1969 in film

The top ten 1969 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

• January 14 - Louis F. Polk Jr. becomes president and CEO of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
• February 23 - Madhubala dies due to a congenital heart disease, at age 36.
• June 22 - American singer and actress Judy Garland dies at age 47 of an accidental barbiturate overdose in London.
• July 8 - Kinney National Services Inc. acquire substantially all of the assets of Warner Bros.-Seven Arts.
• July 13 - Al Pacino's film debut (Me, Natalie).
• Summer - Last year for prize giving at the Venice Film Festival until it is revived in 1980. From 1969 to 1979, the festival is non-competitive.
• August 8 - Kirk Kerkorian buys 24% of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, becoming the biggest shareholder.
• August 9 - Tate murders: Sharon Tate, the 26-year-old pregnant actress, model and Roman Polanski's wife, is murdered by Charles Manson's "Family" at 10050 Cielo Drive in Beverly Hills, California, aside three friends and an unrelated man.
• August 29 - The Color of Pomegranates now regarded as a landmark in film history
• September 20 - Injun Trouble featuring Cool Cat is released, becoming the final entry of Merrie Melodies before Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Animation was shut down.
• November 10 - Elvis Presley's film career ends with the release of Change of Habit.
• Jack and Jill: A Postscript becomes the first feature film to receive an Australian Film Institute Award.

Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):

If...., directed by Lindsay Anderson, United Kingdom

Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):

Rani Radovi (Early Works), directed by Želimir Žilnik, Yugoslavia

• Looney Tunes (1930–1969)
• Merrie Melodies (1931–1969)
• Cool Cat (1967—1969)
• Merlin the Magic Mouse (1967—1969)
• The Pink Panther (1963–1969, 1971–1977, 1978–1980)
• The Inspector (1965-1969)
• The Ant and the Aardvark (1969–1971)
• Roland and Rattfink (1968–1971)
• Tijuana Toads (1969–1972)
• Woody Woodpecker (1941–1949, 1951–1972)
• Chilly Willy (1955–1972)
• The Beary Family (1962–1972)

• January 1
  • Morris Chestnut, American actor
  • Mr. Lawrence, American voice actor, comedian, writer, storyboard artist, animator and director
  • Verne Troyer, American actor (died 2018)
• January 2
  • Nicholas Gleaves, English actor
  • Tommy Morrison, American professional boxer, mixed martial artist and actor (d. 2013)
• January 3 - John Ales, American actor
• January 5 - Shea Whigham, American actor
• January 6 - Norman Reedus, American actor
• January 8 - Ami Dolenz, American former actress
• January 11 - Kyle Richards, American actress
• January 14 – Jason Bateman, American actor
• January 15 - Meret Becker, German actress and singer
• January 17 – James Waterston, American actor
• January 18 – Dave Bautista, American actor and former professional wrestler
• January 20 - Reno Wilson, American actor
• January 21
  • Karina Lombard, Tahitan actress
  • Matt Willig, American actor and former football player
• January 22
  • Olivia d'Abo, British actress and singer
  • Xu Qing, Chinese actress
• January 23 - Stephanie Romanov, American actress
• January 27 – Patton Oswalt, American stand-up comedian, actor, voice actor, and writer
• January 28 - Kathryn Morris, American actress
• January 29 - Sam Trammell, American actor
• February 3 - Shane Rangi, New Zealand actor
• February 4 - Brandy Ledford, American actress and model
• February 5
  • Bobby Brown, American singer-songwriter and actor
  • Michael Sheen, Welsh actor and producer
• February 6
  • April Haney, American former actress and singer
  • Masaharu Fukuyama, Japanese actor and singer
  • David Hayter, Canadian actor, screenwriter, director, and producer
• February 8
  • Brian Krause, American actor
  • Mary McCormack, American actress
• February 11
  • Jennifer Aniston, American actress
  • Lee Tockar, Canadian voice actor and visual artist
• February 12 - Darren Aronofsky, American director, producer and screenwriter
• February 13
  • JB Blanc, French actor
  • Andrew Bryniarski, American actor
• February 15 - James Riordan, American actor
• February 21 - Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, American actress
• February 22 - Thomas Jane, American actor
• February 26 - Steve Agee, American comedian, actor, writer and musician
• February 28 - Robert Sean Leonard, American actor
• March 1 – Javier Bardem, Spanish actor
• March 6
  • Adam Fogerty, English actor
  • Amy Pietz, American actress and singer
• March 8 - Don Hall, American director, voice actor and writer
• March 10
  • Paget Brewster, American actress
  • Dave Sheridan, American actor, comedian, writer, producer and musician
• March 11 – Terrence Howard, American actor
• March 13 - Ross Harris, American former actor
• March 15 - Kim Raver, American actress and producer
• March 16 - Judah Friedlander, American actor and comedian
• March 17 - Patrick Van Horn, American actor
• March 19
  • Kevin Shinick, American actor, writer, producer and director
  • Connor Trinneer, American actor
• March 21 - Allen Coulter, American director
• March 22 - Andreas Pietschmann, German actor
• March 23 - Richard Cadell, Illusionist, puppeteer and screenwriter
• March 27 - Kevin Corrigan, American character actor
• March 28 - Brett Ratner, American director and producer
• March 31 - Eijiro Ozaki, Japanese actor
• April 2 – Ajay Devgan, Indian actor
• April 3 – Ben Mendelsohn, Australian actor
• April 6 – Paul Rudd, American actor
• April 14 - James Gray, American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter
• April 21
  • Toby Stephens, English actor
  • Joel de la Fuente, American actor
• April 23 – Byron Thames, American actor
• April 24 - Rory McCann, Scottish actor
• April 25
  • Gina Torres, American actress
  • Renée Zellweger, American actress
• April 29
  • Paul Adelstein, American actor
  • Jo Martin, British actress
• May 1 – Wes Anderson, American director
• May 2 - Karel Dobrý, Czech actor
• May 9 - Joe Carnahan, American director, screenwriter, producer and actor
• May 10
  • Rebecca Root, English actress and comedian
  • Lenny Venito, American actor
• May 12 - Kim Fields, American actress and director
• May 14 – Cate Blanchett, Australian actress
• May 15 - Kirk DeMicco, American filmmaker
• May 16 – David Boreanaz, American actor, television producer and director
• May 22
  • Michael Kelly, American actor
  • Cle Shaheed Sloan, American actor
• May 24 – Carl Anthony Payne II, American actor
• May 25 – Anne Heche, American actress (d. 2022)
• May 27 - Glenn Ficarra, American screenwriter, director and producer
• May 28 - Justin Kirk, American actor
• June 1 – Teri Polo, American actress
• June 2 - Ol Parker, English director, producer and screenwriter
• June 3 - Tate Taylor, American filmmaker and actor
• June 4
  • Rob Huebel, American actor, comedian and writer
  • Horatio Sanz, Chilean-born American actor and comedian
• June 6 - Nina Sosanya, English actress and narrator
• June 7
  • Adam Buxton, English actor, comedian and writer
  • Kim Rhodes, American actress
  • Anthony Simcoe, Australian actor
• June 8
  • J. P. Manoux, American actor, director and writer
  • David Sutcliffe, Canadian former actor
• June 9 - Josh Hamilton, American actor
• June 11 – Peter Dinklage, American actor
• June 12 - Andrew Howard, Welsh actor
• June 13 - Laura Kightlinger, American actress, writer and comedian
• June 15
  • Ice Cube, American actor and rapper
  • Patrick Mofokeng, South African actor
• June 16 - Karina Arroyave, Colombian-American actress
• June 18 - Ella Kenion, English comedy actress
• June 19 - Sean Anders, American director and screenwriter
• June 21 - Lloyd Avery II, American actor (d. 2005)
• June 23 - Martin Klebba, American character actor and stunt performer
• June 24 - Jensen Daggett, American actress
• June 28
  • Tichina Arnold, American actress
  • Angeline Ball, Irish actress
  • Ayelet Zurer, Israeli actress
• June 29 - Aleks Paunovic, Canadian actor
• July 2 - John Emmet Tracy, American-Canadian actor
• July 3
  • Shawnee Smith, American actress and singer
  • Gedeon Burkhard, German actor
• July 4 - Charles Paraventi, American-born Brazilian actor
• July 5 - RZA, American rapper, actor and filmmaker
• July 6 - Brian Van Holt, American actor
• July 7 - Cree Summer, American-Canadian actress, voice actress and singer
• July 8 - Rachael Lillis, American voice actress and screenwriter (d. 2024)
• July 9 - Carlos Leal, Swiss actor
• July 10
  • Jamie Glover, English actor
  • Gale Harold, American Actor
• July 13 - Ken Jeong, American stand-up comedian, actor and producer
• July 17
  • Jason Clarke, Australian actor
  • Kazuki Kitamura, Japanese actor
• July 20 - Josh Holloway, American actor
• July 21 – Godfrey, American actor, comedian
• July 22 – James Arnold Taylor, American actor, writer and producer
• July 24
  • Rick Fox, Canadian-Bahamian former basketball player and actor
  • Jennifer Lopez, American actress, singer
• July 25 - Dave B. Mitchell, American voice actor
• July 28
  • Alexis Arquette, American actress (d. 2016)
  • Noma Dumezweni, British actress
• July 30 - Simon Baker, Australian actor
• July 31
  • Ben Chaplin, British actor
  • Loren Dean, American actor
• August 4 – Vlad Ivanov, Romanian actor
• August 5
  • Chuck Campbell, Canadian actor and comedian
  • Kim Mai Guest, American voice actress
• August 6 - Chris Edgerly, American voice actor, comedian and singer
• August 8 - Chris Beetem, American actor
• August 11 - Ashley Jensen, Scottish actress
• August 12 - Nev Fountain, English writer
• August 15 - Kimberley Kates, American actress and producer
• August 16
  • Kate Higgins, American voice actress and singer
  • Andy Milder, American actor
• August 17 - Donnie Wahlberg, American singer, songwriter, rapper, actor and producer
• August 18
  • Edward Norton, American actor
  • Christian Slater, American actor
• August 19
  • John Crowley, Irish director
  • Viveka Davis, American actress
  • Paula Jai Parker, American actress
  • Matthew Perry, Canadian-American actor (d. 2023)
• August 20 - Billy Gardell, American actor and stand-up comedian
• August 21 - Nathan Jones, Australian actor and former professional wrestler
• August 24 - Pierfrancesco Favino, Italian actor and producer
• August 27
  • Reece Shearsmith, English actor, writer and comedian
  • Chandra Wilson, American actress and director
• August 28
  • Jack Black, American actor, comedian, musician
  • Jason Priestley, Canadian-American actor and television director
• August 31 - Jonathan LaPaglia, Australian actor
• September 3
  • Noah Baumbach, American director and screenwriter
  • John Fugelsang, American actor, comedian, writer and television host
• September 4
  • Mo Brings Plenty, Olgala Lakota actor
  • Noah Taylor, Australian actor
• September 6 - Trina McGee, American actress
• September 7 - Angie Everhart, American actress
• September 10 - Johnathon Schaech, American actor and screenwriter
• September 13
  • Amma Asante, British filmmaker, screenwriter and former actress
  • Ace Bhatti, British actor
  • Dominic Fumusa, American actor
  • Tyler Perry, American actor
• September 14
  • Bong Joon-ho, Korean director and screenwriter
  • Oscar Kightley, Samoan-born New Zealand actor, television presenter, writer, director and comedian
• September 20
  • Victoria Dillard, American former actress
  • Bianca Hunter, American actress
• September 21 - Ivan Shvedoff, Russian actor
• September 22 - Sue Perkins, English actress, broadcaster, comedian, presenter and writer
• September 23
  • Crispin Bonham-Carter, English actor
  • Shaw Jones, American actor
• September 25 – Catherine Zeta-Jones, Welsh actress
• September 26 - David Slade, British director and actor
• September 29 – Erika Eleniak, American actress
• September 30
  • Amy Landecker, American actress
  • Silas Weir Mitchell, American character actor
  • Mark Smith, British actor
• October 1 – Zach Galifianakis, American actor
• October 2 - Dragomir Mrsic, Serbian-Swedish actor
• October 3 – Gwen Stefani, American singer, songwriter and actress
• October 4
  • Abraham Benrubi, American actor
  • Jerry Minor, American actor, comedian and writer
• October 6 - Rob Campbell, American actor
• October 7 - Bobbie Brown, American actress
• October 8
  • Jeremy Davies, American actor
  • Dylan Neal, Canadian-American actor
• October 9 – Steve McQueen, English director
• October 10
  • Manu Bennett, New Zealand actor
  • Wendi McLendon-Covey, American actress and comedian
• October 11 - Stephen Moyer, English actor and director
• October 15 – Dominic West, English actor
• October 16 - Terri J. Vaughn, American actress, director and producer
• October 17
  • Wood Harris, American actor
  • Kevin Stea, American actor, singer and director
  • Nancy Sullivan, American actress, television presenter, and screenwriter
• October 19
  • Roger Cross, Jamaican-born Canadian actor
  • Trey Parker, American actor, creator of South Park
• October 22 - Spike Jonze, American director, producer, screenwriter and actor
• October 25 - Nika Futterman, American actress, voice actress and singer
• October 26 - Robert Maillet, Canadian actor and former professional wrestler
• October 27 - Peter O'Meara, Irish actor
• October 31 - David Coburn, American actor
• November 4
  • Matthew McConaughey, American actor
  • Samantha Smith, American actress
• November 8
  • Don McManus, American actor
  • Jonathan Slavin, American actor
• November 10
  • Jennifer Cody, American dancer and actress
  • Ellen Pompeo, American actress
• November 13 – Gerard Butler, Scottish actor^[3]
• November 19 - Erika Alexander, American actress, writer and producer
• November 20 - Callie Thorne, American actress
• November 21 - John Ortiz, American actor
• November 27
  • Elizabeth Marvel, American actress
  • Chin Han, Singaporean actor
• November 28
  • Martin Cummins, Canadian actor
  • Colman Domingo, American actor, writer and director
• November 30
  • Marc Forster, German-Swiss director, producer and screenwriter
  • Conan Stevens, Australian actor
  • Chris Weitz, American director, screenwriter and producer
• December 5 - Eric Etebari, Iranian-American actor
  • Lynne Ramsay, Scottish film director, writer, producer, and cinematographer
  • Catherine Tate, English actress, comedian and writer
• December 7 - Patrice O'Neal, American stand-up comedian, actor and radio personality (d. 2011)
• December 9 - Allison Smith, American actress, singer, writer and director
• December 10 - Stephen Billington, English actor
• December 11 - Max Martini, American actor, writer and director
• December 13 - Tony Curran, Scottish actor
• December 14
  • Greg Hemphill, Scottish-Canadian comedian, actor, writer and director
  • Archie Kao, American actor and producer
• December 15
  • Adriana Esteves, Brazilian actress
  • Ralph Ineson, English actor and narrator
• December 19 – Kristy Swanson, American actress
• December 20 - Brian O'Halloran, American actor, producer and podcaster
• December 21 – Julie Delpy, French actress
• December 24 - Sean Cameron Michael, South African actor, writer and singer
• December 27 - Sarah Vowell, American actress
• December 29
  • Jennifer Ehle, American actress
  • Patrick Fischler, American character actor
• December 30 - Meredith Monroe, American actress

• January 1 – Barton MacLane, 66, American actor, The Maltese Falcon, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre^[4]
• January 3 – Howard McNear, 63, American actor, Anatomy of a Murder, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Blue Hawaii, Follow That Dream^[5][6]
• January 4 – Violet and Daisy Hilton, 60, English conjoined twins, actresses, appeared in film Freaks
• January 8 – Leslie Goodwins, 69, English director, The Mummy's Curse, Mexican Spitfire
• January 27 – Charles Winninger, 84, American actor, Destry Rides Again, The Sun Shines Bright
• February 2 – Boris Karloff, 81, English actor, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Raven
• February 5 – Thelma Ritter, 66, American actress, Rear Window, All About Eve
• February 9 – Gabby Hayes, 83, American actor, The Man from Utah, In Old Oklahoma
• February 11 – James Lanphier, 48, American actor, The Pink Panther, The Party
• February 19 - Madge Blake, 69, American actress, The Long, Long Trailer, Batman
• February 23 - Madhubala, 36, Indian actress, Mahal, Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi, Mughal-E-Azam
• February 27 – John Boles, 73, American actor, Frankenstein, Stella Dallas
• March 18 – Barbara Bates, 43, American actress, The Caddy, All About Eve
• March 19 – Lola Braccini, 79, Italian actress, My Little One, What a Distinguished Family
• March 25 – Alan Mowbray, 72, British actor, Terror by Night, My Darling Clementine
• April 2 – Fortunio Bonanova, 74, Spanish actor, Citizen Kane, An Affair to Remember
• April 23 – Krzysztof Komeda, 37, Polish composer, Rosemary's Baby, The Fearless Vampire Killers
• May 3 – Karl Freund, 69, Czech-American cinematographer and director, Metropolis, The Mummy, Key Largo
• May 24
  • Paul Birch, 57, American actor, The Gun Runners, Gunmen from Laredo
  • Mitzi Green, 48, American actress, Lost in Alaska, Skippy
• May 27 – Jeffrey Hunter, 42, American actor, The Searchers, King of Kings
• June 2 – Leo Gorcey, 51, American actor, Ghost Chasers, Spook Busters
• June 8 – Robert Taylor, 57, American actor, Quo Vadis, Camille, Bataan, Ivanhoe
• June 10 – Frank Lawton, 64, English actor, A Night to Remember, The Devil-Doll
• June 13 – Martita Hunt, 70, Argentine-English actress, Becket, Great Expectations
• June 19 – Natalie Talmadge, 73, American silent screen actress, Our Hospitality, Intolerance
• June 20 – Rudolf Schwarzkogler, 29, Austrian experimental filmmaker, Satisfaction
• June 22 – Judy Garland, 47, American actress and singer, The Wizard of Oz, Gay Purr-ee, A Star Is Born^[7]
• June 23 – Stanley Andrews, 77, American actor, West of Wyoming, Across the Badlands, Canadian Mounties vs. Atomic Invaders
• July 5 - Lambert Hillyer, 75, American director, Dracula's Daughter, Batman
• July 5 – Leo McCarey, 72, American director, An Affair to Remember, Going My Way
• July 7 - Erskine Sanford, 83, American actor, Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons
• July 8 – Gladys Swarthout, 68, American singer, Romance in the Dark, Give Us This Night
• July 13 - Bess Meredyth, 79, American screenwriter, The Unsuspected, Charlie Chan at the Opera
• July 15 - Peter van Eyck, 57, Polish actor, The Wages of Fear, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
• July 17 - Harry Benham, 85, American actor, Nicholas Nickleby
• July 18 - Barbara Pepper, 54, American actress, The Rogues Tavern, Kiss Me, Stupid^[8]
• July 26
  • Andrés Soler, 70, Mexican actor, A Day with the Devil, The Great Madcap,
  • Raymond Walburn, 81, American actor, High, Wide, and Handsome, Third Finger, Left Hand
• August 1 – Donald Keith, 65, American actor, The Plastic Age, Parisian Love
• August 9 – Sharon Tate, 26, American actress, The Fearless Vampire Killers, Valley of the Dolls
• August 14 – Sigrid Gurie, 58, American actress, Algiers, The Adventures of Marco Polo
• August 15 – William Goetz, 66, American producer, studio executive, Sayonara, Les Misérables
• August 18 – Mildred Davis, 68, American actress, Safety Last!, Grandma’s Boy
• August 26 – Martin Miller, 69, Czech actor, 55 Days at Peking, The Pink Panther
• September 14 – James Anderson, 48, American actor, To Kill a Mockingbird, Take the Money and Run
• September 19 – Rex Ingram, 73, American actor, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Thief of Bagdad
• October 8 – Eduardo Ciannelli, 81, Italian actor, Gunga Din, Strange Cargo
• October 12 – Sonja Henie, 57, Norwegian actress, former Olympic ice skater, Sun Valley Serenade, One in a Million
• October 15 – Rod La Rocque, 70, American actor, Meet John Doe, The Shadow Strikes^[9]
• October 28 – Constance Dowling, 49, American actress, Up in Arms, The Well-Groomed Bride
• November 5 – Lloyd Corrigan, 69, American actor, Son of Paleface, The Thin Man Goes Home
• November 8 – Dave O'Brien, 57, American actor, Captain Midnight, Brand of the Devil
• December 3 – Ruth White, 55, American actress, To Kill a Mockingbird, No Way to Treat a Lady
• December 7 – Eric Portman, 68, British actor, A Canterbury Tale, The Bedford Incident
• December 13 – Luigi Pavese, 72, Italian actor, Toto in Color, Il Mattatore
• December 22
  • Ilse Steppat, 52, German actress, On Her Majesty's Secret Service
  • Josef von Sternberg, 73, Austrian director, The Blue Angel, Macao