1942 in film

• January 16 – Actress Carole Lombard is killed in a plane crash west of Las Vegas while returning home to Los Angeles from a War Bond tour.
• March 31 – First of the only two screenings of Here Will I Nest, the first dramatic Canadian feature-length film made in colour and the first film to adapt a Canadian play, at a private showing in London, Ontario. It is never commercially released and is mostly lost.^[1]
• June 4 – British-set wartime romantic drama Mrs. Miniver, starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon, opens at Radio City Music Hall in New York, in what will become a record-breaking 10-week run. The film becomes MGM's highest-grossing film of the 1940s. At the 15th Academy Awards, Mrs. Miniver wins six awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (for William Wyler), Best Actress (for Greer Garson) and Best Supporting Actress (for Teresa Wright).
• August 8 – Walt Disney's animated film Bambi opens in the United Kingdom.
• November 11 – Road to Morocco, starring Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Dorothy Lamour, premieres.
• November 26 – The film Casablanca premieres at the Hollywood Theatre in New York City. Released nationally in the United States on January 23, 1943, it becomes one of the top-grossing pictures of 1943 and goes on to win the Best Picture and Best Director awards at the 16th Academy Awards.

• Best Picture: Mrs. Miniver – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
• Best Director: William Wyler – Mrs. Miniver
• Best Actor: James Cagney – Yankee Doodle Dandy
• Best Actress: Greer Garson – Mrs. Miniver
• Best Supporting Actor: Van Heflin – Johnny Eager
• Best Supporting Actress: Teresa Wright – Mrs. Miniver
• Special Academy Award: In Which We Serve

The top ten 1942 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Films produced in the United States unless stated otherwise

U.S.A. unless stated

• Captain Midnight, starring Dave O'Brien, directed by James W. Horne
• Don Winslow of the Navy
• Gang Busters
• Junior G-Men of the Air, starring the Dead End Kids
• King of the Mounties, starring Allan Lane, directed by William Witney
• Overland Mail
• Perils of Nyoka, starring Kay Aldridge & Clayton Moore, directed by William Witney
• Perils of the Royal Mounted, directed by James W. Horne
• The Secret Code, directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet
• Spy Smasher, starring Kane Richmond, directed by William Witney
• The Valley of Vanishing Men, directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet

• Laurel and Hardy (1921–1943)
• Our Gang (1922–1944)
• The Three Stooges (1934–1959)

• Mickey Mouse (1928–1953)
• Looney Tunes (1930–1969)
• Terrytoons (1930–1964)
• Merrie Melodies (1931–1969)
• Popeye (1933–1957)
• Color Rhapsodies (1934–1949)
• Donald Duck (1937–1956)
• Pluto (1937–1951)
• Walter Lantz Cartune (also known as New Universal Cartoons or Cartune Comedies) (1938-1942)
• Goofy (1939–1955)
• Andy Panda (1939–1949)
• Tom and Jerry (1940–1958)
• Woody Woodpecker (1941–1949)
• Swing Symphonies (1941–1945)
• The Fox and the Crow (1941–1950)

• January 3 – John Thaw, English actor (d. 2002)
• January 7 - Danny Steinmann, American director (d. 2012)
• January 8 – Yvette Mimieux, American actress (d. 2022)
• January 10 – Walter Hill, American director, producer and screenwriter
• January 11 - Joel Zwick, American director
• January 16 - Bradford English, American character actor (d. 2024)
• January 17 - Nancy Parsons, American actress (d. 2001)
• January 19
  • Michael Crawford, English actor and singer
  • Raynor Scheine, American actor
• January 21 - Michael G. Wilson, American-British screenwriter and producer
• January 27 - John Witherspoon, American actor and comedian (d. 2019)
• January 29
  • Ismael 'East' Carlo, Puerto Rican actor
  • Claudine Longet, Franco-American actress and singer
• January 31 – Daniela Bianchi, Italian actress
• February 1
  • Bibi Besch, Austrian-American actress (d. 1996)
  • Terry Jones, Welsh comedic actor, director and screenwriter (d. 2020)
• February 8 – Robert Klein, American actor and comedian
• February 9
  • Marianna Hill, American actress
  • Ada Lundver, Estonian actress and singer (d. 2011)
• February 13 - Carol Lynley, American actress, child model (died 2019)
• February 14 - Andrew Robinson, American character actor
• February 21 –
  • Margarethe von Trotta, German director
  • Oliver Wood, British cinematographer (died 2023)
• February 24 - Jenny O'Hara, American actress
• March 1 - Dennis Lipscomb, American actor (died 2014)
• March 2 - Jon Finch, English actor (died 2012)
• March 9 - Ralph Peduto, American actor, playwright, writer and director (died 2014)
• March 15 - Molly Peters, English actress and model (died 2017)
• March 20 - Mews Small, American actress and singer
• March 25
  • Aretha Franklin, American singer, songwriter and pianist (died 2018)
  • Richard O'Brien, English actor and writer
• March 27
  • Art Evans, American actor (d. 2024)
  • Michael York, British actor
• March 28 – Mike Newell, English director and producer
• March 30 - Kenneth Welsh, Canadian actor (died 2022)
• April 2 - Roshan Seth, British-Indian actor, writer and director
• April 3
  • Marsha Mason, American actress
  • Wayne Newton, American singer and actor
• April 6
  • Barry Levinson, American director, producer and screenwriter
  • Anita Pallenberg, Italian-German actress (d. 2017)
• April 11 - Matthew Walker, English-Canadian actor
• April 17 - David Bradley, English actor
• April 21 - Rod Loomis, American actor
• April 23 – Sandra Dee, American actress (d. 2005)
• April 24 – Barbra Streisand, American actress, singer, director and producer
• April 27 - John Shrapnel, English actor (d. 2020)
• May 5 - Marc Alaimo, American actor
• May 11 - Terry McGovern, American actor and broadcaster
• May 17 - Al White, American character actor
• May 19 - Flemming Quist Møller, Danish director, cartoonist, screenwriter and actor (d. 2022)
• May 23
  • Alex Henteloff, American actor
  • Beth Porter, American actress and writer (d. 2023)
• May 28 - Božidara Turzonovová, Bulgarian-Slovak actress
• May 29 - Kevin Conway, American actor and director (d. 2020)
• June 5 - Hernán Romero, Peruvian actor (d. 2025)
• June 7 - Elizabeth Counsell, English actress
• June 18
  • Roger Ebert, American film critic (d. 2013)
  • Paul McCartney, English musician and composer (The Beatles)
  • Nick Tate, Australian actor
• June 20 - Chelcie Ross, American character actor
• June 24 - Michele Lee, American actress, singer, producer and director
• June 29 - Tony Vogel, English actor (d. 2015)
• June 30
  • Terry David Mulligan, Canadian actor
  • Friedrich von Thun, Austrian actor
• July 1 – Geneviève Bujold, Canadian actress
• July 9 – Richard Roundtree, American actor (d. 2023)
• July 10 - Tam White, Scottish musician and actor (d. 2010)
• July 13 – Harrison Ford, American actor and producer
• July 22 - Anthony James, American character actor (d. 2020)
• July 23 - Allen Danziger, American former actor
• July 24 – Chris Sarandon, American actor
• July 27 - Lanny Flaherty, American actor (d. 2024)
• July 29 - Tony Sirico, American actor (d. 2022)
• July 31 - Chela Matthison, Canadian-British actress
• August 1 - Giancarlo Giannini, Italian actor, director and screenwriter
• August 4 - Don S. Davis, American character actor (d. 2008)
• August 7 – Tobin Bell, actor
• August 18 - Lauro António, Portuguese director (d. 2022)
• August 19 - Fred Thompson, American politician, attorney, actor and radio personality (d. 2015)
• August 20 - Isaac Hayes, American singer and actor (d. 2008)
• August 28 - Peter Bartlett, American actor and voice actor
• August 29 - Gottfried John, German actor (d. 2014)
• September 5 - Werner Herzog, German director, screenwriter and actor
• September 6 - Carol Wayne, American actress (d. 1985)
• September 11 - Patricia Franklin, English actress
• September 17 - Lupe Ontiveros, American actress (d. 2012)
• September 19 - Victor Brandt, American actor
• September 20 - R. J. Adams, Canadian-American actor, screenwriter and producer
• September 24 - Kenneth Tigar, American actor
• September 25
  • Robert Miano, American actor
  • Robyn Nevin, Australian actress and director
• September 26 - Kent McCord, American actor
• September 28 - Marshall Bell, American character actor
• September 29
  • Yves Rénier, French actor, voice actor and filmmaker (d. 2021)
  • Madeline Kahn, American actress (d. 1999)
  • Ian McShane, English actor
• October 3 - Steve Susskind, American actor (d. 2005)
• October 4 – Christopher Stone, American actor (d. 1995)
• October 6 – Britt Ekland, Swedish actress
• October 7 - Melinda O. Fee, American actress (d. 2020)
• October 11 – Amitabh Bachchan, Indian actor
• October 13 – Suzzanna, Indonesian actress (d. 2008)
• October 14 - Roberto Della Casa, Italian actor
• October 20
  • Robert Costanzo, American actor
  • Earl Hindman, American actor (d. 2003)
• October 22 – Annette Funicello, American actress and singer (d. 2013)
• October 25 - Orso Maria Guerrini, Italian actor
• October 26
  • Bob Hoskins, English actor and director (d. 2014)
  • Eili Sild, Estonian actress
• October 28 - Terence Donovan, English-Australian actor (d. 2026)
• October 30 - Larry Block, American actor (d. 2012)
• October 31 – David Ogden Stiers, American actor (d. 2018)
• November 1
  • Marcia Wallace, American actress and comedian (d. 2013)
  • Michael Zaslow, American actor (d. 1998)
• November 11 - Nancy Linehan Charles, American character actress
• November 12 - David Gant, Scottish actor
• November 15 – Hans Kaldoja, Estonian actor (d. 2017)
• November 17 – Martin Scorsese, American director, producer, screenwriter and actor
• November 18 - Susan Sullivan, American actress
• November 20 - Bob Einstein, American actor, comedy writer and producer (d. 2019)
• November 21 - Michael Cavanaugh, American actor
• November 24 – Billy Connolly, Scottish comedian and actor
• November 25 – Rosa von Praunheim, German filmmaker and pioneer of queer cinema (d. 2025)
• November 30 - Chuck Shamata, Canadian actor
• December 3 - Lynn Farleigh, English actress
• December 4 – Gemma Jones, English actress
• December 12 - Fatma Girik, Turkish actress (d. 2022)
• December 14 - Juan Diego, Spanish actor (d. 2022)
• December 27 - Charmian Carr, American actress and singer (d. 2016)
• December 30 - Fred Ward, American actor and producer (d. 2022)

• January 16 – Carole Lombard, 33, American actress, To Be or Not to Be, My Man Godfrey, Made for Each Other, Nothing Sacred
• January 31 – Rolf Wenkhaus, 24, German actor, Emil and the Detectives, S.A.-Mann Brand
• April 10 – Carl Schenstrøm, 60, Danish actor, Cocktails, The Last Laugh
• May 19 – Hale Hamilton, 62, American actor, writer, director, The Great Lover, Love Affair, Parole Girl, The Girl from Missouri
• May 29 – John Barrymore, 60, American actor, Grand Hotel, Twentieth Century, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dinner at Eight
• June 4 – Virginia Lee Corbin, 31, American actress, Hands Up!, X Marks the Spot
• July 5 – Karin Swanström, 69, Swedish actress, director, His English Wife, Black Roses
• August 12 – Phillips Holmes, 35, American actor, Night Court, Men Must Fight
• August 14 – Rafaela Ottiano, 54, Italian-born American actress, Grand Hotel, She Done Him Wrong, The Devil-Doll, Curly Top
• October 20 – May Robson, 84, Australian-born American stage & film actress, Bringing Up Baby, A Star is Born, Lady for a Day, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
• October 22 – Olga Svendsen, 59, Danish actress, Kidnapped
• October 24 – James C. Morton, 58, American actor, Public Cowboy No. 1, Lucky Legs
• November 5 – George M. Cohan, 64, American actor, songwriter, entertainer, The Phantom President, Broadway Jones, subject of Yankee Doodle Dandy
• November 9 – Edna May Oliver, 59, American stage & film actress, David Copperfield, Drums Along the Mohawk, Little Women, A Tale of Two Cities
• November 12 – Laura Hope Crews, 62, American stage & screen actress, Gone with the Wind, Camille, Angel, The Blue Bird
• November 15 – Sidney Fox, 30, American actress, Murders in the Rue Morgue, Bad Sister, Six Cylinder Love
• December 12 – Helen Westley, 67, American stage & screen actress, Heidi, Roberta, All This, and Heaven Too, Alexander's Ragtime Band