1952 in film

The year 1952 in film involved some significant events.

Top-grossing films

United States

The top ten 1952 released films by box office gross in the United States are as follows:

Rank	Title	Distributor	Domestic rentals
1	The [Greatest Show on Earth (film)\|The Greatest Show on Earth]	Paramount	$12,800,000
2	This Is Cinerama	Cinerama Releasing	$12,500,000
3	The Snows of Kilimanjaro	20th Century Fox	$6,500,000
4	Hans Christian Andersen	RKO	$6,000,000
5	Ivanhoe	MGM	$5,810,000
6	Sailor Beware	Paramount	$4,300,000
7	Moulin Rouge	United Artists	$4,252,000
8	Jumping Jacks	Paramount	$4,000,000
9	The Quiet Man	Republic	$3,800,000
10	High Noon	United Artists	$3,750,000

Events

January 10 – Cecil B. DeMille's circus epic, The Greatest Show on Earth, is premièred at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
March 27 – The MGM musical Singin' in the Rain premieres at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
May 26 – Decision reached in Joseph Burstyn, Inc. v. Wilson determining that certain provisions of the New York Education Law allowing a censor to forbid the commercial showing of any non-licensed motion picture film, or revoke or deny the license of a film deemed to be "sacrilegious," was a "restraint on freedom of speech" and thereby a violation of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
September 19 – While Charlie Chaplin is at sea on his way to the United Kingdom, the United States Attorney-General, James P. McGranery, announces plans to review his right to return to the US.
September 30 – The Cinerama multiple-projection widescreen system, invented by Fred Waller, makes its début in New York with the film This Is Cinerama.
November 27 – Bwana Devil, the first American, feature-length, color 3-D film, is released, and begins the demand for 3-D films that lasts for the next two years.

Notable films released in 1952

unless stated

Film releases

January–March

February 7 – Viva Zapata!
February 13 – Snow White and [the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs]
February 19 – Retreat, Hell!
February 22
*5 Fingers
*''One Big Affair''

April–June

April 4 – With a Song in My Heart
May 2 – The Narrow Margin
May 15 – Outcast of the Islands
June 13 – No Room for the Groom
June 26 – ''The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men''

July–September

July 21 – One Minute to Zero
July 23 – Untamed Frontier
August 21 – The Quiet Man
September 18 – ''O. Henry's Full House''

October–December

November 26 – Bwana Devil
December 25
*The Bad and the Beautiful
*''Come Back, Little Sheba''

Serials

Blackhawk, starring Kirk Alyn
King of the Congo, starring Buster Crabbe
Radar Men from the Moon, starring George D. Wallace and Aline Towne
Son of Geronimo starring Clayton Moore
Zombies of the Stratosphere, starring Judd Holdren and Leonard Nimoy

Short film series

Births

January 2 - Wendy Phillips, American actress
January 6
*Armelia McQueen, American actress
*Frank Sivero, Italian-American character actor
January 11 – Bille Brown, Australian actor
January 17 – Kevin Reynolds, American director and screenwriter
January 18 – Michael Angelis, English actor
January 22 – Ace Vergel, Filipino actor
February 2 – Carol Ann Susi, American actress
February 4
*Lisa Eichhorn, American actress
*Richard Lineback, American actor
February 12 – Simon MacCorkindale, English actor
February 14 – Anton Lesser, English actor
February 22 – Issey Ogata, Japanese actor and comedian
March 2 – Laraine Newman, American actress, voice actress, comedian and writer
March 4 – Ronn Moss, American actor, musician and singer-songwriter
March 6 – John David Carson, American actor
March 11 – James Fleet, English actor
March 13 - Jeffrey Nagler, American actor
March 19 – Harvey Weinstein, American producer
March 24 – Nicholas Campbell, Canadian actor and filmmaker
March 27 – Kalju Orro, Estonian actor
April 1 – Annette O'Toole, American actress
April 5 – Mitch Pileggi, American actor
April 6 – Marilu Henner, American actress
April 7
*Dennis Hayden, American actor, producer and writer
*Clarke Peters, American-British actor, writer and director
April 8 – Andrew Stahl, American actor
April 10
*Robert Miranda, American actor
*Steven Seagal, American actor & martial artist
April 11 – Michael Thomas, British actor
April 13 – Erick Avari, Indian-American actor
April 15 – Glenn Shadix, American actor
April 16 – Billy West, American voice actor, musician, singer and songwriter
April 17 – Joe Alaskey, American stand-up comedian, actor, voice artist, and impressionist
April 19 - Tony Plana, Cuban-American actor and director
April 26 – Spice Williams-Crosby, American actress
April 28 – Mary McDonnell, American actress
April 29 – Nora Dunn, American actress and comedian
May 1
*Margaret Michaels, former American actress
*Pierre van Pletzen, South African actor, writer and director
May 2
*Christine Baranski, American actress
*Thom Gossom Jr., American actor
May 6
*Gregg Henry, American actor & musician
*Fred Newman, American actor and comedian
May 9 – Patrick Ryecart, English actor
May 11
*Shohreh Aghdashloo, Iranian-American actress
*Frances Fisher, British-born American actress
May 14 – Robert Zemeckis, American director
May 15 – Chazz Palminteri, American actor
May 20 – Julia Deakin, English actress
May 21 – Mr. T, American actor, bodyguard, television personality and retired professional wrestler
May 22 – Mike Muscat, American actor
May 28 – Denis Akiyama, Canadian actor
May 31 – Carole Achache, French writer, photographer and actress
June 4 – Kerry Shale, Canadian actor and writer
June 5 – Connie Chiume, South African actress and filmmaker
June 6 – Harvey Fierstein, American actor and screenwriter
June 7 – Liam Neeson, Northern Irish actor
June 18
*Miriam Flynn, American voice actress and character actress
*Carol Kane, American actress
*Isabella Rossellini, Italian actress
June 19 – Virginia Hey, Australian actress
June 20
*John Goodman, American actor
*Larry Riley, American actor and musician
June 22 – Graham Greene, Canadian actor
June 26 – Peter Crombie, American actor
June 30 – Patrick Pinney, American actor
July 1
*Dan Aykroyd, Canadian actor & comedian
*Brian George, Israeli-English actor, voice artist, comedian and singer
July 3
*Rick Ducommun, Canadian stand-up comedian, actor, writer and producer
*Cork Hubbert, American actor
July 6
*Grant Goodeve, American actor
*Dean Parisot, American director
July 8 – Mary Ellen Trainor, American character actress
July 11
*Tim de Zarn, American actor
*Stephen Lang, American actor
July 13 – Rosemary Dunsmore, Canadian actress and director
July 14
*Stan Shaw, American actor
*Joel Silver, American producer
July 15
*Celia Imrie, English actress
*Terry O'Quinn, American actor
*Judson Scott, American actor
July 17 – David Hasselhoff, American actor, singer, producer and television personality
July 20
*Adrian Biddle, English cinematographer
*Nathaniel Lees, New Zealand actor and director
July 21 – George Wallace, American comedian and actor
July 24 – Gus Van Sant, American director
July 27 - Roxanne Hart, American actress
August 6 - Brian Levant, American filmmaker
August 7 - Caroline Aaron, American actress
August 10
*Daniel Hugh Kelly, American actor
*Diane Venora, American actress
August 12 – Ronald Guttman, Belgian actor and producer
August 16 – Reginald VelJohnson, American actor
August 18 – Patrick Swayze, American actor & dancer
August 19 – Jonathan Frakes, American actor & director
August 26 – Michael Jeter, American actor
August 27 – Paul Reubens, American actor, comedian, writer and producer
September 1 – Michael Massee, American actor
September 2 - Yuen Wah, Hong Kong actor, martial artist, stuntman and action choreographer
September 4
*Alan Blumenfeld, American character actor
*Rishi Kapoor, Indian actor
September 5 – Michael Horton, American actor
September 6 – Vitali Baganov, Russian actor
September 8 – David R. Ellis, American director and stunt performer
September 9 – Angela Cartwright, British-American actress
September 13 – Christine Estabrook, American actress
September 16 – Mickey Rourke, American actor and screenwriter
September 19 – Rein Aedma, Estonian actor
September 24 – Christopher Reeve, American actor
September 25 – Colin Friels, Scottish-born Australian actor
September 26 – James Keane, American actor
September 29 – Gábor Csupó, Hungarian animator, writer, director, producer, and graphic designer
September 30
*John Finn, American character actor
*Al Leong, American stuntman and actor
*Jack Wild, English actor and singer
October 5 – Harold Faltermeyer, German musician and composer
October 6 - Jim Downey, American writer, producer and actor
October 7
*Mary Badham, American actress
*Tom McBride, American actor
October 8 – Edward Zwick, American filmmaker
October 13 – John Lone, Chinese-American actor
October 14 – Rick Aviles, American stand-up comedian and actor
October 22
*Jeff Goldblum, American actor
*John Howard, Australian actor
October 23 - Robin Swicord, American screenwriter and director
October 27 – Roberto Benigni, Italian actor
October 28
*Annie Potts, American actress
*Jim Turner, American actor and stand-up comedian
October 30
*Emily Kuroda, American actress
*Dalip Tahil, Indian actor
November 2 – David Andrews, American character actor
November 3
*Roseanne Barr, American actress and stand-up comedian
*Jim Cummings, American voice actor
November 6 – Gary Goetzman, American producer and actor
November 8 – Alfre Woodard, American actress
November 9 – John Megna, American actor and director
November 13 – Art Malik, Pakistani-born British actor
November 14
*Bill Farmer, American voice actor and comedian
*Chris Noonan, Australian filmmaker and actor
*Maggie Roswell, American actress, comedian, writer and producer
November 15 – Randy Savage, American professional wrestler, commentator, actor, rapper and professional baseball player
November 18 – Delroy Lindo, British actor
November 24 – Ulrich Seidl, Austrian director
November 28 – S. Epatha Merkerson, American actress
November 29 – Jeff Fahey, American actor
November 30 – Mandy Patinkin, American actor
December 1 – Forry Smith, American actor
December 2 – Keith Szarabajka, American actor
December 3 – Mel Smith, English comedian, actor and director
December 8 – Greg Collins, American character actor and former professional football linebacker
December 9 – Michael Dorn, American actor
December 12 – Sarah Douglas, English actress
December 20 – Jenny Agutter, English actress
December 21 – Dennis Boutsikaris, American character actor
December 25 – CCH Pounder, Guayanese-born American actress
December 29 – Külliki Saldre, Estonian actress

Deaths

January 18 – Curly Howard, American comedian, The Three Stooges
January 25 – Polly Moran, American actress, Chasing Rainbows, Adam's Rib
March 1 – Gregory La Cava, American director, My Man Godfrey, Stage Door
March 21 – Eddie Laughton, American actor, Girls of the Road, Atlantic Convoy
March 26 – J. P. McGowan, Australian director, Where the West Begins, Tarzan and the Golden Lion
April 21 – Leslie Banks, English actor, The Most Dangerous Game, Jamaica Inn
May 8 – William Fox, American movie executive, 7th Heaven
May 9 – Canada Lee, American actor, Lifeboat, Lost Boundaries, Cry, the Beloved Country
May 21 – John Garfield, American actor, Body and Soul, Nobody Lives Forever, Gentleman's Agreement
May 26 – Richard Rober, American actor, The Well, The File on Thelma Jordon
June 27 – Elmo Lincoln, American actor, Tarzan of the Apes, The Adventures of Tarzan
July 6 – Gertrud Wolle, German actress, The [Hound of the Baskervilles (1937 film)|The Hound of the Baskervilles]
August 2 – J. Farrell MacDonald, American actor, Me and My Gal, The Last Alarm
August 18 – Ralph Byrd, American actor, Dick Tracy's Dilemma, The Vigilante
August 28 – Lamar Trotti, American screenwriter, The Ox-Bow Incident, Cheaper by the Dozen
September 7 – Gertrude Lawrence, English actress, Rembrandt, The Glass Menagerie
October 11 – Jack Conway, American director, Boom Town, Libeled Lady, Viva Villa!
October 17 – Julia Dean, American stage and screen actress, A Society Exile, The Curse of the Cat People
October 20 – Basil Radford, English actor, Crook's Tour, The Galloping Major
October 23 – Susan Peters, American actress, Song of Russia, Random Harvest
October 26 – Hattie McDaniel, American actress, Gone with the Wind, Saratoga
November 1 – Dixie Lee, American actress, Manhattan Love Song, Love in Bloom
November 6 – George H. Reed, American actor,, Huckleberry Finn, ''Green Pastures (film)|Green Pastures]''

1952 in film

Top-grossing films

United States

Events

Notable films released in 1952

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Film releases

January–March

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Serials

Short film series

Births

Deaths