1979 in film
Template:Short description Template:Year nav topic5 Template:Years in film The year 1979 in film involved many significant events.
Highest-grossing filmsEdit
United States and CanadaEdit
The top ten 1979 released films by North American gross are as follows:
| Rank | Title | Distributor | Box-office gross | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kramer vs. Kramer | Columbia | citation | CitationClass=web
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| 2 | The Amityville Horror | American International | citation | CitationClass=web
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| 3 | Rocky II | United Artists | citation | CitationClass=web
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| 4 | Apocalypse Now | citation | CitationClass=web
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| 5 | Star Trek: The Motion Picture | Paramount | citation | CitationClass=web
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| 6 | Alien | 20th Century Fox | citation | CitationClass=web
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| 7 | The Muppet Movie | Associated Film | $76,657,000<ref>Box Office Information for The Muppet Movie The Numbers. Retrieved March 31, 2025.</ref> | |
| 8 | 10 | Warner Bros. | citation | CitationClass=web
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| 9 | The Jerk | Universal | citation | CitationClass=web
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| 10 | Moonraker | United Artists | citation | CitationClass=web
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InternationalEdit
| International market |
Title | Distributor | Admissions | Gross revenue | Production country | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local currency | US$ | |||||||
| China | Gunshots in the CIB | Changchun Film Studio | 600,000,000<ref name=":7">Template:Cite book</ref> | Template:CN¥<ref name=":7" /> | $Template:To USD,000,000 | China | ||
| France | The Gendarme and the Extra-Terrestrials | SNC | citation | CitationClass=web
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Template:Unknown | Template:Unknown | France | |
| West Germany | The Jungle Book | 20th Century Fox | citation | CitationClass=web
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Template:€<ref name=":0" /> | $Template:To USD,000,000 | United States | |
| India | Suhaag | Sharma Cine Associates | Template:Unknown | Template:INR100,000,000<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
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India |
| Italy | Superman | Columbia-EMI-Warner | citation | CitationClass=web
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Template:Unknown | Template:Unknown | United States | |
| Japan | Galaxy Express 999 | Toei | Template:Unknown | Template:JPY16,500,000,000<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
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Japan |
| Soviet Union | Sholay (Embers) | R. K. Films | citation | CitationClass=web
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15,000,000Template:NbspRbls<ref group="n">60Template:Nbspmillion tickets sold,<ref name="kinopoisk"/> average ticket price of 25Template:Nbspkopecks<ref name="moscow7">Moscow Prime Time: How the Soviet Union Built the Media Empire that Lost the Cultural Cold War, page 48, Cornell University Press, 2011</ref></ref> | $28,200,000Template:Efn | India | |
| Spain | Superman | Warner Bros. | 4,795,628<ref name=spain79/> | ₧655,346,759<ref name=spain79>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
citation | CitationClass=web
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United States |
| United Kingdom | Superman | Columbia-EMI-Warner | 10,190,000<ref name="BFI" /> | £11,547,308<ref name="BFI">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |
Major eventsEdit
- March 2 – Buena Vista release their first film since the advent of U.S. movie ratings to not be G-rated, Take Down.
- March 5 – Production begins on The Empire Strikes Back.
- March – Frank Price becomes president of Columbia Pictures.
- May 25 – Alien, a landmark of the science fiction genre, is released.
- May 29 - Mary Pickford, a silent screen legend and Hollywood pioneer who was, at the height of her career, the most famous woman in the world, dies of a stroke.
- May 31 – The Muppet Movie, Jim Henson's Muppets' first foray into the world of feature-length motion pictures, is released in United Kingdom.
- June 11 – John Wayne, a famous Western movie actor, dies at the age of 72 from stomach cancer.
- June 27 – 20th Century Fox Pictures president Alan Ladd Jr. and vice-presidents Jay Kanter and Gareth Wigan agree to leave Fox.
- June 29 – Moonraker, the 11th film in the James Bond franchise, is released in the United States and goes on to become the highest-grossing film of the year worldwide.
- August 15 – Apocalypse Now is released to worldwide critical acclaim and box office success. Heralded as one of the greatest films ever made to this day.
- September 19 – Don Bluth and a group of fellow animators resign from The Walt Disney Company's animation department to set up a rival studio, Don Bluth Productions.
- October 1 – Alan Ladd Jr., Jay Kanter and Gareth Wigan who agreed to leave Fox earlier in the year formally announce the creation of The Ladd Company.
- October 3 – producers Benjamin Melniker and Michael E. Uslan purchase the film rights of Batman from DC Comics. It would be another ten years, before a Batman feature film would be fully realized.
- November 1 – Production begins on Raiders of the Lost Ark.
- December 7 – Star Trek: The Motion Picture debuts in the United States to mixed reviews but blockbuster box office, launching a film franchise that leads to 9 sequels and 3 reboots over the next 37 years. It also leads to the creation of five spin-off television series based upon Gene Roddenberry's creation.
- Allied Artists files for bankruptcy.
AwardsEdit
Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):
- Apocalypse Now, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, United States
- The Tin Drum (Die Blechtrommel), directed by Volker Schlöndorff, W. Germany
Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):
- David, directed by Peter Lilienthal, West Germany
1979 filmsEdit
By country/regionEdit
- List of American films of 1979
- List of Argentine films of 1979
- List of Australian films of 1979
- List of Bangladeshi films of 1979
- List of British films of 1979
- List of Canadian films of 1979
- List of French films of 1979
- List of Hong Kong films of 1979
- List of Indian films of 1979
- List of Japanese films of 1979
- List of Mexican films of 1979
- List of Pakistani films of 1979
- List of South Korean films of 1979
- List of Soviet films of 1979
- List of Spanish films of 1979
By genre/mediumEdit
- List of action films of 1979
- List of animated feature films of 1979
- List of avant-garde films of 1979
- List of comedy films of 1979
- List of drama films of 1979
- List of horror films of 1979
- List of science fiction films of 1979
- List of thriller films of 1979
- List of western films of 1979
BirthsEdit
- January 1 – Vidya Balan, Indian actress
- January 6 – Cristela Alonzo, American comedian, actress, writer and producer
- January 8
- Ashraf Barhom, Israeli-Arab actor
- Sarah Polley, Canadian actress
- January 10 - Maximilian Brückner, German actor
- January 13 - Katy Brand, English actress, comedian and writer
- January 16 – Aaliyah, American actress and singer (d. 2001)
- January 24 – Tatyana Ali, American actress and singer
- January 26 – Sara Rue, American actress
- January 28 - Angelique Cabral, American actress
- January 29 – Andrew Keegan, American actor
- February 1 – Rachelle Lefevre, Canadian actress
- February 2 – Shamita Shetty, Indian actress
- February 3 – Costa Ronin, Australian actor and cinematographer
- February 7 - Cerina Vincent, American actress
- February 8 - Josh Keaton, American actor and musician
- February 9 – Zhang Ziyi, Chinese actress and dancer
- February 11 – Brandy Norwood, American actress and singer
- February 12 - Angus Sampson, Australian actor and filmmaker
- February 13 – Mena Suvari, American actress
- February 19 - Andrew Buchan, English actor and writer
- February 21
- Tituss Burgess, American actor and singer
- Maryke Hendrikse, Bahamian-born Canadian voice actress
- Jennifer Love Hewitt, American actress and singer
- Jordan Peele, American actor, comedian, writer, director and producer
- March 3 – Patrick Renna, American actor
- March 5 – Riki Lindhome, American actress, comedian and musician
- March 9 – Oscar Isaac, Guatemalan-American actor
- March 10
- Edi Gathegi, Kenyan-American actor
- Danny Pudi, American actor
- March 12 - Rhys Coiro, American actor
- March 14 - Chris Klein, American actor
- March 17 – Stephen Kramer Glickman, Canadian actor, music producer and stand-up comedian
- March 18 – Adam Levine, American singer, songwriter, musician and actor
- March 19 - Abby Brammell, American actress
- March 20
- Freema Agyeman, British actress
- Bianca Lawson, American actress
- March 24 – Lake Bell, American actress, director and screenwriter
- March 25 – Lee Pace, American actor
- March 28 – Shakib Khan, Bangladeshi film actor, producer, singer, film organiser and media personalities<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- March 29 – De'Angelo Wilson, American actor and rapper (d. 2008)
- March 30
- Jose Pablo Cantillo, American actor
- Pete Holmes, American comedian, actor, writer, producer and podcaster
- April 4
- Bunko Kanazawa, Japanese actress
- Heath Ledger, Australian actor (d. 2008)
- Natasha Lyonne, American actress
- April 5 – Josh Boone, American filmmaker
- April 7 - Nico Santos, Filipino-American actor
- April 9 - Edward Bennett, English actor
- April 11 – Josh Server, American actor
- April 12
- Claire Danes, American actress
- Jennifer Morrison, American actress, director and producer
- Paul Nicholls, English actor
- April 15
- Karen David, Canadian actress and singer-songwriter
- Luke Evans, Welsh actor and singer
- April 17
- Mylene Dinh-Robic, Canadian actress
- Ken Duken, German actor and director
- Tate Ellington, American actor
- April 19 – Kate Hudson, American actress
- April 21 – James McAvoy, Scottish actor<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- April 23 – Jaime King, American actress
- April 26 – Klára Issová, Czech actress
- April 27 - Tom Davis, English actor and comedian
- May 5 – Vincent Kartheiser, American actor
- May 6 - Kerry Ellis, English actress and singer
- May 7 – Yōsuke Kubozuka, Japanese actor
- May 9 – Rosario Dawson, American actress
- May 11 - Mary Elizabeth Ellis, American actress
- May 12 – Aaron Yoo, Korean-American actor
- May 19 – Bérénice Marlohe, French actress
- May 20 - Jana Pallaske, German actress and singer
- May 22 – Maggie Q, American actress
- May 23 – Josh Cooley, American animator, screenwriter, director and voice actor
- May 24 - Panos Mouzourakis, Greek singer-songwriter and actor
- May 25 - Corbin Allred, American actor
- May 28
- Jesse Bradford, American actor
- Monica Keena, American actress
- May 30
- Jenny Mollen, American actress and writer
- Tadhg Murphy, Irish actor
- June 2 - Morena Baccarin, Brazilian actress
- June 7 – Anna Torv, Australian actress
- June 12 - Wil Horneff, American former child actor
- June 17 – Young Maylay, American rapper, producer and voice actor
- June 20 - Sarah Stiles, American singer and actress
- June 21 – Chris Pratt, American actor
- June 24 – Mindy Kaling, American writer and actress
- June 25 - Busy Philipps, American actress
- June 27
- Martin Bourboulon, French film director and screenwriter<ref name="bio">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Benjamin Speed, Australian film composer
- June 30 - Rick Gonzalez, American actor and musician
- July 3 – Ludivine Sagnier, French actress
- July 5 – Eva Maria Daniels, Icelandic film producer (d. 2023)
- July 6
- Kevin Hart, American actor
- Abdul Salis, British actor
- July 7 - Benjamin Mitchell, New Zealand actor
- July 10 – Gong Yoo, South Korean actor
- July 12 – Omid Abtahi, Iranian-American actor
- July 14 – Scott Porter, American actor
- July 16
- Jayma Mays, American actress
- Gerard Monaco, British actor
- July 17 – Mike Vogel, American actor and former model
- July 19 – David Sakurai, Danish-Japanese actor, director and scriptwriter
- July 25 - Juan Pablo Di Pace, Argentine actor, director, singer and musician
- July 26 - Mageina Tovah, American actress
- July 30 - Lucas Babin, American actor
- July 31
- Dana Gourrier, American actress
- B. J. Novak, American writer and actor
- August 1 – Jason Momoa, American actor and filmmaker
- August 3 – Evangeline Lilly, Canadian actress<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- August 6 – Dayahang Rai, Nepalese actor
- August 10 – JoAnna Garcia Swisher, American actress
- August 12 - Keith Powell, American actor, writer and director
- August 13 - Kasia Smutniak, Polish-Italian actress and model
- August 14 - Jamie Parker, English actor and singer
- August 21 - Kevin Janssens, Belgian actor
- August 22 – Brandon Adams, American actor
- August 23 – Claire Grant, American actress, model and producer
- August 24 – Fabienne Carat, French actress and singer
- August 25 – Şebnem Bozoklu, Turkish actress
- August 26 – Erik Valdez, American actor
- August 27 – Aaron Paul, American actor
- August 29 – Dan Harris, American screenwriter and director
- August 31 – Yuvan Shankar Raja, Indian film composer
- September 1 - Camille Chen, American actress
- September 4 - Max Greenfield, American actor
- September 8 – Pink, American singer and actress
- September 11
- Ariana Richards, American actress
- Cameron Richardson, American actress and producer
- Hu Ting-ting, English-born Taiwanese actress
- September 17
- Neill Blomkamp, South African and Canadian director and screenwriter
- Kat Coiro, American director
- Billy Miller, American actor (d. 2023)
- September 18 – Alison Lohman, American former actress
- September 19 – Noémie Lenoir, French model and actress
- September 20 – Chris Tardio, American actor
- September 22 – MyAnna Buring, Swedish-born British actress
- September 23 – Lisa Loven Kongsli, Norwegian actress
- September 25 - Stephen Rider, American actor
- September 26 - Mark Famiglietti, American actor, screenwriter and producer
- September 27 – Jad Saxton, American voice actress
- Alicyn Packard, American actress, singer, and writer
- September 30 – Jonathan Kasdan, American screenwriter, director, producer and actor
- October 1 – Marielle Heller, American film director
- October 4
- Caitríona Balfe, Irish actress
- Rachael Leigh Cook, American actress
- October 6 – Sareh Bayat, Iranian actress
- October 7
- Tang Wei, Chinese actress
- Aaron Ashmore and Shawn Ashmore, Canadian actors
- October 8 – Kristanna Loken, American actress
- October 9
- Alex Greenwald, American musician and actor
- Chris O'Dowd, Irish actor and comedian
- Brandon Routh, American actor
- October 20 – John Krasinski, American actor and filmmaker
- October 22 - Tony Denman, American actor
- October 28 – Natina Reed, American singer-songwriter, rapper and actress (d. 2012)
- October 29 – Maya Karin, Malaysian actress
- October 30 - James A. Woods, Canadian actor
- October 31 – Erica Cerra, Canadian actress
- November 5 - Leonardo Nam, Australian actor
- November 8 – Dania Ramirez, Dominican actress
- November 9
- Cory Hardrict, American actor
- Matt McCarthy, American comedian, actor and writer
- November 13 – Riccardo Scamarcio, Italian actor and producer
- November 14 – Olga Kurylenko, Ukrainian-French actress
- November 19 – Barry Jenkins, American film director
- November 20 - Jacob Pitts, American actor
- November 22
- Andrew Knott, British actor
- Leeanna Walsman, Australian actress
- November 23 – Jonathan Sadowski, American actor
- November 25
- Jerry Ferrara, American actor
- Joel Kinnaman, Swedish-American actor
- November 28 – Daniel Henney, American actor and model
- November 29 - Timo Vuorensola, Finnish director, singer and actor
- December 3 – Tiffany Haddish, American comedian and actress
- December 5 – Nick Stahl, American actor
- December 7
- Eric Bauza, Canadian-born American voice actor, stand-up comedian and animation artist
- Sara Bareilles, American actress and singer
- December 11 – Rider Strong, American actor
- December 15 – Adam Brody, American actor, writer, musician and producer
- December 17 - Lil Rel Howery, American actor and comedian
- December 20 - Ramón Rodríguez, Puerto Rican actor
- December 21 - Daniel Brocklebank, British actor
- December 23 – Summer Altice, American model and actress
- December 26 – Chris Daughtry, American actor and singer
- December 28
- André Holland, American actor
- Noomi Rapace, Swedish actress
- December 29 – Diego Luna, Mexican actor, director and producer
DeathsEdit
Film debutsEdit
NotesEdit
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ReferencesEdit
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