# 1974 in film

The year 1974 in film involved some significant events. Columbia Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) celebrated their 50th anniversaries.

## Highest-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten 1974 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:
Highest-grossing films of 1974 :
| Rank | Title | Distributor(s) | Domestic rentals |
| 1 | The Towering Inferno | 20th Century Fox / Warner Bros. | $50,000,000 |
| 2 | Blazing Saddles | Warner Bros. | $45,200,000 |
| 3 | Young Frankenstein | 20th Century Fox | $38,800,000 |
| 4 | Earthquake | Universal | $36,300,000 |
| 5 | The Trial of Billy Jack | Warner Bros. | $31,100,000 |
| 6 | The Godfather Part II | Paramount | $30,700,000 |
| 7 | Airport 1975 | Universal Pictures | $25,800,000 |
| 8 | The Longest Yard | Paramount | $23,000,000 |
| 9 | Death Wish | Paramount | $22,000,000 |
| 10 | The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams | Sunn Classic | $21,895,000 |

## Events

* February 7 – Blazing Saddles is released in the United States.
* May 28 - Joseph E. Levine, the founder of Embassy Pictures, resigns as president.
* June 20 – Chinatown, directed by Roman Polanski and featured Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, and John Huston, is released to worldwide critical acclaim.
* September 23 – Barry Diller announced as chairman and chief executive office of Paramount Pictures.
* November 1 – Technicolor ceases its legendary dye-transfer printing process.
* November 8 – Frank Yablans announces his resignation as president of Paramount Pictures with effect from January 5, 1975.
* Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer celebrated its fiftieth anniversary with big fanfare, including That's Entertainment!, a retrospective documentary celebrating its prestigious musicals (e.g. The Wizard of Oz, Singin' in the Rain, Meet Me in St. Louis, Gigi, An American in Paris, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers).
* October–December – Three "disaster films" are released in three consecutive months: Airport 1975, Earthquake, and The Towering Inferno respectively. All were box office successes.
* December 30 – Gordon Stulberg resigns as president of 20th Century Fox.
* Kevin Costner made his film debut in Sizzle Beach, U.S.A., although the film was not released until 1986.

## Awards

| Category/Organization | 32nd Golden Globe Awards January 25, 1975 | 32nd Golden Globe Awards January 25, 1975 | 28th BAFTA Awards February 18, 1975 | 47th Academy Awards April 8, 1975 |
| Category/Organization | Drama | Comedy or Musical | 28th BAFTA Awards February 18, 1975 | 47th Academy Awards April 8, 1975 |
| Best Film | Chinatown | The Longest Yard | Lacombe, Lucien | The Godfather Part II |
| Best Director | Roman Polanski Chinatown | Roman Polanski Chinatown | Roman Polanski Chinatown | Francis Ford Coppola The Godfather Part II |
| Best Actor | Jack Nicholson Chinatown | Art Carney Harry and Tonto | Jack Nicholson The Last Detail / Chinatown | Art Carney Harry and Tonto |
| Best Actress | Gena Rowlands A Woman Under the Influence | Raquel Welch The Three Musketeers | Joanne Woodward Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams | Ellen Burstyn Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore |
| Best Supporting Actor | Fred Astaire The Towering Inferno | Fred Astaire The Towering Inferno | John Gielgud Murder on the Orient Express | Robert De Niro The Godfather Part II |
| Best Supporting Actress | Karen Black The Great Gatsby | Karen Black The Great Gatsby | Ingrid Bergman Murder on the Orient Express | Ingrid Bergman Murder on the Orient Express |
| Best Screenplay, Adapted | Chinatown Robert Towne | Chinatown Robert Towne | Chinatown / The Last Detail Robert Towne | The Godfather Part II Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo |
| Best Screenplay, Original | Chinatown Robert Towne | Chinatown Robert Towne | Chinatown / The Last Detail Robert Towne | Chinatown Robert Towne |
| Best Original Score | Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe The Little Prince | Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe The Little Prince | Richard Rodney Bennett Murder on the Orient Express | Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola The Godfather Part II Nelson Riddle The Great Gatsby |
| Best Original Song | "I Feel Love" Benji | "I Feel Love" Benji | N/A | "We May Never Love Like This Again" The Towering Inferno |
| Best Foreign Language Film | Scenes from a Marriage | Scenes from a Marriage | N/A | Amarcord |
Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):
    The Conversation, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, United States
Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):
    The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, directed by Ted Kotcheff, Canada

## 1974 films
### By country/region

* List of American films of 1974
* List of Argentine films of 1974
* List of Australian films of 1974
* List of Bangladeshi films of 1974
* List of British films of 1974
* List of Canadian films of 1974
* List of French films of 1974
* List of Hong Kong films of 1974
* List of Indian films of 1974
** List of Hindi films of 1974
** List of Kannada films of 1974
** List of Malayalam films of 1974
** List of Marathi films of 1974
** List of Tamil films of 1974
** List of Telugu films of 1974
* List of Japanese films of 1974
* List of Mexican films of 1974
* List of Pakistani films of 1974
* List of South Korean films of 1974
* List of Soviet films of 1974
* List of Spanish films of 1974

### By genre/medium

* List of action films of 1974
* List of animated feature films of 1974
* List of avant-garde films of 1974
* List of comedy films of 1974
* List of drama films of 1974
* List of horror films of 1974
* List of science fiction films of 1974
* List of thriller films of 1974
* List of western films of 1974

## Births

* January 1 – Jennifer Podemski, Canadian actress
* January 5 – Daisy Bates, English actress
* January 10
** Jemaine Clement, New Zealand actor, musician, comedian, singer, director and writer
** Kelly Marcel, English screenwriter, director and former actress
** Mehdi Nebbou, French actor
** Hrithik Roshan, Indian actor
* January 14 - Kevin Durand, Canadian actor
* January 16 - Johnny Trí Nguyễn, Vietnamese–American actor
* January 18 - Maulik Pancholy, American actor
* January 19 - Natassia Malthe, Norwegian actress and model
* January 21 - Vincent Laresca, American actor
* January 24 – Ed Helms, American actor and comedian
* January 28
** Ty Olsson, Canadian actor
** Melody Perkins, American actress
* January 30
** Christian Bale, English actor
** Olivia Colman, English actress
* February 2 - Oz Perkins, American actor, screenwriter and director
* February 4 – Urmila Matondkar, Indian actress
* February 5 - Tofiga Fepulea'i, New Zealand actor and comedian
* February 8
** Seth Green, American actor, voice artist, comedian, producer, writer and director
** Susan May Pratt, American actress
* February 9
** Erra Fazira, Malaysian actress
** Amber Valletta, American model and actress
* February 10
** Elizabeth Banks, American actress, director, writer and producer
** María Botto, Argentine-Spanish actress
** Tanoai Reed, American stuntman and actor
* February 11 - Isaiah Mustafa, American actor
* February 12 - Lisa Brenner, American actress
* February 15
** Miranda July (née Grossinger), American filmmaker, performance artist and fiction writer
** Gina Lynn, American former pornographic actress
* February 16 – Mahershala Ali, American actor and rapper
* February 17
** David Lipper, Canadian actor
** Jerry O'Connell, American actor
* February 18 – Nadine Labaki, Lebanese actress, director and activist
* February 25 – Divya Bharti, Indian actress (d. 1993)
* March 5
** Kevin Connolly, American actor and director
** Matt Lucas, English actor, comedian, writer and television presenter
** Eva Mendes, American actress
* March 7
** Jenna Fischer, American actress
** Tobias Menzies, English actor
* March 8
** Cesar Velasco Broca, Spanish actor and cult filmmaker
** Danny Corkill, American former child actor
* March 14 - Etan Cohen, Israeli-American screenwriter and director
* March 15 - Renoly Santiago, Puerto Rican actor, singer and writer
* March 21 - Rhys Darby, New Zealand actor, comedian and voice actor
* March 23 - Randall Park, American actor, comedian and writer
* March 24 – Alyson Hannigan, American actress
* March 25 - Laz Alonso, American actor
* March 31
** Adrian Holmes, Canadian actor
** Victoria Smurfit, Irish actress
* April 2 - Harold Hunter, American professional skateboarder and actor (d. 2006)
* April 10 - Omar Metwally, American actor
* April 11 - David Banner, American rapper and actor
* April 12 - Marley Shelton, American actress
* April 15
** Fay Masterson, English actress
** Danny Pino, American actor
* April 18 - Edgar Wright, English filmmaker
* April 21
** John Hasler, English actor and voice-over artist
** Tony Kgoroge, South African actor
* April 23 - Barry Watson, American actor
* April 24 – Jennifer Paz, Filipino actress
* April 26 – Ivana Miličević, American actress
* April 28 – Penélope Cruz, Spanish actress
* May 2 - Matt Berry, English actor, voice actor, comedian, writer and musician
* May 3 - Joseph Kosinski, American filmmaker
* May 7 – Breckin Meyer, American actor, voice actor, writer and producer
* May 10 - Craig Hall, New Zealand actor
* May 11 – Benoît Magimel, French actor
* May 14 - Carla Jimenez, American actress
* May 15 – Russell Hornsby, American actor
* May 21 – Fairuza Balk, American actress
* May 22 – Sean Gunn, American actor
* May 23 - Jewel, American singer-songwriter and actress
* May 24 - Dash Mihok, American actor and director
* May 25 - Maria Fernanda Cândido, Brazilian actress and television presenter
* June 2 - Leah Cairns, Canadian actress
* June 6 - Danny Strong, American actor, writer, director and producer
* June 11 - Lenny Jacobson, American actor
* June 12
** Jared Bush, American screenwriter, producer and director
** Jason Mewes, American actor, comedian, film producer and podcaster
* June 13 - Brande Roderick, American model and actress
* June 14 - Phillip Rhys, English actor and filmmaker
* June 16 - Joseph May, British-born Canadian-American actor
* June 20 – Lenin M. Sivam, Sri Lankan-Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter
* June 23 – Joel Edgerton, Australian actor
* June 25
** Jeff Cohen, American former child actor
** Karisma Kapoor, Indian actress
* June 28 - Kirsty Mitchell, Scottish actress
* July 1 - Jonathan Roumie, American actor
* July 3 - Corey Reynolds, American actor
* July 4 - Mick Wingert, American voice actor
* July 8 – Tami Erin, American actress
* July 10 - Imelda May, Irish actress and singer
* July 14 - Maxine Peake, English actress
* July 16 - Robinne Lee, American actress
* July 20 - Simon Rex, American actor, rapper and comedian
* July 22
** Donald Faison, American actor, comedian and voice actor
** Franka Potente, German actress
** Johnny Strong, American actor, musician and singer-songwriter
* July 23 - Stephanie March, American actress
* July 27
** Amy Hathaway, American former actress
** Takehiro Hira, Japanese actor
* July 28 - Hannah Waddingham, English actress, singer and television presenter
* July 29 - Josh Radnor, American actor and filmmaker
* July 30 – Hilary Swank, American actress
* July 31
** Emilia Fox, English actress and presenter
** Asher Keddie, Australian actress
* August 2 - Angie Cepeda, Colombian actress
* August 5 – Kajol, Indian actress
* August 7 – Michael Shannon, American actor
* August 8 - Enzo Cilenti, English actor
* August 10 - Craig Kirkwood, American former actor
* August 11 - Chris Messina, American actor, director, writer and producer
* August 14 - Tomer Sisley, Israeli-French actor and comedian
* August 15 – Natasha Henstridge, Canadian actress and model
* August 20
** Amy Adams, American actress
** Misha Collins, American actor
* August 23 – Ray Park, Scottish actor and stuntman
* August 31 - Marc Webb, American music video director and filmmaker
* September 1 - Burn Gorman, English actor and musician
* September 4 - Nona Gaye, American singer and retired actress
* September 5 - Romina Yan, Argentine actress, screenwriter and singer (d. 2010)
* September 6
** Sarah Danielle Madison, American actress (d. 2014)
** Justin Whalin, American former actor
* September 7 - Noah Huntley, English actor
* September 10 – Ryan Phillippe, American actor
* September 11 - Ben Best, American actor, writer, musician and producer (d. 2021)
* September 18 - Xzibit, American rapper, actor and broadcaster
* September 19
** Jimmy Fallon, American television host, comedian and actor
** Victoria Silvstedt, Swedish actress and model
* September 30 - Ashley Hamilton, American actor, comedian and singer-songwriter
* October 1 - Sherri Saum, American actress
* October 2 - Michelle Krusiec, American actress, writer and producer
* October 6
** Fernando Chien, Taiwanese actor and stunt performer
** Alexis Georgoulis, Greek actor
** Jeremy Sisto, American actor, producer and writer
* October 7 - Numan Acar, Turkish-German actor and producer
* October 17
** Matthew Macfadyen, English actor
** Rizwan Manji, Canadian actor
* October 20 – Brian Limond, Scottish comedian, actor and writer
* October 28
** Michael Dougherty, American director, screenwriter, producer and animator
** Jake Kasdan, American filmmaker and actor
** Joaquin Phoenix, American actor
* October 31
** David Dencik, Danish-Swedish actor
** Ruben Fleischer, American director and producer
* November 2 - Nelly, American actor, rapper and singer
* November 4 – Matthew Rhys, Welsh actor
* November 7 - Carl Steven, American child actor (d. 2011)
* November 9 - Ryo Kase, Japanese actor
* November 10 – Simone Singh, Indian actress
* November 11 – Leonardo DiCaprio, American actor
* November 12 - Tamala Jones, American actress
* November 14
** Fatima Adoum, French actress
** David Moscow, American actor and producer
* November 16 – Chloë Sevigny, American actress
* November 17 – Leslie Bibb, American actress and model
* November 21 – Tiit Sukk, Estonian actor
* November 24 - Stephen Merchant, English comedian, actor, writer, director and presenter
* November 25 - Kenneth Mitchell, Canadian actor (d. 2024)
* November 26 - Omar Chaparro, Mexican actor, comedian, television host and singer
* November 30 - Hinnerk Schönemann, German actor
* December 1 – Érica Rivas, Argentinian actress
* December 11 - Lisa Ortiz, American voice actress and voice director
* December 15 - P. J. Byrne, American actor
* December 17
** Paul Briggs, American animator and voice actor
** Sarah Paulson, American actress
** Giovanni Ribisi, American actor
* December 24 - Thure Lindhardt, Danish actor
* December 25 - Andrew McNee, Canadian actor
* December 27 - Masi Oka, Japanese actor, producer and digital effects artist
* December 29 - Mekhi Phifer, American actor

## Deaths

| Month | Date | Name | Age | Country | Profession | Notable films |
| January | 2 | Tex Ritter | 68 | US | Actor, Singer | Trouble in TexasWhere the Buffalo Roam |
| January | 3 | Gino Cervi | 72 | Italy | Actor | BecketBlack Eagle |
| January | 14 | Paul Whitsun-Jones | 50 | UK | Actor | The MoonrakerThe Masque of the Red Death |
| January | 31 | Samuel Goldwyn | 94 | Poland | Producer, Studio Executive | The Best Years of Our LivesGuys and Dolls |
| January | 31 | Roger Pryor | 72 | US | Actor | Glamour for SaleThe Return of Jimmy Valentine |
| February | 7 | Arline Judge | 61 | US | Actress | The Sin of Harold DiddlebockPigskin Parade |
| February | 11 | Anna Q. Nilsson | 85 | Sweden | Actress | Sunset BoulevardSorrell and Son |
| February | 23 | Florence Rice | 67 | US | Actress | At the CircusDouble Wedding |
| February | 23 | Harry Ruby | 79 | US | Screenwriter, Composer | Horse FeathersDuck Soup |
| February | 27 | Orry-Kelly | 66 | Australia | Costume Designer | An American in ParisSome Like It Hot |
| February | 28 | Carole Lesley | 38 | UK | Actress | Woman in a Dressing GownThree on a Spree |
| March | 3 | Barbara Ruick | 43 | US | Actress, Singer | CarouselThe Affairs of Dobie Gillis |
| March | 5 | Billy De Wolfe | 67 | US | Actor | DixieTea for Two |
| March | 7 | Alberto Rabagliati | 67 | Italy | Actor, Singer | The Barefoot ContessaStreet Angel |
| March | 8 | Martha Wentworth | 84 | US | Actress, Voice Actress | Santa Fe UprisingOne Hundred and One Dalmatians |
| March | 13 | Howard St. John | 68 | US | Actor | Born YesterdayLi'l Abner |
| March | 19 | Edward Platt | 58 | US | Actor | North by NorthwestRebel Without a Cause |
| March | 28 | Dorothy Fields | 68 | US | Songwriter | Swing TimeAnnie Get Your Gun |
| March | 28 | Françoise Rosay | 82 | France | Actress | September AffairThe Seventh Sin |
| March | 29 | Seton I. Miller | 71 | US | Screenwriter | ScarfaceHere Comes Mr. Jordan |
| April | 2 | Douglass Dumbrille | 84 | Canada | Actor | Mr. Deeds Goes to TownThe Ten Commandments |
| April | 10 | Patricia Collinge | 81 | Ireland | Actress | Shadow of a DoubtThe Nun's Story |
| April | 13 | Stanley Smith | 71 | US | Actor | HoneyLove Among the Millionaires |
| April | 18 | Betty Compson | 77 | US | Actress | The Docks of New YorkThe Miracle Man |
| April | 20 | Peter Lee Lawrence | 30 | Germany | Actor | For a Few Dollars MoreBlack Beauty |
| April | 24 | Bud Abbott | 78 | US | Actor | Abbott and Costello in HollywoodLittle Giant |
| April | 30 | Agnes Moorehead | 73 | US | Actress | Citizen KaneThe Magnificent Ambersons |
| May | 18 | Mary Maguire | 55 | Australia | Actress | The OutsiderSergeant Murphy |
| May | 24 | Duke Ellington | 75 | US | Composer | Paris BluesAnatomy of a Murder |
| May | 25 | Donald Crisp | 91 | UK | Actor | How Green Was My ValleyNational Velvet |
| June | 6 | Blanche Yurka | 86 | US | Actress | A Tale of Two CitiesQueen of the Mob |
| June | 10 | Lewis R. Foster | 75 | US | Director, Screenwriter | ManhandledHong Kong |
| June | 17 | Pamela Britton | 51 | US | Actress | Anchors AweighD.O.A. |
| June | 28 | Frank Sutton | 50 | US | Actor | MartyTown Without Pity |
| July | 13 | Joe Flynn | 48 | US | Actor | McHale's NavyThe Barefoot Executive |
| July | 13 | Marthe Vinot | 79 | France | Actress | Le Mort vivantLe Calvaire |
| July | 27 | Julián de Meriche | 65 | Mexico | Actor | The Incredible Invasion |
| | 28 | Truman Bradley | 69 | US | Actor, Narrator | Millionaires in PrisonMurder Among Friends |
| August | 13 | Ilona Massey | 64 | Hungary | Actress | Invisible AgentLove Happy |
| August | 16 | Maxwell Reed | 55 | Ireland | Actor | BlackoutThe Notorious Landlady |
| September | 6 | Olga Baclanova | 78 | Russia | Actress | FreaksThe Wolf of Wall Street |
| September | 6 | Otto Kruger | 89 | US | Actor | High NoonMagnificent Obsession |
| September | 14 | Barbara Jo Allen | 68 | US | Actress | Girl RushLake Placid Serenade |
| September | 14 | Warren Hull | 71 | US | Actor | Star ReporterMandrake the Magician |
| September | 18 | Edna Best | 74 | UK | Actress | The Man Who Knew Too MuchThe Ghost and Mrs. Muir |
| September | 21 | Jacqueline Susann | 56 | US | Author, Actress | Valley of the DollsOnce Is Not Enough |
| September | 21 | Walter Brennan | 80 | US | Actor | The WesternerRio Bravo |
| September | 22 | Stephanie Bidmead | 45 | UK | Actress | InvasionRunning Scared |
| September | 27 | James R. Webb | 64 | US | Screenwriter | How the West Was WonCape Fear |
| October | 13 | Ed Sullivan | 73 | US | Actor | Bye Bye BirdieThe Singing Nun |
| November | 7 | Rodolfo Acosta | 54 | Mexico | Actor | The Sons of Katie ElderOne-Eyed Jacks |
| November | 13 | Vittorio De Sica | 73 | Italy | Actor, Director, Screenwriter | Bicycle ThievesMiracle in Milan |
| November | 14 | Johnny Mack Brown | 70 | US | Actor | CoquetteOur Dancing Daughters |
| November | 17 | Clive Brook | 87 | UK | Actor | Shanghai ExpressSherlock Holmes |
| November | 25 | Rosemary Lane | 61 | US | Actress, Singer | Four WivesThe Return of Doctor X |
| December | 4 | Lee Kinsolving | 36 | US | Actor | The Dark at the Top of the StairsThe Explosive Generation |
| December | 5 | Pietro Germi | 60 | Italy | Actor, Director, Screenwriter | Divorce Italian StyleSeduced and Abandoned |
| December | 10 | Paul Richards | 50 | US | Actor | The Houston StoryBeneath the Planet of the Apes |
| December | 11 | Reed Hadley | 63 | US | Actor | The Baron of ArizonaBig House, U.S.A. |
| December | 15 | Anatole Litvak | 72 | Ukraine | Director, Producer | The Snake PitAnastasia |
| December | 21 | Richard Long | 47 | US | Actor | House on Haunted HillThe Stranger |
| December | 26 | Jack Benny | 80 | US | Actor | To Be or Not to BeBroadway Melody of 1936 |

## Film debuts

* Armand Assante – The Lords of Flatbush
* Richard Belzer – The Groove Tube
* Tom Bower – The Trial of Billy Jack
* Tony Burton – The Black Godfather
* Chevy Chase – The Groove Tube
* Kent Cheng – Heroes Two
* Bill Cobbs – The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
* Robert Englund – Buster and Billie
* Jaime Fabregas – Black Mamba
* Jeff Goldblum – Death Wish
* Chris Haywood – The Cars That Ate Paris
* Lawrence Hilton Jacobs – Claudine
* Clyde Kusatsu – Airport 1975
* Sean McCann – A Quiet Day in Belfast
* Toshiyuki Nishida – Ranru no hata
* Edward James Olmos – Black Fist
* Raymond Serra – The Gambler
* Ray Sharkey – The Lords of Flatbush
* Delia Sheppard – The Spots on My Leopard
* Peter Simonischek – Die Auslieferung
* Steven Spielberg (director) – The Sugarland Express
* Fred Ward – Ginger in the Morning
* Kenneth Welsh – Piaf
* Henry Winkler – Crazy Joe