<!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see WP:SDNONE -->
<!--no space 1961-->
The following television-related events took place during 1961.
__TOC__
Events
- January 20 – John F. Kennedy is the first U.S. president to be inaugurated with a color telecast. NBC covers the inauguration in color.
- January 25
- John F. Kennedy holds the first live televised presidential press conference.
- Danger Man (United Kingdom) (1960–1961, 1964–1966) is cancelled due to lack of interest from Australian broadcasters. The series will be revived later.
- February 19 – CFTM-TV, future flagship station of Quebec's TVA network, begins broadcasting in Montreal.
- March 1 – Venevision officially renamed from Televisa of Venezuela.
- April 11 – The Eichmann trial is the first televised trial, shown on a one-day delay basis in the U.S. with videotape flown in daily from Jerusalem.
- April 24 – The world's television cameras record the Swedish warship Vasa break surface in Stockholm harbor as she is raised from the seabed for the first time since she sank on her maiden voyage in 1628.
- April 29
- Westward Television, the first ITV franchise for South West England, begins broadcasting.
- Wide World of Sports debuts on the American Broadcasting Company.
- May 5 – Alan B. Shepard is the first U.S. astronaut in space aboard the spacecraft Freedom 7 in a 15-min. suborbital flight. The launch is watched by 45 million U.S. viewers.
- May 9 – In a speech on "Television and the Public Interest" to the National Association of Broadcasters in the United States, Federal Communications Commission chairman Newton N. Minow describes commercial television programming as a "vast wasteland" and tells the broadcasters that they could do a better job of serving the public.
- May 29 – Dave Garroway announces his decision to quit the Today show on NBC in the United States.
- July 1 – The soap opera series The Brighter Day airs its first episode after taping locations are moved from New York City to Los Angeles. As a result, key character Babby Dennis and her love interest are written out of the series: the actors who played them didn't want to relocate.
- July 21 – Dicon Television Canal 11, as predecessor for Telefe, a major television network in Argentina, starts its first official regular broadcasting service from Buenos Aires.
- September 1 – Border Television, the ITV franchise for the English-Scottish Border and Isle of Man, begins broadcasting.
- September 21 – In France, the Organisation de l'armée secrète (OAS) slips an anti-de Gaulle message into TV programming.
- September 23 – NBC begins its long-running NBC Saturday Night at the Movies participating, with a broadcast of the 1953 Marilyn Monroe picture How to Marry a Millionaire.
- September 30 – Grampian Television, the ITV franchise for North East Scotland, begins broadcasting.
- October 1 – CTV Television Network (CTV) is launched in Canada, the first privately owned network in the country.
- October 29 – DZBB-TV Channel 7, the fourth television station in the Philippines owned by Republic Broadcasting System (modern-day GMA Network) of American war correspondent Robert "Uncle Bob" Stewart, is launched after the success of radio station DZBB.
- November 4 – Radiotelevisione italiana's second television channel, Rete 2 (later named Rai 2), first broadcasts to 52% of the available households in Italy.
- November 19 – Lucille Ball marries Gary Morton in New York City.
- December 15 – Sam and Friends broadcasts its last episode in the United States.
- December 31
- Telefís Éireann (later known as RTÉ) starts television broadcasts, bringing television to Ireland for the first time.
- KBS1, a major television station in South Korea, starts its first regular broadcasting service from Seoul.
- WBNB airs the first television broadcast in the Virgin Islands. (The station would be destroyed by Hurricane Hugo in 1989.)
- Prudencia Grifell (born 1879 in Spain) makes the first of many Mexican telenovela appearances in Niebla.
Debuts
- January 5 – Mister Ed on CBS (1961–1966)
- January 7 – The Avengers on ITV in UK (1961–1969)
- January 23 – The Americans on NBC
- January 30 – The Yogi Bear Show in syndication (1961-1962)
- February 27 – Acapulco on NBC (1961)
- March 17 – Five Star Jubilee on NBC
- April 3 – Minna no Uta on NHK
- Mat 26 – Inspector Hornleigh Intervenes on West Germany's WDR
- June 4 – Sportschau on ARD
- April 29 – ABC's Wide World of Sports (1961–2006)
- August 19 – Four Corners, Australia's first current affairs program (1961–present)
- September 9 – The Jo Stafford Show on ITV (1961)
- September 17 – Car 54, Where Are You? on NBC (1961–1963)
- September 26 – Ichabod and Me on CBS (1961-1962)
- September 27 – Top Cat on ABC (1961-1962)
- September 28 – Hazel on NBC (1961–1966)
- October 1 –
- Bus Stop on ABC (1961–1962)
- CTV National News (1961–present)
- Songs of Praise on BBC (1961–present)
- October 2 –
- Ben Casey on ABC (1961–1966)
- Password on CBS (1961–1967)
- Window on Main Street on CBS (1961–1962)
- October 3 – The Dick Van Dyke Show on CBS (1961–1966)
- October 4 –
- The Alvin Show on CBS (1961–1962)
- Playdate on CBC (Canada) (1961–1964)
- October 5
- The Investigators (1961)
- The New Bob Cummings Show (1961–1962)
- October 6 – Straightaway (1961–1962)
- October 7 – It's Academic (1961–present)
- October 30 – The News with Uncle Bob (1961-1972)
- November 8 – KVN (Клуб, Весёлых и Находчивых, Klub Vesyólykh i Nakhódchivykh, "Club of the Funny and Inventive") on The First Channel in the Soviet Union (1961–1972, 1986–present)
- November 13 – Camera Canada on CBC Television (1961-1963)
- December 11 – The Mike Douglas Show (1961–1981)
- December 31 – RTÉ News: Nine O'Clock on RTÉ One
Programs/programmes
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955–1962)
- American Bandstand (1952–1989)
- Armchair Theatre (UK) (1956–1968)
- As the World Turns (1956–2010)
- Blue Peter (UK) (1958–present)
- Bonanza (1959–1973)
- Bozo the Clown (1949–present)
- Bringing Up Buddy, 1960–1961
- Candid Camera (1948–present)
- Captain Kangaroo (1955–1984)
- Carols by Candlelight (1952–present)
- Cheyenne (1955–1962)
- Come Dancing (UK) (1949–1995)
- Coronation Street (UK) (1960–present)
- Danger Man (UK) (1960–1961, 1964–1966)
- Dixon of Dock Green (UK) (1955–1976)
- Face the Nation (1954–present)
- Grandstand (UK) (1958–2007)
- Gunsmoke (1955–1975)
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951–present)
- Hancock's Half Hour (1956–1962)
- Hato no kyujitsu (1953-2001)
- Hawaiian Eye (1959–1963)
- Inspector Hornleigh Intervenes (West Germany) (1961)
- Juke Box Jury (1959–1967, 1979, 1989–1990)
- Leave It to Beaver (1957–1963)
- Love of Life (1951–1980)
- Margie, 1961–1962
- Meet the Press (1947–present)
- My Three Sons (1960–1972)
- Dagsrevyen (1958–present)
- Opportunity Knocks (UK) (1956–1978)
- Panorama (UK) (1953–present)
- Rocky and His Friends (1959-1961) ends earlier in 1961 to resume later in 1961 on NBC as The Bullwinkle Show (1961–1964)
- Search for Tomorrow (1951–1986)
- The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952–1966)
- The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968)
- The Alvin Show (1961-1962)
- The Bell Telephone Hour (1959–1968)
- The Bugs Bunny Show (1960-2000)
- The Donna Reed Show (1958–1966)
- The Ed Sullivan Show (1948–1971)
- The Edge of Night (1956–1984)
- The Flintstones (1960–1966)
- The Good Old Days (UK) (1953–1983)
- The Guiding Light (1952–2009)
- The Huckleberry Hound Show (1958–1962)
- The Jack Benny Show (1950–1965)
- The Lawrence Welk Show (1955–1982)
- The Milton Berle Show (1954–1967)
- The Price Is Right (1956–1965)
- The Quick Draw McGraw Show (1959–1962)
- The Secret Storm (1954–1974)
- The Sky at Night (UK) (1957–present)
- The Yogi Bear Show (1961-1962)
- The Today Show (1952–present)
- The Tonight Show (1954–present)
- The Twilight Zone (1959–1964, 1985–1989, 2002–2003)
- The Voice of Firestone (1949–1963)
- This Is Your Life (UK) (1955–2003)
- Top Cat (1961-1962)
- Truth or Consequences (1950–1988)
- Walt Disney Presents (1958–1961) ends on September 17 to resume on September 24 on NBC as Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (1961–1969)
- What the Papers Say (UK) (1956–2008)
- What's My Line (1950–1967)
- WIN News (1960–present)
- Window on Main Street (1961–1962)
- Zoo Quest (UK) (1954–1964)
Ending this year
{| class="wikitable"
! Date || Show || Debut
|-
| January 1
| General Motors Presents (Can)
| 1958
|-
| January 6
| Dan Raven
| rowspan="4" |1960
|-
| February 13
| Klondike
|-
| April 7
| Happy
|-
| April 12
| My Sister Eileen
|-
| April 24
| Acapulco
| 1961
|-
| April 30
| The Tab Hunter Show
| 1960
|-
| May 15
| The Americans
| 1961
|-
| May 23
| The Tom Ewell Show
|rowspan="2" |1960
|-
| May 31
| Peter Loves Mary
|-
| June 20
| The Army Game (UK)
| 1957
|-
| June 27
| Stagecoach West
| 1960
|-
| June 29
| The Ford Show
|rowspan="2"| 1956
|-
| June 30
| Hancock's Half Hour
|-
| July 3
| Bringing Up Buddy
| 1960
|-
| September 18
| Peter Gunn
| 1958
|-
| September 22
| Five Star Jubilee
| 1961
|-
| December 1
| The Huckleberry Hound Show
| 1958
|-
| December 2
| Deadline Midnight
| 1960
|-
| December 15
|Sam and Friends
| 1955
|-
| December 28
|The Investigators
| 1961
|-
| Unknown
| This Is Your Life (US)
| 1952
|}
Changes of network affiliation
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Show
! Moved from
! Moved to
|-
|Walt Disney Presents
|rowspan="4"|ABC
|rowspan="4"|NBC
|-
|The Detectives
|-
|Rocky and His Friends
|-
|The Wonderful World of Disney
|-
|Bachelor Father
|NBC
|ABC
|-
|Mister Ed
|Syndication
|CBS
|}
Births
{| class="wikitable"
! Date || Name || Notability
|-
| January 2
| Gabrielle Carteris
| Actress (Beverly Hills, 90210)
|-
| January 4
| Graham McTavish
| Actor
|-
| January 7
| Jeff Richmond
| Actor
|-
|rowspan="2"|January 9
| Candi Milo
| Actress (Swat Kats: The Radical Squadron, Dexter's Laboratory, ChalkZone, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, ¡Mucha Lucha!, My Life as a Teenage Robot, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Maya & Miguel, The Life and Times of Juniper Lee, The Replacements)
|-
| Al Jean
| Writer
|-
| January 10
| Evan Handler
| Actor
|-
| January 13
| Julia Louis-Dreyfus
| Actress (Seinfeld, Veep)
|-
|rowspan="2"|January 19
| Paul McCrane
| Actor (ER)
|-
| Mark Roberts
| TV producer
|-
| January 26
| Sharyl Attkisson
| American journalist
|-
| January 31
| Oren Koules
| Film producer
|-
| February 2
| Lauren Lane
| Actress (')
|-
| rowspan="2" | February 5
| Tim Meadows
| Actor (Saturday Night Live)
|-
|Bruce Timm
|Producer and animator (DC Animated Universe, Green Lantern: The Animated Series, Freakazoid!)
|-
| February 9
| Clayton Townsend
| TV producer
|-
|rowspan="2"|February 10
| George Stephanopoulos
| TV host
|-
| Jay Pickett
| Actor (died 2021)
|-
| February 18
| Alison Owen
| English film producer
|-
| February 21
| Christopher Atkins
| Actor (Dallas)
|-
| February 23
| Trent Lehman
| Actor (Nanny and the Professor) (died 1982)
|-
| February 24
| Kasi Lemmons
| Actress
|-
|rowspan="2"|February 27
| Grant Shaud
| Actor (Murphy Brown)
|-
| James Worthy
| NBA basketball player
|-
| March 3
| Mary Page Keller
| Actress (Duet)
|-
| March 4
| Steven Weber
| Actor (Wings, Once and Again)
|-
| March 8
| Camryn Manheim
| Actress (The Practice, Ghost Whisperer, Person of Interest)
|-
| March 11
| Elias Koteas
| Actor
|-
| March 14
| Penny Johnson Jerald
| Actress
|-
| March 17
| Casey Siemaszko
| Actor (NYPD Blue)
|-
| March 18
| Geoffrey Owens
| Actor (The Cosby Show)
|-
| March 21
| Kassie DePaiva
| Actress (One Life to Live)
|-
| March 26
| Billy Warlock
| Actor (Baywatch)
|-
| March 28
| Byron Scott
| NBA basketball player and coach
|-
| April 2
| Christopher Meloni
| Actor (NYPD Blue, Oz, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)
|-
| April 3
| Eddie Murphy
| Comedian, actor (Saturday Night Live)
|-
| April 6
| Gene Eugene
| Singer (Adam Again), actor (The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan) (died 2000)
|-
| April 7
| Teri Ann Linn
| Actress, singer (The Bold and the Beautiful)
|-
| April 10
| Nicky Campbell
| Scottish television presenter
|-
| April 14
| Robert Carlyle
| Scottish actor (Stargate Universe, Once Upon a Time)
|-
| April 17
| Carlo Rota
| Canadian actor (24)
|-
| April 18
| Jane Leeves
| English actress (Daphne Moon on Frasier)
|-
| April 19
| Alan Kirschenbaum
| Writer (died 2012)
|-
| April 21
| Cathy Cavadini
| Voice actress (Blossom on The Powerpuff Girls)
|-
| April 22
| Byron Allen
| Producer
|-
|rowspan="3"| April 23
| Dirk Bach
| Comedian, actor and TV host (died 2012)
|-
| Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson
| Actor
|-
| George Lopez
| Comedian, actor (George Lopez)
|-
| April 29
| Stacey Snider
| American film industry executive
|-
| April 30
| Isiah Thomas
| NBA basketball player and TV commentator
|-
| May 1
| Marilyn Milian
| Judge
|-
| May 3
| Joe Murray
| Animator and voice actor (Rocko's Modern Life, Camp Lazlo)
|-
| May 4
| Mary Elizabeth McDonough
| Actress (The Waltons)
|-
|rowspan="3"| May 6
| George Clooney
| Actor (ER)
|-
| Wally Wingert
| Actor
|-
| Gina Riley
| Actress, comedian (Fast Forward)
|-
| May 9
| John Corbett
| Actor (Northern Exposure, Sex and the City)
|-
| May 12
| Lar Park Lincoln
| Actress (Knots Landing)
|-
| May 13
| Dennis Rodman
| NBA basketball player
|-
| May 14
| Tim Roth
| Actor
|-
| May 15
| Giselle Fernández
| American television journalist
|-
| May 16
| Kevin McDonald
| Actor (The Kids in the Hall, Lilo & Stitch: The Series, Catscratch)
|-
| May 22
| Jeremy Gelbwaks
| Actor (The Partridge Family)
|-
|rowspan="2"| May 27
| Peri Gilpin
| Actress (Frasier, Make It or Break It)
|-
| Cathy Silvers
| Actress (Happy Days)
|-
|rowspan="2"| May 29
| Melissa Etheridge
| Singer, voice actress
|-
| Linda Wallem
| Actress (Rocko's Modern Life, Nurse Jackie)
|-
| May 30
| Ralph Carter
| Actor (Michael Evans on Good Times)
|-
| May 31
| Lea Thompson
| Actress (Caroline in the City)
|-
|rowspan="2"|June 1
| Mark Curry
| Actor (Hangin' with Mr. Cooper)
|-
| Aaron Sorkin
| Screenwriter
|-
| June 5
| Mary Kay Bergman
| Voice actress (Every female character on South Park seasons 1–3) (died 1999)
|-
| June 6
| Wes Johnson
| Actor
|-
| June 9
| Michael J. Fox
| Actor (Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties)
|-
| June 15
| Jim Hanks
| Actor
|-
| June 24
| Iain Glen
| Actor
|-
| June 25
| Ricky Gervais
| English actor and comedian (The Office)
|-
|rowspan="2"| June 29
| Kimberlin Brown
| Actress (The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful)
|-
| Sharon Lawrence
| Actress (NYPD Blue)
|-
|rowspan="3"|July 1
| Diana, Princess of Wales
| Member of the British royal family (died 1997)
|-
| Carl Lewis
| Track and field athlete
|-
| Dominic Keating
| English actor (Star Trek: Enterprise)
|-
| July 9
| Raymond Cruz
| Actor
|-
| July 15
| Forest Whitaker
| Actor
|-
| July 18
| Elizabeth McGovern
| Actress (Downton Abbey)
|-
|rowspan="2"| July 19
| Pat Gibson
| Irish quizzer
|-
| Campbell Scott
| Actor
|-
| July 21
| Kym Whitley
| Actress and comedian (My Brother and Me, College Road Trip)
|-
|rowspan="2"| July 22
| Calvin Fish
| English-born sports commentator, previously racing driver
|-
| Keith Sweat
| Singer
|-
|rowspan="2"| July 23
| Woody Harrelson
| Actor (Woody Boyd on Cheers)
|-
| David Kaufman
| Voice actor (Freakazoid!, Danny Phantom, Superman: The Animated Series, The Buzz on Maggie)
|-
|rowspan="2"| July 25
| Bobbie Eakes
| Actress and singer (The Bold and the Beautiful, One Life to Live)
|-
| Katherine Kelly Lang
| Actress (The Bold and the Beautiful)
|-
|rowspan="2"| July 27
| Janet Tamaro
| Writer
|-
| E. D. Hill
| American journalist
|-
| July 30
| Laurence Fishburne
| Actor (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Black-ish)
|-
|rowspan="3"| August 4
| Barack Obama
| Politician and 44th president of the United States
|-
| Lauren Tom
| American actress (Pepper Ann, Futurama, Rocket Power, Teacher's Pet, Kim Possible, Fillmore!, Codename: Kids Next Door, Teen Titans, American Dragon: Jake Long, The Replacements)
|-
| Michael Gelman
| American executive producer of Live with Kelly and Ryan
|-
| August 5
| Janet McTeer
| English actress
|-
|rowspan="2"| August 7
| Maggie Wheeler
| American actress
|-
| Brian Conley
| English actor
|-
|rowspan="2"|August 13
| Dawnn Lewis
| American actress (A Different World, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper)
|-
| Sam Champion
| American weather anchor
|-
| August 14
| Susan Olsen
| Actress (Cindy on The Brady Bunch)
|-
| August 18
| Bob Woodruff
| American television journalist
|-
|rowspan="2"|August 20
| Joe Pasquale
| English actor
|-
| Asha Blake
| Actor
|-
| August 21
| Stephen Hillenburg
| American creator of SpongeBob SquarePants (died 2018)
|-
| August 24
| Jared Harris
| English actor (Mad Men, Fringe, The Expanse)
|-
|rowspan="3"|August 25
| Billy Ray Cyrus
| American singer and actor (Hannah Montana)
|-
| Ally Walker
| American actress (Santa Barbara, Profiler)
|-
| Joanne Whalley
| English actress
|-
| August 26
| Kari Lizer
| American actress
|-
| August 27
| Mark Curry
| English presenter
|-
| August 28
| Jennifer Coolidge
| American actress
|-
| August 29
| Artur Zheji
| Albanian television host (died 2025)
|-
| September 1
| Eugenio Derbez
| Actor
|-
| September 6
| Bruce W. Smith
| Producer
|-
| September 11
| Elizabeth Daily
| Voice actress (Rugrats, The Powerpuff Girls, ChalkZone)
|-
| rowspan="3"| September 15
| Dan Marino
| NFL football player and analyst (The NFL Today)
|-
| Colin McFarlane
| Actor, voice actor and narrator (Outlander, Doctor Who)
|-
| Noel MacNeal
| Actor
|-
| September 16
| Jen Tolley
| Actress
|-
| September 21
| Nancy Travis
| Actress (Last Man Standing)
|-
| rowspan="2"| September 22
| Bonnie Hunt
| Actress, comedian (The Bonnie Hunt Show)
|-
| Catherine Oxenberg
| Actress
|-
| September 23
| Chi McBride
| Actor (The John Larroquette Show, Boston Public)
|-
| September 24
| Allen Bestwick
| American sportscaster
|-
| September 25
| Heather Locklear
| Actress (Melrose Place)
|-
| September 27
| Andy Lau
| Actor
|-
| September 28
| Gregory Jbara
| Actor
|-
|rowspan="3"| September 30
| Crystal Bernard
| Actress (Wings)
|-
| Erica Ehm
| TV host and VJ (MuchMusic)
|-
| Eric Stoltz
| Actor
|-
| October 3
| Marcus Giamatti
| Actor (Judging Amy)
|-
| rowspan="2" | October 4
| David W. Harper
| Actor (The Waltons)
|-
| Kazuki Takahashi
| Manga creator (Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal) (died 2022)
|-
| October 8
| Simon Burke
| Actor (Devil's Playground)
|-
| October 9
| Ellen Wheeler
| Actress (Another World, All My Children)
|-
| October 13
| Doc Rivers
| NBA basketball player and coach
|-
| October 16
| Kim Wayans
| Actress, comedian (In Living Color)
|-
| October 25
| Chad Smith
| American musician
|-
| October 26
| Dylan McDermott
| Actor (The Practice)
|-
| October 30
| Larry Wilmore
| Actor
|-
| November 3
| Kari Michaelsen
| Actress (Gimme a Break!)
|-
|rowspan="2"| November 4
| Jeff Probst
| Host (Survivor)
|-
| Ralph Macchio
| Actor
|-
| November 8
| Leif Garrett
| Actor
|-
| November 9
| Lisa McRee
| News anchor
|-
| November 11
| Luca Zingaretti
| Italian actor (Inspector Montalbano)
|-
| November 14
| Elizabeth Keifer
| Actress (Guiding Light)
|-
| November 19
| Meg Ryan
| Actress (As the World Turns)
|-
|rowspan="2"| November 22
| Gary Valentine
| Actor and comedian (The King of Queens)
|-
| Mariel Hemingway
| Actress
|-
| November 26
| Marcy Walker
| Soap opera actress
|-
| November 28
| Martin Clunes
| English actor and comedian (Doc Martin)
|-
| November 29
| Kim Delaney
| Actress (NYPD Blue)
|-
| December 1
| Jeremy Northam
| Actor
|-
| December 2
| Gaby Köster
| Actress, comedian
|-
| December 8
| Mikey Robins
| Australian media personality
|-
|rowspan="2"| December 9
| Joe Lando
| Actor (Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman)
|-
| David Anthony Higgins
| Actor (Malcolm in the Middle)
|-
| December 13
| Karen Witter
| Actress
|-
|rowspan="2"| December 16
| Jon Tenney
| Actor
|-
| Bill Hicks
| Comedian (died 1994)
|-
| December 23
| Carol Smillie
| Scottish television presenter
|-
|rowspan="2"| December 24
| Eriko Kitagawa
| Screenwriter (Aishiteiru to Itte Kure)
|-
| Wade Williams
| Actor (Prison Break)
|-
| December 30
| Sean Hannity
| Talk show host (Hannity)
|-
| December 31
| Joanna Johnson
| Actress (The Bold and the Beautiful)
|}
Deaths
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Date || Name || Age ||class="unsortable" |Notability
|-
|February 3
|Anna May Wong
|align="center"|56
| American actress
|-
|May 22
|Joan Davis
|align="center"|53
|Actress (I Married Joan)
|-
|August 26
|Gail Russell
|align="center"|36
|American actress
|-
|August 30
|Charles Coburn
|align="center"|84
|Actor
|-
|September 10
|Leo Carrillo
|align="center"|80
|Actor (The Cisco Kid)
|-
|October 11
|Chico Marx
|align="center"|74
|Actor (member of the Marx Brothers)
|-
|November 24
|Ruth Chatterton
|align="center"|68
|Actress
|}
Television debuts
- James Brolin – Follow the Sun
- James Caan – Route 66
- John Davis Chandler – The Asphalt Jungle
- Julie Christie – A for Andromeda
- Dabney Coleman – Naked City
- Samantha Eggar – Rob Roy
- Jane Fonda – A String of Beads
- Gene Hackman – Tallahassee 7000
- Dustin Hoffman – Naked City
- John Hurt – Probation Officer
- Derek Jacobi – BBC Sunday-Night Play
- Tim Matheson – Window on Main Street
- Sarah Miles – Deadline Midnight
- Millie Perkins – Wagon Train
- Rob Reiner – Manhunt
- Andy Romano – Alfred Hitchcock Presents
- W. Morgan Sheppard – Theatre Night
- Glynn Turman – Play of the Week
- Gene Wilder – Play of the Week
See also
- 1961–62 United States network television schedule