List of Famous people who died in 1940

Jean-Édouard Vuillard was a French painter, decorative artist and printmaker. From 1891 through 1900, he was a prominent member of the Nabis, making paintings which assembled areas of pure color, and interior scenes, influenced by Japanese prints, where the subjects were blended into colors and patterns. He also was a decorative artist, painting theater sets, panels for interior decoration, and designing plates and stained glass. After 1900, when the Nabis broke up, he adopted a more realistic style, painting landscapes and interiors with lavish detail and vivid colors. In the 1920s and 1930s he painted portraits of prominent figures in French industry and the arts in their familiar settings.

Waldemar Christofer Brøgger FRSE was a Norwegian geologist and mineralogist. His research on Permian igneous rocks of the Oslo district greatly advanced petrologic theory on the formation of rocks.

Michel D'Hooghe was a Belgian racing cyclist. He won the Tour of Flanders in 1937.

Jan Frederik ("Frits") Staal, was a Dutch architect, and a major figure in the development of modern architecture in the Netherlands in the first half of the twentieth century. He was the father of the architects Arthur and Georges Staal and the linguist and South Asia scholar Jan Frederik Staal.

Walter Miller was an American actor of the silent era and the early sound era. He appeared in 248 films between 1911 and 1940. He was born in Dayton, Ohio, and died in Hollywood, California, from a heart attack, aged 48. His interment is located at Calvary Cemetery in Evanston, Illinois.

George Lansbury was a British politician and social reformer who led the Labour Party from 1932 to 1935. Apart from a brief period of ministerial office during the Labour government of 1929–31, he spent his political life campaigning against established authority and vested interests, his main causes being the promotion of social justice, women's rights and world disarmament.

Wilfred Van Norman Lucas was a Canadian American stage actor who found success in film as an actor, director, and screenwriter.

Léon Pierre Alphonse Dens was a Belgian politician and shipowner. A member of the Liberal Party, he was killed during the Blitz.

Carl Rudolf Walther vom Rath was a German lawyer, scientist, entrepreneur and politician. In 1890 he became a member of the supervisory board of the Farbwerke vorm. In 1902 he became the company's chairman, and in 1926, he became the first deputy chairman of the IG Farben supervisory board. From 1894 to 1898, he was a member of the Prussian House of Representatives. From 1909 to 1918, he was a member of the Herrenhaus.

Agnes Ayres was an American actress who rose to fame during the silent film era. She was known for her role as Lady Diana Mayo in The Sheik opposite Rudolph Valentino.