1971 in film

The year 1971 in film involved some significant events.

Highest-grossing films (U.S.)
The top ten 1971 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Events

 * February 8 - Bob Dylan's hour-long documentary film, Eat the Document, premieres at New York's Academy of Music. The film includes footage from Dylan's 1966 UK tour.
 * The first permanent IMAX projection system is installed at Ontario Place's "Cinesphere" in Toronto.
 * April 23 - Melvin Van Peebles film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song becomes the highest-grossing independent film of 1971.
 * May 10 - Frank Yablans becomes President of Paramount Pictures.

Awards
Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):
 * The Go-Between, directed by Joseph Losey, United Kingdom

Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):
 * The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (Il Giardino dei Finzi-Contini), directed by Vittorio De Sica, Italy / W. Germany

1971 film releases
U.S.A. unless stated

January–March

 * January 1971
 * 1 January
 * Something Big
 * 21 January
 * Zachariah
 * 31 January
 * Countess Dracula
 * February 1971
 * 9 February
 * Little Murders
 * March 1971
 * 2 March
 * Yuma
 * 11 March
 * Lawman
 * A New Leaf
 * THX 1138
 * 12 March
 * The Andromeda Strain
 * 13 March
 * Vanishing Point
 * 17 March
 * The Barefoot Executive
 * 21 March
 * Making It
 * 24 March
 * Friends
 * 25 March
 * The Deserter
 * 31 March
 * B.S. I Love You
 * The Beguiled

April–June

 * April 1971
 * 7 April
 * Shinbone Alley
 * 9 April
 * Summer of '42
 * Valdez Is Coming
 * 28 April
 * Pretty Maids All in a Row
 * May 1971
 * 1 May
 * Billy Jack
 * 12 May
 * Plaza Suite
 * 21 May
 * Escape from the Planet of the Apes
 * 26 May
 * Big Jake
 * Support Your Local Gunfighter
 * June 1971
 * 1 June
 * One More Train to Rob
 * 2 June
 * The Young Graduates
 * 13 June
 * Unman, Wittering and Zigo
 * 18 June
 * Willard
 * The Panic in Needle Park
 * 22 June
 * Scandalous John
 * 23 June
 * Le Mans
 * Man and Boy
 * Wild Rovers
 * 24 June
 * McCabe & Mrs. Miller
 * 25 June
 * Klute
 * 27 June
 * A Town Called Hell
 * 30 June
 * The Million Dollar Duck
 * Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
 * Carnal Knowledge

July–September

 * July 1971
 * 1 July
 * Murphy's War
 * Walkabout
 * 2 July
 * Shaft
 * 7 July
 * Pinocchio (re-release)
 * Two-Lane Blacktop
 * 16 July
 * The Devils
 * The Hunting Party
 * 23 July
 * The Seven Minutes
 * 24 July
 * Godzilla vs. Hedorah (Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster) - (Japan)
 * August 1971
 * 1 August
 * Doc
 * The Omega Man
 * 9 August
 * The Mephisto Waltz
 * 11 August
 * The Hired Hand
 * 19 August
 * The Marriage of a Young Stockbroker
 * 25 August
 * A Gunfight
 * 27 August
 * Let's Scare Jessica to Death
 * September 1971
 * 3 September
 * Return of Sabata
 * 15 September
 * Red Sun
 * Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me
 * 17 September
 * Kotch
 * 24 September
 * The Last Rebel
 * 28 September
 * The Last Movie
 * 30 September
 * The Skin Game

October–December

 * October 1971
 * 1 October
 * Catlow
 * 9 October
 * The French Connection
 * 13 October
 * Shoot Out
 * 20 October
 * T.R. Baskin
 * 22 October
 * The Last Picture Show
 * 27 October
 * Captain Apache
 * 29 October
 * Duck, You Sucker!
 * November 1971
 * 3 November
 * Fiddler on the Roof
 * Play Misty for Me
 * 8 November
 * Hannie Caulder
 * 24 November
 * Black Beauty
 * Man in the Wilderness
 * December 1971
 * 13 December
 * Bedknobs and Broomsticks
 * 17 December
 * Lady and the Tramp (re-release)
 * Sometimes A Great Notion
 * 19 December
 * A Clockwork Orange
 * 20 December
 * Harold and Maude
 * 21 December
 * Such Good Friends
 * 22 December
 * Star Spangled Girl
 * The Last Picture Show
 * 23 December
 * Bad Man's River
 * Dirty Harry
 * 29 December
 * Straw Dogs
 * 30 December
 * Diamonds Are Forever

Notable films released in 1971
U.S.A. unless stated


 * $ (a.k.a. Dollars, The Heist), starring Warren Beatty and Goldie Hawn
 * 10 Rillington Place, starring Richard Attenborough and John Hurt - (U.K.)
 * 1000 Convicts and a Woman, British exploitation film directed by Ray Austin
 * 1870, Italian historical drama starring Anna Magnani and Marcello Mastroianni
 * 200 Motels, featuring Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention
 * The 300 Year Weekend, starring Michael Tolan and William Devane
 * A
 * Aabhijathyam, Indian Malayalam, directed by A Vincent and produced by RS Prabhu, with stars Madhu, Sharada and Sukumari
 * Aana Valarthiya Vanampadiyude Makan, Indian Malayalam, directed and produced by P. Subramaniam, with stars Gemini Ganesan and Rajasree
 * Aap Aye Bahaar Ayee, Bollywood film produced, directed and written by Mohan Kumar, with stars Rajendra Kumar and Sadhana
 * The Abominable Dr. Phibes, starring Vincent Price and Joseph Cotten - (U.K.)
 * Achante Bharya, Indian Malayalam film, directed by Thikkurissi Sukumaran Nair, with stars Adoor Bhasi, K. P. Ummer and Ragini
 * Adrift on the Nile (Thartharah fawq al-Nil), directed by Hussein Kamal - (Egypt)
 * Adiós, Sabata (a.k.a. The Bounty Hunters), starring Yul Brynner - (Italy)
 * The Adversary (Pratidwandi), directed by Satyajit Ray - (India)
 * Agnimrigam, Indian Malayalam film, directed by M. Krishnan Nair, with stars Prem Nazir, Sathyan and Sheela
 * Amar Prem (Immortal Love), starring Sharmila Tagore and Rajesh Khanna - (India)
 * Anand, starring Rajesh Khanna - (India)
 * The Anderson Tapes, directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Sean Connery, Dyan Cannon, Martin Balsam, Christopher Walken
 * And Now for Something Completely Different, a Monty Python film - (U.K.)
 * The Andromeda Strain, directed by Robert Wise, starring Arthur Hill, Kate Reid, David Wayne, James Olson
 * Animal Treasure Island (Dōbutsu Takarajima) - (Japan)
 * B
 * Bananas, directed by and starring Woody Allen, with Louise Lasser and Howard Cosell
 * The Barefoot Executive, starring Kurt Russell
 * The Battle of Kerzhenets (Secha pri Kerzhentse) - (U.S.S.R.)
 * Bedknobs and Broomsticks, starring Angela Lansbury and David Tomlinson
 * The Beguiled, starring Clint Eastwood and Geraldine Page
 * Benny's Bathtub (Bennys badekar) - (Denmark)
 * Between Miracles (Per grazia ricevuta), directed by and starring Nino Manfredi - (Italy)
 * Beware of a Holy Whore (Warnung vor einer heiligen Nutte), directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder - (West Germany)
 * The Big Boss (Tang shan da xiong / a.k.a. Fists of Fury), starring Bruce Lee - (Hong Kong)
 * The Big Doll House, starring Pam Grier
 * Big Jake, starring John Wayne, Richard Boone, Maureen O'Hara
 * Billy Jack, starring Tom Laughlin, re-released in 1973
 * Bleak Moments, directed by Mike Leigh, starring Anne Raitt, Sarah Stephenson - (U.K.)
 * Bless the Beasts and Children, directed by Stanley Kramer, starring Bill Mumy
 * The Blood on Satan's Claw, starring Patrick Wymark and Linda Hayden- (U.K.)
 * The Boat on the Grass (Le Bateau sur l'herbe), starring Jean-Pierre Cassel - (France)
 * Born to Win, starring George Segal, Paula Prentiss, Héctor Elizondo, Karen Black, Robert De Niro
 * The Boy Friend, directed by Ken Russell, starring Twiggy - (U.K.)
 * Brian's Song, starring James Caan, Billy Dee Williams, Shelley Fabares, Judy Pace, Jack Warden
 * Brother John, starring Sidney Poitier
 * Bunny O'Hare, starring Bette Davis
 * C
 * Carnal Knowledge, directed by Mike Nichols, starring Jack Nicholson, Art Garfunkel, Ann-Margret, Candice Bergen
 * Carry On Henry, directed by Gerald Thomas, starring Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Joan Sims - (U.K.)
 * The Ceremony (Gashiki), directed by Nagisa Oshima - (Japan)
 * Chandler, starring Warren Oates and Leslie Caron
 * Le Chat (The Cat), directed by Robert Bresson, starring Jean Gabin and Simone Signoret - (France)
 * A Clockwork Orange, directed by Stanley Kubrick, starring Malcolm McDowell - (U.K.)
 * The Clowns (I clowns), a TV film directed by and starring Federico Fellini - (Italy)
 * Cold Turkey, directed by Norman Lear, starring Dick Van Dyke and Bob Newhart
 * Confessions of a Police Captain (Confessione di un commissario di polizia al procuratore della repubblica), starring Franco Nero - (Italy)
 * Countess Dracula, starring Ingrid Pitt - (U.K.)
 * Crucible of Terror, starring Mike Raven, James Bolam and Mary Maude- (U.K.)
 * D
 * Daughters of Darkness, directed by Harry Kümel, starring Delphine Seyrig - (Belgium)
 * Dauria - (U.S.S.R.)
 * The Deadly Duo (Shuang xia), directed by Chang Cheh - (Hong Kong)
 * The Deadly Trap, starring Faye Dunaway and Frank Langella
 * Death in Venice (Morte a Venezia), directed by Luchino Visconti, starring Dirk Bogarde and Silvana Mangano - (Italy/France)
 * The Decameron, directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini - (Italy)
 * The Deserter, directed by Burt Kennedy, starring Bekim Fehmiu, John Huston, Richard Crenna, Chuck Connors, Brandon deWilde
 * Desperate Characters, directed by Frank D. Gilroy, starring Shirley MacLaine and Kenneth Mars
 * The Devils, directed by Ken Russell, starring Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave - (U.K.)
 * The Devil Has Seven Faces, starring Stephen Boyd and Carroll Baker- (Italy)
 * Die Screaming, Marianne, starring Susan George and Barry Evans- (U.K.)
 * Diamonds Are Forever, starring Sean Connery (as James Bond), with Jill St. John, Jimmy Dean, Charles Gray - (U.K.)
 * Dirty Harry, directed by Don Siegel, starring Clint Eastwood, Andy Robinson, John Vernon, Reni Santoni
 * Doc, starring Stacy Keach and Faye Dunaway
 * Drive, He Said, directed by Jack Nicholson, starring Karen Black and Bruce Dern
 * Duel, the directorial debut of Steven Spielberg, starring Dennis Weaver
 * Dulcima, starring John Mills and Carol White - (U.K.)
 * E
 * The Emigrants, directed by Jan Troell, starring Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann - (Sweden)
 * Escape from the Planet of the Apes, starring Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Bradford Dillman, Natalie Trundy, Ricardo Montalbán, Eric Braeden, William Windom, Sal Mineo
 * Evdokia, directed by Alexis Damianos - (Greece)
 * Evel Knievel, starring George Hamilton and Sue Lyon
 * F
 * Family Life (Życie rodzinne) - (Poland)
 * Family Life, directed by Ken Loach - (U.K.)
 * Fiddler on the Roof, directed by Norman Jewison, starring Chaim Topol
 * A Fistful of Dynamite (a.k.a. Duck You Sucker), directed by Sergio Leone, starring James Coburn and Rod Steiger - (Italy)
 * Fleeing the Trap, starring Behrouz Vossoughi and Davoud Rashidi (Iran)
 * Fools' Parade, starring James Stewart, George Kennedy, Kurt Russell
 * Fortune and Men's Eyes - (Canada)
 * Four Nights of a Dreamer (Quatre nuits d'un rêveur), directed by Robert Bresson - (France)
 * The French Connection, directed by William Friedkin, starring Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey, Roy Scheider - 5 Academy Awards including best film, director and actor
 * Fright, starring Susan George and Honor Blackman - (U.K.)
 * G
 * The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight, starring Jerry Orbach, Leigh Taylor-Young, Robert De Niro
 * Gas-s-s-s, directed by Roger Corman
 * Gentlemen of Fortune (Dzhentlmeny udachi) - (U.S.S.R.)
 * Get Carter, directed by Mike Hodges, starring Michael Caine - (U.K.)
 * A Girl in Australia (Bello onesto emigrato Australia), starring Alberto Sordi - (Italy/Australia)
 * The Go-Between, directed by Joseph Losey, starring Julie Christie, Alan Bates, Dominic Guard - (U.K.)
 * Godzilla vs. Hedorah (Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster) - (Japan)
 * Grandads-Robbers (Stariki-razboyniki) - (U.S.S.R.)
 * The Grissom Gang, starring Kim Darby and Scott Wilson
 * Guddi, starring Dharmendra - (India)
 * Gumshoe, directed by Stephen Frears, starring Albert Finney and Billie Whitelaw - (U.K.)
 * A Gunfight, starring Kirk Douglas and Johnny Cash
 * H
 * Hannie Caulder, starring Raquel Welch, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Culp
 * Hare Rama Hare Krishna, directed by and starring Dev Anand - (India)
 * Harold and Maude, directed by Hal Ashby, starring Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort
 * The Hellstrom Chronicle, a documentary directed by Walon Green narrated by a dramatized title character portrayed by Lawrence Pressman
 * The Hired Hand, directed by and starring Peter Fonda, with Warren Oates, Verna Bloom
 * The Horsemen, directed by John Frankenheimer, starring Omar Sharif and Jack Palance
 * The Hospital, directed by Arthur Hiller, starring George C. Scott and Diana Rigg
 * How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman (Como Era Gostoso o Meu Francês) - (Brazil)
 * How to Frame a Figg, starring Don Knotts and Yvonne Craig
 * The Hunting Party, starring Gene Hackman, Candice Bergen, Oliver Reed
 * I
 * I, Monster, starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing - (U.K.)
 * In Prison Awaiting Trial (Detenuto in attesa di giudizio), starring Alberto Sordi - (Italy)
 * J
 * Joe Hill, directed by Bo Widerberg - (Sweden/U.S.A.)
 * Johnny Got His Gun, directed by Dalton Trumbo, starring Timothy Bottoms, Diane Varsi, Jason Robards, Donald Sutherland
 * Juste avant la nuit (a.k.a. Just Before Nightfall), directed by Claude Chabrol, starring Stéphane Audran - (France)
 * K
 * King Lear, directed by Peter Brook, starring Paul Scofield - (U.K.)
 * King Lear, directed by Grigori Kozintsev - (U.S.S.R.)
 * Klute, directed by Alan J. Pakula, starring Jane Fonda (Oscar winner), Donald Sutherland, Charles Cioffi, Roy Scheider
 * Kotch, directed by Jack Lemmon, starring Walter Matthau
 * L
 * Land of Silence and Darkness (Land des Schweigens und der Dunkelheit), directed by Werner Herzog - (West Germany)
 * The Last Picture Show, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, starring Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, Cloris Leachman, Ellen Burstyn, Ben Johnson
 * The Last Run, starring George C. Scott
 * Lawman, starring Burt Lancaster, Lee J. Cobb, Robert Ryan, Robert Duvall
 * Le Mans, starring Steve McQueen
 * Liberation (Osvobozhdenie / Befreiung), directed by Yuri Ozerov - (U.S.S.R./East Germany/Poland/Yugoslavia/Italy)
 * The Light at the Edge of the World
 * Little Murders, directed by Alan Arkin, starring Elliott Gould, Marcia Rodd, Vincent Gardenia, Elizabeth Wilson, Donald Sutherland
 * Love (Szerelem) - (Hungary)
 * The Love Machine, directed by Jack Haley, Jr., starring Dyan Cannon
 * M
 * Macbeth, directed by Roman Polanski, starring Jon Finch and Francesca Annis - (U.K./U.S.)
 * Made for Each Other, starring Joseph Bologna and Renée Taylor
 * Malpertuis, starring Orson Welles and Susan Hampshire - (Belgium/France)
 * Man in the Wilderness, starring Richard Harris
 * The Marriage of a Young Stockbroker, starring Richard Benjamin, Joanna Shimkus and Adam West
 * Mary, Queen of Scots, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Glenda Jackson - (U.K.)
 * McCabe & Mrs. Miller, directed by Robert Altman, starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie
 * Melody, starring Mark Lester and Jack Wild - (U.K.)
 * The Mephisto Waltz, starring Alan Alda and Jacqueline Bisset
 * Mere Apne - (India)
 * The Million Dollar Duck, starring Sandy Duncan
 * Minnie and Moskowitz, directed by John Cassavetes, starring Gena Rowlands and Seymour Cassel
 * Mira, directed by Fons Rademakers - (Netherlands/Belgium)
 * The Missing Clerk (Den forsvundne fuldmægtig) - (Denmark)
 * Mon oncle Antoine - considered by some critics the greatest Canadian film - (Canada)
 * Murmur of the Heart, directed by Louis Malle - (France/Italy/West Germany)
 * Murphy's War, starring Peter O'Toole
 * N
 * A New Leaf, directed by and starring Elaine May, co-starring Walter Matthau
 * Nicholas and Alexandra, directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, starring Michael Jayston, Janet Suzman, Laurence Olivier, Jack Hawkins - (U.K.)
 * Night of Dark Shadows, directed by Dan Curtis, starring David Selby and Grayson Hall
 * The Night Digger (a.k.a. The Road Builder), starring Patricia Neal - (U.K.)
 * The Night God Screamed, low-budget psychological horror starring Jeanne Crain with Alex Nicol, Gary Morgan, James Sikking
 * Nikah Halala, by Nosrat Karimi. (Iran)
 * O
 * Octaman
 * Officers (ofitsery) - (U.S.S.R.)
 * Oil Lamps (Petrolejové lampy) - (Czechoslovakia)
 * The Omega Man, starring Charlton Heston and Anthony Zerbe
 * On the Buses, starring Reg Varney - (U.K.)
 * One Armed Boxer (Du bei chuan wang), starring Jimmy Wang Yu - (Hong Kong)
 * One More Train to Rob, starring George Peppard and Diana Muldaur
 * Out 1 (a.k.a. Out 1, noli me tangere), directed by Jacques Rivette, starring Jean-Pierre Léaud - (France)
 * P
 * The Panic in Needle Park, starring Al Pacino
 * The Pine Tree in the Mountain (U gori raste zelen bor) - (Yugoslavia)
 * Play Misty for Me, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, with Jessica Walter and Donna Mills
 * Plaza Suite, directed by Arthur Hiller, starring Walter Matthau, Maureen Stapleton, Barbara Harris, Lee Grant
 * Porcupines Are Born Without Bristles (Taralezhite se razhdat bez bodli) - (Bulgaria)
 * Pretty Maids All in a Row, written and produced by Gene Roddenberry, directed by Roger Vadim, starring Rock Hudson and Angie Dickinson
 * Prince Sinbad of the Mountains
 * Punishment Park, directed by Peter Watkins
 * The Pursuit of Happiness, starring Michael Sarrazin, Barbara Hershey, Robert Klein
 * R
 * Raid on Rommel, directed by Henry Hathaway, starring Richard Burton and John Colicos
 * Raphael, or The Debauched One (Raphaël ou le Débauché) - (France)
 * Red Sky at Morning, starring Richard Thomas and Desi Arnaz, Jr.
 * Red Sun, starring Charles Bronson, Ursula Andress, Toshiro Mifune, Alain Delon - (France/Italy/Spain)
 * Rendezvous at Bray, starring Anna Karina - (France/Belgium)
 * S
 * Sacco e Vanzetti, starring Gian Maria Volonté - (Italy)
 * A Safe Place, starring Jack Nicholson and Tuesday Weld
 * The Salamander (La Salamandre), starring Bulle Ogier - (Switzerland)
 * See No Evil, starring Mia Farrow
 * The Seven Minutes, starring Marianne McAndrew
 * Shaft, directed by Gordon Parks, starring Richard Roundtree
 * She Killed in Ecstasy (Sie tötete in Ekstase) - (West Germany/Spain)
 * Shoot Out, directed by Henry Hathaway, starring Gregory Peck
 * Silence (Chinmoku) - (Japan)
 * Skin Game, starring James Garner and Louis Gossett, Jr.
 * Something Big, starring Dean Martin
 * Sometimes a Great Notion (Never Give an Inch), directed by and starring Paul Newman, with Henry Fonda, Lee Remick, Richard Jaeckel, Michael Sarrazin
 * Soul to Soul, a concert documentary featuring Wilson Pickett, Ike & Tina Turner and more
 * Star Spangled Girl, directed by Jerry Paris, starring Sandy Duncan and Tony Roberts
 * Straw Dogs, directed by Sam Peckinpah, starring Dustin Hoffman and Susan George - (U.K./U.S.)
 * Such Good Friends, directed by Otto Preminger, starring Dyan Cannon and Burgess Meredith
 * Summer of '42, directed by Robert Mulligan, starring Jennifer O'Neill and Gary Grimes
 * Sunday, Bloody Sunday, directed by John Schlesinger, starring Peter Finch and Glenda Jackson - (U.K.)
 * Support Your Local Gunfighter, starring James Garner and Suzanne Pleshette
 * Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, directed by Melvin Van Peebles
 * Sympathy for the Underdog (Bakuto gaijin butai) - (Japan)
 * T
 * THX 1138, the directorial debut of George Lucas, starring Robert Duvall
 * T.R. Baskin, starring Candice Bergen
 * Taking Off, directed by Miloš Forman, starring Lynn Carlin and Buck Henry
 * The Tales of Beatrix Potter, a dance film featuring The Royal Ballet - (U.K.)
 * They Might Be Giants, starring George C. Scott and Joanne Woodward
 * Three Reservists (Trimata ot zapasa), directed by Zako Heskiya, starring Georgi Partsalev and Kiril Gospodinov - (Bulgaria)
 * A Touch of Zen (Xia nu) - (Taiwan)
 * Trafic, directed by and starring Jacques Tati - (France)
 * The Trojan Women, directed by Michael Cacoyannis, starring Katharine Hepburn, Vanessa Redgrave, Irene Papas - (U.S.A./U.K./Greece)
 * Twitch of the Death Nerve (Ecologia del delitto), starring Claudine Auger - (Italy)
 * Two English Girls (Les deux anglaises et le continent), directed by François Truffaut, starring Jean-Pierre Léaud - (France)
 * Two-Lane Blacktop, starring James Taylor and Warren Oates
 * U
 * Unman, Wittering and Zigo, starring David Hemmings - (U.K.)
 * Up Pompeii, starring Frankie Howerd and Michael Hordern - (U.K.)
 * V
 * Valdez Is Coming, starring Burt Lancaster, Susan Clark, Jon Cypher, Richard Jordan
 * Vampyros Lesbos, directed by Jesus Franco
 * Vanishing Point, starring Barry Newman and Cleavon Little
 * Villain, starring Richard Burton and Ian McShane - (U.K.)
 * Von Richthofen and Brown (a.k.a. The Red Baron), directed by Roger Corman, starring John Phillip Law
 * W
 * W.R.: Mysteries of the Organism (W.R. - Misterije organizma) - (Yugoslavia/West Germany)
 * Wake in Fright, directed by Ted Kotcheff, starring Donald Pleasence - (Australia)
 * Walkabout, directed by Nicolas Roeg, starring Jenny Agutter and David Gulpilil - (Australia/U.K.)
 * Le Wazzou polygame (The Polygamist's Morale) - (Niger/France)
 * What's the Matter with Helen?, starring Debbie Reynolds and Shelley Winters
 * What the Peeper Saw, starring Britt Ekland, Mark Lester, Hardy Krüger
 * When Eight Bells Toll, starring Anthony Hopkins, Robert Morley, Nathalie Delon, Jack Hawkins - (U.K.)
 * Whity, directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder - (West Germany)
 * Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?, starring Shelley Winters and Mark Lester
 * Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?, starring Dustin Hoffman
 * Who Killed Mary What's 'Er Name? a.k.a. Death of a Hooker, starring Red Buttons and Sylvia Miles
 * Wild Rovers, directed by Blake Edwards, starring William Holden and Ryan O'Neal
 * Willard, starring Bruce Davison, Elsa Lanchester, Ernest Borgnine
 * Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, directed by Mel Stuart, starring Gene Wilder and Jack Albertson
 * The Working Class Goes to Heaven (La classe operaia va in paradiso), starring Gian Maria Volonté, Palme d'Or winner - (Italy)
 * XYZ
 * You Are a Widow, Sir (Pane, vy jste vdova!) - (Czechoslovakia)
 * The Young Graduates, directed by Robert Anderson, starring Patrick Wymer, Steven Stewart, Gary Rist and Bruno Kirby
 * Zeppelin, starring Elke Sommer and Michael York - (U.K.)
 * El Zorro de Monterrey
 * Zorro, Rider of Vengeance

Short film series

 * The Pink Panther (1964–69)(1971-72)(1974–77)(1978–80)
 * The Ant and the Aardvark (1969–1971)
 * Roland and Rattfink (1968–1971)
 * Tijuana Toads (1969–72)
 * Woody Woodpecker (1941–49, 1951–72)
 * Chilly Willy (1953–72)
 * The Beary Family (1962–72)

Births

 * January 2 - Taye Diggs, American actor
 * January 7 - Jeremy Renner, American actor
 * January 11 - Mary J. Blige, American singer-songwriter and actress
 * January 15 - Regina King, American actress
 * January 24 - Stanislas Merhar, French actor
 * January 27 - Karin Tammaru, Estonian actress
 * February 1
 * Michael C. Hall, American actor
 * Jill Kelly, American pornographic actress
 * February 11 - Damian Lewis, English actor
 * February 15
 * Alex Borstein, American actress
 * Renee O'Connor, American actress
 * February 17 - Denise Richards, American actress
 * February 22 - Lea Salonga, Filipina voice actress/singer
 * February 25 - Sean Astin, American actor
 * March 2 - Method Man, American actor and musician
 * March 5 - Yuri Lowenthal, American voice actor
 * March 7 - Peter Sarsgaard, American actor
 * March 10 - Jon Hamm, American actor
 * March 11 - Johnny Knoxville, American actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter
 * March 13 - Annabeth Gish, American actress
 * March 15 - Chris Patton, American voice actor
 * March 27 - Nathan Fillion, Canadian actor
 * March 31 - Ewan McGregor, Scottish actor
 * April 12 - Shannen Doherty, American actress
 * April 18 - David Tennant, Scottish actor
 * April 19 - Wendy Powell, American voice actress
 * April 28 - Bridget Moynahan, American actress
 * May 14 - Sofia Coppola, American actress, writer, and director
 * May 26 - Matt Stone, American actor, creator of South Park
 * May 27
 * Paul Bettany, English actor
 * Lisa Lopes, American singer and actress (d. 2002)
 * May 30 - Idina Menzel, American actress, singer and songwriter
 * June 4 - Noah Wyle, American actor
 * June 5 - Mark Wahlberg, American actor and musician
 * June 15
 * Jake Busey, American actor
 * Taavi Eelmaa, Estonian actor
 * June 16
 * Eva Püssa, Estonian actress
 * Tupac Shakur, American actor and rapper (d. 1996)
 * July 1 - Missy Elliott, American musician and actress
 * July 16 - Corey Feldman, American actor
 * July 19 - Andres Puustusmaa, Estonian actor and director
 * July 21 - Charlotte Gainsbourg, French actress
 * August 10 - Justin Theroux, American actor
 * August 12 - Rebecca Gayheart, American actress
 * August 29 - Carla Gugino, American actress
 * August 31 - Chris Tucker, American actor
 * September 8
 * David Arquette, American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter
 * Martin Freeman, English actor
 * September 14 - Kimberly Williams-Paisley, American actresses
 * September 15 - Colleen Villard, American voice actress
 * September 16 - Amy Poehler, American actress
 * September 18 - Jada Pinkett Smith, American actress
 * September 21 - Luke Wilson, American actor
 * October 13 - Sacha Baron Cohen, English actor, comedian, screenwriter and producer
 * October 20 - Snoop Dogg, American rapper and actor
 * October 29 - Winona Ryder, American actress
 * November 3 - Piret Laurimaa, Estonian actress
 * November 4 - Tabu, Indian actress
 * November 10 - Walton Goggins, American actor
 * November 25 - Christina Applegate, American actress
 * December 1 - Emily Mortimer, English actress
 * December 6 - Katariina Unt, Estonian actress
 * December 7
 * Chasey Lain, American pornographic actress
 * DeObia Oparei, English actor
 * December 23 - Corey Haim, Canadian actor (d. 2010)
 * December 25 - Ain Mäeots, Estonian actor, director and producer
 * December 26 - Jared Leto, American actor and musician

Film debuts

 * F. Murray Abraham - They Might Be Giants
 * Brooke Adams - Murders in the Rue Morgue
 * Kathy Bates - Taking Off
 * Timothy Bottoms - Johnny Got His Gun
 * Jim Broadbent - The Go-Between
 * Keith Carradine - McCabe & Mrs. Miller
 * Stockard Channing - The Hospital
 * Dennis Christopher - Blood and Lace
 * Brian Cox - Nicholas and Alexandra
 * Rodney Dangerfield - The Projectionist
 * Daniel Day-Lewis - Sunday Bloody Sunday
 * Gérard Depardieu - Cry of the Cormoran
 * Eric Idle - And Now for Something Completely Different
 * Carol Kane - Carnal Knowledge
 * Eugene Levy - Foxy Lady
 * Andrea Martin - Foxy Lady
 * Craig T. Nelson - The Return of Count Yorga
 * Cassandra Peterson - Diamonds Are Forever
 * Randy Quaid - The Last Picture Show
 * John Ritter - The Barefoot Executive
 * Cybill Shepherd - The Last Picture Show
 * Bruce Spence - Stork
 * David Ogden Stiers - THX 1138
 * Susan Tyrrell - Shoot Out
 * Jacki Weaver - Stork
 * Cindy Williams - Gas-s-s-s