1951 in film

The following table lists known worldwide gross figures for several high-grossing films that originally released in 1951. Note that this list is incomplete and is therefore not representative of the highest-grossing films worldwide in 1951. This list also includes gross revenue from later re-releases.

• February 15 – new management takes over at United Artists with Arthur B. Krim, Robert Benjamin and Matty Fox now in charge.
• April – French magazine Cahiers du cinéma is first published.
• July 26 – Walt Disney's Alice in Wonderland premieres; while a disappointment at first and hardly released in theaters, it would later become one of the biggest cult classics in the animation medium as well as make millions in television viewings and subsequent releases on home video.
• September 10 – Rashomon wins the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, bringing worldwide attention to Japanese film.
• September – The House Un-American Activities Committee investigation into Communism in the film industry starts to wind up after four years. They report in February 1952 that Hollywood has not done enough against Communist employees and hearings and blacklisting continues.
• December 14 – Raj Kapoor's first blockbuster movie, Awaara is released in India.
• December 29 – The Wilhelm scream, one of the most frequently-used stock sound effects, makes its first use in the film Distant Drums. The scream would not get its name until The Charge at Feather River in 1953.

The Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll was published by Quigley Publishing Company based on a poll of U.S. movie theater owners who were asked to name who they felt were the previous year's top 10 moneymaking stars.^[22]

They also published a Western stars poll which Roy Rogers topped for the ninth year running.^[22]

United States release unless stated

• Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere, starring Judd Holdren
• Don Daredevil Rides Again, starring Ken Curtis and Aline Towne
• Government Agents vs Phantom Legion, starring Walter Reed
• Mysterious Island, starring Richard Crane
• Roar of the Iron Horse, 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)
• Mighty Mouse (1942–1955)
• Chip and Dale (1943–1956)
• Yosemite Sam (1945–1963)
• Terrytoons (1930–1971)
• Noveltoons (1944–1967)

• January 1 - Nana Patekar, Indian actor, screenwriter, and film director
• January 8 – John McTiernan, American director
• January 11 - Sondra Currie, American actress
• January 12 – Kirstie Alley, American actress (died 2022)
• January 15
  • Charo, Spanish American actress, singer and comedian
  • Basil Wallace, Jamaican-born American actor
• January 19 - Arthur Taxier, American character actor
• January 22 - Steve J. Spears, Australian actor, writer and singer (died 2007)
• January 23 - David Patrick Kelly, American actor and musician
• January 29 - Maria Klenskaja, Estonian actress (died 2022)
• January 30
  • Phil Collins, English drummer, singer-songwriter and actor
  • Charles S. Dutton, American retired actor and director
• February 1 - Tom Butler, Canadian actor
• February 4 - Patrick Bergin, Irish actor and singer
• February 5 - Robin Sachs, English actor (died 2013)
• February 13 – David Naughton, American actor & singer
• February 15
  • Paul Kandel, American actor and singer
  • Jane Seymour, English actress
• February 16 – William Katt, American actor
• February 20
  • Eva Rueber-Staier, Austrian actress, television host and model
  • John Voldstad, American actor
• February 22 – Ellen Greene, American singer and actress
• February 24 – Helen Shaver, Canadian actress and film and television director
• March 6 - Virendra Razdan, Indian actor (died 2003)
• March 17 – Kurt Russell, American actor
• April 6 – Rita Raave, Estonian actress
• April 11
  • Gerry Becker, American actor (died 2019)
  • Jay Benedict, American actor (died 2020)
  • Rohini Hattangadi, Indian actress
• April 12 – Tom Noonan, American actor
• April 13
  • John Furey, American actor
  • Brent Jennings, American actor
• April 17 – Olivia Hussey, Argentine-born English actress (died 2024)
• April 21 – Tony Danza, American actor and boxer
• April 22 - Robin Bartlett, American actress
• May 4 - Gérard Jugnot, French actor, director, screenwriter and producer
• May 5
  • Marion Bailey, English actress
  • Jeanie Drynan, Australian actress
• May 8 - Cooper Huckabee, American actor
• May 19 - Robert Harper, American actor (died 2020)
• May 25 - Patti D'Arbanville, American actress
• May 29 - Michael O'Neill, American actor
• May 30 – Stephen Tobolowsky, American actor
• May 31 - Jack Gilpin, American actor
• June 1 - Lena Farugia, American-born South African actress, screenwriter, director and producer (died 2019)
• June 2 - Frank C. Turner, Canadian actor
• June 5
  • Ellen Foley, American singer and actress
  • Mark Harelik, American actor and playwright
• June 9 – James Newton Howard, American film composer
• June 13 - Stellan Skarsgård, Swedish actor
• June 15 - Tim Colceri, American actor and comedian
• June 16 - John Salthouse, British actor and producer
• June 20 - Tress MacNeille, American voice actress, and singer
• June 23 - Jim Metzler, retired American actor
• June 26 – Robert Davi, American actor, singer, writer and director
• June 27 - Julia Duffy, American actress
• June 28
  • David Gautreaux, American actor
  • Ellis E. Williams, American actor and comedian
• July 1 - Trevor Eve, English actor
• July 4 – Vincent Marzello, American-born actor (died 2020)
• July 6
  • Allyce Beasley, American actress
  • Geoffrey Rush, Australian actor
• July 7 - Roz Ryan, American actress, singer, voice actress and comedian
• July 8 – Anjelica Huston, American actress
• July 9 – Chris Cooper, American actor
• July 10 – Phyllis Smith, American actress
• July 12
  • Brian Grazer, American producer
  • Cheryl Ladd, American actress
  • Jamey Sheridan, American actor
• July 13 - Didi Conn, American actress
• July 15 - Jesse Ventura, American actor and pro wrestler
• July 18 - Margo Martindale, American character actress
• July 19 - Daniel Zacapa, Honduran-American actor
• July 20 - Jeff Rawle, English actor
• July 21
  • Lillias White, American actress and singer
  • Robin Williams, American actor & comedian (died 2014)
• July 24
  • Lynda Carter, American actress & singer
  • Fiona Reid, English-born Canadian actress
• July 29
  • Jack Blessing, American actor (died 2017)
  • Gavan O'Herlihy, Irish-born American actor (died 2021)
• August 2 - Marcel Iureș, Romanian actor
• August 3 - Jay North, American actor (died 2025)
• August 6 – Catherine Hicks, American actress
• August 7 - Deborah Offner, American actress
• August 8
  • Martin Brest, American director, screenwriter and producer
  • Mamoru Oshii, Japanese filmmaker, television director and writer
  • Nansun Shi, Hong Kong producer and executive (died 2026)
• August 14 – Carl Lumbly, American actor
• August 17 - Robert Joy, Canadian actor
• August 21 - Randy Thom, American sound designer
• August 22 - Gordon Liu, Chinese martial arts actor
• August 24 - Tony Amendola, American actor
• August 30 – Timothy Bottoms, American actor
• September 1 - Luce Rains, American actor
• September 2
  • Michael Gray, American actor
  • Mark Harmon, American actor
• September 4 - Judith Ivey, American actress
• September 5 – Michael Keaton, American actor
• September 9 - Tom Wopat, American actor and singer
• September 10 - Harry Groener, German-born American actor
• September 12 – Joe Pantoliano, American actor
• September 13 - Jean Smart, American actress
• September 17 – Cassandra Peterson, American actress
• September 22 – Amanda Mackey, American casting director (died 2022)
• September 25 – Mark Hamill, American actor
• October 2 - Romina Power, American actress
• October 3 - Joel Polis, American actor
• October 5 - Karen Allen, American actress and director
• October 9 - Robert Wuhl, American actor, comedian and writer
• October 16
  • Daniel Gerroll, English actor
  • Morgan Stevens, American actor (died 2022)
• October 19 - Floyd Vivino, American actor (died 2026)
• October 22 - Marshall Napier, New Zealand character actor (died 2022)
• October 24 - Antoñito Ruiz, Spanish former child actor and stuntman
• October 28 - Renato Cecchetto, Italian actor and voice actor (died 2022)
• October 30 – Harry Hamlin, American actor
• November 2 - Steven Reuther, American producer (died 2010)
• November 6 - Nigel Havers, English actor and presenter
• November 9 – Lou Ferrigno, American actor
• November 11 - Bill Moseley, American actor and musician
• November 14 - Sandahl Bergman, American former actress
• November 15 – Beverly D'Angelo, American actress
• November 16 - Miguel Sandoval, American actor
• November 17
  • Francis Guinan, American actor
  • Stephen Root, American actor and voice actor
  • Libby Villari, American actress
• November 20 – Rodger Bumpass, American actor & voice actor
• November 23 – Aaron Norris, American director, actor, and stunt performer
• November 27 – Kathryn Bigelow, American director
• November 30 - Ian Roberts, South African actor and singer
• December 1 – Treat Williams, American actor (died 2023)
• December 14 - Celia Weston, American character actress
• December 16
  • Bill Johnson, American actor
  • David Schofield, English actor
• December 18 - Everett Quinton, American actor and writer (died 2023)
• December 22 - Dan Martin, American actor
• December 26 - Steve Bisley, Australian writer and actor
• December 27 – Charles Band, American film producer and director

• January 11 – Charles W. Goddard, American playwright, screenwriter (born 1879), The Exploits of Elaine
• January 18 – Jack Holt, American actor (born 1888), Flight, San Francisco
• March 6 – Ivor Novello, Welsh actor, singer, composer (born 1893), The Lodger, I Lived with You
• March 14 – Val Lewton, Russian-American director (born 1904), Cat People, The Body Snatcher
• March 25 – Oscar Micheaux, American director, author (born 1884), The Girl From Chicago
• April 4 – Al Christie, Canadian-born director, producer (born 1881), Charley's Aunt
• April 22 – Stanley Ridges, British actor (born 1890), To Be or Not to Be, Sergeant York
• May 2 – Edwin L. Marin, American director (born 1899), Fort Worth, Maisie
• May 2 – Paul L. Stein, Austrian director (born 1892), Red Wagon, The Twenty Questions Murder Mystery
• May 7 – Warner Baxter, American actor (born 1882), 42nd Street, Crime Doctor
• May 17 – S. Sylvan Simon, American director (born 1910), The Fuller Brush Man, I Love Trouble
• May 29 – Fanny Brice, American entertainer and actress, My Man, Everybody Sing
• June 2 – Ernst Pittschau, German actor (born 1883), The Picture of Dorian Gray
• June 6 – Olive Tell, American actress (born 1894), The Trap
• June 9 – Mayo Methot, American actress (born 1904), Marked Woman
• July 23 – Robert J. Flaherty, American documentary filmmaker (born 1884), Nanook of the North
• August 16 – Louis Jouvet, French actor (born 1887), Hôtel du Nord
• August 28 – Robert Walker, American actor (born 1918), Strangers on a Train, The Clock
• August 30 – Konstantin Märska, Estonian cinematographer (born 1896)
• August 31 – Paul Demel, Czech actor (born 1903)
• September 7 – Maria Montez, Dominican-born actress (born 1912), Arabian Nights, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
• October 12 – Leon Errol, Australian-born actor (born 1881), Never Give a Sucker an Even Break, Joe Palooka
• October 22 – Phil Rosen, Polish-American director (born 1876), Charlie Chan in The Chinese Cat, Roar of the Press
• November 3 – Richard Wallace, American director (born 1894), Tycoon, Framed