1978 in film

Highest-grossing films (U.S.)

Events

• February 6 – David Begelman resigns as president of Columbia Pictures.
• March 1 – Charlie Chaplin's coffin is stolen from a Swiss cemetery three months after burial. After recovery a few weeks later, the casket is sealed in a concrete vault which is then buried in the same grave.
• March – Leigh Brackett completes the first draft for The Empire Strikes Back, but dies only two weeks later.
• June – Daniel Melnick becomes head of Columbia Pictures after the David Begelman scandal.
• June 4 – Grease, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, has its world premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. It becomes the highest-grossing musical ever and Paramount Pictures' highest-grossing film.
• July 20 – Alan Hirschfield is fired as president and CEO of Columbia Pictures. He is replaced by Francis T. Vincent.
• August – Production begins on .
• September – George Lucas purchases Bulltail Ranch, on Lucas Valley Road, for the development of Skywalker Ranch.
• October 27 – Halloween is released.
• November 17 – Star Wars Holiday Special airs on CBS. The special gives fans their first glimpse of Boba Fett, a character from the upcoming sequel.
• December 10 – Superman premieres at the Kennedy Centre in Washington, D.C. and has a European Royal Charity Premiere at the Empire, Leicester Square in London three days later in the presence of HM Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew.

  Awards

1978 film releases

January–March

• January 1978
• *6 January
• **Coma
• *25 January
• **Renaldo and Clara
• *29 January
• **A Night Full of Rain
• February 1978
• *Remember My Name
• *2 February
• **The Boys in Company C
• *3 February
• **The One and Only
• *4 February
• **Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid
• *9 February
• **The Betsy
• *10 February
• **Blue Collar
• **The Other Side of the Mountain Part 2
• *15 February
• **Coming Home
• March 1978
• *And the Devil is Their Third Accomplice
• *5 March
• **An Unmarried Woman
• *10 March
• **Gray Lady Down
• **Return from Witch Mountain
• **The Fury
• *13 March
• **The Big Sleep
• *15 March
• **House Calls
• *17 March
• **American Hot Wax
• **Casey's Shadow
• *18 March
• **Dot and the Kangaroo
• **Straight Time

  April–June

• April 1978
• *5 April
• **Pretty Baby
• *9 April
• **Rabbit Test
• *14 April
• **The Medusa Touch
• *20 April
• **Dawn of the Dead
• *21 April
• **I Wanna Hold Your Hand
• *26 April
• **F.I.S.T.
• *28 April
• **FM
• May 1978
• Warlords of Atlantis
• *10 May
• **It Lives Again
• **The End
• **Nunzio
• *12 May
• **The Greek Tycoon
• *18 May
• **The Buddy Holly Story
• *19 May
• **Thank God It's Friday
• *23 May
• **Harper Valley PTA
• *26 May
• **American Graffiti
• **Big Wednesday
• **High-Ballin
• June 1978
• *2 June
• **Capricorn One
• *6 June
• **'
• *9 June
• **The Cat from Outer Space
• *10 June
• **The Driver
• *14 June
• **Go Tell the Spartans
• *16 June
• **Grease
• **Jaws 2
• *23 June
• **The Cheap Detective
• *28 June
• **Convoy
• **Heaven Can Wait
• **The Wild Geese
• *29 June
• **Fedora
• *30 June
• **The Bad News Bears Go to Japan''

  July–September

• July 1978
• *5 July
• **Hot Lead and Cold Feet
• *14 July
• **Foul Play
• **Hooper
• **The Swarm
• *19 July
• **Revenge of the Pink Panther
• **International Velvet
• *21 July
• **Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
• *28 July
• **Animal House
• August 1978
• *2 August
• **Eyes of Laura Mars
• **Interiors
• **The Magic of Lassie
• *3 August
• **Piranha
• *4 August
• **China 9, Liberty 37
• **Corvette Summer
• *11 August
• **Who'll Stop the Rain
• *29 August
• **A Wedding
• *30 August
• **Avalanche
• September 1978
• *13 September
• **Days of Heaven
• *15 September
• **Up in Smoke
• *22 September
• **Almost Summer
• *29 September
• **Somebody Killed Her Husband
• **Death on the Nile

  October–December

• October 1978
• *5 October
• **The Boys from Brazil
• **Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?
• *6 October
• **The Big Fix
• **Midnight Express
• **Goin' South
• *20 October
• **Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
• *24 October
• **The Wiz
• *25 October
• **Comes a Horseman
• **Halloween
• November 1978
• *1 November
• **Watership Down
• *2 November
• **Caravans
• *8 November
• **Magic
• *10 November
• **Paradise Alley
• *11 November
• **The Wild Geese
• *15 November
• **The Further Adventures of the Wilderness Family
• **The Lord of the Rings
• *22 November
• **Movie Movie
• **Same Time, Next Year
• December 1978
• *8 December
• **The Brink's Job
• **The Deer Hunter
• **Force 10 from Navarone
• *15 December
• **Oliver's Story
• **Superman
• *17 December
• **Uncle Joe Shannon
• *20 December
• **Every Which Way but Loose
• **King of the Gypsies
• *22 December
• **California Suite
• **Invasion of the Body Snatchers
• **Moment by Moment
• *31 December
• **Ice Castles

  Notable films released in 1978

#

• The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, starring Gordon Liu –

  A

• Almost Summer, directed by Martin Davidson, starring Bruno Kirby and Lee Purcell
• , directed by Martin Scorsese
• American Hot Wax, a biopic of Alan Freed, starring Tim McIntire, Fran Drescher, Laraine Newman, Jay Leno
• L'argent des autres, starring Jean-Louis Trintignant and Catherine Deneuve –
• The Astral Factor, starring Robert Foxworth and Stefanie Powers
• Autumn Sonata, directed by Ingmar Bergman, starring Ingrid Bergman and Liv Ullmann –
• Avalanche, starring Rock Hudson, Robert Forster, Mia Farrow

  B

• The Bad News Bears Go to Japan, starring Tony Curtis and Jackie Earle Haley
• Bandits vs. Samurai Squadron –
• Battlestar Galactica
• The Betsy, starring Laurence Olivier, Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Katharine Ross, Kathleen Beller, Lesley-Anne Down
• The Big Fix, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Susan Anspach, F. Murray Abraham, John Lithgow
• The Big Sleep, starring Robert Mitchum, Sarah Miles, Oliver Reed, Richard Boone, Candy Clark, Joan Collins, James Stewart –
• Big Wednesday, directed by John Milius, starring Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt, Gary Busey
• Bloodbrothers, starring Richard Gere and Paul Sorvino
• Blue Collar, directed by Paul Schrader, starring Richard Pryor, Yaphet Kotto, Harvey Keitel
• Born Again, starring Dean Jones and Anne Francis
• The Boys from Brazil, directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, starring Gregory Peck, Laurence Olivier, James Mason –
• The Boys in Company C, starring Stan Shaw, Andrew Stevens and Craig Wasson
• The Brink's Job, directed by William Friedkin, starring Peter Falk, Gena Rowlands, Peter Boyle, Paul Sorvino, Warren Oates
• The Buddy Holly Story, starring Gary Busey, Don Stroud and Charles Martin Smith
• Bye Bye Monkey, starring Gérard Depardieu and Marcello Mastroianni –

  C

• La Cage aux Folles, directed by Édouard Molinaro, starring Ugo Tognazzi and Michel Serrault –
• California Suite, starring Alan Alda, Jane Fonda, Michael Caine, Maggie Smith, Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby, Elaine May, Walter Matthau
• Capricorn One, directed by Peter Hyams, starring Elliott Gould, James Brolin, O. J. Simpson, Sam Waterston, Hal Holbrook, Brenda Vaccaro
• Caravans, starring Anthony Quinn, Jennifer O'Neill, Michael Sarrazin
• Casey's Shadow, starring Walter Matthau, Alexis Smith, Robert Webber
• The Cat from Outer Space, starring Ken Berry and Sandy Duncan
• Centennial, TV miniseries, starring Raymond Burr, Richard Chamberlain, Richard Crenna, Andy Griffith, David Janssen, Alex Karras
• La chambre verte, directed by and starring François Truffaut –
• The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, directed by Fred Schepisi –
• The Cheap Detective, starring Peter Falk, Ann-Margret, Marsha Mason, Sid Caesar
• China 9, Liberty 37, starring Fabio Testi, Jenny Agutter, Warren Oates –
• The Class of Miss MacMichael, starring Glenda Jackson –
• Closed Circuit –
• Coma, directed by Michael Crichton, starring Geneviève Bujold, Michael Douglas, Richard Widmark
• Comes a Horseman, directed by Alan J. Pakula, starring Jane Fonda, James Caan, Jason Robards
• Coming Home, directed by Hal Ashby, starring Jane Fonda, Jon Voight, Bruce Dern, Penelope Milford
• Convoy, directed by Sam Peckinpah, starring Kris Kristofferson, Ali MacGraw and Ernest Borgnine
• Corvette Summer, starring Mark Hamill
• Cosi' come sei starring Marcello Mastroianni and Nastassja Kinski –
• Crippled Avengers, directed by Chang Cheh –

  D

• The Dain Curse, mini-series for TV, starring James Coburn and Jean Simmons
• , starring William Holden and Lee Grant
• d'Artagnan and Three Musketeers –
• Dawn of the Dead, directed by George A. Romero –
• Days of Heaven, directed by Terrence Malick, starring Richard Gere, Sam Shepard, Brooke Adams
• Death on the Nile, directed by John Guillermin, starring Peter Ustinov, David Niven, Bette Davis, Maggie Smith, Angela Lansbury, Olivia Hussey, Mia Farrow –
• Deathsport, starring David Carradine
• Debbie Does Dallas, pornographic comedy
• The Deer Hunter, directed by Michael Cimino, starring Robert De Niro, John Cazale, John Savage, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep
• The Demon –
• A Different Story, starring Meg Foster, Perry King, Valerie Curtin
• El diputado –
• Don, starring Amitabh Bachchan –
• A Dream of Passion, directed by Jules Dassin, starring Melina Mercouri and Ellen Burstyn –
• The Driver, directed by Walter Hill, starring Ryan O'Neal, Bruce Dern, Isabelle Adjani, Ronee Blakley
• Drunken Master, starring Jackie Chan –

  E

• Ecce bombo, directed by and starring Nanni Moretti –
• Empire of Passion, directed by Nagisa Oshima –
• The End, directed by and starring Burt Reynolds, with Dom DeLuise, Joanne Woodward, Pat O'Brien, Myrna Loy, Sally Field
• An Enemy of the People, starring Steve McQueen
• Enter the Fat Dragon, starring Sammo Hung –
• Every Which Way but Loose, directed by James Fargo, starring Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Geoffrey Lewis
• Eyes of Laura Mars, directed by Irvin Kershner, starring Faye Dunaway and Tommy Lee Jones

  F

• F.I.S.T., directed by Norman Jewison, starring Sylvester Stallone, Melinda Dillon, Rod Steiger
• FM, starring Cleavon Little and Eileen Brennan
• Fedora, directed by Billy Wilder, starring William Holden and Marthe Keller
• Fingers, directed by James Toback, starring Harvey Keitel
• Five Deadly Venoms
• Force 10 from Navarone, starring Robert Shaw, Edward Fox, Harrison Ford –
• Foul Play, directed by Colin Higgins, starring Goldie Hawn, Chevy Chase, Dudley Moore and Billy Barty
• The Fury, directed by Brian De Palma, starring Kirk Douglas, John Cassavetes, Carrie Snodgress, Andrew Stevens, Amy Irving

  G

• Gates of Heaven, a documentary film
• Germany in Autumn –
• Get Out Your Handkerchiefs, directed by Bertrand Blier –
• Girlfriends, directed by Claudia Weill, starring Melanie Mayron – Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner
• Go Tell the Spartans, starring Burt Lancaster
• Gray Lady Down, starring Charlton Heston, David Carradine, Stacy Keach, Ronny Cox, Ned Beatty
• Grease, directed by Randal Kleiser, starring John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Jeff Conaway, Stockard Channing, Sid Caesar, Eve Arden
• The Greek Tycoon, directed by J. Lee Thompson, starring Anthony Quinn and Jacqueline Bisset

  H

• Halloween, directed by John Carpenter, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence
• Harper Valley PTA, starring Barbara Eden
• Heaven Can Wait, directed by Buck Henry and Warren Beatty, starring Beatty, Julie Christie, Charles Grodin, Dyan Cannon, Jack Warden, James Mason
• The Herd –
• High-Ballin', starring Peter Fonda, Michael Ironside, Helen Shaver, Jerry Reed
• Holocaust, TV miniseries, starring Meryl Streep, James Woods, Michael Moriarty, Tovah Feldshuh, Fritz Weaver, Ian Holm
• Hooper, directed by Hal Needham, starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jan-Michael Vincent, Robert Klein, Brian Keith
• Hot Lead and Cold Feet, directed by Robert Butler, starring Jim Dale, Karen Valentine, Don Knotts
• House Calls, directed by Howard Zieff, starring Walter Matthau, Glenda Jackson, Richard Benjamin, Art Carney
• A Hunting Accident –

  I–J

• I Wanna Hold Your Hand, directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Nancy Allen, Marc McClure, Bobby Di Cicco
• Ice Castles, directed by Donald Wrye, starring Lynn-Holly Johnson and Robby Benson
• In a Year of 13 Moons, directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder –
• In Praise of Older Women, starring Tom Berenger, Karen Black, Helen Shaver –
• Interiors, directed by Woody Allen, starring Geraldine Page, Diane Keaton, E. G. Marshall, Mary Beth Hurt, Maureen Stapleton
• International Velvet, starring Tatum O'Neal, Nanette Newman and Anthony Hopkins
• Invasion of the Body Snatchers, remake of 1956 movie, directed by Philip Kaufman, starring Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum
• Jaws 2, directed by Jeannot Szwarc, starring Roy Scheider and Lorraine Gary

  K–L

• Killer of Sheep, directed by Charles Burnett
• King of the Gypsies, starring Eric Roberts, Sterling Hayden, Judd Hirsch, Shelley Winters, Brooke Shields
• Kondura, directed by Shyam Benegal –
• Lady on the Bus, starring Sônia Braga –
• The Left-Handed Woman –
• The Last Waltz, directed by Martin Scorsese, featuring The Band, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Bob Dylan
• Long Weekend, starring John Hargreaves –
• The Lord of the Rings, animated film by Ralph Bakshi, with voices of William Squire, John Hurt, Anthony Daniels

  M

• Magic, directed by Richard Attenborough, starring Anthony Hopkins, Ann-Margret, Burgess Meredith, Ed Lauter
• De Mantel der Liefde –
• Mean Dog Blues, starring Gregg Henry, Kay Lenz, Tina Louise and George Kennedy
• The Medusa Touch, starring Richard Burton, Lino Ventura and Lee Remick –
• Midnight Express, directed by Alan Parker, starring Brad Davis, Randy Quaid, John Hurt –
• Moment by Moment, directed by Jane Wagner, starring John Travolta and Lily Tomlin
• Movie Movie, directed by Stanley Donen, starring George C. Scott, Harry Hamlin, Barry Bostwick, Trish Van Devere, Red Buttons, Art Carney
• Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, starring Amitabh Bachchan –

  N–O

• National Lampoon's Animal House, directed by John Landis, starring John Belushi, Tim Matheson, Peter Riegert, Tom Hulce, Karen Allen, John Vernon
• Newsfront, directed by Phillip Noyce, starring Wendy Hughes and Bryan Brown –
• A Night Full of Rain, directed by Lina Wertmüller, starring Giancarlo Giannini and Candice Bergen –
• The Night the Prowler, directed by Jim Sharman –
• Occupation in 26 Pictures –
• Oliver's Story, directed by John Korty, starring Ryan O'Neal and Candice Bergen
• The One and Only, directed by Carl Reiner, starring Henry Winkler and Kim Darby
• Orchestra Rehearsal, directed by Federico Fellini –

  P–Q

• Paradise Alley, directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone, with Armand Assante and Anne Archer
• Passion Flower Hotel, starring Nastassja Kinski –
• Perceval le Gallois, directed by Éric Rohmer –
• Piranha, directed by Joe Dante, starring Bradford Dillman, Heather Menzies, Kevin McCarthy
• The Place Without Limits –
• Pretty Baby, directed by Louis Malle, starring Keith Carradine, Susan Sarandon, Brooke Shields
• The Prophet, the Gold and the Transylvanians –
• Pugachev –

  R

• Rabbit Test, directed by Joan Rivers, starring Billy Crystal
• Remember My Name, starring Geraldine Chaplin and Anthony Perkins
• Renaldo and Clara, directed by and starring Bob Dylan
• Return from Witch Mountain, starring Bette Davis and Christopher Lee
• Revenge of the Pink Panther, starring Peter Sellers, Herbert Lom and Dyan Cannon –
• Rhinegold –
• Ringing Bell, an anime film –
• Rockers, starring Burning Spear, Gregory Isaacs and Big Youth –

  S

• The Sailor's Return, starring Tom Bell –
• Same Time Next Year, starring Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn
• The Second Awakening of Christa Klages, directed by Margarethe von Trotta –
• Sextette, starring Mae West, Timothy Dalton, Dom DeLuise, Ringo Starr, Keith Moon, George Hamilton, Alice Cooper
• Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, starring Peter Frampton, Steve Martin and the Bee Gees with music by The Beatles
• Shogun's Samurai, starring Sonny Chiba –
• The Shout, directed by Jerzy Skolimowski, starring Alan Bates, John Hurt and Susannah York –
• The Silent Partner, directed by Daryl Duke, starring Elliott Gould, Christopher Plummer, Susannah York
• Slow Dancing in the Big City, directed by John G. Avildsen, starring Paul Sorvino
• The Small One
• Snake in the Eagle's Shadow, starring Jackie Chan –
• Somebody Killed Her Husband, starring Farrah Fawcett and Jeff Bridges
• Stevie, starring Glenda Jackson and Trevor Howard –
• Straight Time, directed by Ulu Grosbard, starring Dustin Hoffman, Theresa Russell, Harry Dean Stanton, Gary Busey
• The Stud, starring Joan Collins –
• Superman, directed by Richard Donner, starring Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Valerie Perrine, Ned Beatty, Glenn Ford
• The Swarm, starring Michael Caine, Katharine Ross, Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda, Fred MacMurray, Olivia de Havilland, Ben Johnson, Lee Grant
• The Swissmakers –

  T

• Thank God It's Friday, starring Debra Winger, Donna Summer, Jeff Goldblum
• Three from Prostokvashino –
• Toplo –
• The Tree of Wooden Clogs, directed by Ermanno Olmi – – Palme d'Or winner
• Trishul, starring Sanjeev Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan –
• Las truchas – – Golden Bear winner
• Two Solitudes, starring Jean-Pierre Aumont and Stacy Keach –

  U–V

• Uncle Joe Shannon, starring Burt Young
• An Unmarried Woman, directed by Paul Mazursky, starring Jill Clayburgh, Alan Bates, Michael Murphy
• Up in Smoke, starring Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong
• Violette Nozière, directed by Claude Chabrol, starring Isabelle Huppert and Stéphane Audran –

  W

• Ward Six –
• Warriors Two, starring Bryan Leung and Sammo Hung –
• The Water Babies, directed by Lionel Jeffries, starring James Mason, Bernard Cribbins, Billie Whitelaw –
• Watership Down, animated film directed by Martin Rosen, with the voices of John Hurt and Richard Briers –
• A Wedding, directed by Robert Altman, starring Desi Arnaz, Jr., Carol Burnett, Geraldine Chaplin, Lauren Hutton, Paul Dooley, Mia Farrow
• Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?, starring George Segal and Jacqueline Bisset –
• Who'll Stop the Rain, directed by Karel Reisz, starring Nick Nolte and Tuesday Weld
• The Wild Geese, starring Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Richard Harris –
• Without Anesthesia, directed by Andrzej Wajda –
• The Wiz, directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell
• Wolf Lake, directed by Burt Kennedy, starring Rod Steiger

  XYZ

• You Are Not Alone –

  Births

• January 1 – Christian Tessier, Canadian actor
• January 2 – Josh Wood, American stuntman
• January 3 – Kimberley Locke, American singer-songwriter and model
• January 4 – Marcello Bravo, Austrian pornographic actor
• January 5 – Clarine Harp, American voice actress
• January 8 – Scott Whyte, American actor
• January 9 – A. J. McLean, American musician, singer, dancer, actor, and entertainer
• January 10 – Antonio Cupo, Canadian film and television actor
• January 15
• * Eddie Cahill, American actor
• * Jamie Clayton, actress, model
• January 17
• * Pampita, Argentine model, actress, television personality
• * Takatoshi Kaneko, Japanese actor
• * Sodadeth San, French actress
• * Pater Sparrow, Hungarian actor, filmmaker
• * Ricky Wilson, English actor, singer
• January 20 – Omar Sy, French actor
• January 24 – Mark Hildreth, Canadian actor, voice actor
• January 27 – Jake Pavelka, American pilot, television personality
• January 28 – Stephen Farrelly, Irish actor, professional wrestler
• February 7 – Ashton Kutcher, American actor
• February 9 – A. J. Buckley, Canadian actor
• February 12 – Gethin Jones, Welsh television presenter
• February 14 – Danai Gurira, actress, playwright
• February 17 – Ashton Holmes, American actor
• February 20
• * Jay Hernandez, American actor
• * Julia Jentsch, German actress
• February 23 – Kris Lemche, Canadian actor
• February 24 – Nicole Lyn, Canadian actress
• March 1 – Jensen Ackles, American actor
• March 2 – Chris Powell, American personal trainer, reality show personality, and author
• March 3 – Aarti Mann, Indian-American actress
• March 5 – Kimberly McCullough, American actress, dancer, director
• March 6 – Rob Diesel, Swedish pornographic actor
• March 8 – Nick Zano, American actor
• March 17
• * Patrick Seitz, American voice actor
• March 21
• * Kevin Federline, American rapper, DJ, actor, television personality, professional wrestler, and fashion model
• * Rani Mukerji, Indian actress
• March 23 – Nicholle Tom and David Tom, American actress and actor
• April 1 – Anamaria Marinca, Romanian actress
• April 2 – Deon Richmond, American actor
• April 3 – Matthew Goode, English actor
• April 7
• * Duncan James, English actor, television presenter and singer
• * Scott McGillivray, Canadian businessman, investor, television host, author, and educator
• April 12 – Riley Smith, American actor
• April 13 – Kyle Howard, American actor
• April 16 – Lara Dutta, Indian actress
• April 19
• *James Franco, American actor
• *Joanna Gaines, American designer, businesswoman, entrepreneur, television personality
• April 20
• * Matt Austin, Canadian actor
• * Clayne Crawford, American actor
• April 23 – Ian Brennan, American writer, actor, producer
• April 26
• * Stana Katic, Canadian-American actress, producer
• * Pablo Schreiber, Canadian actor
• April 28
• * Nate Richert, American actor, musician
• * Drew Scott, Canadian actor, realtor, and entrepreneur
• * Jonathan Scott, Canadian reality television personality, contractor, illusionist, and television and film producer
• April 29 – Tyler Labine, Canadian actor
• April 30 – Sandra Huller, German actress
• May 1 – James Badge Dale, American actor
• May 5 – Santiago Cabrera, Venezuelan-born Chilean actor
• May 8
• * Matthew Davis, American actor
• * Ana Maria Lombo, American musician and television personality
• * Dionisio Heiderscheid, Argentine model and pornographic actor
• * Josie Maran, American model, actress, and entrepreneur
• May 10 – Kenan Thompson, American actor, comedian
• May 11 – Warren Brown, English actor and former professional Thai boxer
• May 12
• * Aaron Abrams, Canadian actor, writer
• * Malin Åkerman, Swedish-Canadian actress
• * Jason Biggs, American actor
• May 13 – Legrand Wolf, American pornographic actor
• May 15
• * Caroline Dhavernas, Canadian actress
• * David Krumholtz, American actor
• May 16 – Jim Sturgess, English actor
• May 18 – Chad Donella, Canadian actor
• May 21 – Chris Santos, American actor
• May 22 – Ginnifer Goodwin, American actress
• May 24 – Bryan Greenberg, American actor
• May 25 – Brian Urlacher, former American football linebacker
• May 26 – Laurence Fox, English actor, singer-songwriter, and guitarist
• May 27 – Jordan Ash, American pornographic actor
• May 28 – Jake Johnson, actor, comedian
• May 29 – Adam Rickitt, English actor, singer and model
• May 30 – Cyrus King, American pornographic actor
• June 2
• * Dominic Cooper, English actor
• * Nikki Cox, American actress
• * Justin Long, American actor
• June 4
• * Josh McDermitt, American film and television actor and comedian
• * Robin Lord Taylor, American actor
• June 5
• *Nick Kroll, American actor, comedian, writer and producer
• *Jeff Schroeder, American television and online talk show host
• June 6 - Judith Barsi, American child actress
• June 7
• * Bill Hader, American actor, comedian
• * Anna Torv, Australian actress
• June 8 – Maria Menounos, American actress
• June 9 – Michaela Conlin, American actress
• June 10
• * DJ Qualls, American actor
• * Shane West, American actor
• * Antonio Biaggi, Puerto Rican pornographic actor
• June 11 – Joshua Jackson, Canadian actor
• June 13 – Ethan Embry, American actor
• June 14
• * Diablo Cody, Canadian writer
• * Colby Jansen, pornographic actor
• June 16 – Daniel Brühl, German actor
• June 18 – Tara Platt, American voice actress
• June 19
• * Zoe Saldana, American actress
• * Leo Giamani, pornographic actor
• June 20 – Quinton Jackson, American mixed martial artist, actor and former professional wrestler
• June 21 – Erica Durance, Canadian actress
• June 27 – Courtney Ford, actress
• June 29 –
• * Luke Kirby, Canadian actor
• * Nicole Scherzinger, American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress and television personality
• July 2 – Owain Yeoman, Welsh actor
• July 3 – Ian Anthony Dale, American actor
• July 4 – Becki Newton, American actress
• July 6
• *Adam Busch, American actor, film director and singer
• *Tia Mowry and Tamera Mowry, American actresses
• July 8 – Rachael Lillis, American voice actress
• July 9 – Kyle Davis, American actor
• July 10 – Rastislav Tanistrak, Slovak actor, model
• July 11
• * Oddgeir Thune, Norwegian actor
• * Thomas Stone, Hungarian pornographic actor
• July 12
• * Topher Grace, American actor
• * Michelle Rodriguez, American actress
• July 15 – Greg Sestero, American actor, writer
• July 17 – R. J. Williams, American actor, television host, CEO of Young Hollywood
• July 18 – Rafael Alencar, Brazilian pornographic actor
• July 19 – Vadim Romanov, Russian pornographic actor
• July 20
• * Charlie Korsmo, American former child actor
• * Anatol Yusef, English stage, film and television actor
• July 21
• * Justin Bartha, American actor
• * Josh Hartnett, American actor
• July 22 – A. J. Cook, Canadian actress
• July 24 – Jeff Mauro, American actor, chef
• August 2 – Natashia Williams, American actress, model
• August 3
• * Tommy Dewey, American actor, producer, writer
• * Shanelle Workman, American actress, voice actress, producer and director
• August 4 – Mick Cain, American actor
• August 8 – Countess Vaughn, American actress
• August 10 – Leo Fitzpatrick, American actor
• August 16 – Josh Casaubon, American actor
• August 18 – Andy Samberg, American actor, comedian
• August 20 – Kris Smith, English Australian model, television presenter and rugby league footballer
• August 22 – James Corden, English singer, actor, television host
• August 23 – Andrew Rannells, American actor, voice actor, singer
• August 24 – Beth Riesgraf, American actress
• August 25 – Kel Mitchell, American actor, comedian
• August 28 – Sam Wills, New Zealand prop comic, busker, clown, and mime
• August 30 – Gianpaolo Venuta, Canadian actor
• August 31 – Mike Erwin, American actor
• September 3 – Nick Wechsler, American actor
• September 4 – Wes Bentley, American actor
• September 7 – Devon Sawa, Canadian actor
• September 12 – Benjamin McKenzie, American actor
• September 18 – Billy Eichner, American comedian, actor, writer, and television personality
• September 20 – Charlie Weber, American actor
• September 22 – Daniella Alonso, American actress and fashion model
• September 23 – Anthony Mackie, American actor
• September 24
• *Christopher Nowinski, American author, co-founder and executive director of the Concussion Legacy Foundation; as well as a former professional wrestler with World Wrestling Entertainment
• *Jason Sarcinelli, American actor, stunt man
• September 25 – Rossif Sutherland, Canadian actor
• September 28 – Lucas Bryant, Canadian actor
• September 29 – Nathan West, American actor
• October 1 – Katie Aselton, American actress, film director and producer
• October 3 – Shannyn Sossamon, American actress
• October 9 – Randy Spelling, American actor
• October 10 – Trevor Eyster, American actor
• October 11 – Trevor Donovan, American actor
• October 14 – Usher, American singer, actor
• October 15
• * Devon Gummersall, American actor
• * Martin Mazza, Spanish pornographic actor
• October 16 – Kala Savage, American actress
• October 18 – Wesley Jonathan, American actor
• October 21
• * Will Estes, American actor
• * Michael McMillian, American actor
• October 26 –
• * CM Punk, American mixed martial artist, comic book writer and retired professional wrestler
• * Anthony Carrino, American contractor, designer, developer and television personality
• October 27 – David Walton, American actor
• October 28 – Justin Guarini, American singer and actor
• October 30
• *Matthew Morrison, American singer, actor
• *Landon Conrad, American pornographic actor, model
• October 31 – Brian Hallisay, American actor
• November 1 – Mary Kate Schellhardt, American actress
• November 2 – Whit Hertford, American theatre director, writer and actor
• November 8 – Keir O'Donnell, Australian-American actor
• November 9 – Sisqó, American singer, actor, songwriter
• November 10
• * David Paetkau, Canadian actor
• * Diplo, American actor, DJ, record producer, rapper, songwriter
• November 17
• * Zoe Bell, New Zealand stuntwoman, actress
• * Tom Ellis, Welsh actor
• * Rachel McAdams, Canadian actress
• November 18 – Dennis West, American pornographic actor
• November 19 – Eric Nenninger, American actor
• November 20
• * Nadine Velazquez, American actress and model
• * Denis Vega, Spanish pornographic actor
• November 21 – Yasmine Al Massri, International actress, dancer, video artist and human rights advocate
• November 22 – Karlo Karrera, Dominican pornographic actor
• November 23 – Kayvan Novak, British actor, voice actor, and comedian
• November 24 – Katherine Heigl, American actress
• November 28 – Jodie Resther, Canadian actress
• November 29 – Lauren German, actress
• November 30 – Gael García Bernal, Mexican film actor, director, and producer
• December 1 – Stefan Kapičić, Serbian actor
• December 5 – Jean Franko, Venezuelan pornographic actor
• December 7
• * Shiri Appleby, American actress
• * Kristofer Hivju, Norwegian film actor, producer and writer
• December 8 – Ian Somerhalder, American actor
• December 9 – Jesse Metcalfe, American actor
• December 11 – Dean Van Damme, pornographic actor
• December 13 – Cameron Douglas, American actor
• December 15 – Will Wikle, American actor and reality television personality
• December 16 – Joe Absolom, English actor
• December 17 – Douglas Tait, American actor, stuntman, filmmaker
• December 18
• * Josh Dallas, American actor
• * Katie Holmes, American actress
• December 21
• * Charles Dera, American pornographic actor, dancer, model, martial artist, and former U.S. Marine
• * Mike Vitar, American actor
• December 22 – Mia Tyler, American actress, model, author, visual artist, media personality, socialite, fashion designer, talent manager and music promoter
• December 24 – Carlson Twins, American actors, models
• December 25 – Jeremy Strong, American film, television, and stage actor
• December 27 – Trent Atkins, pornographic actor,
• December 28 – John Legend, American composer and actor
• December 30 – Tyrese Gibson, American actor, singer, model
• December 31 – Johnny Sins, pornographic actor, director, and Internet personality

  Notable deaths

Film debuts

• Karen Allen – National Lampoon's Animal House
• Pedro Almodóvar – Folle...folle...fólleme Tim!
• Kevin Bacon – National Lampoon's Animal House
• Jim Belushi – The Fury
• Jake Busey – Straight Time
• Cheech & Chong – Up in Smoke
• Billy Connolly – Absolution
• Billy Crystal – Rabbit Test
• Jamie Lee Curtis – Halloween
• Eddie Deezen – Laserblast
• R. Lee Ermey – The Boys in Company C
• Corey Feldman – Born Again
• William Forsythe – Long Shot
• Harry Hamlin – Movie Movie
• Daryl Hannah – The Fury
• Mark Harmon – Comes a Horseman
• Ed Harris – Coma
• Michael Keaton – Rabbit Test
• John Malkovich – A Wedding
• Laurie Metcalf – A Wedding
• Liam Neeson – Pilgrim's Progress
• Michael O'Keefe – Gray Lady Down
• Annie Potts – Corvette Summer
• Christopher Reeve – Gray Lady Down
• James Remar – On the Yard
• Eric Roberts – King of the Gypsies
• Diana Scarwid – Pretty Baby
• James Spader – Team-Mates
• Mary Steenburgen – Goin' South
• Peter Stormare – The Score
• Alfre Woodard – Remember My Name
• Robert Zemeckis – I Wanna Hold Your Hand