The year 1916 in film involved some significant events. __TOC__

Events

Mutual Film Mutual Film Corporation was an early American film conglomerate that produced some of Charlie Chaplin's greatest comedies. Founded in 1912, it was absorbed by Film Booking Offices of America, which evolved into RKO Pictures. Founding Mutua ...

for a salary of $10,000 a week and a signing on fee of $150,000, making him one of the highest-paid people in the United States. * June 24 –

Mary Pickford Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...

signs a contract for $10,000 a week plus profit participation, guaranteeing her over $1 million per year. * July 19 –

Famous Players-Lasky Famous Players-Lasky Corporation was an American motion picture and distribution company formed on June 28, 1916, from the merger of Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company—originally formed by Zukor as Famous Players in Famous Plays—and t ...

is formed through a merger of

Adolph Zukor Adolph Zukor (; hu, Zukor Adolf; January 7, 1873 – June 10, 1976) was a Hungarian-American film producer best known as one of the three founders of Paramount Pictures.Obituary '' Variety'' (June 16, 1976), p. 76. He produced one of America' ...

Famous Players Film Company The Famous Players Film Company was a film company founded in 1912 by Adolph Zukor in partnership with the Frohman brothers, powerful New York City theatre impresario. History Discussions to form the company were held at The Lambs, a famous ...

and Jesse L. Lasky's Feature Play Company. Later in the year, they acquire distributor

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

. * August 10 – The official British documentary propaganda film ''

The Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place b ...

'' is premièred in London. In the first six weeks of general release (from 20 August) 20 million people view it. * September 5 – Release of

D. W. Griffith David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the na ...

's epic film '' Intolerance: Love's Struggle Through the Ages'', starring

Lillian Gish Lillian Diana Gish (October 14, 1893February 27, 1993) was an American actress, director, and screenwriter. Her film-acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912, in silent film shorts, to 1987. Gish was called the "First Lady of American Cinema" ...

(as "The Eternal Motherhood") and

Constance Talmadge Constance Alice Talmadge (April 19, 1898 – November 23, 1973) was an American silent film star. She was the sister of actresses Norma and Natalie Talmadge. Early life Talmadge was born on April 19, 1898 in Brooklyn, New York, to poor p ...

(in two roles), in the United States. It is estimated to have cost around $2.5 million to make but is initially a commercial failure. * October 17 – Release of '' A Daughter of the Gods'', the first US production with a million dollar budget, with the first nude scene by a major star ( Annette Kellerman). * November 19 – Samuel Goldfish (later renamed Samuel Goldwyn) and Edgar Selwyn establish Goldwyn Pictures, later to become one of the most successful independent filmmakers. * The

Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) (, rarely ), founded in 1916 as the Society of Motion Picture Engineers or SMPE, is a global professional association of engineers, technologists, and executives working in the m ...

is founded in the United States as the Society of Motion Picture Engineers. * 11 mm, an amateur film gauge, appears on the market.

Top-grossing films (U.S.)

Notable films released in 1916

*''

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' (french: Vingt mille lieues sous les mers) is a classic science fiction adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne. The novel was originally serialized from March 1869 through June 1870 in Pierre-Ju ...

'' Directed by

Stuart Paton Stuart Paton (23 July 1883 – 16 December 1944) was a British director, screenwriter and actor of the silent era. Paton mostly worked with Universal, and is accredited with directing 67 films between 1915 and 1938. He also wrote for 24 film ...

*'' The Adventures of Peg o' the Ring'' Directed by Francis Ford *'' The Americano'' Directed by John Emerson *''Arima no neko sodo'' (Japanese) starring Matsunosuke Onoe, another film adaptation of the Japanese legend of the "Ghost Cat of Arima" *''Bake ginnan'' (Japanese) directed by Shozo Makino for Nikkatsu, starring Matsunosuke Onoe; a film adaptation of the Japanese legend of the "Monster Gingko Tree'' *''

'' – ( GB) *'' Behind the Screen'', directed by Charlie Chaplin, starring Chaplin and Edna Purviance *''The Black Crook'', directed by Robert Vignola, starring Edward P. Sullivan; based on a play by Charles M. Barras, this "Faust"-like film was one of the earliest film musicals with choreographed dance numbers *''The Bogus Ghost'', an 11-minute comedydirected by Harry F. Millarde for Kalem Films *''

La Bohème ''La bohème'' (; ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions '' quadri'', '' tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuse ...

'', by Albert Capellani *'' Cenere'', starring Eleonora Duse (the only film in which she appears) – (

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

)

*''

Civilization A civilization (or civilisation) is any complex society characterized by the development of a state, social stratification, urbanization, and symbolic systems of communication beyond natural spoken language (namely, a writing system). C ...

'', directed by Reginald Barker and Thomas H. Ince, starring Howard C. Hickman and

Enid Markey Enid Markey (February 22, 1894 – November 15, 1981) was an American theatre, film, radio, and television actress, whose career spanned over 50 years, extending from the early 1900s to the late 1960s. In movies, she was the first performer ...

*''

The Count Count (or Countess) is a title of nobility. Count or The Count may also refer to: People ''Used as a nickname, not denoting nobility'' Music * The Count, a performance name for English deejay Hervé * Count Basie (1904–1984), American jazz mus ...

'', directed by Charlie Chaplin, starring Chaplin and Edna Purviance *''Crime and the Penalty'' (British) directed by R. Harley West, this film's plot was a cross between ''Murders in the Rue Morgue'' and ''Trilby'', featuring a gorilla trained to strange people *''The Crimson Stain Mystery'' (British) 16-chapter science-fiction serial directed by T. Hayes Hunter; a near-complete print exists in the Library of Congress *'' The Curse of Quon Gwon'' *'' The Danger Girl'', starring

Gloria Swanson Gloria May Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899April 4, 1983) was an American actress and producer. She first achieved fame acting in dozens of silent films in the 1920s and was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, most f ...

and Bobby Vernon *'' A Daughter of the Gods'', a 3-hour long movie directed by Herbert Brenon and starring Annette Kellerman; this was the United States' first million-dollar film production *''The Dead Alive'', directed by Henry J. Vernot, starring Marguerite Courtot *''A Dead With the Devil'' (British) short Faustian film directed by Frank Wilson, produced by Cecil M. Hepworth *''The Devil's Bondwoman'', directed by Lloyd B. Carleton for Universal Pictures, starring Dorothy Davenport and Emory Johnson *''The Devil's Toy'', directed by Harley Knoles, based on an Edward Madden poem "The Mill of the Gods", starring Adele Blood and Montagu Love *''

Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a central role in the creation o ...

'', directed by Charles Calvert and Percy Nash – ( GB) *''Doktor Satansohn'' (German) directed by Edmund Edel, starring Ernst Lubitsch *'' East Is East'', starring Florence Turner – ( GB) *''Farmer Al Falfa's Cat-Tastrophe'', animation produced by Paul Terry *'' Fatty and Mabel Adrift'', directed by and starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle *''Feathertop'', directed by Henry J. Vernot, starring Mathilde Baring, John Reinhard and Marguerite Courtot; loosely based on the story by

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...

*'' The Floorwalker'', directed by and starring Charles Chaplin *'' Frau Eva'', directed by

Robert Wiene Robert Wiene (; 27 April 1873 – 17 July 1938) was a film director of the silent era of German cinema. He is particularly known for directing the German silent film ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' and a succession of other expressionist films. ...

and starring Emil Jannings (

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

) *''The Grasping Hand'' (French) 13-minute ghost film directed by Max Linder who also starred in it *''The Green-Eyed Monster'', directed by J. Gordon Edwards, starring Robert B. Mantell and Stuart Holmes *'' Habit of Happiness'', starring

Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films including '' The Thi ...

*''Haunted'', a haunted cabin film starring Lillian Leighton and Ralph McComas *''The Haunted Bell'', directed by Henry Otto, starring

King Baggot William King Baggot (November 7, 1879 – July 11, 1948) was an American actor, film director and screenwriter. He was an internationally famous movie star of the silent film era. The first individually publicized leading man in America, ...

, based on a short story by Jacques Futrelle *''Haunts for Rent'', directed by C. Allan Gilbert, this film featured mixed live action with animated effects *'' Hell's Hinges'', directed by Charles Swickard and William S. Hart, starring William S. Hart *''Her Father's Gold'' (aka ''The Water Devil'') directed by Eugene Moore for Thanhouser Films, based on a story by Crittenden Marriott *''Homunculus'' (German) 6-chapter serial about a scientist who creates an artificial human, directed by Otto Rippert, starring Olaf Foenss as the Monster; plot similar to ''Frankenstein'', ''Alraune'' and ''The Golem'' *'' Hoodoo Ann'', starring Mae Marsh and

Robert Harron Robert Emmett Harron (April 12, 1893 – September 5, 1920) was an American motion picture actor of the early silent film era. Although he acted in over 200 films, he is possibly best recalled for his roles in the D.W. Griffith directed fi ...

*'' Hulda from Holland'', starring

* '' Intolerance'', directed by

D.W. Griffith David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the n ...

, starring

and

*''

Joan the Woman ''Joan the Woman'' is a 1916 American epic silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Geraldine Farrar as Joan of Arc. The film premiered on Christmas Day in 1916. This was DeMille's first historical drama. The screenplay is b ...

'', directed by Cecil B. DeMille, starring

Geraldine Farrar Alice Geraldine Farrar (February 28, 1882 – March 11, 1967) was an American lyric soprano who could also sing Dramatic soprano, dramatic roles. She was noted for her beauty, acting ability, and "the intimate timbre of her voice." She had a ...

*'' Judex'', directed by Louis Feuillade, starring Musidora and René Cresté – (

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

) *'' Lights of New York'', directed by Van Dyke Brooke, starring Leah Baird and Walter McGrail *''Luke's Double'' (French) 11-minute comedy short based on ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'', starring Harold Lloyd, directed by Hal Roach *'' The Lyons Mail'', directed by

Fred Paul Fred Paul (1880–1967) was a Swiss-born British actor and film director. Paul was born in Lausanne in 1880 but moved to Britain at a young age. He was a prolific actor and director in the 1910s and 1920s, but his career dramatically declined wit ...

– (

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

) *''Man Without a Soul'' (British) directed by George Loane Tucker, starring Barbara Everest and Milton Rosmer *''

A Maori Maid's Love ''A Maori Maid's Love'' (Originally titled The Surveyor's Daughter) is a 1916 Australian silent filmwritten and directed by Raymond Longford about an interracial romance between a white man and a Māori girl. It is considered a lost film as the ...

'', directed by

Raymond Longford Raymond Longford (born John Walter Hollis Longford, 23 September 18782 April 1959) was a prolific Australian film director, writer, producer and actor during the silent era. Longford was a major director of the Australian films: 1896–1919, sile ...

– (Australia/New Zealand) *''Mingling Spirits'', short film directed by Al Christie for Universal Pictures, starring Betty Compson *''Mr. Tvardovski'' (Russian) a Faustian-type film directed by Ladislas Starevitch, starring Nicolai Saltykov, based on a novel by J. I. Kraszevski; part of the film featured animation *'' The Mutiny of the Bounty'', directed by Raymond Longford – (Australia/New Zealand) *''The Mysteries of Myra'', 15-chapter serial directed by Theodore and Leopold Wharton, starring Jean Sothern, Howard Estabrook and Warner Oland *''

The Mystery of the Leaping Fish ''The Mystery of the Leaping Fish'' is a 1916 American short silent comedy film starring Douglas Fairbanks, Bessie Love, and Alma Rubens. Directed by John Emerson, the story was written by Tod Browning with intertitles by Anita Loos. A 35&nb ...

'', short directed by John Emerson, starring

*''Night of Horror''/ ''Nachte des Grauens'' (German) a lost film directed by Richard Oswald and Arthur Robison, starring Emil Jannings and Werner Krauss, cited in some references as being the first vampire film *''

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...

'', starring

Marie Doro Marie Doro (born Marie Katherine Stewart; May 25, 1882 – October 9, 1956) was an American stage and film actress of the early silent film era. She was first noticed as a chorus-girl by impresario Charles Frohman, who took her to Broadway, whe ...

*'' One A.M.'', directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin *'' The Pawnshop'', a Charles Chaplin short *''The Phantom of the Opera'' (German) first film version of the Gaston Leroux novel, directed by Ernst Matray, starring Nils Olaf Chrisander and Aud Egede Nissen *''The Phantom Witness'', directed by Frederick Sullivan for Thanhouser Films, starring Kathryn Adams and Edwin Stanley *''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' (British) directed by Fred W. Durant, starring Henry Victor and Pat O'Malley *''

Police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest a ...

'', a Charles Chaplin short with Edna Purviance and

Wesley Ruggles Wesley Ruggles (June 11, 1889 – January 8, 1972) was an American film director. Life and work He was born in Los Angeles, California, younger brother of actor Charlie Ruggles. He began his career in 1915 as an actor, appearing in a do ...

*''The Queen of Spades/ Pikovaya dama'' (Russian) directed by Yakov Protazanov, based on the short story by Alexander Pushkin, starring Tamara Duvan and Nikolai Panov *''The Real Thing at Last'' (British) directed by James m. Barrie and L.C. MacBean, starring Ernest Thesiger *'' The Return of Draw Egan'', directed by and starring William S. Hart *'' The Rink'', a Charles Chaplin short *''The Romantic Journey'', directed by George Fitzmaurice, written by Ouida Bergere, starring William Courtenay *''Saint, Devil and Woman'', directed by Frederick Sullivan for Thanhouser Films, starring Florence La Badie *'' Sally Bishop'' directed by George Pearson – ( GB) *''Sally in Our Alley'' directed by Larry Trimble, starring Hilda Trevelyan, Mary Dibley, Reginald Owen – ( GB) *''Seven Keys to Baldpate'' (Australian) directed by Monte Luke, starring Dorothy Brunton and J. Plumpton Wilson; based on the 1913 novel by Earl Derr Biggers which was turned into a play by George M. Cohan *''She'' (British) directed by Horace Lisle Lucoque and William G.B. Barker, starring Alice Delysia and Henry Victor; the first British film adaptation of the H. Rider Haggard novel *'' Sherlock Holmes'' (U.S.), directed by Arthur Berthelet, starring William Gillette as Holmes, based on the 1899 stage play which also starred William Gillette (Ernest Maupain played Moriarty) *''The Shielding Shadow'' (aka ''Ravengar'') 15-chapter serial directed by Louis Gasnier (who later directed ''Reefer Madness'' in 1936) and Donald MacKenzie, starring Grace Darmond and Ralph Kellard *''The Silent Stranger'' (aka ''The Silent Man'') 11-minute short starring, and directed by, King Baggot *''

Snow White "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as ...

'', starring Marguerite Clark *''Sold to Satan'', starring and directed by Edward Sloman *''The Soul's Cycle'', directed by Ulysses Davis, starring Margaret Gibson and John Oaker, deals with reincarnation similar in plot to ''The Mummy'' (1932) *''Trilby Frilled'', 10-minute short directed by Edwin McKim, starring Davy Don as Svengali and Patsy De Forest; spoof of George Du Maurier's 1894 novel ''Trilby'' *''

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916 film) 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a 1916 American silent film directed by Stuart Paton. The film's storyline is based on the 1870 novel ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea'' by Jules Verne. It also incorporates elements from Verne's 1875 novel ...

'', directed by Stuart Paton for Universal Pictures, starring Curtis Benton and Alan Holubar (as Capt. Nemo), based on the novel by

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraord ...

*''

Under Two Flags Under Two Flags may refer to: *Under Two Flags (novel), a novel by British writer Ouida, and its adaptations: **Under Two Flags (play), a 1901 play by Paul M. Potter **Under Two Flags (1912 George Nichols film), ''Under Two Flags'' (1912 George Nich ...

'', starring

Theda Bara Theda Bara ( ; born Theodosia Burr Goodman; July 29, 1885 – April 7, 1955) was an American silent film and stage actress. Bara was one of the more popular actresses of the silent era and one of cinema's early sex symbols. Her femme fat ...

*''Ultus, the Man From the Dead'' (British) directed by George Pearson for Gaumont Films, starring Aurele Sydney as Ultus, a superhero apparently influenced by France's popular film character Fantomas; there were four Ultus films in the series, which were later re-edited into seven shorter films for overseas distribution *''Ultus and the Grey Lady'' (British) 2nd film in the "Ultus" series, directed by George Pearson, starring Aurele Sydney as Ultus *''Ultus and the Secret of the Night'' (British) 3rd film in the "Ultus" series, directed by George Pearson, again starring Aurele Sydney as Ultus *''Ultus and the Three-Button Mystery'' (British) 4th and final film in the "Ultus" series, directed by George Pearson, starring Aurele Sydney as Ultus; this 4th film wasn't theatrically released until 1917 *'' The Vagabond'', directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin *'' The Valley of Fear'' (British) directed by Alexander Butler, based on the novel by Arthur Conan Doyle, starring H.A. Saintsbury as Sherlock Holmes and Arthur M. Cullin as Dr. Watson (Booth Conway played Moriarty) *''The Vij'' (Russian) written and directed by Wadyslaw Starewicz, starring Ivan Mosjoukine and Olga Obolenskaya; the 2nd ever film adaptation of Nicolai Gogol's short story; featured stop motion animation *'' A Welsh Singer'' directed by Henry Edwards, starring Edwards, Florence Turner and Campbell Gullan – ( GB) *''The Wheel of Death'' (British) directed by A.E. Coleby, starring Arthur Rooke and Joan Legge *'' Where Are My Children?'', directed by

Phillips Smalley Wendell Phillips Smalley (August 7, 1865 – May 2, 1939) was an American silent film director and actor. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York, he was the grandson of Wendell Phillips; he was the son of George Washburn Smalley, a war correspo ...

and Lois Weber, starring Tyrone Power, Sr. and Juan de la Cruz *''Willard-Johnson Boxing Match'' *''Witchcraft'', directed by Frank Reicher, produced by Jesse L. Lasky, starring Fannie Ward and Jack Dean, based on a short story by Robert Ralston Reed *''The Witching Hour'', directed by George Irving, starring C. Aubrey Smith and Marie Shotwell; this was adapted from the 1907 stage play by Augustus Thomas *''The Witch of the Mountains'', starring Mareguerite Nichols, Gordon Sackville and Richard Johnson; produced by Knickerbocker Star Features *''

The Fable of the Small Town Favorite Who Was Ruined by Too Much Competition ''The Fable of the Small Town Favorite Who Was Ruined by Too Much Competition'' is a 1916 American short comedy silent film, the director unnamed and written by George Ade George Ade (February 9, 1866 – May 16, 1944) was an American writer, ...

'', comedy short film

Short film series

*'' Broncho Billy Anderson'' (1910–1916) *''

Harold Lloyd Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many silent comedy films.Obituary '' Variety'', March 10, 1971, page 55. One of the most influential film c ...

'' (1913–1921) *'' Charlie Chaplin'' (1914–1923)

Births

*January 3 ** Maxene Andrews, singer, actress, member of

Andrews Sisters The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (July 6, 1911 – May 8, 1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (January ...

(died

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake strike ...

) ** Betty Furness, actress, consumer activist (died

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson Ma ...

) *January 4 – Lionel Newman, composer (died

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker ru ...

) *February 1 - Bruce Gordon, actor (died 2011) *February 13 –

James Griffith James Jeffrey Griffith (February 13, 1916 – September 17, 1993) was an American character actor, musician and screenwriter. Education Griffith attended Santa Monica High School, where he was a classmate with Glenn Ford. Both were active i ...

, actor, musician, screenwriter (died

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

) *February 14 ** Sally Gray, born Constance Stevens, actress (died 2006) ** Masaki Kobayashi, director (died

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone on b ...

) *February 17 - Raf Vallone, Italian actor (died 2002) *February 26 –

Jackie Gleason John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...

, actor (died

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airpor ...

) *February 29 –

Dinah Shore Dinah Shore (born Frances Rose Shore; February 29, 1916 – February 24, 1994) was an American singer, actress, and television personality, and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1940s. She rose to prominence as a recording artist during ...

, singer, actress, television presenter (died 1994) *March 6 –

Rochelle Hudson Rochelle Hudson (born Rachael Elizabeth Hudson; March 6, 1916 – January 17, 1972) was an American film actress from the 1930s through the 1960s.1972) *March 16 –

Mercedes McCambridge Carlotta Mercedes Agnes McCambridge (March 16, 1916 – March 2, 2004) was an American actress of radio, stage, film, and television. Orson Welles called her "the world's greatest living radio actress." She won an Academy Award for Best Support ...

, actress (died

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

) *March 21 - Vittorio Duse, Italian actor, screenwriter and director (died

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris (dwarf planet), Er ...

) *March 24 ** Anna Maria Bottini, actress (died

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in ...

) ** Richard Conte, American actor (died

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

) *March 25 – Jean Rogers, actress (died

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the ...

) *March 26 –

Sterling Hayden Sterling Walter Hayden (born Sterling Relyea Walter; March 26, 1916 – May 23, 1986) was an American actor, author, sailor and decorated Marine Corps officer and an Office of Strategic Services' agent during World War II. A leading man for mo ...

, actor (died 1986) *March 29 - Sam Beazley, British actor (died

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

) *April 4 – David White, actor (died 1990) *April 5 –

Gregory Peck Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the 12th-greatest male star of Classic Hollywood ...

, actor (died

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, disintegrated during reentry into Atmosphere of Earth, Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an 2002– ...

) *April 26 – Vic Perrin, voice actor (died 1989) *April 30 – Phil Brown, actor (died 2006) *May 1 – Glenn Ford, actor (died 2006) *May 6 – Adriana Caselotti, singer, voice actress (died

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

) *June 12 –

Irwin Allen Irwin Allen (born Irwin O. Cohen, June 12, 1916 – November 2, 1991) was an American film and television producer and director, known for his work in science fiction, then later as the "Master of Disaster" for his work in the disaster film gen ...

, director, producer (died

) *June 14 – Dorothy McGuire, actress (died

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanistan ...

) *June 19 – Karin Booth, actress (died

) *June 21 – Dorothea Kent, actress (died 1990) *June 23 –

Irene Worth Irene Worth, CBE (June 23, 1916March 10, 2002) was an American stage and screen actress who became one of the leading stars of the British and American theatre. She pronounced her given name with three syllables: "I-REE-nee". Worth made her B ...

, actress (died 2002) *June 29 –

Ruth Warrick Ruth Elizabeth Warrick (June 29, 1916 – January 15, 2005) was an American singer, actress and political activist, best known for her role as Phoebe Tyler Wallingford on ''All My Children'', which she played regularly from 1970 until her ...

, singer, actress, political activist (died

) *July 1 –

Olivia de Havilland Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland (; July 1, 1916July 26, 2020) was a British-American actress. The major works of her cinematic career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films and was one of the leading actresses of her time. ...

, actress (died

) *July 4 – Burton Zucker, actor, real estate developer, father of

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

and Jerry Zucker (d.

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...

) *July 27 –

Keenan Wynn Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn (July 27, 1916 – October 14, 1986) was an American character actor. His expressive face was his stock-in-trade; and though he rarely carried the lead role, he had prominent billing in mos ...

, actor (died 1986) *August 18 - Don Keefer, American actor (died

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

) *August 19 - Marie Wilson, American actress (died 1972) *August 21 - Geoffrey Keen, English actor (died

) *August 25 –

Van Johnson Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American film, television, theatre and radio actor. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II. Johnson was described as the embodiment o ...

, actor (died

) *August 27 **

George Montgomery George Montgomery may refer to: * George Montgomery (actor) (1916–2000), American actor *George Leslie Montgomery (c. 1727–1787), Irish Member of Parliament *George Montgomery (set decorator) (1899–1951), American set decorator * George Thoma ...

, actor (died

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

) **

Martha Raye Martha Raye (born Margy Reed; August 27, 1916 – October 19, 1994), nicknamed The Big Mouth, was an American comic actress and singer who performed in movies, and later on television. She also acted in plays, including Broadway. She was honored ...

, actress (died 1994) *September 1 – Arleen Whelan, actress (died

) *September 13 - Lynne Carver, American actress (died 1955) *September 15 – Margaret Lockwood, actress (died 1990) *September 18 – Rossano Brazzi, actor (died 1994) *September 28 – Peter Finch, actor (died

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrati ...

) *October 4 – Robin Raymond, actress (died

) *November 20 – Evelyn Keyes, actress (died 2008) *November 23 - Michael Gough, British character actor (died 2011) *December 5 – Margaret Hayes, actress (died

) *December 9 –

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in ''The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. Dou ...

, actor (died

) *December 13 – Mark Stevens, actor (died

) *December 18 – Betty Grable, actress (died 1973) *December 19 – Roy Baker, director (died

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

)

Deaths

*January 17,

Arthur V. Johnson Arthur Vaughan Johnson (February 2, 1876 – January 17, 1916) was a pioneer actor and director of the early American silent film era. Career Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Rev. Myron A. Johnson, Arthur Vaughan Johnson left college at 19 t ...

, 39, American screen actor and director, ''

The Sealed Room ''The Sealed Room'' (also known as ''The Sealed Door'')Langman, 1998, p. 34 is an eleven-minute film released in September 1909. Produced by the Biograph Company and directed by D. W. Griffith, the drama's cast includes Arthur V. Johnson, Marion ...

'', '' The Unchanging Sea'', '' The Adventures of Dollie'', '' The Voice of the Violin'',

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in w ...

* June 22 **Page Peters, 26, American screen actor, '' The Warrens of Virginia'', ''The Purple Scar'', '' An International Marriage'', ''

Davy Crockett David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier, and politician. He is often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of ...

'', ''

Pasquale Pasquale is a masculine Italian given name and a surname mainly found in southern Italy. It is a cognate of the French name Pascal, the Spanish Pascual, the Portuguese Pascoal and the Catalan Pasqual. Pasquale derives from the Latin ''pasch ...

'', drowned swimming **

Maurice Vinot Maurice Vinot (3 November 1888 – 23 June 1916) was a French film actor of the early 20th-century whose career ended in 1916 when he was killed in an airplane accident in Pontlevoy, France after enlisting in the military to fight in World War I. ...

, 27, French screen actor, airplane crash * September 9 – Sydney Ayres, 37, American stage & screen actor and director, ''The Sting of Conscience'', '' The Avenger'', ''As in a Dream'', multiple sclerosis * September 17 –

Arthur Hoops Arthur Hoops (1870 – September 17, 1916) was an American stage and screen actor. Biography Born in Chicago in 1870, on the stage Hoops was primarily associated with actor James K. Hackett. From 1900 on Hoops supported or costarred with Hac ...

, 45, American stage & screen actor, '' The Secret of Eve'', '' Bridges Burned'', ''

Extravagance Extravagance may refer to: * ''Extravagance'' (1916 film), an American film * ''Extravagance'' (1919 film), an American lost film * ''Extravagance'' (1921 film), an American silent film directed by Phil Rosen * ''Extravagance'' (1930 film), a ...

'', '' The Eternal Question'', '' The Scarlet Woman'', heart attack * September 27 –

Camille D'Arcy Camille D'Arcy (1879 – September 26, 1916) was a stage and silent film actress in the early years of the movie business up to 1916, a relatively large woman she played matron or character roles in silent films. During her short movie career al ...

, 37, American actress, '' The Prince Chap'', '' Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines'', ''

A Daughter of the City A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''ae ...

'', '' The White Sister'', '' The Pacifist'', infection from bathing * October 6 –

Henry Woodruff Henry Ingott Woodruff (June 1, 1869 – October 6, 1916) was an American stage and silent film actor. He's remembered for starring in the original Broadway play ''Brown of Harvard'' in 1905. Early life He was born the son of Samuel V. Woodruff, ...

, 47, American stage & screen actor, ''A Beckoning Flame'', ''A Man and His Mate'',

Bright's disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine, and was frequently accompanie ...

* November 30 – Dorrit Weixler, 23, German comic actress, ''Maria'', ''Kammermusik'', ''Heimgekehrt'', ''Todesrauchen'', suicide by hanging * unknown – Jean, the Vitagraph Dog (born 1902), American Border Collie, ''

Jean and the Calico Doll ''Jean and the Calico Doll'' is a 1910 short film directed by Laurence Trimble for Vitagraph Studios. It is the first film starring his own dog Jean, a female tri-color collie soon to be famous as the Vitagraph Dog. The drama marks the film debut o ...

'', ''Fraid Cat''

Debuts

Richard Barthelmess Richard Semler Barthelmess (May 9, 1895 – August 17, 1963) was an American film actor, principally of the Hollywood silent era. He starred opposite Lillian Gish in D. W. Griffith's '' Broken Blossoms'' (1919) and '' Way Down East'' (1920) and ...

– '' Gloria's Romance'' (uncredited) *

Constance Bennett Constance Campbell Bennett (October 22, 1904 – July 24, 1965) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actress and producer. She was a major Hollywood star during the 1920s and 1930s; during the early 1930s, she was the highest-pai ...

– ''The Valley of Decision'' *

Billie Burke Mary William Ethelbert Appleton Burke (August 7, 1884 – May 14, 1970) was an American actress who was famous on Broadway and radio, and in silent and sound films. She is best known to modern audiences as Glinda the Good Witch of the North ...

– '' Peggy'' * Ann Dvorak – '' Ramona'' * Edmund Gwenn – '' The Real Thing at Last'' * Hedda Hopper – '' The Battle of Hearts'' (as Elda Furry) * Colleen Moore – '' The Prince of Graustark'' (uncredited) * Mae Murray – '' To Have and to Hold'' * Alla Nazimova – '' War Brides'' * Ramon Novarro – ''

'' *

Edward G. Robinson Edward G. Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg; December 12, 1893January 26, 1973) was a Romanian-American actor of stage and screen, who was popular during the Hollywood's Golden Age. He appeared in 30 Broadway plays and more than 100 films duri ...

– ''Arms and the Woman'' *

Conrad Veidt Hans Walter Conrad Veidt (; 22 January 1893 – 3 April 1943) was a German film actor who attracted early attention for his roles in the films '' Different from the Others'' (1919), ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' (1920), and '' The Man Who Laug ...

– ''Der Weg des Todes''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1916 In Film Film by year