The following television-related events took place during 1961.
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| Date | Show | Debut | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | General Motors Presents (Can) | 1958 | |
| January 6 | Dan Raven | 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 | 1960 | |
| May 31 | Peter Loves Mary | ||
| June 20 | The Army Game (UK) | 1957 | |
| June 27 | Stagecoach West | 1960 | |
| June 29 | The Ford Show | 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 |
| Show | Moved from | Moved to | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walt Disney Presents | |||
| The Detectives | |||
| Rocky and His Friends | |||
| The Wonderful World of Disney | |||
| Bachelor Father | NBC | ABC | |
| Mister Ed | Syndication | CBS |
| Date | Name | Notability | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 2 | Gabrielle Carteris | Actress (Beverly Hills, 90210) | |
| January 4 | Graham McTavish | Actor | |
| January 7 | Jeff Richmond | Actor | |
| January 9 | Candi Milo | Actress (, 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) | |
| 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 () | |
| February 5 | Tim Meadows | Actor (Saturday Night Live) | |
| Bruce Timm | Producer and animator (DC Animated Universe, , Freakazoid!) | ||
| February 9 | Clayton Townsend | TV producer | |
| 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 | |
| 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, ) | |
| 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 | |
| April 23 | Comedian, actor and TV host (died 2012) | ||
| 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) | |
| 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, , Catscratch) | |
| May 22 | Jeremy Gelbwaks | Actor (The Partridge Family) | |
| May 27 | Peri Gilpin | Actress (Frasier, Make It or Break It) | |
| Cathy Silvers | Actress (Happy Days) | ||
| 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) | |
| 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) | |
| June 29 | Kimberlin Brown | Actress (The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful) | |
| Sharon Lawrence | Actress (NYPD Blue) | ||
| July 1 | Diana, Princess of Wales | Member of the British royal family (died 1997) | |
| Carl Lewis | Track and field athlete | ||
| Dominic Keating | English actor () | ||
| July 9 | Raymond Cruz | Actor | |
| July 15 | Forest Whitaker | Actor | |
| July 18 | Elizabeth McGovern | Actress (Downton Abbey) | |
| July 19 | Pat Gibson | Irish quizzer | |
| Campbell Scott | Actor | ||
| July 21 | Kym Whitley | Actress and comedian (My Brother and Me, College Road Trip) | |
| July 22 | Calvin Fish | English-born sports commentator, previously racing driver | |
| Keith Sweat | Singer | ||
| July 23 | Woody Harrelson | Actor (Woody Boyd on Cheers) | |
| David Kaufman | Voice actor (Freakazoid!, Danny Phantom, , The Buzz on Maggie) | ||
| 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) | ||
| July 27 | Janet Tamaro | Writer | |
| E. D. Hill | American journalist | ||
| July 30 | Laurence Fishburne | Actor (, Black-ish) | |
| August 4 | Barack Obama | Politician and 44th president of the United States | |
| Lauren Tom | Actress (Pepper Ann, Futurama, Rocket Power, Teacher's Pet, Kim Possible, Fillmore!, , Teen Titans, , The Replacements) | ||
| Michael Gelman | Executive producer of Live with Kelly and Ryan | ||
| August 5 | Janet McTeer | Actress | |
| August 7 | Maggie Wheeler | Actress | |
| Brian Conley | Actor | ||
| August 13 | Dawnn Lewis | 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 | |
| August 20 | Joe Pasquale | Actor | |
| Asha Blake | Actor | ||
| August 21 | Stephen Hillenburg | Creator of SpongeBob SquarePants (died 2018) | |
| August 24 | Jared Harris | English actor (Mad Men, Fringe, The Expanse) | |
| August 25 | Billy Ray Cyrus | Singer and actor (Hannah Montana) | |
| Ally Walker | Actress (Santa Barbara, Profiler) | ||
| Joanne Whalley | Actress | ||
| August 26 | Kari Lizer | Actress | |
| August 27 | Mark Curry | Presenter | |
| August 28 | Jennifer Coolidge | Actress | |
| September 1 | Eugenio Derbez | Actor | |
| September 6 | Bruce W. Smith | Producer | |
| September 11 | Elizabeth Daily | Voice actress (Rugrats, The Powerpuff Girls, ChalkZone) | |
| 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) | |
| September 22 | Bonnie Hunt | Actress, comedian (The Bonnie Hunt Show) | |
| Catherine Oxenberg | Actress | ||
| September 23 | 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 | |
| September 30 | Crystal Bernard | Actress (Wings) | |
| Erica Ehm | TV host and VJ (MuchMusic) | ||
| Eric Stoltz | Actor | ||
| October 3 | Marcus Giamatti | Actor (Judging Amy) | |
| 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)[4] | ||
| 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!) | |
| 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) | |
| 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 | |
| December 9 | Joe Lando | Actor (Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman) | |
| David Anthony Higgins | Actor (Malcolm in the Middle) | ||
| December 13 | Karen Witter | Actress | |
| December 16 | Jon Tenney | Actor | |
| Bill Hicks | Comedian (died 1994) | ||
| December 23 | Carol Smillie | Scottish television presenter | |
| 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) |
| Date | Name | Age | Notability | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 3 | Anna May Wong | 56 | American actress | |
| May 22 | Joan Davis | 53 | Actress (I Married Joan) | |
| August 26 | 36 | American actress | ||
| August 30 | 84 | Actor | ||
| September 10 | Leo Carrillo | 80 | Actor (The Cisco Kid) | |
| October 11 | Chico Marx | 74 | Actor (member of the Marx Brothers) | |
| November 24 | Ruth Chatterton | 68 | Actress |