1940 in film
The year 1940 in film involved some significant events, including the premieres of the Walt Disney films Pinocchio and Fantasia.
February 7 – 's second animated feature film Pinocchio premieres at the Center Theatre in New York City. Although not a box office success upon its initial release, the film receives critical acclaim and wins two Academy Awards, including one for Best Original Song for "When You Wish Upon a Star". Over the years, Pinocchio has gained a cult following and is now considered one of the greatest films of all time.
Walt Disney
April 12 – 's first American film Rebecca is released, under the production of David O. Selznick. It would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Alfred Hitchcock
May – A reproduction of "America's First Movie Studio", 's Black Maria, is constructed.
Thomas Edison
October 15 – 's The Great Dictator, a satirical comedy starring him, premieres in New York City. It is a critical and commercial success and goes on to become Chaplin's most financially successful film.
Charlie Chaplin
November 13 – World premiere of Walt Disney's animated film at the Broadway Theatre in New York City, the first film to be released in a multi-channel sound format (see Fantasound). The film also marks the first use of the click track while recording the soundtrack, overdubbing of orchestral parts, simultaneous multitrack recording and is cited as a key chapter in the conception and development of the multi-channel surround system. Like Pinocchio, the film is a box office failure for Disney, though it recoups its cost years later and becomes one of the most highly regarded of Disney's films.
Fantasia
In the United Kingdom, the supersedes the GPO Film Unit in the production of documentary films.
Crown Film Unit
The Fighting 69th
Pinocchio
, starring Henry Brandon and Robert Kellard, directed by William Witney and John English
Drums of Fu Manchu
(1917–1941)
Buster Keaton
Andy Panda
Tom and Jerry
January 3 – , American editor
Thelma Schoonmaker
January 10 – , American director, screenwriter and producer
Walter Hill
January 20 – , Indian actor (died 2022)
Krishnam Raju
January 25 – , Italian actor (died 2022)
Paolo Graziosi
James Cromwell
January 29 – , American actress
Katharine Ross
January 31 – , American actor and director (died 2022)
Stuart Margolin
George A. Romero
February 5 – , American actor and stuntman
Dick Warlock
February 12 – , English actor (died 1991)
Ralph Bates
Matija Barl
February 19 – , American singer and actress (died 2023)
Carlin Glynn
February 23 – , American actor (died 2019)
Peter Fonda
Howard Hesseman
February 29 – , English actor
Harvey Jason
March 3 – , Scottish actress (died 2010)
Patricia Gage
March 7 – , American actor
Daniel J. Travanti
March 9 – , Puerto Rican actor (died 1994)
Raul Julia
March 10 – , American actor and martial artist
Chuck Norris
March 11 - , American retired voice actor
William Callaway
March 26 – , American actor (died 2022)
James Caan
March 27 – , American actor, playwright, theatre director and instructor
Austin Pendleton
April 1 – , Israeli actress
Aliza Gur
April 3 – , German actor
Wolf Kahler
April 6 – , Mexican actor (died 2011)
Pedro Armendáriz Jr.
April 14 – , British actress
Julie Christie
April 15 – , American actress
Julie Sommars
April 17 – , English singer and actor (died 1983)
Billy Fury
April 20 - , American actor (died 2010)
James Gammon
April 21 – , American character actor (died 2010)
George DiCenzo
April 24 – , American actor and singer (died 2017)
Michael Parks
April 25 – , American actor
Al Pacino
April 29 – , Australian actor
Max Cullen
April 30 – , American actor (died 2023)
Burt Young
May 2 – , American actress
Jo Ann Pflug
May 5 – , American actor
Lance Henriksen
May 7 - , English director
John Irvin
May 8 – , Mexican-American actor, voice artist and singer (died 2022)
Emilio Delgado
May 15 – , American actress and singer
Lainie Kazan
Valie Export
May 28 – , American actress and director (died 2020)
Josie Lloyd
June 1 – , American actor (died 2019)
René Auberjonois
June 2 – , American actress
Maree Cheatham
Tom Jones
June 8 – , American singer and actress
Nancy Sinatra
June 20 – , English-born American actor (died 2018)
John Mahoney
June 21 – , American actress
Mariette Hartley
June 22 – , Iranian director (died 2016)
Abbas Kiarostami
June 23 – , English actor and singer (died 2003)
Adam Faith
June 26 – , American playwright, screenwriter, director and actor
Luis Valdez
July 4 – , American actress
Karolyn Grimes
July 13 – , English actor
Patrick Stewart
July 18 – , American actor
James Brolin
July 22 – , Canadian-American game show host and television personality (died 2020)
Alex Trebek
July 24 – , American actor
Dan Hedaya
July 28 – , American actor, voice actor and member of the Firesign Theatre
Phil Proctor
July 30 – , Portuguese actor (died 2016)
Nicolau Breyner
August 3 – , American actor
Martin Sheen
Maria Grazia Buccella
August 19 – , American actress
Jill St. John
August 23 – , American actor, producer and director
Tony Bill
August 25 – , German boxer, actor and professional wrestler (died 2004)
Wilhelm von Homburg
August 26 - , American voice actor (died 2008)
Don LaFontaine
August 27 – , American jazz guitarist (died 1994)
Sonny Sharrock
Larry Hankin
September 2 - , American actor
Harry Northup
September 3 – , British actress
Pauline Collins
September 7 – , Italian director, producer and screenwriter
Dario Argento
September 11 – , American director, producer and screenwriter
Brian De Palma
September 12 – , American actress, director and producer
Linda Gray
September 18 – , American actor and singer
Frankie Avalon
Caroline John
September 20 - , New Zealand-Australian actor, writer and director (died 2012)
Jonathan Hardy
September 21 – , American producer and narrator
Bill Kurtis
September 22 – , Danish-born French actress, director and singer (died 2019)
Anna Karina
October 14 – , English singer and actor
Cliff Richard
October 16 – , American actor
Barry Corbin
October 25 - , Indigenous-Canadian actor (died 2013)
Jimmy Herman
October 26 – , German actor (died 2020)
Tilo Prückner
October 28 – Nic de Jager, South African actor
October 29 - , English actor
Jack Shepherd
November 2 – , Italian actor (died 2020)
Gigi Proietti
November 4 – , Mexican actor (died 2022)
Manuel Ojeda
November 5 – , German actress
Elke Sommer
November 7 - , American actor
Dakin Matthews
November 13 – , Austrian experimental filmmaker (died 1969)
Rudolf Schwarzkogler
November 14 – , American character actor
Bill Bolender
November 15 – , American actor
Sam Waterston
November 20 – , German director (died 2014)
Helma Sanders-Brahms
November 22 – , American-born British screenwriter, director and animator (Monty Python's Flying Circus)
Terry Gilliam
November 27 – , Chinese-American martial artist and actor (died 1973)
Bruce Lee
December 1 – , American comedian and actor (died 2005)
Richard Pryor
December 11 – , American actress
Donna Mills
Volli Käro
Janet Carroll
December 28 – , Chilean television host
Don Francisco
December 31 – , American actor and writer (died 2022)
Tim Considine
January 4 – , 72, American actress, A Cure for Pokeritis, The Cat and the Canary, Quality Street, Her Crowning Glory
Flora Finch
January 22 – , 65, American actor, The Mysterious Mr. Wong, Get That Man, Revolt of the Zombies, Port of Seven Seas
E. Alyn Warren
February 20 – , 66, American actor, The Mark of Zorro, One Rainy Afternoon, Morning Glory, What Price Hollywood?
George Periolat
May 25 – , 67, Canadian-born American film director, Heart o' the Hills, The Scarlet Car, The Girl of the Night
Joe De Grasse
September 25 – , 57, American actress, Scrambled Wives, Easy to Get, All of a Sudden Peggy, A Girl Named Mary
Marguerite Clark
October 10 – , 63, Canadian actor, Stagecoach, I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, In Old Chicago, Heroes for Sale
Berton Churchill
December 13 – , 69, Canadian-born American actor, screenwriter, director, Modern Times, A Chump at Oxford, The Girl and Her Trust
Wilfred Lucas
– Contraband
Milo O'Shea
– Garrison Follies