1976 in film

The year 1976 in film involved some significant events.

Highest-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten 1976 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Events

January – Paramount Pictures sets up a separate motion picture division and names David V. Picker as president.^[3]
March 22 – Filming begins on George Lucas' Star Wars science fiction film. In one of the most lucrative business decisions in film history, Lucas declines his directing fee of $500,000 in exchange for complete ownership of merchandising and sequel rights.
April 1 – The Rocky Horror Picture Show is officially re-released as a midnight movie at the Waverly Theater (Now the IFC Center) in Greenwich Village in New York City, starting through the run and still being shown in there as of 2013^[update] all around the world.^[4]
April 9 – Alfred Hitchcock's last film, Family Plot, is released.
August 11 – John Wayne appears in his final film, The Shootist.
August 26 – Alan Ladd Jr. is promoted from head of worldwide production to president of 20th Century Fox's film division.
November 15 – Michael Eisner is brought in as president and CEO of Paramount Pictures.
November 21 – Rocky, the first in the film series opens. It becomes the highest-grossing film released in the year and goes on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
December 5 – Bound for Glory debuts and is the first motion picture in which inventor/operator Garrett Brown used his new Steadicam for filming moving scenes,^[5] although its use had already been seen in Marathon Man and Rocky which were filmed later but released earlier.
December 17 - King Kong opens to the year's highest opening weekend gross and overall box office success.

Awards

Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):

Taxi Driver, directed by Martin Scorsese, United States

Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):

Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson, directed by Robert Altman, United States

1976 films

By country/region

By genre/medium

Births

January 2 – Paz Vega, Spanish actress
January 4 - August Diehl, German actor
January 6
- Johnny Yong Bosch, American actor, voice actor
- Danny Pintauro, American actor
January 7 - Tyron Leitso, Canadian actor
January 8 - Jenny Lewis, American singer-songwriter, musician and actress
January 13 – Michael Peña, American actor
January 15 - Dorian Missick, American actor
January 18 - Derek Richardson, American actor
January 20 - Wayne Bastrup, American actor and musician
January 21 – Lars Eidinger, German film, television and stage actor
January 27
- Chris Gauthier, English-born Canadian actor (d. 2024)
- Wojciech Klata, Polish actor
January 28 – Lee Ingleby, English film, television and stage actor
January 31 - Paul Scheer, American actor, comedian
February 3
- Isla Fisher, Australian actress
- Tim Heidecker, American comedian, writer, director, actor and musician
February 5
- Abhishek Bachchan, Indian actor
- Tony Jaa, Thai actor, martial artist, director and stuntman
February 8 - Sharon Duncan-Brewster, British actress
February 9 – Charlie Day, American actor, screenwriter, producer, comedian, director and musician
February 10 - Keeley Hawes, English actress
February 11 – Brice Beckham, American actor
February 14 - Erica Leerhsen, American actress
February 22 - Tamara Mello, American actress
February 23
- Aaron Aziz, Singaporean actor, singer and film director
- Kelly Macdonald, Scottish actress
February 25 – Rashida Jones, American actress, director, writer, and producer
February 28 - Ali Larter, American actress and model
February 29 - Ja Rule, American rapper and actor
March 8 – Freddie Prinze Jr., American actor, voice actor, writer and producer
March 13 – Danny Masterson, American actor and DJ
March 14
- Daniel Gillies, New Zealand-Canadian actor, producer, director and screenwriter
- Corey Stoll, American actor
March 16 – Paul Schneider, American actor
March 21 – Rachael MacFarlane, American voice actress, singer and writer
March 22 – Reese Witherspoon, American actress, producer, and entrepreneur
March 23
- Michelle Monaghan, American actress
- Keri Russell, American actress
March 25 - Domenick Lombardozzi, American actor
March 26 – Amy Smart, American actress
March 27 - Craig Wayans, American writer, producer and actor
March 30 - Jessica Cauffiel, American actress and singer
April 1
- Troy Baker, American voice actor
- David Oyelowo, English actor, producer, director
April 5 – Sterling K. Brown, American actor
April 6 - Candace Cameron Bure, American actress, producer, author, and talk show panelist
April 13
- Jonathan Brandis, American actor (d. 2003)
- Glenn Howerton, American actor and writer
April 15 – Susan Ward, American actress and model
April 16 - Lukas Haas, American actor
April 17 - Maïwenn, French actress and filmmaker
April 18 - Kevin Rankin, American actor
April 20 – Joey Lawrence, American actor
April 23 – Gabriel Damon, American actor
April 26
- Elisabet Reinsalu, Estonian actress
- Thurop Van Orman, American cartoonist, animator, voice actor, producer and director
April 27 – Sally Hawkins, English actress
April 28 - Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse, Native American actor
May 1
- Darius McCrary, American actor, rapper, singer and producer
- Violante Placido, Italian actress and singer
May 5
- Dieter Brummer, Australian actor (d. 2021)
- Sage Stallone, American actor (d. 2012)
May 12 - Daniel Newman, British actor
May 14 - Martine McCutcheon, English actress and singer
May 22 – Külli Teetamm, Estonian actress
May 25
- Erinn Hayes, American actress and comedian
- Cillian Murphy, Irish actor
- Ethan Suplee, American film and television actor
- J. Michael Tatum, American voice actor
May 26 - Stephen Curry, Australian comedian and actor
May 28 - Liam O'Brien, American voice actor, writer and director
May 29 – Yûsuke Iseya, Japanese actor
May 30 – Omri Katz, American retired actor
May 31 – Colin Farrell, Irish actor
June 4 - Damion Poitier, American actor and stuntman
June 6 - Jonathan Nolan, British-American screenwriter, producer and director
June 8 - Eion Bailey, American actor
June 10 - Simon Fenton, English actor
June 17 - Scott Adkins, British actor, producer and martial artist
June 18
- Alana de la Garza, American actress
- Blake Shelton, American singer and actor
June 19 - Ryan Hurst, American actor
June 21 - Dan Scanlon, American animator, storyboard artist, director and screenwriter
June 27
- Joseph Sikora, American actor
- Wagner Moura, Brazilian actor, director and filmmaker
June 28 - Lorraine Stanley, English actress
June 29
- Omar Doom, American actor, musician and artist
- Bret McKenzie, New Zealand musician, comedian and actor
July 1 - Thomas Sadoski, American actor
July 3 - Andrea Barber, American actress and comedian
July 5
- Jamie Elman, Canadian-American actor
- Liberty Phoenix, American former actress
July 6 - Bashir Salahuddin, American actor, writer and comedian
July 7 - Hamish Linklater, American actor
July 9 – Fred Savage, American actor
July 10 - Adrian Grenier, American actor, producer and director
July 15
- Gabriel Iglesias, American stand-up comedian and actor
- Diane Kruger, German actress
July 17 - Dagmara Dominczyk, Polish-American actress
July 18 – Elsa Pataky, Spanish-Australian actress
July 19
- Benedict Cumberbatch, English actor^[6]
- Vinessa Shaw, American actress and model
July 31 – Mela Lee, American voice actress
August 2 – Sam Worthington, Australian actor
August 6
- Andero Ermel, Estonian actor
- Melissa George, Australian actress
- Soleil Moon Frye, American actress and director
August 9
- Jessica Capshaw, American actress
- Audrey Tautou, French actress
August 16 - Kinga Philipps, Polish-American actress
August 23 - Scott Caan, American actor, director and writer
August 24 - Alex O'Loughlin, Australian actor, director and writer
August 25 – Alexander Skarsgard, Swedish actor
August 26 – Mike Colter, American actor
August 27 – Sarah Chalke, Canadian actress, model and voice artist
August 30 - Lillo Brancato, American actor
September 3 – Vivek Oberoi, Indian actor
September 5 – Carice van Houten, Dutch actress and singer
September 6
- Domenica Cameron-Scorsese, American actress
- Robin Atkin Downes, English actor and voice actor
- Naomie Harris, English actress
September 7 - Oliver Hudson, American actor
September 9
- Emma de Caunes, French actress
- Lúcia Moniz, Portuguese singer and actress
September 13 - Colin Trevorrow, American filmmaker
September 18 - Denis Ménochet, French actor
September 20
- Jon Bernthal, American actor
- Enuka Okuma, Canadian actress
September 22 - Sala Baker, New Zealand actress and stuntman
September 24 - Matthew Gravelle, Welsh actor
September 26 – Kersti Heinloo, Estonian actress
October 1 - Danielle Bisutti, American actress and singer
October 3 – Seann William Scott, American actor, comedian and producer
October 4 – Alicia Silverstone, American actress
October 6 - Brett Gelman, American actor and comedian
October 9
- Sam Riegel, American voice actor, director and writer
- Nick Swardson, American actor, stand-up comedian, screenwriter and producer
October 11 - Emily Deschanel, American actress
October 14 - Chang Chen, Taiwanese actor
October 16 - Gil Kenan, British-American filmmaker
October 20 – Dan Fogler, American actor, comedian and writer
October 21 – Andrew Scott, Irish actor
October 23 – Ryan Reynolds, Canadian actor and film producer
October 26 - Florence Kasumba, Ugandan-born German actress
October 31 – Piper Perabo, American actress
November 1 - Chad Lindberg, American actor
November 5 - Sebastian Arcelus, American actor
November 7 - Melyssa Ade, Canadian actress
November 19 - Happy Anderson, American actor
November 24
- Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Japanese actor
- Michael Roof, American actor and comedian (d. 2009)
November 28 - Ryan Kwanten, Australian actor and producer
November 29
- Chadwick Boseman, American actor and playwright (d. 2020)
- Anna Faris, American actress, podcaster and writer
December 1 - Dean O'Gorman, New Zealand actor
December 5 - Amy Acker, American actress
December 7 – Mark Duplass, American filmmaker, actor, writer, and musician
December 8 – Dominic Monaghan, English actor
December 23 - Kyle Kinane, American stand-up comedian and actor
December 26 - Eugene Wanangwa Khumbanyiwa, South African voice actor
December 27 - Aaron Stanford, American actor
December 28 - Joe Manganiello, American actor
December 29
- Dome Karukoski, Finnish director
- Danny McBride, American actor, comedian and writer
December 31 - Chris Terrio, American screenwriter and director

Deaths

Film debuts

Victoria Abril – Robin and Marian
Shohreh Aghdashloo – The Chess Game of the Wind
Dan Aykroyd – Love at First Sight
Albert Brooks – Taxi Driver
Dean Cain – Elmer
Nicholas Campbell – The Omen
Chow Yun-fat – Tou tai ren
Cam Clarke – Baker's Hawk
James Cromwell – Murder by Death
Michael Dorn – Rocky
Bill Duke – Car Wash
Joe Flaherty – Tunnel Vision
Dexter Fletcher – Bugsy Malone
Paul Freeman – Whose Child Am I?
Richard Griffiths – It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet
Mariel Hemingway – Lipstick
Ernie Hudson – Leadbelly
Amy Irving – Carrie
Michael Kamen – The Next Man
Jessica Lange – King Kong
Jennifer Jason Leigh – The Spy Who Never Was
Delroy Lindo – Find the Lady
Mark Margolis – The Opening of Misty Beethoven
Marc McClure – Freaky Friday
Edie McClurg – Carrie
Sam McMurray – The Front
Glenn Morshower – Drive-In
Bill Murray – Next Stop, Greenwich Village
Lena Olin – Face to Face
Holmes Osborne – The Student Body
Stuart Pankin – Next Stop, Greenwich Village
Tim Pigott-Smith – Aces High
Mary Kay Place – Bound for Glory
Jonathan Pryce – Voyage of the Damned
John Ratzenberger – The Ritz
James Rebhorn – The Yum Yum Girls
Isabella Rossellini – A Matter of Time
Cecilia Roth – No toquen a la nena
Deep Roy – The Pink Panther Strikes Again
Mercedes Ruehl – Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands
Theresa Russell – The Last Tycoon
Helen Shaver – Shoot
Brooke Shields – Alice, Sweet Alice
Ron Silver – Tunnel Vision
P.J. Soles – Carrie
Carol Sutton – Sounder, Part 2
Holland Taylor – The Next Man
Tim Thomerson – Car Wash
Charlene Tilton – Freaky Friday
Frank Vincent – The Death Collector
John Waters (actor) – End Play
Tom Wilkinson – The Shadow Line
Debra Winger – Slumber Party '57
Keone Young – Baby Blue Marine

References

^ a b c d e f g h Finler, Joel Waldo (2003). The Hollywood Story. Wallflower Press. pp. 360–361. ISBN 978-1-903364-66-6.
^ a b Top 20 Films of 1976 by Domestic Revenue
^ "Day-By-Day News Summary, Oct. '75-Sept. '76". Daily Variety. October 26, 1976. p. 208.
^ rock Horror Picture Show film booking in Feb 2011 Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Steadicam 30th anniversary press release". Archived from the original on 2014-04-30.
^ "Benedict Cumberbatch". BFI. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
^
Stewart, William T. (1981). International Film Necrology. New York: Garland Publishing. p. 244. ISBN 0-8240-9552-9. See also:
- Seibel, George (September 24, 1935). "Saladin Gets the Vote as Richard Makes War and Love in 'Crusades'". Pittsburgh Sun Telegraph. p. 14.
- Blum, Daniel, ed. (1962, 1982). Daniel Blum's Screen World. Cheshire, CT: Biblio & Tannen. p. 21. ISBN 0-8196-0303-1.

External links

List of 1976 films at IMDb
List of 1976 deaths at IMDb
List of 1976 births at IMDb