1941 in film

• January 17 – A film based on the best-selling novel Gone with the Wind goes into general release in the United States after touring in a roadshow version during 1940. Becoming a cultural phenomenon, it sells an estimated 60 million tickets this year alone. Adjusted for inflation with numerous rereleases, it remains the highest grossing domestic film of all time with $1.6 billion.^[1]
• March 24 – Glenn Miller begins work on his orchestra's first movie Sun Valley Serenade for Twentieth Century Fox.
• May 1 – Orson Welles' Citizen Kane, consistently rated as one of the films considered the all-time best, is premiered at the Palace Theatre (New York City).
• June – An Airman's Letter to His Mother, a British propaganda film based on true events, is released in cinemas, directed by Michael Powell and narrated by John Gielgud.^[2]
• July 2 – Sergeant York, the film biopic of World War I hero Alvin C. York, starring Gary Cooper in the title role, premieres in New York City. It is the highest-grossing picture of the year and earns Cooper the first of two Academy Awards for Best Actor.
• July 28 - The assets of Hollywood studios in Japan are frozen by Japan's Ministry of Finance.^[3]
• September – Senate Investigation into Motion Picture War Propaganda in the United States.
• October 3 – The Maltese Falcon, considered one of the greatest films noir, is released.

• Best Picture: How Green Was My Valley – 20th Century-Fox
• Best Actor: Gary Cooper – Sergeant York
• Best Actress: Joan Fontaine – Suspicion
• Best Supporting Actor: Donald Crisp – How Green Was My Valley
• Best Supporting Actress: Mary Astor – The Great Lie
• Best Director: John Ford – How Green Was My Valley

The top ten 1941 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Films produced in the United States unless stated otherwise

United States unless stated

• The Adventures of Captain Marvel, starring Tom Tyler, directed by William Witney and John English
• Dick Tracy vs Crime Inc, starring Ralph Byrd, directed by William Witney and John English
• The Green Hornet, starring Gordon Jones
• Holt of the Secret Service, directed by James W. Horne
• The Iron Claw, directed by James W. Horne
• Jungle Girl, starring Frances Gifford, directed by William Witney and John English
• King of the Texas Rangers, directed by William Witney and John English
• Riders of Death Valley, directed by Ray Taylor and Ford Beebe
• Sea Raiders, directed by Ray Taylor and Ford Beebe
• Sky Raiders, directed by Ray Taylor and Ford Beebe
• The Spider Returns, starring Warren Hull, directed by James W. Horne
• White Eagle, directed by James W. Horne

• Buster Keaton (1917–1944)
• Laurel and Hardy (1921–1945)
• Our Gang (1922–1944)
• Marx Brothers (1929–1946)
• The Three Stooges (1933–1962)

• Mickey Mouse (1928–1942, 1947–1953)
• Looney Tunes (1930–1969)
  • Bugs Bunny (1940–1964)
  • Daffy Duck (1937–1968)
  • Porky Pig (1935–1946, 1948–1951)
  • Sniffles (1939–1946)
  • Inki (1939–1950)
• Terrytoons (1930–1964)
• Merrie Melodies (1931–1969)
• Scrappy (1931-1941)
• Popeye (1933–1957)
• Color Rhapsodies (1934–1949)
• Donald Duck (1937–1956)
• Walter Lantz Cartunes (also known as New Universal Cartoons or Cartune Comedies) (1938–1942)
• Goofy (1939–1955)
• Andy Panda (1939–1949)
• Tom and Jerry (1940–1958, 1961–1967)
  • The Midnight Snack
  • The Night Before Christmas
• Woody Woodpecker (1941–1949, 1951–1972)
• Swing Symphonies (1941–1945)
• The Fox and the Crow (1941–1950)
• Superman (1941–1943)

• January 1
  • Simón Andreu, Spanish actor
  • Eva Ras, Serbian actress, writer and painter
• January 3 - Derrick O'Connor, Irish actor (died 2018)
• January 4
  • George P. Cosmatos, Greek-Italian director and screenwriter (died 2005)
  • John Bennett Perry, American actor
• January 7 - Harvey Evans, American actor (died 2021)
• January 8 - Graham Chapman, British actor (died 1989)
• January 10 – José Greci, Italian actress (died 2017)
• January 12 - Long John Baldry, English-Canadian singer, musician and voice actor (died 2005)
• January 14
  • Faye Dunaway, American actress
  • Jack Thibeau, American former actor
• January 15 - Geoffrey Beevers, British actor
• January 19 - Putter Smith, American jazz bassist and actor
• January 20 - Henry Cele, South African actor (died 2007)
• January 24 - Neil Diamond, American actor and singer
• January 27 - Jeannie Epper, American stuntwoman and actress (died 2024)
• January 31 – Jessica Walter, American actress (died 2021)
• February 5 - David Selby, American actor
• February 8 – Nick Nolte, American actor and producer
• February 10 – Michael Apted, English director, producer and screenwriter (died 2021)
• February 11 - Sonny Landham, American actor and stunt performer (died 2017)
• February 13 - Bo Svenson, Swedish-American actor, director, screenwriter and producer
• February 27 - Charlotte Stewart, American actress
• March 3 - Rada Rassimov, Italian actress
• March 4
  • John Aprea, American actor and comedian (died 2024)
  • Adrian Lyne, English director and producer
• March 6 - George P. Wilbur, American actor and professional stuntman (died 2023)
• March 14 – Wolfgang Petersen, German director, producer and screenwriter (died 2022)
• March 16
  • Bernardo Bertolucci, Italian director (died 2018)
  • Jerry Chipman, American actor (died 2020)
• March 18 - Frank McRae, American actor (died 2021)
• March 20 - Paul Junger Witt, American producer (died 2018)
• March 22 - Bruno Ganz, Swiss actor (died 2019)
• March 24 - David Fox, Canadian actor (died 2021)
• April 3 - Eric Braeden, German actor
• April 4 - Angelica Domröse, German actress (died 2026)
• April 7
  • Cornelia Frances, English-Australian actress (died 2018)
  • Danny Wells, Canadian actor and comedian (died 2013)
• April 9 - Hannah Gordon, Scottish actress and presenter
• April 12 - Manuel de Blas, Spanish actor
• April 13 - Michael Alldredge, American actor (died 1997)
• April 20
  • David Leland, English director (died 2023)
  • Ryan O'Neal, American actor (died 2023)
• April 26 - Claudine Auger, French actress (died 2019)
• April 28 – Ann-Margret, Swedish-born American actress, dancer and singer
• May 2 - Paul Darrow, English actor (died 2019)
• May 13 – Senta Berger, Austrian actress and producer
• May 17 - Grace Zabriskie, American actress
• May 18 - Miriam Margolyes, British-Australian character actress
• May 19
  • Nora Ephron, American writer and filmmaker (died 2012)
  • Tania Mallet, English actress and model (died 2019)
• May 24 – Andrés García, Dominican-Mexican actor
• May 29
  • Nick McLean, American cinematographer and actor
• June 2
  • Stacy Keach, American actor
  • Mahmoud Yassine, Egyptian actor (died 2020)
• June 5 – Spalding Gray, American actor and screenwriter (died 2004)
• June 8 - Jessie Lawrence Ferguson, American actor (died 2019)
• June 10
  • Mickey Jones, American musician and actor (died 2018)
  • Jürgen Prochnow, German actor
• June 17 - Roberta Maxwell, Canadian actress
• June 20
  • Stephen Frears, English film director
  • Dieter Mann, German actor (died 2022)
• June 21
  • Joe Flaherty, Canadian-American actor and comedian (died 2024)
  • Lyman Ward, Canadian actor
• June 22 – Michael Lerner, American actor (died 2023)
• June 25 – Denys Arcand, Canadian director and screenwriter
• June 27 – Krzysztof Kieślowski, Polish director (died 1996)
• July 1 - Milos Milos, Serbian-born American actor and stunt double (died 1966)
• July 9 - Yosef Shiloach, Israeli actor (died 2011)
• July 10 - Robert Pine, American actor
• July 13 - Robert Forster, American actor (died 2019)
• July 17 - Paula Shaw, American actress (died 2025)
• July 18 - Starletta DuPois, American actress
• July 21 - Edward Herrmann, American actor, director and writer (died 2014)
• July 26 - Darlene Love, American actress and singer
• July 28
  • Peter Cullen, Canadian voice actor (died 2026)
  • Colin Higgins, Australian-American screenwriter, actor, director and producer (died 1988)
• July 29 – David Warner, English actor (died 2022)
• August 4
  • Martin Jarvis, English actor
  • Paul Mooney, American comedian, writer and actor (died 2021)
• August 7 - Franco Columbu, Italian bodybuilder, actor and producer (died 2019)
• August 8 - Earl Boen, American actor (died 2023)
• August 12
  • Dana Ivey, American actress
  • Deborah Walley, American actress (died 2001)
• August 15 - Lou Perryman, American character actor (died 2009)
• August 26
  • Joan Freeman, American retired actress
  • Barbet Schroeder, Iranian-born Swiss director, producer and actor
• August 28 - Tony Barry, Australian actor (died 2022)
• August 29
  • Ellen Geer, American actress
  • Mark Kasdan, American screenwriter and producer
  • Orestes Matacena, Cuban-American actor, director, producer and writer
• September 4 - Rochelle Kaffenberger, American actress (died 2024)
• September 18 - Gerry Bamman, American actor
• September 26 – Martine Beswick, English actress and model
• October 6
  • Billy Murray, English actor
  • Winston Ntshona, South African actor (died 2018)
• October 9 - Michael Goodwin, American character actor
• October 10 – Peter Coyote, American actor
• October 11 - Charles Shyer, American director, screenwriter and producer (died 2024)
• October 19 – Simon Ward, English actor (died 2012)
• October 20 – Clare Peploe, English-Italian screenwriter and director (died 2021)
• October 23 – Mel Winkler, American actor (died 2020)
• October 24 – Frank Aendenboom, Belgian actor (died 2018)
• October 25 – Gordon Tootoosis, Aboriginal Canadian actor (died 2011)
• October 31
  • Mischa Hausserman, Austrian-born American actor (died 2021)
  • Sally Kirkland, American actress (died 2025)
• November 1 – Robert Foxworth, American actor
• November 18 – David Hemmings, English actor, director and producer (died 2003)
• November 21 – Nessa Hyams, American casting director (died 2026)
• November 22 – Tom Conti, Scottish actor
• November 23 – Franco Nero, Italian actor
• November 25 – Tiit Lilleorg, Estonian actor (died 2021)
• November 27 - Tom Morga, American stuntman, stunt coordinator and actor
• November 30 - Sally Douglas, British actress (died 2001)
• December 4 – Leila Säälik, Estonian actress
• December 6
  • Evald Hermaküla, Estonian actor and director (died 2000)
  • Leon Russom, American actor
• December 8 – Valora Noland, American actress (died 2022)
• December 9 – Beau Bridges, American actor
• December 10 - Fionnula Flanagan, Irish actress
• December 11 - John Davidson, American actor, singer and game show host
• December 15 - Vladan Živković, Serbian actor (died 2022)
• December 25 - John Capodice, American character actor (died 2024)
• December 27 - Aharon Ipalé, Israeli-American actor (died 2016)

• January 4 – Henri Bergson, 81, French writer
• January 10 – Joe Penner, 36, American comedian, actor, The Boys from Syracuse, Millionaire Playboy, The Day the Bookies Wept, Mr. Doodle Kicks Off, heart attack
• March 13 – Stuart Walker, 63, American director, White Woman, Great Expectations
• April 23 – Stanley Fields, 57, American actor, The Great Plane Robbery, The Lady from Cheyenne
• May 8 – Tore Svennberg, 83, Swedish actor, The Phantom Carriage, A Woman's Face
• May 10 – S. J. Warmington, 56, English actor, The Man Who Knew Too Much, killed by enemy action
• May 12 – Ruth Stonehouse, 48, American actress, film director, The Satin Woman
• May 22 – Ida Waterman, 89, American actress, Stella Maris, The Enchanted Cottage, Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley, Esmerelda
• June 28 – Richard Carle, 69, American actor, The Little Red Schoolhouse, Love Before Breakfast, Rhythm in the Clouds, She Asked for It
• July 25 – Purnell Pratt, 55, American actor, Alibi, Scarface, The Mystery Squadron, Dancing Feet
• July 29 – James Stephenson, 52, English actor, The Letter, Shining Victory
• August 13 – J. Stuart Blackton, 66, British-American film producer and director, co-founder of Vitagraph Studios, The Glorious Adventure
• September 18 – Claude King, 66, English actor, Behind the Mask, It Couldn't Have Happened – But It Did
• October 9 – Helen Morgan, 41, American actress and singer, You Belong to Me, Applause, Show Boat
• October 26 – Victor Schertzinger, 53, American director, Paramount on Parade, Road to Zanzibar
• November 2 – Bengt Djurberg, 43, Swedish actor, Troll-elgen
• December 21 – David Howard, 45, American film director, Daniel Boone