What You Need to Know: 1976 as Movie Year
Highest-grossing films 1976
Rank Title Distributor Domestic rentals
1 Rocky United Artists $55,900,000
2 A Star Is Born Warner Bros. $37,100,000
3 King Kong Paramount $36,900,000
4 Silver Streak 20th Century Fox $30,018,000
5 All the President’s Men Warner Bros. $30,000,000
6 The Omen 20th Century Fox $28,500,000
7 The Bad News Bears Paramount $24,800,000
8 The Enforcer Warner Bros. $24,000,000
9 In Search of Noah’s Ark Sunn Classic $23,800,000
10 Midway Universal $21,610,435
Events
March 22 – Filming begins on George Lucas’ Star Wars science fiction film. Lucas declines his directing fee of $500,000 in exchange for ownership of merchandising and sequel rights.
April 1 – The Rocky Horror Picture Show is rereleased as midnight movie at Waverly Theater in Greenwich Village, New York, starting through the run and still being shown in there as of 2013 all around the world.
April 9 – Hitchcock’s last film, Family Plot, is released.
August 11 – John Wayne appears in his final film, The Shootist.
November 21 – Rocky, the first in the series, becomes year’s highest-grossing film and goes on to win the Best Picture.
December 5 – Bound for Glory, the first picture in which inventor-operator Garrett Brown used Steadicam for filming moving scenes, although its use had already been seen in Marathon Man and Rocky which were filmed later but released earlier.
December 17 – King Kong, highest opening weekend gross and overall box office success.
Oscar Awards
49th Academy Awards–March 28, 1977
Best Film Rocky A Star Is Born One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Rocky
Best Director Sidney Lumet
Network Miloš Forman
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest John G. Avildsen
Rocky
Best Actor Peter Finch
Network Kris Kristofferson
A Star Is Born Jack Nicholson
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Peter Finch
Network
Best Actress Faye Dunaway
Network Barbra Streisand
A Star Is Born Louise Fletcher
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Faye Dunaway
Network
Best Supporting Actor Laurence Olivier
Marathon Man Brad Dourif
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Jason Robards
All the President’s Men
Best Supporting Actress Katharine Ross
Voyage of the Damned Jodie Foster
Taxi Driver and Bugsy Malone Beatrice Straight
Network
Best Screenplay, Adapted Paddy Chayefsky
Network Alan Parker
Bugsy Malone William Goldman
All the President’s Men
Best Screenplay, Original Paddy Chayefsky
Network
Best Original Score Kenneth Ascher and Paul Williams
A Star Is Born Bernard Herrmann
Taxi Driver Jerry Goldsmith
The Omen
Leonard Rosenman
Bound for Glory
Best Original Song “Evergreen”
A Star Is Born N/A “Evergreen”
A Star Is Born
Best Foreign Language Film Face to Face N/A Black and White in Color
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
Births
January 1 – Tank (American singer), American singer and songwriter
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
Alice Winocour, French screenwriter and director
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 19 – Rachel Blanchard, Canadian actress
March 21 – Rachael MacFarlane, American voice actress, singer and writer
March 22 – Reese Witherspoon, American actress and producer
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)
Valentina Cervi, Italian actress
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
Alexander Karim, Swedish actor and writer
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 8 – Nigél Thatch, American actor
August 9
Jessica Capshaw, American actress
Audrey Tautou, French actress
August 16 – Kinga Philipps, Polish-American actress
August 19 – Pablo Larraín, Chilean filmmaker
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
Byron Lawson, Canadian 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 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 21 – Eric Michael Cole, American actor, producer and editor
September 22 – Sala Baker, New Zealand actress and stuntman
September 24 – Matthew Gravelle, Welsh actor
September 25 – Charlotte Ayanna, Puerto Rican-American actress
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 19 – Desmond Harrington, American actor
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 27 – Phil Fletcher, British puppeteer
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 23 – Page Kennedy, American actor and rapper
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 3 – Richard Cawthorne, Australian actor
December 5 – Amy Acker, American actress
December 7 – Mark Duplass, American filmmaker, actor, writer, and musician
December 8 – Dominic Monaghan, English actor
December 16 – Mark Ashworth, English actor
December 18 – Koyuki, Japanese model and actress
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
Jan 12 Agatha Christie 85 UK Writer
Witness for the ProsecutionMurder on the Orient Express
13 Margaret Leighton 53 UK Actress
The Go-BetweenThe Best Man
18 Sonia Dresdel 66 UK Actress
This Was a WomanThe Fallen Idol
23 Paul Dupuis 62 France Actor
Against the WindMadness of the Heart
23 Paul Robeson 77 US Actor, Singer
Show BoatThe Proud Valley
29 Michael Gwynn 59 UK Actor
CleopatraJason and the Argonauts
February 4 Roger Livesey 69 UK Actor
The EntertainerThe Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
11 Lee J. Cobb 64 US Actor
On the WaterfrontThe Exorcist
11 John Twist 77 US Screenwriter
King Richard and the CrusadersAnnie Oakley
12 Sal Mineo 37 US Actor
Rebel Without a CauseExodus
13 Lily Pons 77 France Singer, Actress
I Dream Too MuchHitting a New High
13 John Lounsbery 64 US Animator
DumboLady and the Tramp
15 Maria Corda 77 Hungary Actress
White RoseThe Private Life of Helen of Troy
16 Campbell Singer 66 UK Actor
The Square PegThe Hands of Orlac
24 Peter Madden 71 UK Actor
From Russia with LoveDoctor Zhivago
26 Frieda Inescort 75 UK Actress
A Place in the SunThe Letter
March 3 Doris Hill 70 US Actress
Sons of the SaddleMen Are Like That
5 Charles Lederer 69 US Screenwriter
His Girl FridayOcean’s 11
March 14 Busby Berkeley 80 US Director, Choreographer, 42nd Street
17 Luchino Visconti 69 Italy Director, Writer, The Leopard Death in Venice
April 5 Howard Hughes 70 US Director, Producer
Hell’s AngelsThe Outlaw
5 Robert Lord 75 US Screenwriter, Producer
One Way Passage20,000 Years in Sing Sing
11 Liam Dunn 59 US Actor
Blazing SaddlesYoung Frankenstein
12 Paul Ford 74 US Actor
Advise & ConsentThe Music Man
21 Léonide Moguy 75 Russia Director, Writer
Paris After DarkAction in Arabia
25 Carol Reed 69 UK Director, Writer
OIiver!The Third Man
26 Neil McCallum 46 Canada Actor
The Longest DayDr. Terror’s House of Horrors
26 Sid James 62 UK Actor
The Lavender Hill MobTrapeze
29 Thelma Connell 63 UK Film Editor
AlfieThe Deadly Affair
May
June 9 Sybil Thorndike 93 UK Actress
The Magic BoxMelba
10 Adolph Zukor 103 US Producer, Studio Executive
WingsShanghai Express
25 Johnny Mercer 66 US Songwriter
The Harvey GirlsDarling Lili
28 Stanley Baker 48 UK Actor
The Guns of NavaroneHelen of Troy
July 2 Frances Howard 73 US Actress
The Shock PunchThe Swan
7 Norman Foster 72 US Actor, Director
PilgrimageState Fair
12 James Wong Howe 76 China Cinematographer
The Rose TattooHud
17 Rina Morelli 67 Italy Actress
The LeopardSenso
28 Lucie Mannheim 77 Germany Actress
The 39 StepsThe High Command
August 2 Fritz Lang 85 Germany Director, Writer
MetropolisThe Big Heat
6 William Mervyn 64 UK Actor
The Ruling ClassThe Long Arm
10 Ray Corrigan 74 US Actor
The Three MesquiteersRange Busters
17 William Redfield 49 US Actor
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s NestDeath Wish
17 Murvyn Vye 60 US Actor
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s CourtAl Capone
18 Luigi Serventi 91 Italy Actor
A Woman’s StoryThe Story of a Poor Young Man
28 Alastair Sim 75 UK Actor
The Green ManScrooge
September 10 Dalton Trumbo 70 US Screenwriter
SpartacusRoman Holiday
30 Paul Dehn 63 UK Screenwriter
GoldfingerMurder on the Orient Express
October 5 Barbara Nichols 47 US Actress
Sweet Smell of SuccessThe Naked and the Dead
14 Edith Evans 88 UK Actress
Tom JonesThe Nun’s Story
November 3 Ramsay Hill 86 US Actor, Technical Advisor
The CrusadesOne Hundred and One Dalmatians[7]
15 Jean Gabin 72 France Actor
La Grande IllusionPort of Shadows
22 Rupert Davies 60 UK Actor
WaterlooThe Criminal
28 Rosalind Russell 69 US Actress
His Girl FridayAuntie Mame
29 Godfrey Cambridge 43 US Actor
Cotton Comes to HarlemThe President’s Analyst
December 3 Mary Nash 92 US Actress
The Philadelphia StoryThe Human Comedy
8 Cathy Downs 50 US Actress
My Darling ClementineThe Dark Corner
12 Jack Cassidy 49 US Actor
Bunny O’HareThe Eiger Sanction
20 Walter Fitzgerald 80 UK Actor
The Fallen IdolMan in the Sky
Film debuts
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
Ron Dean – The Last Affair
Michael Dorn – Rocky
Bill Duke – Car Wash
Joe Flaherty – Tunnel Vision
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
Alice Krige – Vergeet My Nie
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
Tom Wright – Tomcats
Keone Young – Baby Blue Marine
