The following is an overview of 1931 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths.

The top ten 1931 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

• January 5: RKO acquires the producing and distribution arm of Pathé for $4.6 million.^[8]
• March 14: Alam Ara, the first Indian-made sound film, premieres at the Majestic Cinema in Bombay.
• June 20: Monogram Pictures releases its first film, Ships of Hate.^[9]
• July 7: Anti-competitive practices disclosed about certain distributors and producers in Canada.^[10]
• November 17: E. R. Tinker elected president of Fox Films replacing Harley L. Clarke.^[10]
• December 14: RKO refinancing plan approved.^[10]

Variety reported the following as the biggest male stars in the U.S. in alphabetical order although grouped George Arliss and Ronald Colman together as having equal ranking.^[11]

The following were the biggest women names in the U.S. in alphabetical order but again grouped two actresses together to denote they were ranked the same.^[11]

The 4th Academy Awards were awarded to films completed and screened released between August 1, 1930, and July 31, 1931, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Most Nominations: Cimarron (RKO Pictures) – 7

Major Awards

• Best Picture: Cimarron – RKO
• Best Director: Norman Taurog – Skippy
• Best Actor: Lionel Barrymore – A Free Soul
• Best Actress: Marie Dressler – Min and Bill

Most Awards: Cimarron – 3 (Best Picture; Best Adaptation and Best Art Direction)

Cimarron was the first Western to win Best Picture, and would remain the only one to do so for 59 years (until Dances with Wolves won in 1991). It received a then-record seven nominations, and was the first film to win more than two awards.

The 5th Academy Awards were conducted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on November 18, 1932,^[12] at a ceremony held at The Ambassador Hotel^[12] in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was hosted by Conrad Nagel.^[12] Films screened in Los Angeles between August 1, 1931, and July 31, 1932, were eligible to receive awards.^[12]

Most nominations: Arrowsmith (Samuel Goldwyn Productions) and The Champ (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) – 4

Major Awards

• Best Actor: Wallace Beery – The Champ and Fredric March – Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• Best Actress: Helen Hayes – The Sin of Madelon Claudet
• Best Director: Frank Borzage – Bad Girl

Most Awards: Bad Girl (Best Director and Best Adaptation) and The Champ (Best Actor and Best Original Story) – 2

Note: The Academy Award for Best Picture went to 1932's Grand Hotel.

United States unless stated

• Battling with Buffalo Bill
• Danger Island
• Finger Prints
• The Galloping Ghost, starring Harold Grange
• Heroes of the Flames
• King of the Wild
• The Lightning Warrior, starring Rin Tin Tin
• The Mystery Trooper
• The Phantom of the West
• The Sign of the Wolf
• The Spell of the Circus
• The Vanishing Legion

• Laurel and Hardy (1921–1943)
• Charley Chase (1924–1940)
• Buster Keaton (1917–1941)
• Our Gang (1922–1944)

• Aesop's Film Fables (1921–1933)
• Krazy Kat (1925–1940)
• Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (1927–1938)
• Mickey Mouse
  • The Birthday Party
  • Traffic Troubles
  • The Castaway
  • The Moose Hunt
  • The Delivery Boy
  • Mickey Steps Out
  • Blue Rhythm
  • Fishin' Around
  • The Barnyard Broadcast
  • The Beach Party
  • Mickey Cuts Up
  • Mickey's Orphans
• Silly Symphonies
  • Birds of a Feather
  • Mother Goose Melodies
  • The China Plate
  • The Busy Beavers
  • The Cat's Out
  • Egyptian Melodies
  • The Clock Store
  • The Spider and the Fly
  • The Fox Hunt
  • The Ugly Duckling
• Screen Songs (1929–1938)
• Talkartoons (1929–1932)
  • Mask a Raid (featuring Betty Boop)
• Looney Tunes (1930–1969)
• Flip the Frog (1930–1933)
• Terrytoons (1930–1964)
• Toby the Pup (1930-1931)
• Merrie Melodies (1931–1969)
• Scrappy (1931–1941)
• Tom and Jerry (Van Beuren) (1931–1933)

• January 3 – Conrad Brooks, né Biedrzycki, American actor and producer (died 2017)
• January 5 – Robert Duvall, American actor and director
• January 9 - Paul Mantee, American actor (died 2013)
• January 13 - Scott Beach, American actor (died 1996)
• January 14 – Caterina Valente, French singer and actress
• January 17 – James Earl Jones, American actor
• January 22 - Mary Castle, American actress (died 1998)
• January 25 - Dean Jones, American actor (died 2015)
• January 26 – Mary Murphy, American actress (died 2011)
• January 29 – Leslie Bricusse, English-born film composer and lyricist (died 2021)
• January 30 - Read Morgan, American actor (died 2022)
• February 6
  • Bryan O'Byrne, American character actor and acting coach (died 2009)
  • Rip Torn, American actor and director (died 2019)
  • Mamie Van Doren, American actress and sex symbol
• February 8 – James Dean, American actor (died 1955)
• February 9 - Barbara Young, English actress (died 2023)
• February 14
  • Charles Hyatt, Jamaican actor, playwright and director (died 2007)
  • Margarita Lozano, Spanish actress (died 2022)
• February 15
  • Claire Bloom, English actress
  • Mohamed Hilmi, Algerian actor and director (died 2022)
• February 18 - Laura Valenzuela, Spanish television presenter and actress (died 2023)
• February 20 - Karl Spiehs, Austrian producer (died 2022)
• February 24 – Dominic Chianese, American actor
• February 26 - Shay Duffin, Irish character actor (died 2010)
• February 28 - Gavin MacLeod, American actor (died 2021)
• March 5 - George Ogilvie, Australian director and actor (died 2020)
• March 8 - Gerald Potterton, British-Canadian director, writer, producer and animator (died 2022)
• March 15 - James Ellis, Irish actor (died 2014)
• March 20 – Hal Linden, American actor, director and musician
• March 22 – William Shatner, Canadian actor
• March 26 – Leonard Nimoy, American actor and director (died 2015)
• March 27 - Marion Brash, American actress (died 2022)
• April 1 – Ita Ever, Estonian actress (died 2023)
• April 8 – John Gavin, American actor and diplomat (died 2018)
• April 17 – Esteban Siller, Mexican voice actor (died 2013)
• May 5 - Brian O'Shaughnessy, British actor (died 2001)
• May 10 – Ettore Scola, Italian director and screenwriter (died 2016)
• May 15 - K. S. Sethumadhavan, Indian director and screenwriter (died 2021)
• May 16 - Frank Albanese, American actor (died 2015)
• May 18 – Robert Morse, American actor and singer (died 2022)
• May 19 - James Greene, Northern Irish actor (died 2021)
• May 23
  • Barbara Barrie, American actress
  • Patience Cleveland, American actress (died 2004)
• May 24 – Michael Lonsdale, British-French actor (died 2020)
• May 28
  • Carroll Baker, American actress
  • Bob Hornery, Australian actor (died 2015)
• June 2 - Peter Cummins, Australian character actor
• June 3 – Carmen Dell'Orefice, American supermodel and actress
• June 7 - Virginia McKenna, English actress
• June 14 – Marla Gibbs, American actress, singer, comedian, writer and producer
• June 20
  • Olympia Dukakis, Greek-American actress (died 2021)
  • James Tolkan, American actor
• July 1 – Leslie Caron, French actress and dancer
• July 2
  • Robert Ito, Canadian actor of Japanese ancestry
  • Frank Williams, English actor (died 2022)
• July 4 – Stephen Boyd, Irish actor (died 1977)
• July 5 – António de Macedo, Portuguese filmmaker, writer, university professor and lecturer (died 2017)
• July 6
  • Donal Donnelly, Irish actor died (2010)
  • Della Reese, American jazz and gospel singer, actress and ordinated minister (died 2017)
• July 10 – Nick Adams, American actor and screenwriter (died 1968)
• July 11 – Tab Hunter, American actor and singer (died 2018)
• July 14 – Mirella Ricciardi, Kenyan photographer, writer and actress
• July 24 – Ermanno Olmi, Italian director and screenwriter (died 2018)
• July 27 – Jerry Van Dyke, American actor, musician and comedian (died 2018)
• July 28 – Darryl Hickman, American actor, voice artist, screenwriter and television executive
• August 19
  • Elena Cotta, Italian actress
  • Marianne Koch, German actress
• August 23 – Barbara Eden, American actress
• August 12 – William Goldman, American screenwriter and novelist (died 2018)
• August 31 – Noble Willingham, American actor (died 2004)
• September 4 – Mitzi Gaynor, American actress, singer and dancer
• September 10 – Philip Baker Hall, American actor (died 2022)
• September 12
  • Ian Holm, English actor (died 2020)
  • Bill McKinney, American character actor (died 2011)
• September 13 – Barbara Bain, American actress
• September 17 – Anne Bancroft, American actress (died 2005)
• September 20 - Ned Tanen, American producer (died 2009)
• September 21 – Larry Hagman, American actor and director (died 2012)
• September 29
  • Eddie Barth, American actor (died 2010)
  • Anita Ekberg, Swedish actress and sex symbol (died 2015)
• September 30 – Angie Dickinson, American actress
• October 10 – Román Chalbaud, Venezuelan director (died 2023)
• October 12 - Yvonne Gilan, Scottish actress (died 2018)
• October 19 - Rubens de Falco, Brazilian actor (died 2008)
• October 21 – Vivian Pickles, English actress
• October 30 - Ann Roth, American costume designer and actress
• November 3 – Monica Vitti, Italian actress (died 2022)
• November 5 - Gil Hill, American actor (died 2016)
• November 6 – Mike Nichols, German-born director (died 2014)
• November 10 – Don Henderson, English actor (died 1997)
• November 12 – Mary Louise Wilson, American actress, singer and comedian
• November 18 - Brad Sullivan, American character actor (died 2008)
• November 30 – Jack Ging, American actor (died 2022)
• December 2 – Nadja Regin, Serbian actress (died 2019)
• December 3 - Jaye P. Morgan, retired American singer, actress and game show panelist
• December 9
  • Paddi Edwards, British-American actress (died 1999)
  • William Reynolds, American actor (died 2022)
• December 11
  • Anne Heywood, British actress (died 2023)
  • Rita Moreno, Puerto Rican actress
• December 14 - Abbe Lane, American singer and actress
• December 20 - Mala Powers, American actress (died 2007)
• December 23 – Ronnie Schell, American actor and stand-up comedian
• December 24 - Robert Ridgely, American actor (died 1997)
• December 28 – Martin Milner. American actor (died 2015)

• March 11 – F. W. Murnau, German director (born 1888)
• March 24
  • Charles Clary, silent film actor (born 1873)
  • Robert Edeson, stage and screen actor (born 1868)
• April 9 - Thomas Santschi, American screen actor (born 1880)
• June 7 – Viktor Schwanneke, German actor (born 1880)
• August 14 – Janie Marèse, French actress (born 1908)
• September 13 – Lawrence D'Orsay, English actor (born 1853)
• October 18 - Thomas Edison, inventor (born 1847)
• November 27 – Lya De Putti, Hungarian actress (born 1899)
• December 23 – Tyrone Power, Sr., stage and film veteran, father of movie star Tyrone Power (born 1869)