William Peter Blatty (1928-2017)
Jan 7 American scriptwriter and author of The Exorcist, born in New York City
- Jan 8 May Wynn [Donna Lee Hickey], American actress (Caine Mutiny; Noah's Ark), and real estate agent, born in New York City (d. 2021)
- Jan 8 Sander Vanocur, American journalist (NBC Weekend News), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 2019) [1]
- Jan 11 David L Wolper, American television and film producer (Roots; The Thorn Birds; Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory; Welcome Back, Kotter), born in New York City (d. 2010)
- Jan 12 Lew Gallo, American character actor and screenwriter (Get Smart; Gunsmoke; 12 O'Clock High), born in Mount Kisco, New York (d. 2000)
- Jan 12 Ruth Brown, American actress and singer sometimes known as the "Queen of R&B" ("So Long"; "Teardrops From My Eyes"), born in Portsmouth, Virginia (d. 2006)
- Jan 13 David Sheiner, American actor (Paul-Mr Novak, Norman-Diana), born in New York City
- Jan 13 Gregory Walcott, American actor (Plan 9 from Outer Space, 87th Precinct), born in Wendell, North Carolina (d. 2015)
- Jan 15 [Beverly] Joanne Linville, American character actress, born in Bakersfield, California (d. 2021)
- Jan 19 Gerard Schurmann, Dutch-British conductor, and composer of classical music (The Double Heart), and film scores, (The Bedford Incident), born in Java, Dutch East Indies (d. 2020)
- Jan 20 Peter Donat, Canadian-American actor (Flamingo Road, Different Story), born in Kentville, Nova Scotia (d. 2018)
- Jan 23 Jeanne Moreau, French actress (Going Places, Jules & Jim), born in Paris, France (d. 2017)
- Jan 24 Michel Serrault, French actor (Nelly & Monsieur Arnaud, La Cage aux Folles), born in Brunoy, France (d. 2007)
- Jan 24 Sid Green, British screenwriter, with Dick Hills (Two Of A Kind; The Strange World of Gurney Slade), and comedian (Those Two Fellers), born in London, England (d. 1999)
- Jan 30 Andrew Salkey, Panamanian-Jamaican novelist, born in Colón, Panama (d. 1995)
- Jan 30 Harold Prince, American producer and director (West Side Story, Evita), born in Manhattan, New York (d. 2019)
About January 1928
How Old? 96 years old
Generation: Silent Generation
Leap Year: Yes