1950 in film

The top ten 1950 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

• January 13 – Three weeks after its world premiere at the Paramount and Rivoli theatres in New York City, Cecil B. DeMille's Samson and Delilah opens in Los Angeles. The film is a massive commercial success and wins the awards for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design at the 23rd Academy Awards.
• February 15 – Walt Disney Studios' animated film Cinderella debuts. The film is the most successful the studio has made since Dumbo, and saves the studio from four million dollars in debt.
• July 19 – Walt Disney Studios' first completely live-action film Treasure Island debuts.

US unless stated

• Atom Man vs. Superman, starring Kirk Alyn, Noel Neill and Lyle Talbot
• Cody of the Pony Express
• Desperadoes of the West, starring Tom Keene
• Flying Disc Man from Mars, starring Walter Reed and Lois Collier
• The Invisible Monster, starring Richard Webb and Aline Towne
• The Mystery of the Snakeskin Belt [pt]
• Pirates of the High Seas, starring Buster Crabbe

• Mickey Mouse (1928–1953)
• Looney Tunes (1930–1969)
• Merrie Melodies (1931–1969)
• Popeye (1933–1957)
• The Three Stooges (1934–1959)
• Donald Duck (1936–1956)
• Pluto (1937–1951)
• Goofy (1939–1953)
• Tom and Jerry (1940–1958)
• Bugs Bunny (1940–1964)
• The Fox and the Crow (1941–1950)
• Mighty Mouse (1942–1955)
• Chip and Dale (1943–1956)
• Yosemite Sam (1945–1963)
• Noveltoons (1943–1967)

• January 1 – Gerard McSorley, Irish actor
• January 6 - Richard Norton, Australian martial artist, actor, stunt performer and fight choreographer (d. 2025)
• January 7 – Erin Gray, American model and actress
• January 9 - David Johansen, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2025)
• January 16 - Debbie Allen, American actress, singer, director and producer
• January 23 – Richard Dean Anderson, American actor
• January 24 – Daniel Auteuil, French actor
• January 25 - John Terry, retired American actor
• January 27 - Alex Norton, Scottish actor
• January 30
  • Randy Brooks, American actor
  • Trinidad Silva, American comedian and character actor (d. 1988)
• January 31 - Robert Grubb, Australian actor
• February 2 - Barbara Sukowa, German actress
• February 3 - Morgan Fairchild, American actress
• February 4 - Linda Bassett, English actress
• February 5 – Jonathan Freeman, American actor, voice actor, singer and puppeteer
• February 12 – Michael Ironside, Canadian actor
• February 13 - Scott Paulin, American actor and director
• February 16 - R. D. Call, American actor (d. 2020)
• February 17 – Prunella Gee, English actress
• February 18
  • John Hughes, American director, producer and screenwriter (d. 2009)
  • Cybill Shepherd, American actress
• February 19 - Johan Leysen, Belgian actor (d. 2023)
• February 21 – Larry Drake, American actor and comedian (d. 2016)
• February 22 – Julie Walters, English actress
• February 23 – Mary Pat Gleason, American actress (d. 2020)
• February 25 – Neil Jordan, Irish director
• February 26 - Don Shanks, American actor and stuntman
• March 2 – Matthew Laurance, American actor and comedian
• March 3 – Laura Ziskin, American producer (d. 2011)
• March 11 – Jerry Zucker, American director and producer
• March 13 – William H. Macy, American actor
• March 16 - Kate Nelligan, Canadian actress
• March 18 – Brad Dourif, American actor
• March 20
  • William Hurt, American actor (d. 2022)
  • Tom Towles, American character actor (d. 2015)
• March 23 – Corinne Cléry, French actress
• March 26
  • Martin Short, Canadian comedian and actor
  • Alan Silvestri, American film composer and conductor
• March 29 – Barry Pearl, American actor
• March 30 – Robbie Coltrane, Scottish actor (d. 2022)^[7]
• April 2 - Allan Corduner, British actor
• April 4 – Christine Lahti, American actress
• April 11 - Bill Irwin, American actor, clown and comedian
• April 12 – David Cassidy, American actor and singer-songwriter (d. 2017)
• April 13
  • Ron Perlman, American actor
  • William Sadler, American actor
• April 14 - Lynda Obst, American producer (d. 2024)
• April 15 – Josiane Balasko, French actress, writer and director
• April 16 – David Graf, American actor (d. 2001)
• April 18
  • Philip Akin, Canadian actor
  • Kenny Ortega, American filmmaker
• April 22 – Thierry Zéno, Belgian director (d. 2017)
• April 23 - Henry Goodman, British actor
• April 28
  • Rod Culbertson, English actor
  • Jay Leno, American comedian, actor, writer, producer and late-night television host
• April 29 – Phillip Noyce, Australian director
• May 1 – John Diehl, American character actor
• May 7 - Randall "Tex" Cobb, American actor and martial artist
• May 8
  • Mark Blankfield, American actor and comedian (d. 2024)
  • Robert Mugge, American director and producer
• May 9 – Marcheline Bertrand, American actress (d. 2007)
• May 12
  • Bruce Boxleitner, American actor, science fiction and suspense writer
  • Gabriel Byrne, Irish actor
• May 13 – Joe Johnston, American director, writer and visual effects artist
• May 14
  • John Dennis Johnston, American actor
  • Mark Blum, American actor (d. 2020)
• May 15 – Nicholas Hammond, American-born Australian actor and writer
• May 18
  • Gerry Mendicino, Canadian actor
  • Nick Wyman, American actor
• May 22 – Peter Wildman, Canadian actor
• May 23 - O-Lan Jones, American actress
• May 30 - Jo Ann Havrilla, American actress
• June 1 – John M. Jackson, American film and television actor
• June 2 - Joanna Gleason, Canadian-American actress and singer
• June 3 - Melissa Mathison, American screenwriter (d. 2015)
• June 5 – Daniel von Bargen, American character actor (d. 2015)
• June 6 – Chantal Akerman, Belgian-born director (d. 2015)
• June 8
  • Kathy Baker, American actress
  • Sônia Braga, Brazilian actress
• June 13 – Belinda Bauer, Australian actress
• June 14 - Jeremy Sinden, English actor (d. 1996)
• June 17 – Lee Tamahori, New Zealand filmmaker (d. 2025)
• June 19 – Daria Nicolodi, Italian actress and screenwriter (d. 2020)
• June 21 - Enn Reitel, Scottish actor
• June 22 - Tom Alter, Indian actor (d. 2017)
• June 24 – Nancy Allen, American actress
• June 25 – Thomas Jefferson Byrd, American actor (d. 2020)
• June 26 – Michael Paul Chan, American actor
• June 28 - Sandy Gore, Australian actress
• July 1 - Ben Roberts, Welsh actor (d. 2021)
• July 5 - Linda Hart, American actress and musician
• July 6 - Geraldine James, English actress
• July 11 – Bruce McGill, American actor
• July 17 – Barbara Rosenblat, British actress
• July 19 - Richard Cordery, British actor
• July 20 – Tantoo Cardinal, Canadian actress
• July 21 - Jordan Clarke, American actor
• July 24 - Johnny Lee Davenport, American actor (d. 2020)
• July 27
  • Simon Jones, English actor
  • Nigel Plaskitt, English actor and producer
• July 28 - Lani Minella, American voice actress, voice director and producer
• July 29 – Mike Starr, American character actor
• July 30 - Frank Stallone, American actor and musician
• August 2 - Kathryn Harrold, American retired actress
• August 3 - John Landis, American filmmaker and actor
• August 5 – Holly Palance, American actress
• August 6 – Dorian Harewood, American actor
• August 10 - Rémy Girard, Canadian actor
• August 11
  • Elya Baskin, Latvian-American character actor
  • Adam LeFevre, American character actor
• August 12 – Jim Beaver, American actor
• August 13 – Jane Carr, English actress
• August 14 – Peter Guinness, English actor
• August 15 - Tess Harper, American actress
• August 16 - Marshall Manesh, Iranian-American actor
• August 20 – Skip O'Brien, American actor (d. 2011)
• August 27 – Charles Fleischer, American stand-up comedian, actor, writer and musician
• September 2 - Rosanna DeSoto, American actress
• September 7 – Julie Kavner, American film and television actress, voice actress and comedian
• September 11 – Amy Madigan, American actress
• September 12 – Bruce Mahler, American actor, producer and writer
• September 14 – Howard Deutch, American director
• September 15 - Hrant Alianak, Sudanese-Armenian-Canadian actor
• September 18
  • Luis Contreras, American character actor (d. 2004)
  • Anna Deavere Smith, American actress
• September 19 - Rudy Ramos, American actor and musician
• September 21 – Bill Murray, American actor and comedian
• September 24
  • Harriet Walter, British actress
  • Kristina Wayborn, Swedish actress
• September 25 - Cynthia Wood, American actress and model
• September 27 - Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Japanese-born American actor, producer and martial artist (d. 2025)
• September 28 – John Sayles, American director and screenwriter
• September 30 – Vondie Curtis-Hall, American actor, screenwriter and director
• October 1 – Randy Quaid, American actor
• October 2 – Ian McNeice, English actor
• October 4 – Alan Rosenberg, American actor
• October 5 – Jeff Conaway, American actor and singer (d. 2011)
• October 10 - Jerry Tondo, Japanese-American actor
• October 14 – Joey Travolta, American actor
• October 17 – Howard Rollins, American actor (d. 1996)
• October 18 – Om Puri, Indian actor (d. 2017)
• October 20 - William Russ, American actor and television director
• October 25 - Mark L. Taylor, American actor
• October 28 - Audrie J. Neenan, American actress
• October 31
  • John Candy, Canadian actor and comedian (d. 1994)
  • Frank Silva, American actor and set dresser (d. 1995)
• November 4 - Markie Post, American actress (d. 2021)
• November 7 - Lindsay Duncan, Scottish actress
• November 9 - Henry Yuk, American actor
• November 12 - Kevin Rooney, American stand-up comedian, writer and actor (d. 2022)
• November 13 – Jules Sylvester, British wild animal trainer, actor and television presenter
• November 16 – David Leisure, American actor
• November 18 – Eric Pierpoint, American actor
• November 20 - Kenneth MacDonald (English actor), British actor (d. 2001)
• November 28 – Ed Harris, American actor
• December 2 - Dennis Christopher, American actor
• December 4 – Obba Babatundé, American actor
• December 8 - Rick Baker, American retired special make-up effects creator and actor
• December 10 – Gregg Berger, American voice actor
• December 12
  • Duane Chase, American actor
  • Rajinikanth, Indian actor
• December 13
  • Lindsey Ginter, American actor (d. 2024)
  • Darrell Larson, American actor
  • Wendie Malick, American-Canadian actress
  • Afemo Omilami, American actor
• December 16 - Peter Van Norden, American actor
• December 18 - Su Elliot, British actress
• December 21
  • Jane How, English actress
  • Jeffrey Katzenberg, American filmmaker and animator
• December 22
  • Franc Luz, American actor
  • Jeris Lee Poindexter, American actor, comedian and musician
• December 29 - Jon Polito, American character actor (d. 2016)

• January 2 – Emil Jannings, 65, Swiss-born German actor, The Blue Angel, The Last Laugh
• January 12 – John M. Stahl, 63, American film director and producer, Leave Her to Heaven, Imitation of Life
• January 22
  • Alan Hale Sr., 57, American actor, director, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Santa Fe Trail
  • Corinne Luchaire, 28, French actress, Prison Without Bars, Conflict
• March 10 – Marguerite De La Motte, 47, American actress, The Mark of Zorro, The Iron Mask
• March 18 – Edgar Rice Burroughs, 74, American writer, creator of Tarzan
• March 25 – Frank Buck, 66, American actor and animal expert, Bring 'Em Back Alive, Africa Screams
• April 7 – Walter Huston, 67, American Academy Award-winning actor, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Dodsworth
• April 26 – Hobart Cavanaugh, 63, American actor, I Cover the Waterfront, A Letter to Three Wives
• May 1 – Ernst Laemmle, 49, German director and screenwriter, The Phantom of the Opera, The Palm Beach Story
• June 22 – Jane Cowl, 66, American actress, No Man of Her Own, Payment on Demand
• July 17 – Antonie Nedošinská, 65, Czech actress, Falešná kočička aneb Když si žena umíní, Capek's Tales
• September 13 – Sara Allgood, 69, Irish actress, How Green Was My Valley, The Lodger
• October 23 – Al Jolson, 64, Lithuanian-born American actor, singer, entertainer, The Jazz Singer, Rhapsody in Blue, The Singing Fool
• October 29 – Maurice Costello, 73, American actor, Du Barry Was a Lady, Tin Pan Alley
• December 4 – James Kevin McGuinness, 56, Irish-American producer and screenwriter, Madame X, Rio Grande
• December 28 – William Garwood, 66, American silent-film actor and director, The Cowboy Millionaire, Proxy Husband