# 1975 in film

The year 1975 in film involved some significant events. 20th Century-Fox will celebrate their 40th anniversary.

## Highest-grossing films
### North America

The top ten 1975 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:
Highest-grossing films of 1975 :
| Rank | Title | Distributor | Domestic rentals |
| 1 | Jaws | Universal | $133,400,000 |
| 2 | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | United Artists | $59,200,000 |
| 3 | The Rocky Horror Picture Show | 20th Century Fox | $50,420,000 |
| 4 | Shampoo | Columbia | $23,822,000 |
| 5 | Dog Day Afternoon | Warner Bros. | $22,500,000 |
| 6 | The Return of the Pink Panther | United Artists | $20,017,000 |
| 7 | Three Days of the Condor | Paramount | $20,014,000 |
| 8 | Funny Lady | Columbia | $19,313,000 |
| 9 | The Other Side of the Mountain | Universal | $18,012,000 |
| 10 | Tommy | Columbia | $17,793,000 |

### International

The highest-grossing 1975 films in countries outside of North America.
| International market | Film | Admissions | Revenue | Revenue | Production country | Ref |
| International market | Film | Admissions | Local currency | US$ | Production country | Ref |
| Brazil | The Towering Inferno | 10,377,230 | Un­known | Un­known | United States | |
| France | The Towering Inferno | 4,466,376 | Un­known | Un­known | United States | |
| West Germany | Jaws | 7,000,000 | Un­known | Un­known | United States | |
| India | Sholay | 150,000,000+ | ₹350,000,000 | $41,790,000 | India | |
| Italy | My Friends | 10,467,254 | Un­known | Un­known | Italy | |
| Japan | The Towering Inferno | Un­known | ¥3,640,000,000 | Un­known | United States | |
| Soviet Union | Bobby | 62,600,000 | 15,650,000 Rbls | $21,440,000 | India | |
| Spain | Jaws | 5,918,754 | Un­known | Un­known | United States | |
| United Kingdom | Jaws | 16,200,000 | £11,800,000 | $26,000,000 | United States | |
| United States & Canada | Jaws | 128,078,800 | $260,000,000 | $260,000,000 | United States | |

## Worldwide gross

The following table lists known worldwide gross figures for several high-grossing films that originally released in 1975. Note that this list is incomplete and is therefore not representative of the highest-grossing films worldwide in 1975. This list also includes gross revenue from later re-releases.
| Title | Admissions (est.) | Revenue | Country |
| Jaws | 242,800,000 | $470,653,000 | United States |
| One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | 78,706,404 | Un­known | United States |
| The Rocky Horror Picture Show | 58,431,570 | $140,846,387 | United Kingdom United States |
| Sholay | 250,000,000 | $70,000,000 | India |
| Dog Day Afternoon | 24,861,525 | Un­known | United States |

## Events

* March 26: The film version of The Who's Tommy premieres in London.
* May: In order to create the necessary special effects for his film, Star Wars, George Lucas forms Industrial Light and Magic.
* June 20: Jaws is released and becomes the highest-grossing movie of the year and the first movie to earn $100 million in US and Canadian theatrical rentals, setting the standard for future blockbusters.
* August 14: The cult classic film The Rocky Horror Picture Show premieres in London.
* November 2: Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini is brutally murdered in Ostia (Rome).
* November 23: Sneak Previews, the first American film review show, premieres and launches the careers of critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. They remained as a team, and a staple among film critics, through various programs for the next twenty-four years.
* December: Warner Bros. reorganizes following John Calley's decision to step down as president-COO. Frank Wells returns as president and shares CEO duties with Ted Ashley, who also returns as chairman.

## Awards
### Awards ceremonies

* Academy Awards
* BAFTA Awards
* Golden Globe Awards
* Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival): Chronicle of the Years of Fire (Chronique des années de braise)
* Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival): Adoption (Örökbefogadás)

### Notable awards

| Category/Organization | Golden Globe Awards January 24, 1976 | Golden Globe Awards January 24, 1976 | BAFTA Awards February 29, 1976 | Academy Awards March 29, 1976 |
| Category/Organization | Comedy or Musical | Drama | BAFTA Awards February 29, 1976 | Academy Awards March 29, 1976 |
| Best Film | The Sunshine Boys | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest |
| Best Director | Miloš Forman One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | Miloš Forman One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | Stanley Kubrick Barry Lyndon | Miloš Forman One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest |
| Best Actor | Walter Matthau The Sunshine Boys | Jack Nicholson One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | Al Pacino Dog Day Afternoon / The Godfather Part II | Jack Nicholson One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest |
| Best Actress | Ann-Margret Tommy | Louise Fletcher One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | Ellen Burstyn Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore | Louise Fletcher One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest |
| Best Supporting Actor | Richard Benjamin The Sunshine Boys | Richard Benjamin The Sunshine Boys | Fred Astaire The Towering Inferno | George Burns The Sunshine Boys |
| Best Supporting Actress | Brenda Vaccaro Once Is Not Enough | Brenda Vaccaro Once Is Not Enough | Diane Ladd Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore | Lee Grant Shampoo |
| Best Screenplay, Adapted | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman | Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore Robert Getchell | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman |
| Best Screenplay, Original | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman | Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore Robert Getchell | Dog Day Afternoon Frank Pierson |
| Best Original Score | John Williams Jaws | John Williams Jaws | John Williams Jaws The Towering Inferno | John Williams Jaws Leonard Rosenman Barry Lyndon |
| Best Original Song | "I'm Easy" Nashville | "I'm Easy" Nashville | N/A | "I'm Easy" Nashville |
| Best Foreign Language Film | Lies My Father Told Me | Lies My Father Told Me | N/A | Dersu Uzala |

## 1975 films
### By country/region

* List of American films of 1975
* List of Argentine films of 1975
* List of Australian films of 1975
* List of Bangladeshi films of 1975
* List of British films of 1975
* List of Canadian films of 1975
* List of French films of 1975
* List of Hong Kong films of 1975
* List of Indian films of 1975
** List of Hindi films of 1975
** List of Kannada films of 1975
** List of Malayalam films of 1975
** List of Marathi films of 1975
** List of Tamil films of 1975
** List of Telugu films of 1975
* List of Japanese films of 1975
* List of Mexican films of 1975
* List of Pakistani films of 1975
* List of South Korean films of 1975
* List of Soviet films of 1975
* List of Spanish films of 1975

### By genre/medium

* List of action films of 1975
* List of animated feature films of 1975
* List of avant-garde films of 1975
* List of comedy films of 1975
* List of drama films of 1975
* List of horror films of 1975
* List of science fiction films of 1975
* List of thriller films of 1975
* List of western films of 1975

## Births

* January 1
** Sonali Bendre, Indian actress
** Toni Ann Gisondi, American child actress
* January 2: Dax Shepard, American actor
* January 3
** Jason Marsden, American actor
** Danica McKellar, American actress
* January 5: Bradley Cooper, American actor and film director
* January 6: Nicole DeHuff, American actress (d. 2005)
* January 9: Patrick Sabongui, Canadian actor and stunt performer
* January 14: Jordan Ladd, American actress
* January 15: Jorge R. Gutierrez, Mexican animator, director, writer and voice actor
* January 16: Julie Ann Emery, American actress
* January 17: Freddy Rodriguez, American actor
* January 21: Michael Shaeffer, English actor
* January 22: Balthazar Getty, American actor and musician
* January 25: Mia Kirshner, Canadian actress and writer
* January 29: Kelly Packard, American actress
* January 31: Preity Zinta, Indian actress
* February 3: Terry Chen, Canadian actor
* February 4: Natalie Imbruglia, Australian-British singer and actress
* February 5: Alison Hammond, English television personality and actress
* February 7: Dan Green, American voice actor, voice director and screenwriter
* February 9: Rawson Marshall Thurber, American filmmaker and actor
* February 14: Malik Zidi, French actor
* February 17: Raymond S. Persi, American animator, director, screenwriter, producer, storyboard artist and voice actor
* February 18: Hristo Zhivkov, Bulgarian actor (d. 2023)
* February 22: Drew Barrymore, American actress and director
* February 23: Callan Mulvey, Australian actor
* February 25: Chelsea Handler, American comedian, actress, writer, television host and producer
* February 27: Quentin Kenihan, Australian writer and actor (d. 2018)
* March 2: Lee Sun-kyun, South Korean actor (d. 2023)
* March 3:
** Patric Chiha, Austrian film director and screenwriter
** Tiger Chen, Chinese martial artist, actor and stuntman
* March 7:
** Sarayu Rao, American actress
** T. J. Thyne, American actor
* March 9: Chaske Spencer, American actor and producer
* March 11: Josh Robert Thompson, American voice actor, actor, comedian and impressionist
* March 15:
** Eva Longoria, American actress, director and producer
** Will.i.am, American actor and singer/rapper
* March 16: Sienna Guillory, English actress
* March 17: Natalie Zea, American actress
* March 18: Charles Parnell, American actor
* March 21: Justin Pierce, American-British actor and skateboarder (d. 2000)
* March 22:
** Guillermo Diaz, American actor
** Nathan Greno, American director and writer
** Cole Hauser, American actor
* March 24: Brennan Elliott, Canadian actor
* March 27: Stacy Ferguson, American actress and singer-songwriter
* April 2:
** Deedee Magno, Filipino-American actress and singer
** Pedro Pascal, Chilean and American actor
** Adam Rodriguez, American actor
* April 3: Aries Spears, American stand-up comedian and actor
* April 6: Zach Braff, American actor, director, screenwriter and producer
* April 7: Heather Burns, American actress
* April 10: David Harbour, American actor
* April 11: Gloria Calderón Kellett, American writer, producer, director and actress
* April 12: Camila Morgado, Brazilian actress
* April 13: Angus MacLane, American director, animator, screenwriter and voice actor
* April 14:
** Amy Birnbaum, American voice actress
** Anderson Silva, Brazilian mixed martial artist and boxer.
* April 15: Elissa Knight, American employee at Pixar and voice actress
* April 21: Charlie O'Connell, American actor
* April 27: Erica Schroeder, American voice actress
* April 30: Johnny Galecki, American actor
* May 3:
** Christina Hendricks, American actress
** Dulé Hill, American actor
* May 4: Óscar Jaenada, Spanish actor
* May 8:
** Wilmer Calderon, Puerto Rican-American actor
** Jodhi May, English actress
* May 9: Chris Diamantopoulos, Greek-Canadian actor and voice artist
* May 20:
** Juan Minujín, Argentine actor and director
** Marc Thompson, American voice actor
* May 22:
** Harriet Toompere, Estonian actress
** Stephen Walters, English actor
* May 24: Will Sasso, Canadian-American actor, comedian, voice actor and podcaster
* May 26: Nicki Aycox, American actress and musician (d. 2022)
* May 27: André 3000, American singer, songwriter, rapper and actor
* June 1: Kate Magowan, English actress and producer
* June 4:
** Russell Brand, English comedian, actor and radio host
** Angelina Jolie, American actress
* June 6: Nina Kaczorowski, American actress and stuntwoman
* June 8: Shilpa Shetty, Indian actress
* June 10: Nicole Bilderback, Korean-born American actress
* June 11:
** Nick Kellington, British actor and musician
** John Tui, New Zealand actor of Tungan descent
* June 19: Hugh Dancy, English actor
* June 22: Jeff Hephner, American actor
* June 23: Jeffrey Carlson, American actor and singer (d. 2023)
* June 25: Linda Cardellini, American actress
* June 27: Tobey Maguire, American actor
* June 28: Jeff Geddis, Canadian actor
* June 29: Șerban Pavlu, Romanian actor
* July 2: Elizabeth Reaser, American actress
* July 3: Ryan McPartlin, American actor
* July 4: Mirelle Hernández, American makeup artist
* July 5: Sope Aluko, Nigerian-born British-American actress
* July 6: 50 Cent, American actor and rapper
* July 7: Nina Hoss, German film and stage actress
* July 9: Nathaniel Marston, American actor and producer (d. 2015)
* July 10: Stefán Karl Stefánsson, Icelandic actor and singer (d. 2018)
* July 11: Bridgette Andersen, American actress (d. 1997)
* July 13: Gareth Edwards, British filmmaker
* July 14: Jaime Gomez, American actor and rapper
* July 17:
** Elena Anaya, Spanish actress
** Cécile de France, Belgian actress
* July 19: Reuben Langdon, American stuntman and voice actor
* July 20:
** Judy Greer, American actress
** Jason Raize, American actor, singer and Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme (d. 2004)
* July 21: David Dastmalchian, American actor
* July 22: Hannah Waterman, English actress
* July 23: Suriya, Indian actor
* July 28: Ori Pfeffer, Israeli actor
* August 5:
** Jabez Olssen, New Zealand editor
** Stéphanie Szostak, French actress
* August 7:
** Megan Gale, Australian actress
** Hans Matheson, Scottish actor and musician
** Charlize Theron, South African-American actress
* August 9: Anjali Jay, British actress and writer
* August 11: Roger Craig Smith, American actor and voice actor
* August 12: Casey Affleck, American actor
* August 13: James Carpinello, American actor
* August 16:
** Brad Morris, American actor
** Taika Waititi, New Zealand filmmaker, actor and comedian
* August 18: Kaitlin Olson, American actress, comedian and producer
* August 19: Tracie Thoms, American actress and singer
* August 21: Alicia Witt, American actress and singer
* August 22: Rodrigo Santoro, Brazilian actor
* August 24: James D'Arcy, English actor and director
* August 25: Raymond Wong Ho-yin, Hong Kong actor
* August 27: Bodie Olmos, American actor
* August 28: Eugene Byrd, American actor
* August 29:
** Dante Basco, American actor
** Juan Diego Botto, Argentine-Spanish actor
* August 31: Sara Ramirez, American actor
* September 1:
** Scott Speedman, Canadian actor
** Jason Zumwalt, American actor, voice actor, comedian and screenwriter
* September 2: MC Chris, American rapper, voice actor, comedian and writer
* September 10: Kyle Bornheimer, American actor and comedian
* September 18: Jason Sudeikis, American actor, comedian and screenwriter
* September 20: Moon Bloodgood, American actress
* September 22: Mireille Enos, American actress
* September 23:
** Alex Karpovsky, American director, actor, screenwriter, producer and editor
** Kip Pardue, American actor and model
* September 27: Sam Lee, Hong Kong actor
* September 30
** Asia Argento, Italian actress
** Marion Cotillard, French actress
** Christopher Jackson, American actor, singer, musician and composer
* October 3 - Alanna Ubach, American actress
* October 4 - Reggie Lee, Filipino-American actor
* October 5
** Parminder Nagra, English actress
** Monica Rial, American voice actress
** Scott Weinger, American actor
** Kate Winslet, English actress
* October 7:
** Tim Minchin, British-Australian comedian, actor, writer and musician
** Kaspars Znotiņš, Latvian actor
* October 8: Richard Short, English actor
* October 10: Lenn Kudrjawizki, German actor and musician
* October 11: Nat Faxon, American actor, comedian, director and screenwriter
* October 15: Chukwudi Iwuji, Nigerian-British actor
* October 16:
** Alexandra Barreto, Puerto Rican actress
** Nelson Lee, Taiwanese-Canadian actor
** Kellie Martin, American actress
* October 26: Lennon Parham, American actress
* October 29: Aksel Hennie, Norwegian actor, director and screenwriter
* October 31: Keith Jardine, American actor
* November 2: Danny Cooksey, American actor and musician
* November 8: Tara Reid, American actress
* November 10: Halina Reijn, Dutch actress, writer and film director
* November 12: Steven Kynman, British actor, puppeteer, writer and voice actor
* November 13: Aisha Hinds, American actress
* November 15: J. C. Brandy, British-born American actress
* November 16: David Leitch, American filmmaker, actor, stunt performer and stunt coordinator
* November 17: Diane Neal, American actress
* November 19: Sushmita Sen, Indian actress
* November 22: James Madio, American actor
* November 26: DJ Khaled, American DJ, rapper and actor
* November 28: Sunny Mabrey, American actress
* December 1: David Hornsby, American actor
* December 5: Paula Patton, American actress
* December 6: Noel Clarke, British actor and filmmaker
* December 12: Mayim Bialik, American actress and game show host
* December 14: KaDee Strickland, American actress
* December 17
** Milla Jovovich, Ukrainian-American actress
** Hilje Murel, Estonian actress
* December 22: Omar Dorsey, American actor
* December 27: Heather O'Rourke, American child actress (d. 1988)
* December 29: Shawn Hatosy, American actor
* December 31: Amy Palant, American voice actress and singer

## Deaths

| Month | Date | Name | Age | Country | Profession | Notable films |
| January | 1 | Arthur Pierson | 73 | Norway/US | Director, Actor | The Fighting O'FlynnHome Town Story |
| January | 9 | Pierre Fresnay | 77 | France | Actor | La Grande IllusionLe Corbeau |
| January | 18 | Gertrude Olmstead | 77 | US | Actress | The BoobThe Monster |
| January | 21 | Marie Lohr | 84 | Australia | Actress | The Winslow BoyGreat Catherine |
| January | 24 | Larry Fine | 72 | US | Actor | The Three Stooges4 for Texas |
| January | 27 | Bill Walsh | 61 | US | Screenwriter, Producer | Mary PoppinsBedknobs and Broomsticks |
| February | 1 | Richard Wattis | 62 | UK | Actor | The Longest DayThe Man Who Knew Too Much |
| February | 11 | Maria Balcerkiewiczówna | 71 | Poland | Actress | Vampires of WarsawAugustus the Strong |
| February | 17 | George Marshall | 83 | US | Director | How the West Was WonDestry Rides Again |
| February | 20 | Robert Strauss | 61 | US | Actor | Stalag 17The Seven Year Itch |
| February | 20 | Lillian Fontaine | 88 | UK | Actress | The LocketThe Lost Weekend |
| March | 3 | Edward H. Griffith | 86 | US | Director | Honeymoon in BaliVirginia |
| March | 4 | Renée Björling | 76 | Sweden | Actress | Summer InterludeA Lesson in Love |
| March | 7 | Ben Blue | 73 | Canada/US | Actor | The Big Broadcast of 1938The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming |
| March | 8 | George Stevens | 70 | US | Director, Producer | A Place in the SunGiant |
| March | 9 | Shirley Ross | 62 | US | Actress | The Big Broadcast of 1938Thanks for the Memory |
| March | 14 | Susan Hayward | 57 | US | Actress | I Want to Live!The Snows of Kilimanjaro |
| March | 15 | John H. Auer | 68 | Hungary | Director, Producer | Johnny TroubleCity That Never Sleeps |
| March | 15 | Arthur Crabtree | 74 | UK | Director, Screenwriter | CaravanLilli Marlene |
| March | 19 | Harry Lachman | 88 | US | Director | Charlie Chan in RioIt Happened in Hollywood |
| March | 22 | Cass Daley | 59 | US | Actress, Singer | Riding HighLadies' Man |
| March | 25 | Michele Girardon | 36 | France | Actress | The LoversHatari! |
| April | 3 | Mary Ure | 42 | UK | Actress | Where Eagles DareLook Back in Anger |
| April | 5 | Inez Courtney | 67 | US | Actress | ClarenceThe 13th Man |
| April | 10 | Marjorie Main | 85 | US | Actress | Meet Me in St. LouisMa and Pa Kettle |
| April | 13 | Larry Parks | 60 | US | Actor | The Jolson StoryDown to Earth |
| April | 14 | Fredric March | 77 | US | Actor | The Best Years of Our LivesA Star Is Born |
| April | 15 | Richard Conte | 65 | US | Actor | The GodfatherOcean's 11 |
| April | 15 | William Hartnell | 67 | UK | Actor | Hell DriversCarry On Sergeant |
| April | 22 | Mary Philips | 74 | US | Actress | A Farewell to ArmsLeave Her to Heaven |
| May | 4 | Moe Howard | 77 | US | Actor | The Three StoogesMen in Black |
| May | 9 | Philip Dorn | 73 | Netherlands | Actor | Random HarvestI Remember Mama |
| May | 22 | Torben Meyer | 90 | Germany | Actor | RobertaTill We Meet Again |
| May | 30 | Michel Simon | 80 | Switzerland | Actor | L'AtalanteThe Train |
| June | 3 | Ozzie Nelson | 69 | US | Actor | Sweetheart of the CampusThe Impossible Years |
| June | 4 | Evelyn Brent | 75 | US | Actress | UnderworldThe Last Command |
| June | 6 | Larry Blyden | 49 | US | Actor | On a Clear Day You Can See ForeverKiss Them for Me |
| June | 11 | Jane Griffiths | 45 | UK | Actress | The Million Pound NoteThe Durant Affair |
| June | 28 | Rod Serling | 50 | US | Screenwriter | Seven Days in MayPlanet of the Apes |
| July | 2 | James Robertson Justice | 68 | UK | Actor | The Guns of NavaroneMoby Dick |
| July | 20 | Richard Gaines | 70 | US | Actor | Double IndemnityThe More the Merrier |
| July | 28 | Alfred L. Werker | 78 | US | Director | The Adventures of Sherlock HolmesRepeat Performance |
| August | 2 | Jean Yarbrough | 73 | US | Director | Inside JobShed No Tears |
| August | 7 | Phyllis Povah | 82 | US | Actress | The WomenPat and Mike |
| August | 11 | Howard Wendell | 67 | US | Actor | The Fighting ChanceThe Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake |
| August | 23 | Sidney Buchman | 73 | US | Screenwriter | Mr. Smith Goes to WashingtonHere Comes Mr. Jordan |
| August | 23 | Hank Patterson | 86 | US | Actor | The Arizona KidTarantula |
| August | 25 | Joseph Kane | 81 | US | Director | King of the CowboysFlame of Barbary Coast |
| August | 29 | Bob Baker | 64 | US | Actor | The Singing OutlawThe Phantom Stage |
| September | 9 | John McGiver | 61 | US | Actor | The Manchurian CandidateMidnight Cowboy |
| September | 19 | Pamela Brown | 58 | UK | Actress | Lust for LifeBecket |
| September | 24 | Clive Morton | 71 | UK | Actor | The MoonrakerKind Hearts and Coronets |
| September | 27 | Mark Frechette | 27 | US | Actor | Zabriskie PointMany Wars Ago |
| October | 16 | Don Barclay | 82 | US | Actor | Man HuntMary Poppins |
| October | 18 | Al Lettieri | 47 | US | Actor | The GodfatherThe Getaway |
| October | 24 | Martin Boddey | 68 | UK | Actor | Carry on SergeantCarry on Nurse |
| October | 31 | Joseph Calleia | 78 | Malta/US | Actor, Singer | After the Thin ManTouch of Evil |
| November | 2 | Pier Paolo Pasolini | 53 | Italy | Director, Screenwriter, Actor | The Hawks and the SparrowsTeorema |
| November | 4 | Sheila Ryan | 54 | US | Actress | Dressed to KillSong of Texas |
| November | 5 | Annette Kellerman | 88 | Australia | Actress | Venus of the South SeasA Daughter of the Gods |
| November | 17 | Kay Johnson | 70 | US | Actress | DynamiteOf Human Bondage |
| December | 7 | Hardie Albright | 71 | US | Actor | Three-Cornered MoonThe Scarlet Letter |
| December | 9 | William A. Wellman | 79 | US | Director | WingsBattleground |
| December | 13 | Cyril Delevanti | 88 | UK | Actor | Mary PoppinsSoylent Green |
| December | 14 | Arthur Treacher | 81 | UK | Actor | Thank You, Jeeves!Heidi |
| December | 17 | Frank Sully | 67 | US | Actor | The Grapes of WrathJoe Palooka in the Counterpunch |
| December | 20 | William Lundigan | 61 | US | Actor | The House on Telegraph HillLove Nest |
| December | 21 | Rowland V. Lee | 84 | US | Director | Son of FrankensteinCaptain Kidd |
| December | 24 | Bernard Herrmann | 64 | US | Composer | PsychoTaxi Driver |

## Film debuts

* Jack Angel – Funny Lady
* Pernilla August – Giliap
* Michael Berryman – Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze
* Bruce Boxleitner – Sixpack Annie
* Jay Brazeau – The Melting Pot
* Bryan Brown – Scobie Malone
* Kim Cattrall – Rosebud
* Maury Chaykin – Me
* George Cheung – The Killer Elite
* Tom Conti – Galileo
* Robert Costanzo – Dog Day Afternoon
* Tim Curry – The Rocky Horror Picture Show
* Ken Davitian – Sons of Sassoun
* John de Lancie – Legacy
* John Debney (film composer) – The Strongest Man in the World
* Brad Dourif – One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
* Griffin Dunne – The Other Side of the Mountain
* Conchata Ferrell – Deadly Hero
* Laurence Fishburne – Cornbread, Earl and Me
* Carrie Fisher – Shampoo
* M. C. Gainey – Hard Times
* Richard Gere – Report to the Commissioner
* Patrick Gorman – Three Days of the Condor
* Debbie Harry – Deadly Hero
* Bernard Hill – It Could Happen to You
* Danny Huston – The "Human" Factor
* Brion James – Hard Times
* James Keane – Three Days of the Condor
* Nastassja Kinski – The Wrong Move
* Christopher Lloyd – One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
* Mary Stuart Masterson – The Stepford Wives
* Richard Masur – Whiffs
* Rudy Ray Moore – Dolemite
* Chris Mulkey – Loose Ends
* Sam Neill – Landfall
* Bill Paxton – Crazy Mama
* Dennis Quaid – Crazy Mama
* Rajinikanth – Apoorva Raagangal
* Leo Rossi – Alias Big Cherry
* Chris Sarandon – Dog Day Afternoon
* Sandra Seacat – Night Moves
* Lin Shaye – Hester Street
* Don Stark – Switchblade Sisters
* Patrick Stewart – Hennessy
* John Travolta – The Devil's Rain
* Dee Wallace – The Stepford Wives
* Steven Williams – Cooley High
* Treat Williams – Deadly Hero