1976 in film

Events

• March 22 - Filming begins on George Lucas' Star Wars science fiction film. In one of the best business decisions in film history, Lucas cuts his directing fee by $500,000 to gain ownership of merchandising and sequel rights

Top Grossing Films of the Year

1. Rocky
2. To Fly!
3. All the President's Men, starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford
4. King Kong, starring Jessica Lange and Jeff Bridges
5. The Enforcer
6. Silent Movie
7. The Pink Panther Strikes Again
8. Carrie, starring Sissy Spacek
9. Logan's Run
10. Marathon Man

Academy Awards

• Best Picture: Rocky - Chartoff-Winkler, United Artists
• Best Director: John G. Avildsen - Rocky
• Best Actor: Peter Finch - Network (first actor to win posthumously)
• Best Actress: Faye Dunaway - Network
• Best Supporting Actor: Jason Robards Jr All The President's Men
• Best Supporting Actress: Beatrice Straight - Network

Births

• January 3 - Jason Marsden, actor.
• January 6 - Danny Pintauro, actor
• February 11 - Brice Beckham, actor.
• February 28 - Ja Rule, actor/rap singer/songwriter.
• September 7 - Shannon Elizabeth, actress.
• October 4 - Alicia Silverstone, actress.

Deaths

• January 12 - Agatha Christie, writer
• January 23 - Paul Robeson, actor, singer
• February 11 - Lee J Cobb, actor.
• February 11 - Alice Allyn, actress.
• February 11 - Charlie Naughton, actor.
• February 12 - Sal Mineo, actor
• February 26 - Frieda Inescort, actress
• March 14 - Busby Berkeley, director
• March 17 - Luchino Visconti, italian theatre and cinema director.
• June 9 - Sybil Thorndike, actress
• October 14 - Edith Evans, actress
• November 15 - Jean Gabin, actor
• November 28 - Rosalind Russell, actress

Other Movies Released

• Taxi Driver
• Wilma - Shirley Jo Finney, Cicely Tyson, Denzel Washington
• The Song Remains the Same - Led Zeppelin
• The Omen- Gregory Peck, Lee Remick

Referenced By