The year 1945 in film involved some significant events. With 1945 being the last year of World War II, the many films released this year had themes of patriotism, sacrifices, and peace.^[1] In the United States, there were more than eighteen thousand movie theatres operating in 1945, a figure that grew by a third from a decade earlier.^[2]

The top ten 1945 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

• January 26 – The film National Velvet, starring Mickey Rooney, Elizabeth Taylor, Donald Crisp and Anne Revere, is released nationally in the United States. The film is an instant critical and commercial success, propelling 12-year-old Taylor to stardom and earning Revere the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
• January 30 – Restricted release of Kolberg, an historical epic which is one of the last Nazi Germany propaganda pieces, in war-torn Berlin. Given its cast of 187,000 (including serving military personnel), probably fewer people view it than appear in it.
• April 20 – Release of Son of Lassie, the 2nd Lassie film and the first film ever to be filmed using the Technicolor monopack method, where a single magazine of film is used to record all of the primary colors. Prior to this method, the most popular recording method was 3-Strip Technicolor, which simultaneously used 3 individual film magazines to record the primary colors.
• August 10 – Animated Donald Duck short Duck Pimples is released.
• September 27 – Release of Roberto Rossellini's Roma Città aperta marks the beginning of Italian neorealism in film.
• October 5 – A strike between the set decorators' union and the studios boils over and becomes known as the Hollywood Black Friday.
• October 31 – Spellbound, a psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock, premieres in New York City.
• November 16 – Paramount Pictures releases theatrical short cartoon titled The Friendly Ghost, introducing a ghost named Casper.
• November 29 – At the Nuremberg trials a documentary on the Nazi concentration camps directed by John Ford is exhibited as evidence.

United States unless stated

• Brenda Starr, Reporter, starring Joan Woodbury
• Federal Operator 99, starring Marten Lamont
• Jungle Queen, starring Edward Norris and Eddie Quillan
• Jungle Raiders
• Manhunt on Mystery Island, starring Richard Bailey and Linda Stirling
• The Master Key, starring Dennis Moore
• The Monster and the Ape, starring Robert Lowery
• The Purple Monster Strikes, starring Dennis Moore and Linda Stirling
• The Royal Mounted Rides Again
• Secret Agent X-9, starring Lloyd Bridges
• Who's Guilty?

• Mickey Mouse (1928–1953)
• Looney Tunes (1930–1969)
• Terrytoons (1930–1964)
• Merrie Melodies (1931–1969)
• Scrappy (1931–1941)
• Popeye (1933–1957)
• Color Rhapsodies (1934–1949)
• Donald Duck (1937–1956)
• Goofy (1939–1955)
• Andy Panda (1939–1949)
• Tom and Jerry (1940–1958)
• Bugs Bunny (1940–1962)
• Woody Woodpecker (1941–1949)
• Swing Symphonies (1941-1945)
• The Fox and the Crow (1941–1950)
• Red Hot Riding Hood (1943–1949)
• Droopy (1943–1958)
• Screwball Squirrel (1944–1946)
• Yosemite Sam (1945–1963)

• January 5 – Roger Spottiswoode, Canadian-British-American director, editor and writer
• January 9 - John Doman, American actor
• January 16 – Élisabeth Margoni, French actress
• January 22
  • Jophery Brown, American pitcher, stuntman and actor (died 2014)
  • Michael Cristofer, American actor and filmmaker
• January 25 – Leigh Taylor-Young, American actress
• January 28 – Marthe Keller, Swiss actress
• January 29 – Tom Selleck, American actor
• February 3 – Marius Weyers, South African actor
• February 4 – Tony Haygarth, English actor (died 2017)
• February 8 - Louis Giambalvo, American actor
• February 9 – Mia Farrow, American actress
• February 12 – Maud Adams, Swedish actress
• February 16 – Jeremy Bulloch, English actor (died 2020)
• February 17
  • Brenda Fricker, Irish actress
  • Calvin Jung, American actor
• February 20 – Brion James, American actor (died 1999)
• February 24 – Barry Bostwick, American actor
• February 28 – Bubba Smith, American professional football player and actor (died 2011)
• March 1 - Dirk Benedict, American actor
• March 3
  • George Miller, Australian filmmaker
  • Hattie Winston, American actress and voice artist
• March 8 - Janet Wright, English-born Canadian actress (died 2016)
• March 13 – Whitney Rydbeck, American actor
• March 24
  • Curtis Hanson, American director, screenwriter and producer (died 2016)
  • Patrick Malahide, British actor and producer
• March 28 – Raine Loo, Estonian actress (died 2020)
• April 2 – Linda Hunt, American actress
• April 3 – Catherine Spaak, Belgian-Italian actress and singer (died 2022)
• April 4 - Caroline McWilliams, American actress (died 2010)
• April 11 - Michael Brandon, American actor
• May 14 - Francesca Annis, English actress
• May 18 - Candice Azzara, American character actress
• May 24 – Priscilla Presley, American actress
• May 27 - Kip Niven, American actor (died 2019)
• May 31 – Rainer Werner Fassbinder, German director, producer and screenwriter (died 1982)
• June 2
  • Jon Peters, American producer
  • Joan Pringle, American actress
• June 3 - Bill Paterson, Scottish actor
• June 6 – David Dukes, American actor (died 2000)
• June 11 – Adrienne Barbeau, American actress
• June 12 – Edwin Neal, American actor
• July 1 – Debbie Harry, American actress and singer (lead vocalist of Blondie (band))
• July 3 – Mickey Rooney Jr., American actor (died 2022)
• July 4 - Bruce French, American actor
• July 6 - Burt Ward, American actor
• July 19 - George Dzundza, American actor
• July 21 - Sergio Calderón, Mexican-born American actor (died 2023)
• July 23 – Edie McClurg, American actress and voice actress
• July 26 – Helen Mirren, English actress
• August 2 – Joanna Cassidy, American actress
• August 5 – Loni Anderson, American actress
• August 14
  • Steve Martin, American actor and comedian
  • Wim Wenders, German director, producer and screenwriter
• August 15 - Nigel Terry, English actor (died 2015)
• August 21 – Patty McCormack, American actress
• August 23 – Bob Peck, English actor (died 1999)
• August 24 - Cástulo Guerra, Argentine actor
• August 28 - Jeannie Linero, American actress
• September 10 – Dennis Burkley, American actor (died 2013)
• September 11 - Felton Perry, American actor
• September 15
  • Roy Brocksmith, American actor (died 2001)
  • Clive Merrison, British actor
• September 17 – Bruce Spence, New Zealand actor
• September 22 – Paul Le Mat, American actor
• October 7 – Michael Wallis, American journalist and voice actor
• October 17 - Thomas Kopache, American actor
• October 18 – Huell Howser, American actor, television personality, host, comedian (died 2013)
• October 19 – John Lithgow, American actor
• October 20 - George Wyner, American actor
• October 21 - Everett McGill, American actor
• October 23 - Hugh Fraser, English actor
• October 26 – Jaclyn Smith, American actress
• October 27 – Carrie Snodgress, American actress (died 2004)
• October 30 – Henry Winkler, American actor
• October 31 – Brian Doyle-Murray, American actor and comedian
• November 2 - J. D. Souther, American singer-songwriter and actor
• November 8 – Angela Scoular, English actress (died 2011)
• November 10
  • Terence Davies, English screenwriter and director (died 2023)
  • Douglas Gresham, American-British actor and producer
• November 15 – Bob Gunton, American character actor
• November 19 - Paula Weinstein, American producer (died 2024)
• November 21 – Goldie Hawn, American actress
• November 26 - Daniel Davis, American actor
• November 27 – James Avery, American actor (died 2013)
• November 28 – John Hargreaves, Australian actor (died 1996)
• November 30 – Billy Drago, American actor (died 2019)
• December 1 – Bette Midler, American actress, comedian and singer
• December 7 - Clive Russell, Scottish actor
• December 13 – Heather North, American actress (died 2017)
• December 17 – Ernie Hudson, American actor
• December 21 – Mari Lill, Estonian actress
• December 24 – Nicholas Meyer, American screenwriter, director and producer
• December 25 - Rick Berman, American producer and screenwriter
• December 30 - Lloyd Kaufman, American director, screenwriter, producer and actor
• December 31
  • Barbara Carrera, Nicaraguan-born American actress
  • Vernon Wells, Australian character actor

• January 14 – Heinrich Schroth, 73, German actor, Dr. Hart's Diary, Melody of a Great City, Die Entlassung, Rembrandt
• February 23 – Reginald Barker, 58, American director, Civilization, The Bargain, The Coward, The Moonstone
• March 4 – Lucille La Verne, 72, American actress, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Abraham Lincoln, Orphans of the Storm, A Tale of Two Cities
• March 4 – Mark Sandrich, 44, American director, The Gay Divorcee, Follow the Fleet, Holiday Inn
• March 30 – Béla Balogh, 60, Hungarian director
• April 10 – Gloria Dickson, 27, American actress, Lady of Burlesque, They Won't Forget
• April 16 – Willie Fung, 49, Chinese-American actor, Come On, Cowboys, The Great Profile
• April 29 – Malcolm McGregor, 52, American silent screen star, Lady of the Night, The Circle, The Whispering Shadow, The Ladybird
• May 4 – Anna Dodge, 77, American actress, The Extra Girl, Ride for Your Life
• July 13 – Alla Nazimova, 66, Ukrainian-born stage and film actress, Blood and Sand, Salomé, Since You Went Away, Madame Peacock
• July 19 – George Barbier, 80, American actor, No One Man, Evenings for Sale, The Cat's-Paw, The Magnificent Dope
• August 11 – Stefan Jaracz, 61, Polish actor, Countess Walewska
• September 1 – Terry, 11, American performing Cairn Terrier, The Wizard of Oz
• November 11 – Jerome Kern, 60, American composer, Show Boat, Swing Time
• November 12 – Jaro Fürth, 74, Austrian actor, Diary of a Lost Girl, Joyless Street
• November 21 – Robert Benchley, 56, American writer and actor, Foreign Correspondent, You'll Never Get Rich, Road to Utopia
• December 25 – Russell Gleason, 37, American actor, Undercover Agent, The Covered Trailer, News Is Made at Night

• Robert Alda – Rhapsody in Blue
• Barbara Billingsley – Adventure
• Kathryn Card – Kiss and Tell
• Mario Castellani – Romulus and the Sabines
• Jeff Chandler – Thrill of a Romance
• Steve Cochran – Booked on Suspicion
• William Conrad – Pillow to Post
• June Foray – Bring on the Girls
• Vincent Gardenia – The House on 92nd Street
• Vittorio Gassman – Inconto con Laura
• Maxine Gates – Here Come the Co-Eds
• Laura Gore – Romulus and the Sabines
• Coleen Gray – State Fair
• Jane Greer – Pan-Americana
• Dwayne Hickman – Captain Eddie
• John Ireland – A Walk in the Sun
• David Janssen – It's a Pleasure
• Silvana Mangano – The Last Judgment
• E. G. Marshall – The House on 92nd Street
• Murray Matheson – The Way to the Stars
• Darren McGavin – A Song to Remember
• Cameron Mitchell – What Next, Corporal Hargrove?
• Roger Moore – Perfect Strangers
• Phillip Pine – The Sailor Takes a Wife
• John Russell – A Royal Scandal
• Dean Stockwell – The Valley of Decision
• Audrey Totter – Main Street After Dark
• Howard Vernon – Boule de Suif

*Source: Best Years Going to the Movies, 1945-1946 ^[6]