List of Famous people who died in 1940

Himanshu Rai, one of the pioneers of Indian cinema, is best known as the founder of the studio in 1934, along with Devika Rani. He was associated with a number of movies, including Goddess (1922), The Light of Asia (1925), Shiraz (1928), A Throw of Dice (1929) and Karma (1933). He was married to actress Devika Rani Chaudhuri (1908–1994).

Vsevolod Emilyevich Meyerhold was a Russian and Soviet theatre director, actor and theatrical producer. His provocative experiments dealing with physical being and symbolism in an unconventional theatre setting made him one of the seminal forces in modern international theatre. During the Great Purge, Meyerhold was arrested, tortured and executed in February 1940.

Kai Bisgaard Anker Møller was a Norwegian land owner and politician.

Suzuki Kisaburō was a statesman, politician, judge, prosecutor, educator and cabinet minister in Taishō and early Shōwa period Japan.