8th – 14th February: Discover This Fascinating Week in Film History

This week we cover the period between 8th – 14th February as we look back at the the fascinating past of the film industry. We love to celebrate the history of cinema here at More Movies and we really enjoy delving into and highlighting some of the most interesting moments in the world of movies, including milestone releases, infamous events, births and deaths of the industry’s most notable characters, along with other historic happenings.

American actor George Siegmann, famous for his roles in The Birth of a Nation and Oliver Twist, was born in New York City

8th February, 1882

Austrian actor Ludwig Stössel, famous for his roles in Man With a Camera and The Pride of the Yankees, was born in Léka, Hungary, Austria-Hungary

12th February, 1883

British actor Ronald Colman, famous for his roles in Random Harvest, Lost Horizon and A Double Life, was born in Richmond, England

9th February, 1891

Australian actress Judith Anderson, famous for her roles in Laura, Rebecca and Tycoon, was born in Adelaide, South Australia

10th February, 1898

Portuguese vocalist and actress Carmen Miranda, famous for her roles in Copacabana and A Date With Judy, was born in Marco de Canavezes, Portugal

9th February, 1909

American actress Jean Muir, famous for her roles in Fugitive in the Sky and The Aldrich Family and the first performer to be blacklisted for being an alleged communist sympathizer, was born in Suffern, New York

13th February, 1911

British actor Ernest Clark, famous for roles in Ghandi and The Dam Busters, was born in London, England

12th February, 1912

Squaw Man, the first feature-length film shot in Hollywood, directed by Cecil B. DeMille and Oscar Apfel, was released in the U.S.

12th February, 1914

Controversial film The Birth of a Nation, directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish and Mae Marsh, opened at Clune’s Auditorium in Los Angeles

8th February, 1915

American actress Lana Turner, famous for her roles in Madame X, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and The Postman Always Rings Twice, was born in Wallace, Idaho

8th February, 1921

American actor Jack Lemmon, famous for his roles in Some Like It Hot, The Apartment and The Odd Couple, was born in Boston, Massachusetts

8th February, 1925

Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio becomes Walt Disney Studios

8th February, 1926

Canadian actor Leslie Nielsen, most famous for Airplane! and the Naked Gun films, was born in Regina, Saskatchewan

11th February, 1926

Welsh actor and producer Stanley Baker, famous for his roles in Concrete Jungle, Zorro and Zulu, was born in Ferndale, Glamorgan

8th February, 1928

American actor Robert Wagner, famous for his roles in It Takes a Thief, Towering Inferno and the Austin Powers films, was born in Detroit, Michigan

10th February, 1930

American actor and cultural icon James Dean, famous for his roles in Giant and Rebel Without a Cause and the first actor to be posthumously nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award, was born in Marion, Indiana

8th February, 1931

Legendary American composer John Williams, responsible for some of the most recognizable film scores including Jaws, Superman The Movie, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, was born in New York City

8th February, 1932

American actress Kim Novak, famous for her roles in Vertigo and Of Human Bondage, was born in Chicago, Illinois

13th February, 1933

American actor Burt Reynolds, star of Deliverance, was born in Lansing, Michigan

11th February, 1936

English actor Oliver Reed, famous for his roles in Gladiator, Oliver! and The Devils, was born in London

13th February, 1938

The John Ford directed western Stagecoach, starring Claire Trevor and John Wayne, premiered in Miami, Florida

10th February, 1939

Victor Fleming famously replaced George Cukor as director of Hollywood classic Gone With the Wind

14th February, 1939

American actor Nick Nolte, famous for his roles in The Thin Red Line and 48 Hrs, was born in Omaha, Nebraska

8th February, 1941

Prolific English director and producer Michael Apted, famous for his 7 Up films and The World is Not Enough, was born in Aylesbury, England

10th February, 1941

American actor Joe Pesci, famous for his roles in Goodfellas, Casino, Home Alone and My Cousin Vinny, was born in Newark, New Jersey

9th February, 1943

English director Alan Parker, famous for his films Bugsy Malone and Midnight Express, was born in London, England

14th February, 1944

Canadian actor Michael Ironside, famous for his role in Starship Troopers, was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

12th February, 1950

American entertainment executive Bob Iger, famous for his time as CEO of The Walt Disney Company, was born in New York City

10th February, 1951

American comedian Arsenio Hall, famous for his role in Coming to America, was born in Cleveland, Ohio

12th February, 1956

American actor Zach Galligan, famous for his role in Gremlins, was born in New York City

14th February, 1963

American actor Raphael Sbarge, famous for his roles in Risky Business, My Science Project and Werewolf, was born in New York City

12th February, 1964

American actress Laura Dern, famous for her roles in Jurassic Park, Mask and Smooth Talk, was born in Los Angeles, California

10th February, 1967

Planet of the Apes, directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starring Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowall, premiered in New York City

8th February, 1968

American actress Jennifer Aniston, famous for her roles in Horrible Bosses, The Break Up and Marley and Me, was born in Los Angeles, California

11th February, 1969

English comedian & actor Simon Pegg, famous for his roles in Shaun of the Dead and Mission: Impossible, was born in Brockworth, England

14th February, 1970

Cabaret, directed by Bob Fosse, based on the musical of the same name and starring Liza Minnelli and Michael York, was released in the U.S.

13th February, 1972

Taxi Driver, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro and Jodie Foster, was released in the U.S.

8th February, 1976

American actor Lee J. Cobb, famous for his roles in The Virginian, 12 Angry Men and On the Waterfront, died from a heart attack aged 64

11th February, 1976

American actress & playwright Danai Gurira, famous for her roles in Black Panther and the Avengers films, was born in Grinnell, Iowa

14th February, 1978

Walter Hill’s drama The Warriors was released in the United States, sparking gang violence at many theaters and a halt to the film’s marketing campaign

9th February, 1979

Chinese actresss Zhang Ziyi, famous for her role in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, was born in Beijing, China

9th February, 1979

Japanese actor Takashi Shimura, famous for his roles in Rashomon and Seven Samurai, died aged 76

11th February, 1982

American actor Nicholas Colasanto, famous for his roles in Family Plot and The Counterfeit Killer, died of a heart attack aged 61

12th February, 1985

British actor Brian Aherne, famous for his roles in Juarez, The Locket and Merrily We Live, died aged 83

10th February, 1986

American actor Michael B. Jordan, famous for his roles in Black Panther and Creed, was born in Santa Ana, California

9th February, 1987

The Silence of the Lambs film, based on the book by Thomas Harris, directed by Jonathan Demme and starring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins, was released in the U.S.

14th February, 1991

Jack Nicholson uses a golf club to attack a car

8th February, 1994

American playwright and actor Michael V Gazzo, famous for his roles in The Godfather Part II and Fear City, dies aged 71

14th February, 1995

American actor Roy Scheider, famous for his roles in Jaws, The French Connection, Marathon Man and Paper Lion, died aged 75

10th February, 2008

American actor Perry Lopez, famous for his roles in Chinatown and Death Wish 4, died aged 78

14th February, 2008

American singer and actress Whitney Houston, famous for her role in The Bodyguard, died from an accidental bathtub drowning aged 48

11th February, 2012

Irish actor David Kelly, famous for his role as Grandpa Joe in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, died of cancer aged 82

12th February, 2012

American actress and diplomat Shirley Temple, famous 1930s child star of films such as Bright Eyes and Heidi, died aged 85

10th February, 2014

Harrison Ford is involved in a near miss while flying a plane at John Wayne Airport, Orange County. “Fly? Yes! Land? No!”

13th February, 2017

American actor John Gavin, famous for his roles in Imitation of Life and Psycho, died aged 86

9th February, 2018

At the 92nd Academy Awards, Parasite becomes the first non English language film to win Best Picture

9th February, 2020

Canadian filmmaker Ivan Reitman, known for his movies Ghostbusters and Twins, died aged 75

12th February, 2022

Well there we have our picks for this week in film history between 8th – 14th February.

Be sure to check back next week for some more fun film facts and tidbits. If you think we missed something important, be sure to let us know in the comments.

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