1972 in film

The year 1972 in film involved several significant cinematic events including the release of Francis Ford Coppola's Academy Award-winning film, The Godfather.

Highest-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten 1972 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Awards

Academy Awards:

Best Picture: The Godfather - Albert S. Ruddy, Paramount

Best Director : Bob Fosse - Cabaret

Best Actor: Marlon Brando - The Godfather (declined)

Best Actress: Liza Minnelli - Cabaret

Best Supporting Actor; Joel Grey - Cabaret

Best Supporting Actress : Eileen Heckart - Butterflies Are Free

Best Foreign Language Film: The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (Le Charme discret de la bourgeoisie), directed by Luis Buñuel, France

Golden Globe Awards:

Drama:

Best Picture: The Godfather

Best Actor: Marlon Brando - The Godfather

Best Actress: Liv Ullmann - The Emigrants

Musical or comedy:

Best Picture: Cabaret

Best Actor: Jack Lemmon - Avanti!

Best Actress: Liza Minnelli - Cabaret

Other

Best Director: Francis Ford Coppola - The Godfather

Best Foreign Language Film (tie): The Emigrants (Utvandrarna), Sweden

Best Foreign Language Film (tie): The New Land (Nybyggarna), Sweden

Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):

The Working Class Goes to Heaven (La classe operaia va in paradiso), directed by Elio Petri, Italy

The Mattei Affair (Il Caso Mattei), directed by Francesco Rosi, Italy

Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):

The Canterbury Tales (I Racconti di Canterbury), directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini, Italy / France

Notable films released in 1972

U.S.A. unless stated

#

• The 14 Amazons (Shi si nu ying hao), starring Lisa Lu - (Hong Kong)
• 1776, starring William Daniels, Howard Da Silva, John Cullum, Ken Howard, Blythe Danner

A

• Across 110th Street, starring Anthony Quinn and Yaphet Kotto
• The Adventures of Barry McKenzie, directed by Bruce Beresford, starring Barry Crocker, Barry Humphries, Peter Cook, Spike Milligan - (Australia)
• Aguirre, the Wrath of God (Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes), directed by Werner Herzog, starring Klaus Kinski- (West Germany)
• The Amazing Mr. Blunden, starring Laurence Naismith and Lynne Frederick - (U.K.)
• Angry Guest (E ke), directed by Chang Cheh - (Hong Kong)
• Another Nice Mess, starring Rich Little
• Antony and Cleopatra, directed by and starring Charlton Heston, with Hildegarde Neil - (U.K.)
• Apna Desh (Our Country), starring Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz - (India)
• The Assassination of Trotsky, starring Richard Burton and Alain Delon - (Italy)
• Asylum, starring Britt Ekland, Barbara Parkins, Charlotte Rampling, Peter Cushing, Barry Morse
• Avanti!, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet Mills

B

• Bad Company, directed by Robert Benton, starring Jeff Bridges and Barry Brown
• Baharo Phool Barsao - (Pakistan)
• Baron Blood (Gli orrori del castello di Norimberga), directed by Mario Bava, starring Joseph Cotten and Elke Sommer - (Italy)
• Bartleby, starring Paul Scofield - (U.K.)
• Bawarchi (The Chef), starring Rajesh Khanna - (India)
• Be-Imaan - (India)
• Ben, starring Lee Montgomery
• The Big Bird Cage, starring Pam Grier
• The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (Die Bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant), directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, starring Hanna Schygulla - (West Germany)
• Blacula, starring William Marshall and Vonetta McGee
• Bluebeard, directed by Edward Dmytryk, starring Richard Burton, Joey Heatherton, Raquel Welch, Virna Lisi, Sybil Danning
• Bone, starring Yaphet Kotto
• Boxcar Bertha, directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Barbara Hershey and David Carradine
• The Boy Turns Man (Momcheto si otiva), directed by Lyudmil Kirkov, starring Nevena Kokanova, Kiril Gospodinov, Sashka Bratanova - (Bulgaria)
• Brother Sun, Sister Moon (Fratello Sole, Sorella Luna), directed by Franco Zeffirelli - (Italy/U.K.)
• Buck and the Preacher, directed by and starring Sidney Poitier, with Harry Belafonte and Ruby Dee
• Butterflies Are Free, starring Goldie Hawn, Edward Albert, Eileen Heckart (Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress)

C

• Cabaret, directed by Bob Fosse, starring Liza Minnelli, Michael York, Joel Grey - 8 Academy Awards, including Best Director, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor
• The Candidate, directed by Michael Ritchie, starring Robert Redford, Peter Boyle, Melvyn Douglas
• The Canterbury Tales (I racconti di Canterbury), by Pier Paolo Pasolini, starring Hugh Griffith - Golden Bear winner - (Italy)
• The Carey Treatment, directed by Blake Edwards, starring James Coburn and Jennifer O'Neill
• Carry On Matron, starring Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Hattie Jacques - (U.K.)
• The Castle of Purity (El castillo de la pureza) - (Mexico)
• Cats' Play (Macskajáték) - (Hungary)
• Chato's Land, starring Charles Bronson, Jack Palance, James Whitmore, Richard Basehart, Ralph Waite
• Child's Play, directed by Sidney Lumet, starring James Mason, Robert Preston, Beau Bridges
• Cheongchun gyosa (The Young Teacher) - (South Korea)
• Chloe in the Afternoon (L'Amour l'après-midi), directed by Éric Rohmer, starring Zouzou - (France)
• Cisco Pike, starring Kris Kristofferson, Karen Black, Gene Hackman
• Come Back, Charleston Blue, starring Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St. Jacques
• Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, starring Roddy McDowall, Ricardo Montalbán, Natalie Trundy, Don Murray
• Corky, starring Robert Blake and Charlotte Rampling
• The Cowboys, directed by Mark Rydell, starring John Wayne, Roscoe Lee Browne, Bruce Dern
• Cries and Whispers (Viskningar och rop), directed by Ingmar Bergman, starring Harriet Andersson, Ingrid Thulin, Liv Ullmann - (Sweden)
• The Cruel Sea (Bas ya Bahar) - (Kuwait)
• The Culpepper Cattle Co., directed by Dick Richards, starring Gary Grimes
• Cu mâinile curate (With Clean Hands) - (Romania)

D

• Daigoro vs. Goliath - (Japan)
• Daughters of Satan, starring Tom Selleck
• The Dawns Here Are Quiet (A zori zdes tikhie) - (U.S.S.R.)
• A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, starring Alan Bates - (U.K.)
• Days of '36, directed by Theodoros Angelopoulos
• The Dagger - drama romance film directed by Fereydun Gole (Iran)
• Deliverance, directed by John Boorman, starring Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox
• Dirty Little Billy, starring Michael J. Pollard
• The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, directed by Luis Buñuel, starring Fernando Rey, Delphine Seyrig, Stephane Audran - Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film - (France)
• Don't Torture a Duckling (Non si sevizia un paperino) - (Italy)
• Dr. Jekyll y el Hombre Lobo (Dr. Jekyll and the Wolfman), starring Paul Naschy - (Spain)
• Dr. Phibes Rises Again, starring Vincent Price and Robert Quarry - (U.K.)
• Dynamite Chicken, starring Richard Pryor

E

• Eagle in a Cage, starring John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Billie Whitelaw, Kenneth Haigh
• The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, directed by Paul Newman, starring Joanne Woodward
• Endless Night, directed by Sidney Gilliat, starring Hayley Mills, Hywel Bennett, Britt Ekland - (U.K.)
• Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask), directed by and starring Woody Allen, with Gene Wilder, Lynn Redgrave, Louise Lasser, Lou Jacobi, Heather MacRae, Tony Randall, Burt Reynolds

F

• Fat City, directed by John Huston, starring Stacy Keach, Jeff Bridges, Susan Tyrrell
• Fata Morgana, directed by Werner Herzog - (West Germany)
• Fear in the Night, starring Judy Geeson, Ralph Bates, Peter Cushing and Joan Collins- (U.K.)
• Fellini's Roma, directed by Federico Fellini - (Italy)
• Fillmore, a music documentary film featuring Santana, Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane
• The Final Comedown, starring Billy Dee Williams
• Fist of Fury (JÄ«ng WÇ" Mén), starring Bruce Lee - (Hong Kong)
• Un flic (A Cop), directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, starring Alain Delon and Catherine Deneuve - (France)
• Follow Me!, starring Mia Farrow
• Frenzy, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Jon Finch, Alec McCowen, Barry Foster, Anna Massey - (U.K.)
• Fritz the Cat, directed by Ralph Bakshi â€" first animated movie to receive an X rating
• Frogs, directed by George McCowan, starring Ray Milland, Sam Elliott, Joan Van Ark
• Fuzz, starring Burt Reynolds, Yul Brynner and Raquel Welch

G

• Game of Death, starring Bruce Lee and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - (Hong Kong/U.S.A.)
• Gentlemen of Fortune (Dzhentlmeny udachi) - (U.S.S.R.)
• The Getaway, directed by Sam Peckinpah, starring Steve McQueen, Ali MacGraw, Ben Johnson, Al Lettieri, Sally Struthers, Jack Dodson, Slim Pickens
• The Girl on the Broomstick (Dívka na koÅ¡tÄ›ti) - (Czechoslovakia)
• Glastonbury Fayre, directed by Nicolas Roeg and Peter Neal, featuring Family, Fairport Convention, Traffic and more - (U.K.)
• The Goalkeeper's Fear of the Penalty (Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter), directed by Wim Wenders - (West Germany)
• The Goat Horn (Koziyat rog) - (Bulgaria)
• The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall, John Cazale, Richard Castellano, Talia Shire, Gianni Russo, Richard Conte, John Marley, Alex Rocco, Al Lettieri, Sterling Hayden -- Academy Awards for best picture and best actor
• Godzilla vs. Gigan, directed by Jun Fukuda - (Japan)
• The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid, starring Cliff Robertson and Robert Duvall
• The Groundstar Conspiracy, starring George Peppard

H

• Hammersmith Is Out, directed by and starring Peter Ustinov, with Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Beau Bridges
• The Harder They Come, starring Jimmy Cliff - (Jamaica)
• The Heartbreak Kid, directed by Elaine May, starring Charles Grodin, Jeannie Berlin, Cybill Shepherd, Eddie Albert
• Henry VIII and His Six Wives, starring Keith Michell, Charlotte Rampling, Jane Asher - (U.K.)
• Her Third (Der Dritte) - (East Germany)
• Hickey & Boggs, starring Robert Culp and Bill Cosby
• The Hot Rock, directed by Peter Yates, starring Robert Redford, George Segal, Ron Leibman, Zero Mostel

I

• Images, directed by Robert Altman, starring Susannah York - (U.S.A./U.K.)
• Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan (Ai Nu) - (Hong Kong)
• Insect Woman (Chungnyeo) - (South Korea)

J

• J. W. Coop, starring Cliff Robertson
• João and the Knife (João e a faca) - (Brazil)
• Jeremiah Johnson, directed by Sydney Pollack, starring Robert Redford
• Joe Kidd, directed by John Sturges, starring Clint Eastwood, Robert Duvall, John Saxon
• Junior Bonner, directed by Sam Peckinpah, starring Steve McQueen, Robert Preston, Ida Lupino, Joe Don Baker

K

• Kansas City Bomber, starring Raquel Welch
• The King of Marvin Gardens, directed by Bob Rafelson, starring Jack Nicholson, Bruce Dern, Ellen Burstyn
• Koshish, starring Sanjeev Kumar - (India)

L

• Lady Caroline Lamb, directed by Robert Bolt, starring Sarah Miles, Richard Chamberlain, Laurence Olivier - (U.K.)
• Lady Liberty (La Mortadella), starring Sophia Loren and William Devane - (Italy)
• Lady Sings the Blues, biopic of Billie Holiday, directed by Sidney J. Furie, starring Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor
• The Last House on the Left, directed by Wes Craven - controversial film about the rape of two teenage girls
• Last Tango in Paris (Ultimo tango a Parigi), directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, starring Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider - (France/Italy)
• The Legend of Nigger Charley, starring Fred Williamson
• The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, directed by John Huston, starring Paul Newman, Anthony Perkins, Ava Gardner, Roddy McDowall, Victoria Principal
• Limbo, directed by Mark Robson, starring Kate Jackson
• Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (Kozure ÅŒkami: Kowokashi udekashi tsukamatsuru) - (Japan)
• Los Amigos (a.k.a. Deaf Smith & Johnny Ears), starring Anthony Quinn and Franco Nero - (Italy/U.S.)
• Ludwig, directed by Luchino Visconti, starring Helmut Berger, Trevor Howard, Silvana Mangano - (Italy/France)

M

• The Man, TV movie written by Rod Serling, starring James Earl Jones, Burgess Meredith, William Windom, Georg Stanford Brown, Jack Benny
• Man of La Mancha, starring Peter O'Toole, Sophia Loren, James Coco - (U.S./Italy)
• The Man Who Quit Smoking (Mannen som slutade röka) - (Sweden)
• Manhunt (La mala ordina), starring Henry Silva - (Italy)
• The Master Touch starring Kirk Douglas- (Italy)
• The Mattei Affair, directed by Francesco Rosi, starring Gian Maria Volonté - Palme d'Or winner - (Italy)
• The Mechanic, starring Charles Bronson
• Metzitzim (Peeping Toms) - (Israel)
• Moon of the Wolf, starring David Janssen and Bradford Dillman
• Mutiny on the Buses, starring Reg Varney - (U.K.)
• My Dearest señorita (Mi querida señorita) - (Spain)
• My Name Is Shanghai Joe, starring Klaus Kinski and Chen Lee - (Italy)

M

• Mehdi in Black and Hot Mini Pants, starring Naser Malek Motiee and Hamideh Kheirabadi (Iran)

N

• Napoleon and Samantha, starring Michael Douglas and Jodie Foster
• The New Centurions, starring George C. Scott and Stacy Keach
• The New Land (Nybyggarna), directed by Jan Troell, starring Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann - Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film â€" (Sweden)
• Nidhanaya (The Treasure) - (Sri Lanka)
• Night of the Lepus, starring Janet Leigh, Stuart Whitman, Rory Calhoun, Deforest Kelley
• The Night Stalker, TV movie starring Darren McGavin, Simon Oakland, Carol Lynley, Claude Akins. Ralph Meeker, Kent Smith, Charles McGraw, Larry Linville, Barry Atwater
• Now You See Him, Now You Don't, starring Kurt Russell

O

• The Offence, directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Sean Connery and Trevor Howard - (U.K./U.S.A.)
• One Is a Lonely Number, starring Trish Van Devere
• The Other, starring Diana Muldaur
• The Other Side of the Underneath, starring Sheila Allen - (U.K.)
• The Outside Man (Un homme est mort), starring Jean-Louis Trintignant, Ann-Margret, Angie Dickinson - (France)
• Oyster Village (Seokhwachon) - (South Korea)

P

• Pancho Villa, starring Telly Savalas, Clint Walker, Chuck Connors, Anne Francis
• Pearl in the Crown (PerÅ‚a w koronie) - (Poland)
• Pete 'n' Tillie, directed by Martin Ritt, starring Walter Matthau and Carol Burnett
• Pink Flamingos, directed by John Waters, starring Divine
• Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii, directed by Adrian Maben, starring Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright, Nick Mason
• Play It Again, Sam, directed by Herbert Ross, starring Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts
• Play It as It Lays, directed by Frank Perry, starring Tuesday Weld and Anthony Perkins
• Pocket Money, directed by Stuart Rosenberg, starring Paul Newman and Lee Marvin
• Pope Joan, starring Liv Ullmann, Olivia de Havilland, Franco Nero
• The Poseidon Adventure, directed by Ronald Neame, starring Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Carol Lynley, Stella Stevens, Shelley Winters, Jack Albertson, Pamela Sue Martin, Roddy McDowall, Leslie Nielsen
• The Possession of Joel Delaney, starring Shirley MacLaine and Perry King
• Prime Cut, starring Lee Marvin and Gene Hackman
• Private Parts, directed by Paul Bartel
• Pulp, starring Michael Caine - (U.K.)

R

• Rage, starring George C. Scott and Martin Sheen
• Raja Jani, starring Dharmendra - (India)
• A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die, starring James Coburn and Telly Savalas - (Italy)
• Red Psalm (Még kér a nép), directed by Miklós Jancsó - (Hungary)
• The Revengers, starring William Holden and Ernest Borgnine
• The Rowdyman, starring Gordon Pinsent - (Canada)
• The Ruling Class, starring Peter O'Toole and Alastair Sim - (U.K.)

S

• The Salzburg Connection, starring Barry Newman, Anna Karina, Klaus Maria Brandauer
• Savage Messiah, directed by Ken Russell - (U.K.)
• Sbatti il mostro in prima pagina (Slam the Monster on the Frontpage), starring Gian Maria Volonté - (Italy)
• The Scientific Cardplayer (Lo Scopone Scientifico), starring Bette Davis, Alberto Sordi and Silvana Mangano - (Italy)
• The Seduction of Mimi (Mimí metallurgico ferito nell'onore), starring Mariangela Melato - (Italy)
• Shaft's Big Score, starring Richard Roundtree and Moses Gunn
• Silent Running, starring Bruce Dern
• Sitting Target, starring Oliver Reed, Ian McShane and Jill St. John - (U.K.)
• Skyjacked, starring Charlton Heston, Yvette Mimieux, James Brolin, Jeanne Crain, Walter Pidgeon
• Slaughter, starring Jim Brown, Stella Stevens, Rip Torn
• Slaughterhouse-Five, directed by George Roy Hill, starring Michael Sacks, Ron Leibman, Valerie Perrine
• Sleuth, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, starring Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine - (U.S.A./(U.K.)
• Snoopy, Come Home
• Solaris, directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, starring Natalya Bondarchuk - (U.S.S.R.)
• Something to Hide, starring Peter Finch and Shelley Winters
• Sounder, directed by Martin Ritt, starring Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield
• State of Siege (État de Siège), directed by Costa-Gavras, starring Yves Montand - (France)
• Steptoe and Son, starred Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H. Corbett - (U.K.)
• Stigma, directed by David E. Durston, starring Philip Michael Thomas
• Street Mobster (Gendai yakuza: hito-kiri yota) - (Japan)
• Super Fly, directed by Gordon Parks, Jr., starring Ron O'Neal

T

• Tabi no Omosa (Journey into Solitude) - (Japan)
• Tales from the Crypt, starring Peter Cushing and Joan Collins - (U.K.)
• The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe (Le Grand Blond avec une chaussure noire) - (France)
• Taming of the Fire (Ukroshcheniye ognya) - (U.S.S.R.)
• They Only Kill Their Masters, starring James Garner and Katharine Ross
• The Thing with Two Heads, starring Ray Milland and Rosey Grier
• To Find a Man, starring Pamela Sue Martin, Tom Bosley, Tom Ewell, Phyllis Newman
• Tomorrow, starring Robert Duvall
• Tonta, tonta, pero no tanto (Foolish, Foolish, but not that Much) - (Mexico)
• Tout Va Bien (Everything's Fine), directed by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Jane Fonda and Yves Montand - (France/Italy)
• Travels with My Aunt, starring Maggie Smith
• Treasure Island, starring Orson Welles - (France/Germany/Spain/USA)
• Trick Baby, starring Kiel Martin and Mel Stewart
• The Triple Echo, directed by Michael Apted, starring Glenda Jackson and Oliver Reed - (U.K.)
• Trouble Man, directed by Ivan Dixon, starring Robert Hooks and Paul Winfield

U

• Ulzana's Raid, directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Burt Lancaster
• Under Milk Wood, starring Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Peter O'Toole - (U.K.)
• Under the Flag of the Rising Sun (Gunki hatameku moto ni) - (Japan)
• Une belle fille comme moi (a.k.a. Such a Gorgeous Kid Like Me), directed by François Truffaut - (France)

V

• The Valachi Papers, starring Charles Bronson and Lino Ventura - (Italy/France)
• La Vallée, directed by Barbet Schroeder, starring Bulle Ogier with music by Pink Floyd - (France)
• Vampire Circus, starring Adrienne Corri and Anthony Higgins - (U.K.)
• Victoria No. 203 - (India)
• The Visitors, directed by Elia Kazan

W

• The War Between Men and Women starring Jack Lemmon and Barbara Harris
• The Water Margin (Shui hu zhuan), directed by Chang Cheh - (Hong Kong)
• Way of the Dragon (Meng long guo jiang), directed by and starring Bruce Lee with Nora Miao and Chuck Norris - (Hong Kong)
• We Won't Grow Old Together (Nous ne vieillirons pas ensemble) - (France)
• The Wedding (Wesele), directed by Andrzej Wajda - (Poland)
• What's Up, Doc?, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, starring Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal
• When the Gods Fall Asleep (Quando os Deuses Adormecem) - (Brazil)
• Where Does It Hurt? starring Peter Sellers
• Winter Soldier, a documentary made by Vietnam Veterans Against the War
• The Wrath of God, starring Robert Mitchum, Rita Hayworth, Frank Langella

XYZ

• X,Y, and Zee, aka Zee and Co., starring Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Caine, Susannah York
• You'll Like My Mother, starring Patty Duke
• Young Winston, biopic of Winston Churchill, directed by Richard Attenborough, starring Simon Ward, Robert Shaw, Anne Bancroft - (U.K.)

Births

• January 1 - Catherine McCormack, actress
• January 11 - Amanda Peet, actress
• January 15 - Kobe Tai (also known as Carla Scott), adult and mainstream actress
• February 9 - Crispin Freeman, voice actor
• March 13 - Common, actor
• March 18 - Dane Cook, comedian
• March 23 - Judith Godrèche, actress
• March 31 - Alejandro Amenábar, Spanish director, writer and soundtrack composer
• April 17 - Jennifer Garner, actress
• April 29 - Derek Mears, actor and stuntman
• May 2 - Dwayne Johnson, actor
• May 28 - Chiara Mastroianni, actress
• June 7 - Karl Urban, actor
• June 19 - Robin Tunney, actress
• June 28 - Alessandro Nivola, actor
• July 5 - Gilles Lellouche, actor and director
• July 29 - Wil Wheaton, actor
• August 12 - Rebecca Gayheart, actress
• August 15 - Ben Affleck, actor, director and writer
• August 30 - Cameron Diaz, actress
• September 8 - Giovanni Frezza, actor
• September 27 - Gwyneth Paltrow, actress
• October 17 - Eminem (also known as Marshall Mathers), rapper and actor
• October 22 - Saffron Burrows, actress
• November 1 - Jenny McCarthy, actress
• November 6 - Rebecca Romijn, actress
• November 7 - Jeremy and Jason London, actors
• November 14 - Josh Duhamel, actor
• December 7 - Jennifer Syme, entertainment industry employee (d. 2001)
• December 15 - Stuart Townsend, actor
• December 23 - Christian Potenza, actor/voice actor
• December 29 - Jude Law, actor

Deaths

• January 1 - Maurice Chevalier, 83, French actor/cabaret singer, Gigi, In Search of the Castaways
• January 8 - Wesley Ruggles, 82, American director, producer, I'm No Angel, Arizona
• January 17 - Rochelle Hudson, 55, American actress, Rebel Without a Cause, Imitation of Life
• January 24 - Jerome Cowan, 74, American actor, The Maltese Falcon, Miracle on 34th Street
• February 2 - Jessie Royce Landis, 75, American actress, North by Northwest, To Catch a Thief
• February 7 - Walter Lang, 75, American director, The King and I, The Little Princess
• February 19 - John Grierson, 73, Scottish director, producer, The Song of Ceylon, The Brave Don't Cry
• March 20 - Marilyn Maxwell, 51, American actress, Champion, The Lemon Drop Kid
• April 5
  • Brian Donlevy, 71, Irish actor, Kiss of Death, Wake Island
  • Isabel Jewell, 64, American actress, Gone with the Wind, Lost Horizon
• April 25 - George Sanders, 65, British actor, All About Eve, Rebecca
• April 30 - Gia Scala, 38, English-Italian actress, The Guns of Navarone, Don't Go Near the Water
• May 3 - Bruce Cabot, 68, American actor, King Kong, Diamonds Are Forever
• May 4 - Manny Ziener, 84, German actress
• May 5 - Frank Tashlin, 59, American director, Son of Paleface, Artists and Models
• May 13 - Dan Blocker, 43, American actor, Lady in Cement, Come Blow Your Horn
• May 15 - Nigel Green, 47, South African actor, The Ipcress File, Zulu
• May 21 - Margaret Rutherford, 80, English actress, Murder at the Gallop, Murder, She Said
• July 3 - Hal Walker, 76, American director, Sailor Beware, At War with the Army
• July 6 - Brandon deWilde, 30, American actor, Shane, Hud
• July 28 - Helen Traubel, 73, American singer and actress, Deep in My Heart, The Ladies Man
• August 7 - Joi Lansing, 43, American actress, Touch of Evil, A Hole in the Head
• August 14 - Oscar Levant, 65, American actor, An American in Paris, The Band Wagon
• September 12 - William Boyd, 77, American actor, Hopalong Cassidy film series
• September 17 - Akim Tamiroff, 72, Russian actor, Ocean's 11, Touch of Evil
• September 30 - Edgar G. Ulmer, 68, Czech-Austrian director, The Black Cat, Detour
• October 4 - Colin Gordon, 61, British actor, The Pink Panther
• October 9 - Miriam Hopkins, 69, American actress, Trouble in Paradise, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• October 16 - Leo G. Carroll, 85, English actor, North by Northwest, Strangers on a Train
• October 22 - Jack Melford, 73, English actor, A Shot in the Dark, Lust for a Vampire
• October 24 - Claire Windsor, 80, American actress, The Blot, Captain Lash
• November 5 - Reginald Owen, 85, English actor, Mary Poppins, A Christmas Carol
• November 16 - Vera Karalli, 83, Russian actress, ballerina
• November 23 - Marie Wilson, 56, American actress, Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation, My Friend Irma Goes West
• December 6 - Janet Munro, 38, British actress, Swiss Family Robinson, Darby O'Gill and the Little People
• December 9
  • Louella Parsons, 91, Hollywood columnist
  • William Dieterle, 79, German director, The Life of Emile Zola, The Story of Louis Pasteur

Film debuts

• Ned Beatty - Deliverance
• Jerry Bruckheimer - The Culpepper Cattle Co.
• Blythe Danner - To Kill a Clown
• Jodie Foster - Napoleon and Samantha
• Bob Hoskins - Up the Front
• Isabelle Huppert - Faustine et la bel été
• Samuel L. Jackson - Together for Days
• Madeline Kahn - What's Up, Doc?
• Ben Kingsley - Fear Is the Key
• John Lithgow - Dealing: or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues
• Steve Martin - Another Nice Mess
• Nick Nolte - Dirty Little Billy
• James Woods - The Visitors

Notes

References