1938 in film

• January – MGM announces that Judy Garland will be cast in the role of Dorothy Gale in the upcoming The Wizard of Oz film. Ray Bolger is cast as the Tin Woodman and Buddy Ebsen as the Scarecrow. At Bolger's insistence, the roles are switched between the two actors. On July 25, MGM announces Bert Lahr has been cast as the Cowardly Lion.
• January 21 – Pioneering French film director Georges Méliès, best remembered for groundbreaking films like A Trip to the Moon and The Impossible Voyage, dies in Paris, aged 76.
• February 4 – Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first-ever American full-length animated feature film, is released nationally in the United States, less than two months after its premiere in Los Angeles. The film is a huge box office success, and briefly holds the record as the highest-grossing sound film of all time.
• February 24 – The entertainment trade newspaper Variety confirms that the film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) had bought the rights to adapt L. Frank Baum’s beloved children’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz for the screen.
• March 12 – Child star Peggy Ann Garner progresses from modelling to an acting role in Little Miss Thoroughbred, which would be her screen debut.^[3]
• April 5 – Noel Langley completes the first script for The Wizard of Oz.
• April 20 – Leonard Slye appears for the first time on film as Roy Rogers in Under Western Stars. He becomes one of the most popular Western stars being ranked number one from 1943 to 1952 and would become known as "King of the Cowboys".^[4]
• May 7 – Lyricist Yip Harburg and composer Harold Arlen begin work on the musical score for The Wizard of Oz.
• May 14 – Release of Warner Bros.' epic swashbuckler film The Adventures of Robin Hood, starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. Critically acclaimed for its vivid use of Technicolor, as well as its memorable action scenes, the film goes on to win three Academy Awards.
• June 17 – Popular Australian comedian George Wallace stars in the first of his two films with Cinesound Productions, Let George Do It.^[5]
• August 3 – Former silent film star Pearl White goes into a coma in a nursing home in France, suffering from cirrhosis of the liver.^[6]
• October 7 – The Lady Vanishes, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and the first feature film released under a distribution deal between UK's Gaumont-British Picture Corporation and the US Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), is released in London cinemas.^[7]
• October 13 – Filming starts on The Wizard of Oz on the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio lot in Culver City, California, initially with Richard Thorpe as director.
• October 21 – Buddy Ebsen suffers from a near fatal allergic reaction to the aluminum dust used in his Tin Woodman make-up on the set of The Wizard of Oz. Ebsen is replaced by Jack Haley.
• December 22 – MGM's first feature film in three-strip Technicolor, Sweethearts, starring Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, is released.
• December 23 – Margaret Hamilton is severely burned during a mishap on the set of The Wizard of Oz. Hamilton, cast in the role of the Wicked Witch of the West, leaves the film for six weeks.
• Orson Welles makes Too Much Johnson, starring Joseph Cotten. It is never completed and first released only in 2013.
• Producer George Minter establishes Renown Pictures, a British film distributor.^[8]

• Best Picture: You Can't Take It with You – Columbia
• Best Director: Frank Capra – You Can't Take It with You
• Best Actor: Spencer Tracy – Boys Town
• Best Actress: Bette Davis – Jezebel
• Best Supporting Actor: Walter Brennan – Kentucky
• Best Supporting Actress: Fay Bainter – Jezebel

The top ten 1938 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

United States unless stated

• Dick Tracy Returns, starring Ralph Byrd
• The Fighting Devil Dogs, starring Lee Powell and Herman Brix
• Flaming Frontiers
• Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars, starring Buster Crabbe
• The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
• Hawk of the Wilderness, starring Herman Brix
• The Lone Ranger
• The Secret of Treasure Island
• The Spider's Web
• Red Barry

• Harold Lloyd (1913–1938)
• Charlie Chaplin (1914–1940)
• Lupino Lane (1915–1939)
• Buster Keaton (1917–1944)
• Laurel and Hardy (1921–1945)
• Our Gang (1922–1944)
• Marx Brothers (1929–1937)
• The Three Stooges (1934–1959)

• Krazy Kat (1925–1940)
• Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (1927-1938)
• Mickey Mouse (1928–1953)
• Silly Symphonies
  • The Moth and the Flame
  • Wynken, Blynken and Nod
  • Farmyard Symphony
  • Merbabies
  • Mother Goose Goes Hollywood
• Screen Songs (1929-1938)
• Looney Tunes (1930–1969)
• Terrytoons (1930–1964)
• Merrie Melodies (1931–1969)
• Scrappy (1931–1941)
• Betty Boop (1932–1939)
• Popeye (1933–1957)
• Happy Harmonies (1934-1938)
• Color Rhapsodies (1934–1949)
• Donald Duck (1937–1956)
• Walter Lantz Cartunes (also known as New Universal Cartoons or Cartune Comedies) (1938–1942)
• The Captain and the Kids (1938–1939)

• January 1 – Frank Langella, American actor
• January 3 – Tom Bower, American actor (died 2024)
• January 4 – Jim Norton, Irish character actor
• January 6
  • Michael Graham Cox, English actor (died 1995)
  • Larisa Shepitko, Soviet director (died 1979)
• January 8 – Bob Eubanks, American television personality and game show host
• January 9 – Nobuhiko Obayashi, Japanese filmmaker (died 2020)^[21]
• January 12 – Lewis Fiander, Australian actor (died 2016)
• January 13
  • William B. Davis, Canadian actor
  • Billy Gray, American actor
• January 14 – Jack Jones, American singer, actor (died 2024)
• January 16 – Michael Pataki, American actor (died 2010)
• January 21
  • Doug Lennox, Canadian actor and writer (died 2015)
  • John Savident, British actor (died 2024)
• January 26 – Henry Jaglom, American director and actor (died 2025)
• January 29 – Aminah Cendrakasih, Indonesian actress (died 2022)
• February 1 - Sherman Hemsley, American actor (died 2012)
• February 2 – Bo Hopkins, American actor (died 2022)
• February 3
  • Marshall Efron, American actor (died 2019)
  • John Mahon, American actor (died 2020)
  • Victor Buono, American actor (died 1982)
• February 9 - Fred Williams, German actor
• February 13 – Oliver Reed, English actor (died 1999)
• February 16 - Barry Primus, American actor, director and writer
• February 17 – Yvonne Romain, English actress
• February 19 – René Muñoz, Cuban-born actor, Mexico-based screenwriter (died 2000)
• February 20 – Richard Beymer, American actor and film maker
• February 22 – Karin Dor, German actress (died 2017)
• February 23
  • Alan Ford, English actor
  • Jiří Menzel, Czech director (died 2020)
  • Diane Varsi, American actress (died 1992)
• February 24
  • James Farentino, American actor (died 2012)
  • Robert A. Silverman, Canadian actor
• February 25
  • Diane Baker, American actress and producer
  • Malcolm Tierney, English actor (died 2014)
• March 4 – Paula Prentiss, American actress
• March 5 – Fred Williamson, American actor
• March 8 – George Innes, British actor
• March 9 – Charles Siebert, American actor and television director (died 2022)
• March 10 – Micole Mercurio, American actress (died 2016)
• March 18
  • Carl Gottlieb, American screenwriter, actor and comedian
  • Shashi Kapoor, Indian actor (died 2017)
• March 25 – Hoyt Axton, American country music singer-songwriter, actor (died 1999)
• April 2 – Hans-Michael Rehberg, German actor (died 2017)
• April 6 – Roy Thinnes, American actor
• April 15 – Claudia Cardinale, Italian actress (died 2025)
• April 20 – Michael Greer, American actor and comedian (died 2002)
• April 21 – Reni Santoni, American actor (died 2020)
• April 23 – Katsuo Nakamura, Japanese actor
• April 28 – Madge Sinclair, Jamaican actress (died 1995)
• May 5
  • Michael Murphy, American actor
  • Jerzy Skolimowski, Polish director, screenwriter and actor
• May 6 – Hartmut Becker, German actor (died 2022)
• May 11 – Judy Farrell, American actress (died 2023)
• May 12 – Luana Anders, American actress (died 1996)
• May 13 – Buck Taylor, American actor
• May 14 – Michael Preston, English actor
• May 17 – Jason Bernard, American actor (died 1996)
• May 19 – Bryan Marshall, British actor (died 2019)
• May 20 – Rainer Basedow, German actor (died 2022)
• May 22
  • Richard Benjamin, American actor, director
  • Frank Converse, American actor
  • John Nolan, British actor (died 2026)
• May 23 - Robert Watts, British film producer (died 2024)
• May 24 – Tommy Chong, Canadian-American actor, writer, director, musician and comedian
• June 7 – Ann Beach, British actress (died 2017)
• June 12 – Tom Oliver, Australian actor
• June 16
  • Michael Culver, English actor (died 2024)
  • Helen Ryan, British actress
• June 18 – Michael Sheard, Scottish actor (died 2005)
• June 19 - Ian Smith, Australian actor
• June 21
  • Ron Ely, American actor (died 2024)
  • Celia Rodriguez, Filipina actress
• June 25 – Giampiero Littera, Italian actor
• July 6 – Luana Patten, American actress (died 1996)
• July 8 – Andrey Myagkov, Soviet/Russian actor (died 2021)
• July 9 – Brian Dennehy, American actor (died 2020)
• July 11 – Jiří Krampol, Czech actor (died 2025)
• July 18 – Paul Verhoeven, Dutch director
• July 20
  • Diana Rigg, English actress (died 2020)
  • Natalie Wood, American actress (died 1981)
• July 22 – Terence Stamp, English actor (died 2025)
• July 23 – Ronny Cox, American actor, singer-songwriter
• July 25
  • Pilar Seurat, Philippine-American actress (died 2001)
  • Renée Victor, American actress (died 2025)
• June 27 – Kathryn Beaumont, English actress and singer^[22]
• July 27 - Danielle De Metz, French actress
• July 29 - Enzo G. Castellari, Italian director, screenwriter and actor
• July 30 – Michael Bell, American actor
• August 6
  • Paul Bartel, American actor, writer and director (died 2000)
  • Peter Bonerz, American actor and director
• August 8 – Connie Stevens, American actress, singer
• August 9
  • Burton Gilliam, American actor
  • Michèle Girardon, French actress (died 1975)^[23]
• August 14 - James Fargo, American film director
• August 15
  • Ron Dean, American actor (died 2025)
  • Lucille Soong, Chinese-American actress
• August 19 – Diana Muldaur, American actress^[24]
• August 26 – Susan Harrison, American actress (died 2019)^[25]
• August 29 – Elliott Gould, American actor
• September 2
  • Clarence Felder, American actor
  • Giuliano Gemma, Italian actor (died 2013)
  • Mary Jo Catlett, American actress
• September 8 – Philip L. Clarke, American voice actor (died 2013)
• September 9 - Bill Raymond, American actor
  • September 12
  • Michael Leader, English actor (died 2016)
  • Anne Helm – Canadian actress
• September 17 - Paul Benedict, American actor (died 2008)
• September 26 – Jonathan Goldsmith, American character actor
• September 28 – Ben E. King, American soul singer (died 2015)
• October 1
  • Tunç Başaran, Turkish screenwriter, film director, film producer and actor (died 2019)
  • Tony Darrow, Italian-American actor
  • Stella Stevens, American actress (died 2023)
• October 2 – Rex Reed, American film critic and "actor"
• October 4 – Loretta Long, American actress, voice artist and singer
• October 10 – Steve Gordon, American filmmaker (died 1982)
• October 12 - Geoff Murphy, New Zealand filmmaker, producer, director and screenwriter (died 2018)
• October 13 – Christiane Hörbiger, Austrian actress (died 2022)
• October 18
  • Barbara Baldavin, American actress (died 2024)
  • Dawn Wells, American actress (died 2020)
• October 20 - Dolores Hart, American actress and nun
• October 22
  • Derek Jacobi, British actor
  • Christopher Lloyd, American actor
• October 27 - Lara Parker, American actress and writer (died 2023)
• October 30 – Ed Lauter, American actor and stand-up comedian (died 2013)
• November 13 – Jean Seberg, American actress (died 1979)^[26]
• November 20
  • Ardeshir Kazemi, Iranian actor
  • Dick Smothers, American actor, comedian, composer and musician
• November 26 – Rich Little, Canadian-American voice actor
• November 28 – Michael Ritchie, American director, producer and writer (died 2001)
• December 6 – Patrick Bauchau, Belgian actor
• December 12 - Leslie Schofield, English actor
• December 14 – Hal Williams, American actor
• December 16
  • Neil Connery, Scottish actor (died 2021)^[27]
  • Liv Ullmann, Norwegian actress
• December 18 – Roger E. Mosley, American actor, director and writer (died 2022)
• December 21 – Larry Bryggman, American actor
• December 24 - Philippe Nahon, French actor (died 2020)
• December 26 - Bahram Beyzai, Iranian filmmaker (died 2025)
• December 28 - Frank Kelly, Irish actor (died 2016)
• December 29 – Jon Voight, American actor

• January 19 – Robert McWade, 65, American actor, The Kennel Murder Case, The Dragon Murder Case, Cappy Ricks Returns, Mr. Cinderella
• January 20 – Émile Cohl, 81, French film pioneer^[28]
• January 21 – Georges Méliès, 76, French film pioneer, The Impossible Voyage, A Trip to the Moon, The Merry Frolics of Satan, The Conquest of the Pole
• January 26 – Matthew Betz, 56, American actor, The Wedding March, The Patent Leather Kid, The Big House, The Hurricane Express
• July 14 – Abel Adams, 59, Finnish producer^[29]
• August 4 – Pearl White, 49, American silent film star, The Perils of Pauline, The Exploits of Elaine^[6]
• August 6 – Warner Oland, 58, Swedish-born actor, The Jazz Singer, Shanghai Express, Charlie Chan in London, Charlie Chan at the Opera
• September 19 – Pauline Frederick, 55, American stage & film actress, Thank You, Mr. Moto, Smouldering Fires, This Modern Age, Devil's Island
• October 1 – Conway Tearle, 60, American stage & film actor, The Hurricane Express, Romeo and Juliet, Stella Maris, The Lost Zeppelin
• December 25 – Harry Myers, 56, American film actor and director, City Lights, Baby
• December 28 – Florence Lawrence, 48, Canadian actress, Hollywood's first "star", Lady Helen's Escapade (suicide)^[30]