# 1973 in film

This page covers significant events of the year 1973 in film. Warner Bros. and Walt Disney Studios celebrated their 50th anniversaries.

## Highest-grossing films
### United States and Canada

The top ten 1973 released films by box office gross in the United States and Canada are as follows:
Highest-grossing films of 1973 :
| Rank | Title | Distributor | Domestic rentals |
| 1 | The Exorcist | Warner Bros. | $88,500,000 |
| 2 | The Sting | Universal | $79,000,000 |
| 3 | American Graffiti | Universal | $55,900,000 |
| 4 | Papillon | Allied Artists | $22,500,000 |
| 5 | The Way We Were | Columbia | $22,457,000 |
| 6 | Magnum Force | Warner Bros. | $20,100,000 |
| 7 | Last Tango in Paris | United Artists | $16,711,000 |
| 8 | Paper Moon | Paramount | $16,559,000 |
| 9 | Live and Let Die | United Artists | $15,925,000 |
| 10 | Serpico | Paramount Pictures | $15,400,000 |

### Outside North America

The highest-grossing 1973 films in countries outside of North America.
| Country | Title | Studio | Gross |
| France | The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob | SNC | 7,295,727 admissions |
| Germany | Papillon | Columbia Pictures | 8,500,000 admissions |
| Hong Kong | The House of 72 Tenants | Shaw Brothers Studio | HK$5,600,000 |
| India | Bobby | R. K. Films | ₹110,000,000 (US$14,210,000) |
| Italy | Malicious | Paramount Pictures | 11,756,327 admissions |
| Soviet Union | The Headless Horseman | Lenfilm | 64,900,000 admissions |
| Spain | Cabaret | TBD | 125.8 million ₧ |
| United Kingdom | Live and Let Die | Eon Productions | 9,000,000 admissions |

## Worldwide gross revenue

The following table lists known worldwide gross revenue figures for several high-grossing films that originally released in 1973. Note that this list is incomplete and is therefore not representative of the highest-grossing films worldwide in 1973. This list also includes gross revenue from later re-releases.
| Title | Worldwide gross | Country |
| The Exorcist | $441,306,145 | United States |
| Enter the Dragon | $400,000,000 | Worldwide |
| The Sting | $257,000,000 | United States |
| Live and Let Die | $161,800,000 | United Kingdom |
| American Graffiti | $140,000,000 | United States |
| Bobby | $39,000,000 | India |
The year's highest-grossing actor worldwide was Hong Kong martial arts film star Bruce Lee, who died the same year.

## Events

* March – Five Fingers of Death is released in the United States and is a surprise success starting a kung fu film craze in North America
* April 11 – Kim Jong-il publishes his film treatise On the Art of the Cinema.
* May 1 – The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces his second wife, Barbara Blakely; she will marry actor/singer Frank Sinatra in 1976.
* July 20 – Martial arts legend Bruce Lee dies before Enter the Dragon is released on July 26.
* August 17 – The sci-fi movie Westworld is the first feature film to use digital image processing.
* December 25 – The Sting is released and goes on to become one of the top-grossing films of all time.
* December 26 – The Exorcist reawakens the horror film genre and becomes one of the most popular and controversial films ever released.

## Awards

| Category/Organization | 31st Golden Globe Awards January 26, 1974 | 31st Golden Globe Awards January 26, 1974 | 27th BAFTA Awards March 6, 1974 | 46th Academy Awards April 2, 1974 |
| Category/Organization | Drama | Musical or Comedy | 27th BAFTA Awards March 6, 1974 | 46th Academy Awards April 2, 1974 |
| Best Film | The Exorcist | American Graffiti | Day for Night | The Sting |
| Best Director | William Friedkin The Exorcist | William Friedkin The Exorcist | François Truffaut Day for Night | George Roy Hill The Sting |
| Best Actor | Al Pacino Serpico | George Segal A Touch of Class | Walter Matthau Charley Varrick and Pete 'n' Tillie | Jack Lemmon Save the Tiger |
| Best Actress | Marsha Mason Cinderella Liberty | Glenda Jackson A Touch of Class | Stephane Audran The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and Just Before Nightfall | Glenda Jackson A Touch of Class |
| Best Supporting Actor | John Houseman The Paper Chase | John Houseman The Paper Chase | Arthur Lowe O Lucky Man! | John Houseman The Paper Chase |
| Best Supporting Actress | Linda Blair The Exorcist | Linda Blair The Exorcist | Valentina Cortese Day for Night | Tatum O'Neal Paper Moon |
| Best Screenplay, Adapted | William Peter Blatty The Exorcist | William Peter Blatty The Exorcist | Luis Buñuel and Jean-Claude Carriere The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie | William Peter Blatty The Exorcist |
| Best Screenplay, Original | William Peter Blatty The Exorcist | William Peter Blatty The Exorcist | Luis Buñuel and Jean-Claude Carriere The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie | David S. Ward The Sting |
| Best Original Score | Neil Diamond Jonathan Livingston Seagull | Neil Diamond Jonathan Livingston Seagull | Alan Price O Lucky Man! | Marvin Hamlisch The Way We Were Marvin Hamlisch The Sting |
| Best Original Song | "The Way We Were" The Way We Were | "The Way We Were" The Way We Were | N/A | "The Way We Were" The Way We Were |
| Best Foreign Language Film | The Pedestrian | The Pedestrian | N/A | Day for Night |
Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):
    The Hireling, directed by Alan Bridges, United Kingdom
    Scarecrow, directed by Jerry Schatzberg, United States
Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):
    Ashani Sanket (Distant Thunder), directed by Satyajit Ray, India

## 1973 films
### By country/region

* List of American films of 1973
* List of Argentine films of 1973
* List of Australian films of 1973
* List of Bangladeshi films of 1973
* List of British films of 1973
* List of Canadian films of 1973
* List of French films of 1973
* List of Hong Kong films of 1973
* List of Indian films of 1973
** List of Hindi films of 1973
** List of Kannada films of 1973
** List of Malayalam films of 1973
** List of Marathi films of 1973
** List of Tamil films of 1973
** List of Telugu films of 1973
* List of Japanese films of 1973
* List of Mexican films of 1973
* List of Pakistani films of 1973
* List of South Korean films of 1973
* List of Soviet films of 1973
* List of Spanish films of 1973

### By genre/medium

* List of action films of 1973
* List of animated feature films of 1973
* List of avant-garde films of 1973
* List of comedy films of 1973
* List of drama films of 1973
* List of horror films of 1973
* List of science fiction films of 1973
* List of thriller films of 1973
* List of western films of 1973

## Births

* January 4 - Damon Gupton, American actor
* January 7 – Baiba Broka, Latvian actress
* January 10 – Ryan Drummond, American actor and comedian
* January 14 – Katie Griffin, Canadian actress and singer.
* January 17 - Bob Persichetti, American animator, story artist, storyboard artist, screenwriter and director
* January 18 - Ben Willbond, English actor and screenwriter
* January 23 – Lanei Chapman, American actress
* January 24 – William Gregory Lee, American actor
* January 29 – Arben Bajraktaraj, Korovan-born French actor
* January 30 - Jordan Prentice, Canadian actor
* January 31
** Portia de Rossi, Australian-Canadian actress
** Matthew Faber, American actor (d. 2020)
* February 9 - Colin Egglesfield, American actor
* February 12 – Tara Strong, Canadian-American voice actress
* February 14 - Kristen Dalton, American actress
* February 15 - Sarah Wynter, Australian actress
* February 17 – Lucy Davis, English actress
* February 18 – Tom Wisdom, English actor
* February 20 - Andrea Savage, American actress and comedian
* February 25 – Anson Mount, American actor
* February 27 – Li Bingbing, Chinese actress
* March 1 – Jack Davenport, English actor
* March 3 - Matthew Marsden, English-American actor, producer and singer
* March 4 – Len Wiseman, American director, screenwriter and producer
* March 8 - Boris Kodjoe, German actor and producer
* March 10 – Natasha Alam, Uzbekistani–American actress and model
* March 13 – Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Icelandic-American actor, producer and screenwriter
* March 16 - Jerome Flynn, English actor and singer
* March 18 – Luci Christian, American voice actress
* March 19 - Jill Culton, American animator, storyboard artist, director and screenwriter
* March 20
** Jane March, English actress and model
** Cedric Yarbrough, American actor and comedian
* March 21 - Vanessa Branch, English-born American actress
* March 22 - Clay Kaytis, American animator and director
* March 24 – Jim Parsons, American actor and producer
* April 1 - Kris Marshall, English actor
* April 2
** Simon Farnaby, English actor, comedian and writer
** Roselyn Sánchez, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, actress, producer and writer
* April 3 – Adam Scott, American actor, comedian and producer
* April 6
** Lori Heuring, American actress
** Cindy Robinson, American voice actress
* April 10 – Guillaume Canet, French actor
* April 11
** Kris Marshall, English actor
** Alec Musser, American actor and fitness model (d. 2024)
* April 12 - Amr Waked, Egyptian actor
* April 14 – Adrien Brody, American actor
* April 19
** Michael Bacall, American screenwriter and actor
** David Soren, Canadian director, writer, voice actor and storyboard artist
* April 22 – Christopher Sabat, American voice actor
* April 30
** Robyn Griggs, American actress (d. 2022)
** Antonino Isordia, Mexican director
* May 5 – Tina Yothers, American actress
* May 8
** Marcus Brigstocke, British comedian and actor
** Jonathon Young, Canadian actor
* May 10 – Tora Sudiro, Indonesian actor
* May 12 - Mackenzie Astin, American actor
* May 17
** Sasha Alexander, American actress and director
** Matthew McGrory, American actor (d. 2005)
* May 21 - Noel Fielding, English comedian, writer, actor, artist, musician and television presenter
* May 25 - Jossara Jinaro, Brazilian-American actress (d. 2022)
* May 27 - Jack McBrayer, American actor, singer and comedian
* May 30 - Minae Noji, Japanese-American actress
* June 1 - Adam Garcia, Australian actor
* June 2 - Kevin Feige, American producer
* June 4 - Matt Corboy, American actor
* June 8 - Lexa Doig, Canadian actress
* June 9 - Orlando Wells, English actor and writer
* June 12 - Mel Rodriguez, American actor
* June 15
** Neil Patrick Harris, American actor
** Pia Miranda, Australian actress
* June 16 – Eddie Cibrian, American actor
* June 17 - Louis Leterrier, French director and producer
* June 18 - Julie Depardieu, French actress
* June 19 - Leticia Spiller, Brazilian actress
* June 21 – Juliette Lewis, American actress
* June 22 - Tracy Melchior, American actress
* June 24 - Alexander Beyer, German actor
* June 27 - Razaaq Adoti, British actor, producer and screenwriter
* June 29 - Lance Barber, American actor
* June 30 - Jon Gunn, American director and screenwriter
* July 2 - Peter Kay, English comedian and actor
* July 3 - Patrick Wilson, American actor, director and singer
* July 6 - William Lee Scott, American actor
* July 8
** Sebastian Maniscalco, American stand-up comedian and actor
** Kathleen Robertson, Canadian actress
* July 9 - Enrique Murciano, American actor
* July 10 - Annie Mumolo, American actress, screenwriter, comedian and producer
* July 11 - Jason Liebrecht, American voice actor
* July 15 - Rachel Pickup, British actress
* July 16 - Robert Jayne, American actor
* July 19 - Saïd Taghmaoui, French-American actor and screenwriter
* July 20
** Omar Epps, American actor, rapper and producer
** Roberto Orci, Mexican-American screenwriter and producer (d. 2025)
* July 22 - Jaime Camil, Mexican actor and singer
* July 23
** Daisy Donovan, English television presenter, actress and writer
** Kathryn Hahn, American actress and comedian
* July 24 - Jamie Denbo, American actress, writer and comedian
* July 25 - David Denman, American actor
* July 26
** Kate Beckinsale, English actress
** Gaetano Bruno, Italian actor
* July 29
** Stephen Dorff, American actor
** Dileep Rao, American actor
* July 31 - Daniel Evans, Welsh actor and director
* August 1 - Eduardo Noriega, Spanish actor
* August 2 - Simon Kinberg, British-born American filmmaker
* August 3 - Michael Ealy, American actor
* August 5 - Michael Hollick, American actor
* August 6
** Asia Carrera, American pornographic actress
** David Campbell, Australian singer, actor and television personality
** Vera Farmiga, American actress
* August 8 – Jessica Calvello, American voice actress
* August 9 - Kevin McKidd, Scottish actor and television director
* August 18 - Carmen Serano, American actress
* August 19 - Ahmed Best, American actor, comedian and musician
* August 22 – Kristen Wiig, American actress and comedian
* August 24
** Dave Chappelle, American actor
** Carmine Giovinazzo, American actor, writer and musician
** Grey Griffin, American actress, comedian and singer-songwriter
** Barrett Oliver, American child actor
* August 25 - Ben Falcone, American filmmaker, comedian and actor
* August 26 - Andy Muschietti, Argentine filmmaker
* August 28 - Kirby Morrow, Canadian actor, comedian and writer (d. 2020)
* September 1 - Guillem Morales, Spanish director
* September 4
** Jason David Frank, American actor and mixed martial artist (d. 2022)
** Lazlow Jones, American writer, producer, director, voice actor and radio personality
* September 5
** Paddy Considine, English actor, director, screenwriter and musician
** Rose McGowan, American actress
* September 6 - Martin Hancock, English actor
* September 7 – Shannon Elizabeth, American actress
* September 12 –
** Maximiliano Hernández, American actor
** Paul Walker, American actor and producer (d. 2013)
* September 13 - Travis Knight, American animator, producer and director
* September 14 – Andrew Lincoln, English actor
* September 18 – James Marsden, American actor
* September 19 - Nicholas Bishop, English-born Australian actor
* September 25 - Bridgette Wilson, American actress and singer
* September 26 – Julienne Davis, American actress and model
* September 27 - Indira Varma, British actress and narrator
* October 1 – Christian Borle, American actor and singer
* October 2 – Efren Ramirez, American actor
* October 3
** Keiko Agena, American actress
** Neve Campbell, Canadian actress
** Richard Ian Cox, Welsh-Canadian voice actor
** Lena Headey, English actress
* October 6 – Ioan Gruffudd, Welsh actor
* October 8 - Jan Pavel Filipensky, Czech actor
* October 10
** Mario Lopez, American actor and television host
** S. S. Rajamouli, Indian director
* October 21 - Sasha Roiz, Israeli-born Canadian actor
* October 22 – Carmen Ejogo, British actress and singer
* October 23 - Stéphane Debac, French actor
* October 24
** Burgess Jenkins, American actor
** Kurt Kuenne, American filmmaker
* October 25 - Michael Weston, American actor
* October 26 – Seth MacFarlane, American actor, animator, screenwriter, comedian, director and singer
* October 28 – Kim Seo-hyung, South Korean actress
* October 30
** Adam Copeland, Canadian wrestler and actor
** Kemp Powers, American filmmaker
* November 1
** Robert Luketic, Australian director
** Aishwarya Rai, Indian actress
* November 2 - Marisol Nichols, American actress
* November 3 - Sticky Fingaz, American rapper and actor
* November 4 - Steven Ogg, Canadian actor
* November 11 - Chris McKay, American filmmaker
* November 12 - Radha Mitchell, Australian actress
* November 13 - John DeSantis, Canadian actor
* November 14 - Dana Snyder, American actor and voice actor
* November 21 - Brook Kerr, American actress
* November 24
** J. C. Chandor, American filmmaker
** Lucy Liemann, British actress
** Danielle Nicolet, American actress
* November 26 – Peter Facinelli, American actor
* November 27
** Tadanobu Asano, Japanese actor
** Sharlto Copley, South African actor
* December 1 - Lombardo Boyar, American actor
* December 3
** Bruno Campos, Brazilian-American actor and lawyer
** Holly Marie Combs, American actress and producer
* December 4 - Tyra Banks, American television personality, producer, writer and actress
* December 11 - Mos Def, American rapper, singer-songwriter and actor
* December 14
** Thuy Trang, Vietnamese-American actress (d. 2001)
** Jan Uuspõld, Estonian actor
* December 17 - Rian Johnson, American filmmaker
* December 28 - Seth Meyers, American talkshow host, actor, comedian
* December 30 - Christian McKay, English actor

## Deaths

| Month | Date | Name | Age | Country | Profession | Notable films |
| January | 2 | Franciska Gaal | 68 | Hungary | Actress, Singer | Paris HoneymoonThe Buccaneer |
| January | 15 | Coleman Francis | 53 | US | Actor, Director | Red Zone CubaThe Skydivers |
| January | 19 | Max Adrian | 69 | Northern Ireland | Actor | Dr. Terror's House of HorrorsThe Terrornauts |
| January | 24 | J. Carrol Naish | 77 | US | Actor | SaharaA Medal for Benny |
| January | 26 | Edward G. Robinson | 79 | Romania | Actor | Double IndemnityKey Largo |
| January | 29 | Ludwig Stossel | 89 | Austria | Actor | The Pride of the YankeesCasablanca |
| January | 31 | Jack MacGowran | 54 | Ireland | Actor | The ExorcistThe Fearless Vampire Killers |
| February | 13 | David Bauer | 55 | US | Actor | Torture GardenPatton |
| February | 15 | Tim Holt | 54 | US | Actor | The Treasure of the Sierra MadreThe Magnificent Ambersons |
| February | 15 | Wally Cox | 48 | US | Actor | MorituriThe Bedford Incident |
| February | 22 | Katina Paxinou | 72 | Greece | Actress | For Whom the Bell TollsRocco and His Brothers |
| February | 24 | Art Smith | 73 | US | Actor | In a Lonely PlaceBody and Soul |
| February | 28 | Cecil Kellaway | 82 | South Africa | Actor | Guess Who's Coming to DinnerThe Postman Always Rings Twice |
| March | 5 | Rupert Crosse | 45 | US | Actor | The ReiversShadows |
| March | 10 | Robert Siodmak | 72 | Germany | Director | The KillersThe Spiral Staircase |
| March | 11 | Gregorio Fernandez | 68 | Philippines | Actor, Director | Higit Sa LahatLuksang Tagumpay |
| March | 13 | Melville Cooper | 76 | England | Actor | The Petty GirlRebecca |
| March | 16 | Carl Benton Reid | 79 | US | Actor | The Little FoxesThe Trap |
| March | 19 | Lauritz Melchior | 82 | US | Singer | This Time for KeepsTwo Sisters from Boston |
| March | 22 | Kane Richmond | 66 | US | Actor | Brick BradfordThe Shadow Returns |
| March | 23 | Ken Maynard | 77 | US | Actor | Range LawTombstone Canyon |
| March | 26 | Noël Coward | 73 | England | Actor, Songwriter | Easy VirtueIn Which We Serve |
| April | 11 | Ted de Corsia | 69 | US | Actor | The KillingThe Enforcer |
| April | 12 | Arthur Freed | 78 | US | Songwriter, Producer | An American in ParisGigi |
| April | 14 | Minna Gombell | 80 | US | Actress | The Merry WidowThe Thin Man |
| April | 20 | Robert Armstrong | 82 | US | Actor | King KongDouble Jeopardy |
| April | 21 | Merian C. Cooper | 79 | US | Director, Producer, Screenwriter | King KongThe Four Feathers |
| April | 21 | Ursula Jeans | 73 | UK | Actress | The Woman in the HallThe Life and Death of Colonel Blimp |
| April | 26 | Irene Ryan | 70 | US | Actress | San Diego, I Love YouHeading for Heaven |
| May | 4 | Charles Grayson | 69 | US | Screenwriter | The Woman on Pier 13Battle Hymn |
| May | 6 | Myrna Fahey | 40 | US | Actress | House of UsherThe Story on Page One |
| May | 7 | Maxine Doyle | 58 | US | Actress | 6 Day Bike RiderCondemned to Live |
| May | 10 | Jack E. Leonard | 63 | US | Actor, Comedian | Three Sailors and a GirlThe Fat Spy |
| May | 11 | Lex Barker | 54 | US | Actor | La Dolce VitaTarzan and the Slave Girl |
| May | 12 | Frances Marion | 84 | US | Screenwriter | The Big HouseDinner at Eight |
| May | 21 | Vaughn Monroe | 61 | US | Singer, Actor | Meet the PeopleSinging Guns |
| May | 29 | P. Ramlee | 44 | Malaysia | Actor, Director | Tiga AbdulLove Parade |
| June | 5 | Max Terhune | 87 | US | Actor | The Purple VigilantesSanta Fe Stampede |
| June | 10 | William Inge | 60 | US | Screenwriter, Playwright | Splendor in the GrassPicnic |
| June | 16 | Louise Latimer | 60 | US | Actress | Don't Turn 'Em LooseCalifornia Straight Ahead! |
| June | 18 | Roger Delgado | 55 | England | Actor | The Terror of the TongsHot Enough for June |
| June | 23 | Fay Holden | 79 | England | Actress | Love Finds Andy HardySamson and Delilah |
| June | 25 | Lars Tvinde | 86 | Norway | Actor | An-MagrittBy og land hand i hand |
| June | 26 | Ernest Truex | 83 | US | Actor | The Adventures of Marco PoloHis Girl Friday |
| July | 2 | Betty Grable | 56 | US | Actress | How to Marry a MillionaireMillion Dollar Legs |
| July | 2 | George Macready | 73 | US | Actor | GildaPaths of Glory |
| July | 6 | Joe E. Brown | 80 | US | Actor | Some Like It HotAlibi Ike |
| July | 7 | Veronica Lake | 50 | US | Actress | Sullivan's TravelsThis Gun for Hire |
| July | 11 | Robert Ryan | 63 | US | Actor | The Wild BunchBad Day at Black Rock |
| July | 12 | Lon Chaney Jr. | 67 | US | Actor | The Wolf ManHigh Noon |
| July | 18 | Jack Hawkins | 62 | England | Actor | Ben-HurLawrence of Arabia |
| July | 20 | Bruce Lee | 32 | US | Actor | Enter the DragonWay of the Dragon |
| July | 30 | Guy Middleton | 65 | England | Actor | Oh! What a Lovely WarMarry Me! |
| August | 2 | Jean-Pierre Melville | 55 | France | Director | Le SamouraïBob le flambeur |
| August | 5 | Warren Duff | 69 | US | Producer, Screenwriter | Out of the PastChicago Deadline |
| August | 10 | Douglas Kennedy | 57 | US | Actor | Dark PassageThe Amazing Transparent Man |
| August | 11 | Peggie Castle | 45 | US | Actress | 99 River StreetI, the Jury |
| August | 16 | Veda Ann Borg | 58 | US | Actress | Mildred PierceThe Alamo |
| August | 17 | Eve Miller | 50 | US | Actress | Kansas PacificThe Winning Team |
| August | 22 | Louise Huff | 77 | US | Actress | DisraeliGreat Expectations |
| August | 30 | Michael Dunn | 38 | US | Actor, Singer | Ship of FoolsYou're a Big Boy Now |
| August | 31 | John Ford | 79 | US | Director | StagecoachThe Grapes of Wrath |
| September | 13 | Betty Field | 60 | US | Actress | PicnicBirdman of Alcatraz |
| September | 20 | Glenn Strange | 74 | US | Actor | The Mad MonsterAbbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein |
| September | 21 | Diana Sands | 39 | US | Actress | A Raisin in the SunThe Landlord |
| September | 24 | Ted Adams | 83 | US | Actress | The Lone Rider in Frontier FuryAcross the Rio Grande |
| September | 26 | Anna Magnani | 65 | Italy | Actress | Rome, Open CityThe Rose Tattoo |
| September | 28 | Norma Crane | 44 | US | Actress | All in a Night's WorkThey Call Me Mister Tibbs! |
| September | 28 | Mantan Moreland | 71 | US | Actor, Comedian | Mantan Messes UpSky Dragon |
| October | 6 | Sidney Blackmer | 78 | US | Actor | Rosemary's BabyHigh Society |
| October | 6 | Dennis Price | 58 | UK | Actor | Kind Hearts and CoronetsTen Little Indians |
| October | 16 | Cleo Moore | 48 | US | Actress | One Girl's ConfessionOver-Exposed |
| October | 18 | Crane Wilbur | 86 | US | Screenwriter, Director | Solomon and ShebaHouse of Wax |
| October | 27 | Allan Lane | 64 | US | Actor | Crime RingSanta Fe Uprising |
| November | 13 | Lila Lee | 72 | US | Actress | Blood and SandMisbehaving Ladies |
| November | 20 | Viola Lawrence | 78 | US | Film Editor | The Lady from ShanghaiPal Joey |
| November | 23 | Claire Dodd | 64 | US | Actress | RobertaIn the Navy |
| November | 23 | Robert Ellis | 40 | US | Actor | Retreat, Hell!Gidget |
| November | 23 | Constance Talmadge | 75 | US | Actress | The Duchess of BuffaloDulcy |
| November | 23 | Sessue Hayakawa | 84 | Japan | Actor | The Bridge on the River KwaiSwiss Family Robinson |
| November | 23 | Adele Buffington | 73 | US | Screenwriter | Circus GirlPicture Brides |
| 25 | Laurence Harvey | 45 | Lithuania | Actor | The Manchurian CandidateThe Alamo |
| December | 4 | Michael O'Shea | 67 | US | Actor | The Underworld StoryParole, Inc. |
| December | 12 | Ranald MacDougall | 58 | US | Screenwriter, Director | Mildred PierceCleopatra |
| December | 20 | Bobby Darin | 37 | US | Actor, Singer | Captain Newman, M.D.If a Man Answers |
| December | 26 | Steven Geray | 69 | Ukraine | Actor | GildaCall Me Madam |
| December | 26 | William Haines | 73 | US | Actor | Show PeopleWest Point |
| December | 31 | A. Edward Sutherland | 78 | England | Director | The Flying DeucesDixie |

## Debuts

* Danny Aiello – Bang the Drum Slowly
* Nancy Allen – The Last Detail
* John Ashton – The Psychopath
* Daniel Auteuil – The Year 01
* Graham Beckel – The Paper Chase
* Reb Brown – Sssssss
* Dennis Burkley – Bummer!
* Colleen Camp – Battle for the Planet of the Apes
* John Candy – Class of '44
* David Clennon – The Paper Chase
* Laura Dern – White Lightning
* Pino Donnagio – Don't Look Now (film composer)
* George Dzundza – Massage Parlor Murders
* Anthony Edwards – Big Zapper
* Michael Ensign – Assassin
* Emilio Estevez – Badlands
* Dexter Fletcher – Steptoe and Son Ride Again
* Sasson Gabai – Light Out of Nowhere
* Victor Garber – Godspell
* Burton Gilliam – Paper Moon
* John Glover – Shamus
* Irma P. Hall – Book of Numbers
* Rutger Hauer – Turkish Delight
* William Hootkins – Big Zapper
* Gérard Jugnot – The Year 01
* Dimple Kapadia – Bobby
* Sylvia Kristel – Frank en Eva
* Stan Lee – The Year 01
* Kay Lenz – American Graffiti
* Temuera Morrison – Rangi's Catch
* Tatum O'Neal – Paper Moon
* Bernadette Peters – Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies
* Joe Pantoliano – Road Movie
* John Rhys-Davies – Penny Gold
* Allan Rich – Serpico
* Henry G. Sanders – No Place to Hide
* Charlie Sheen – Badlands
* Bo Svenson – Maurie
* Ana Torrent – The Spirit of the Beehive
* Carl Weathers – Magnum Force