8 – Camryn Manheim, American actress
• March 11
  • Elias Koteas, Canadian actor
  • Greg Kramer, British-Canadian actor and director (died 2013)
• March 17
  • Dana Reeve, American actress and singer (died 2006)
  • Casey Siemaszko, American actor
• March 21 – Kassie DePaiva, American actress and singer
• March 25
  • John Stockwell, American actor, director, producer and writer
  • Aron Warner, American producer and voice actor
• March 29 - Amy Sedaris, American actress, comedian and writer
• March 31 - Gary Winick, American filmmaker (died 2011)
• April 2 - Christopher Meloni, American actor
• April 3 – Eddie Murphy, American actor and comedian
• April 5 - Lisa Zane, American actress and singer
• April 6 – Gene Eugene, Canadian actor, lead singer of Adam Again (died 2000)
• April 10 - Lorraine Ashbourne, English actress
• April 12 - Magda Szubanski, Australian comedy actress
• April 14 – Robert Carlyle, Scottish actor
• April 18
  • Jane Leeves, English actress
  • Joe Whyte, American actor
• April 21
  • Cathy Cavadini, American voice actress
  • Kate Vernon, Canadian-born American actress
• April 23
  • Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson, Icelandic actor
  • George Lopez, American comedian and actor
• May 2 - Beeban Kidron, British filmmaker
• May 5 - LeAnn Vaylen, American actress and singer
• May 6
  • George Clooney American actor, writer, director and producer
  • Wally Wingert, American actor, voice actor, singer and former radio personality
• May 8 – David Winning, Canadian-American director, producer and screenwriter
• May 9 - John Corbett, American actor and singer
• May 12 - Lar Park Lincoln, American actress
• May 13 - Siobhan Fallon Hogan, American actress and comedian
• May 14 – Tim Roth, English actor
• May 16 - Kevin McDonald, Canadian actor, voice actor and comedian
• May 17 - Corey Johnson, American character actor
• May 20 - Owen Teale, Welsh character actor
• May 21 - Brent Briscoe, American character actor and screenwriter (died 2017)
• May 23 - Karen Duffy, American writer, television personality and actress
• May 26 - Tarsem Singh, Indian director
• May 30 – Harry Enfield, English actor, comedian, writer and director.
• May 31 – Lea Thompson, American actress
• June 2: Liam Cunningham, Irish actor
• June 4: Julie White, American actress
• June 5: Mary Kay Bergman, American voice actress and voice-over teacher (died 1999)
• June 9
  • Michael J. Fox, Canadian actor
  • Aaron Sorkin, American screenwriter, actor, writer, producer and director
• June 15 - Jim Hanks, American actor and filmmaker
• June 25
  • Timur Bekmambetov, Russian-Kazakh director, producer and screenwriter
  • Ricky Gervais, English comedian, actor, writer, producer and director
• June 27
  • Meera Syal, English comedian, writer, singer and actress
  • Tim Whitnall, English playwright, screenwriter and actor
• July 12 - Caroline Bliss, English actress
• July 14 – Jackie Earle Haley, American actor
• July 15
  • Lolita Davidovich, Canadian actress
  • Forest Whitaker, American actor
• July 17 - Anthony Lee, American actor (died 2000)
• July 18 – Elizabeth McGovern, American actress
• July 19 - Campbell Scott, American actor, producer and director
• July 23 – Woody Harrelson, American actor
• July 28 - Debi Sue Voorhees, American actress
• July 30 – Laurence Fishburne, American actor
• August 3 - Molly Hagan, American actress
• August 4 - Lauren Tom, American actress
• August 5
  • Tawny Kitaen, American actress and model (died 2021)
  • Janet McTeer, English actress
• August 7 - Maggie Wheeler, American actress
• August 16
  • Elpidia Carrillo, Mexican actress and director
  • Noam Murro, Israeli director and producer
• August 18 - Glenn Plummer, American actor
• August 19 - Tony Longo, American actor (died 2015)
• August 20 - Joe Pasquale, English comedian, actor and television personality
• August 21
  • Eric Darnell, American animator, storyboard artist, director, writer and voice actor
  • Stephen Hillenburg, American animator, writer, producer, director, marine science educator and creator of SpongeBob SquarePants (died 2018)
• August 22 - Stephen Stanton, American actor, voice actor, comedian and visual effects artist
• August 23 - Michael "Bear" Taliferro, American actor, sportsman and singer (died 2006)
• August 24 - Jared Harris, British actor
• August 25
  • Ally Walker, American actress
  • Joanne Whalley, English actress
• August 27 - Tim Johnson, American director and producer
• August 28 – Jennifer Coolidge, American actress
• September 2 - Eugenio Derbez, Mexican actor, comedian and filmmaker
• September 9 - Steven Eckholdt, American actor
• September 11
  • E. G. Daily, American actress
  • Virginia Madsen, American actress
• September 15
  • Noel MacNeal, American actor, director, puppeteer and writer
  • Colin McFarlane, English actor
• September 16 - Jen Tolley, American-Canadian actress, voice actress and singer
• September 18 – James Gandolfini, American actor (died 2013)
• September 20
  • Morwenna Banks, British comedy actress, writer and producer
  • James Colby, American actor (died 2018)
• September 21 - Nancy Travis, American actress
• September 22 – Bonnie Hunt, American actress and comedian
• September 23 - Chi McBride, American actor
• September 25 - Heather Locklear, American actress
• September 28 - Gregory Jbara, American actor and singer
• September 30 - Eric Stoltz, American actor, director and producer
• October 1 - Steve Purcell, American cartoonist, animator, game designer, and voice actor
• October 4 - Kazuki Takahashi, Japanese author and creator of Yu-Gi-Oh! (died 2022)
• October 10 - Jodi Benson, American actress, voice actress and singer
• October 16
  • Randy Vasquez, American actor and director
  • Kim Wayans, American actress and comedian
• October 17 - John Okafor, Nigerian actor and comedian (died 2024)
• October 26 – Dylan McDermott, American actor
• October 27 - Joanna Scanlan, British actress and screenwriter
• October 31 – Peter Jackson, New Zealand director
• November 1 - Lauren-Marie Taylor, American actress
• November 4 – Ralph Macchio, American actor
• November 5
  • Gina Mastrogiacomo, American actress (died 2001)
  • Philip Moon, American actor of Asian descent
• November 8 - John Costelloe, American actor (died 2008)
• November 14 – D. B. Sweeney, American actor
• November 18 - Nick Chinlund, American actor
• November 19 – Meg Ryan, American actress
• November 22 – Mariel Hemingway, American actress
• November 24 - Robin Stille, American actress (died 1996)
• November 27
  • Samantha Bond, English actress
  • Rebecca Ferratti, American model and actress
  • Steve Oedekerk, American actor, stand-up comedian, director, editor, producer and screenwriter
• November 28
  • Alfonso Cuarón, Mexican director
  • Martin Clunes, English actor, comedian, director and television presenter
  • Neil Mullarkey, English actor, writer and comedian
• November 29 – Tom Sizemore, American actor (died 2023)
• December 1 - Jeremy Northam, English actor and singer
• December 6 - Colin Salmon, British actor
• December 16
  • Shane Black, American filmmaker and actor
  • Gretchen Palmer, American actress
  • LaChanze, American actress and singer
  • Jon Tenney, American actor
• December 26 - John Lynch, Irish actor

• January 13 – Blanche Ring, 89, American singer and actress, The Yankee Girl, It's the Old Army Game
• January 14 – Barry Fitzgerald, 72, Irish actor, Going My Way, The Quiet Man
• February 2 – Anna May Wong, 56, American actress, Shanghai Express, The Thief of Bagdad
• February 15 – Jack Whiting, 59, American actor, singer and dancer, Sailing Along, Give Me a Sailor
• February 17 – Nita Naldi, 66, American actress, Blood and Sand, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• February 26 – Harry Bannister, 71, American actor, The Girl of the Golden West
• March 6 – George Formby, 56, British actor, entertainer, It's in the Air, Off the Dole
• March 12 – Belinda Lee, 25, British actress, Long Night in 1943, The Goddess of Love (automobile accident)
• March 14 – Lies Noor, 23, Indonesian actress, Pulang (encephalitis)
• March 29 – Fritzi Ridgeway, 62, American actress, Ruggles of Red Gap, This Is Heaven
• April 27 – Roy Del Ruth, 67, American director, The Maltese Falcon, Broadway Melody of 1938
• May 4 – Anita Stewart, 66, American silent-film actress, The Combat, The Suspect
• May 13 – Gary Cooper, 60, American actor, High Noon, Meet John Doe, The Pride of the Yankees, Sergeant York
• May 18 – Henry O'Neill, 69, American actor, Shadow of the Thin Man, Anchors Aweigh
• May 19 – Ben Corbett, 69, American actor, The Fighting Renegade, Six-Gun Trail
• May 22
  • Edward F. Cline, 69, American director, You Can't Cheat an Honest Man, Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
  • Joan Davis, 53, American actress, Hold That Ghost, If You Knew Susie
• June 2 – George S. Kaufman, 71, American playwright, A Night at the Opera
• June 10 – Vivienne Osborne, 64, American actress, Supernatural, Luxury Liner
• June 14 – Eddie Polo, 86, Austrian-American actor, The Vanishing Dagger
• June 15 – Luther Reed, 72, American director, Rio Rita, Hit the Deck
• June 17 – Jeff Chandler, 42, American actor, Broken Arrow, Merrill's Marauders
• June 27 – Paul Guilfoyle, 58, American actor, Winterset, The Grapes of Wrath
• June 30 – Lee de Forest, 87, American inventor of Phonofilm
• July 4 – Franklyn Farnum, 83, American actor, The Life of Emile Zola, The Lost Weekend, The Greatest Show on Earth
• July 9 – Alan Marshal, 52, Australian actor, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, House on Haunted Hill
• July 23 – Valentine Davies, 55, American screenwriter and director, The Glenn Miller Story, The Benny Goodman Story
• July 28 – Harry Gribbon, 76, American silent comedy actor, Fatty and Mabel at the San Diego Exposition, Down on the Farm, A Small Town Idol, The Cameraman
• August 4 – Maurice Tourneur, 85, French director, The Last of the Mohicans, The Poor Little Rich Girl
• August 17 – Violet Kemble-Cooper, 74, British actress, The Invisible Ray, David Copperfield
• August 20 – Dorothy Burgess, 54, American actress, In Old Arizona, Black Moon
• August 27 – Gail Russell, 36, American actress, Angel and the Badman, Seven Men from Now
• August 30 – Charles Coburn, 84, American actor, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Lady Eve
• September 10 – Leo Carrillo, 81, American actor, Viva Villa!, Phantom of the Opera
• September 20 – Andrzej Munk, 39, Polish director and screenwriter, Man on the Tracks, Passenger
• September 22 – Marion Davies, 64, American actress, Show People, Cain and Mabel
• September 23
  • John Eldredge, 57, American actor, The Woman in Red, His Brother's Wife
  • Billy House, 72, American actor, Rogues of Sherwood Forest, Bedlam
• September 25 – Frank Fay, 69, American actor, Under a Texas Moon, The Matrimonial Bed
• September 26 – Juanita Hansen, 66, American actress, The Magic Cloak of Oz, The Phantom Foe
• October 1 – Donald Cook, 60, American actor, The Public Enemy, Baby Face
• October 11 – Chico Marx, 74, American actor, member of the Marx Brothers, A Night at the Opera, Duck Soup
• October 13
  • Maya Deren, 44, American experimental filmmaker, Meshes of the Afternoon, At Land
  • Zoltan Korda, 66, Hungarian director, The Four Feathers, Cry, the Beloved Country
• October 18 – Tsuru Aoki, 69, Japanese-born American actress, The Dragon Painter
• October 22 – Joseph Schenck, 82, Russian-born American pioneer motion picture executive, The General, Sherlock Jr.
• October 29 – Astrid Holm, 68, Danish actress, The Phantom Carriage, Häxan
• November 15
  • Elsie Ferguson, 78, American actress, The Witness for the Defense, Scarlet Pages
  • Douglas Walton, 51, Canadian actor, Bride of Frankenstein, Murder, My Sweet
• November 18 – Eduard Tisse, 64, Soviet cinematographer, Battleship Potemkin, Ivan the Terrible
• November 24 – Ruth Chatterton, 68, American actress, Dodsworth, Female
• December 20 – Moss Hart. 57, American playwright, Gentleman's Agreement, A Star Is Born
• December 27 – Bernard McConville, 74, American screenwriter, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, The Phantom of the Opera

• Ann-Margret – Pocketful of Miracles
• Ed Asner – The Murder Men
• Warren Beatty – Splendor in the Grass
• John Davis Chandler – Mad Dog Coll
• Sonny Chiba – Invasion of the Neptune Men
• Keir Dullea – Hoodlum Priest
• Louis Gossett Jr. – A Raisin in the Sun
• Gene Hackman – Mad Dog Coll
• Lance Henriksen – The Outsider
• Sammo Hung – Ai de jiao yu
• Anna Karina – A Woman Is a Woman
• George Kennedy – The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come
• Harvey Korman – Living Venus
• Eddy Mitchell – Daniella by Night
• Dudley Moore – The Third Alibi
• Lance Percival – Three on a Spree
• Joe Pesci – Hey, Let's Twist!
• Burt Reynolds – Angel Baby
• Doris Roberts – Something Wild
• Aldo Sambrell – King of Kings
• Stefania Sandrelli – Gioventù di notte
• Telly Savalas – Mad Dog Coll
• George Segal – The Young Doctors