1962

1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar.

• March 16 – Walter Cronkite becomes lead anchor on the CBS Evening News.
• June 11-12 – Three prisoners escape from Alcatraz.
• August 6 – Jamaica becomes separate from the United Kingdom.
• August 16 – The Beatles fire drummer Pete Best and replace him with Ringo Starr.
• October 16 – The Cuban Missile Crisis begins.
• Johnny Carson becomes host of The Tonight Show.

• January 7 – Abigail Johnson, American businesswoman
• January 17 – Jim Carrey, Canadian actor and comedian
• February 6 – Axl Rose, American singer (Guns N' Roses)
• February 7 – Eddie Izzard, British actor and comedian
• February 10 – Cliff Burton, American bassist and songwriter (d. 1986)
• February 11 – Sheryl Crow, American singer
• February 22 – Steve Irwin, Australian animal expert and television personality (The Crocodile Hunter) (d. 2006)
• February 27 – Adam Baldwin, American actor
• March 2 – Jon Bon Jovi, American singer, songwriter, and actor
• March 4 – Lolo Ferrari, French actress (d. 2000)
• March 7 – Taylor Dayne, American singer
• March 21 – Rosie O'Donnell, American comedian, actress and talk show host
• March 25 – Marcia Cross, American actress
• April 23 – Hillel Slovak, American musician (Red Hot Chili Peppers) (d. 1988)
• May 17 – Alan Johnston, British journalist
• May 18 – Nanne Grönvall, Swedish singer
• June 3 – Susannah Constantine, English television presenter
• June 8 - Nick Rhodes, English keyboardist (Duran Duran)
• June 10 – Maxi Priest, English singer
• June 11 – Jack Irons, American musician (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
• June 19 – Paula Abdul, dancer and singer; American Idol judge
• July 3 – Tom Cruise, American actor
• July 31 – Wesley Snipes, American actor
• August 20 – James Marsters, American actor
• August 28 – John Gebbia, American businessman
• August 30 – Alexander Litvinenko, British citizen and ex-KGB (d. 2006)
• September 17 – Baz Luhrmann, Australian movie director
• September 27 - Adolfo González, Mexican archer
• October 2 – Jeff Bennett, American actor
• October 16 – Flea, American musician (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
• October 17 – Mike Judge, American animator and producer
• October 19 – Evander Holyfield, American boxer
• November 1 – Anthony Kiedis, American singer (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
• November 11 – Demi Moore, American actress
• November 19 – Jodie Foster, American actress and director
• December 9 – Felicity Huffman, American actress
• December 22
  • Andres Cantor, Argentine/American sportscaster
  • Ralph Fiennes, English actor

• April 10 – Stuart Sutcliffe, English musician (The Beatles) (b. 1940)

• July 11 – Polly Adler, Russian writer (b. 1900)

• August 5 – Marilyn Monroe, American actress (b. 1926)
• August 9 – Hermann Hesse, German writer (b. 1877)

• November 7- Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the United States, wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt (b. 1884)
• November 18 – Niels Bohr, Danish physicist (b. 1885)