Overview of the events of 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:
Highest-grossing films of 1971
Rank
Title
Distributor
Domestic rentals
1
Fiddler on the Roof
United Artists
$40,500,000[ 1]
2
Billy Jack
Warner Bros.
$32,500,000[ 1]
3
The French Connection
20th Century Fox
$26,300,000[ 1]
4
Summer of '42
Warner Bros.
$20,500,000[ 2]
5
Diamonds Are Forever
United Artists
$19,727,000[ 2]
6
Dirty Harry
Warner Bros.
$18,000,000[ 2]
7
A Clockwork Orange
$17,000,000[ 2]
8
Carnal Knowledge
Embassy
$14,075,000[ 2]
9
The Last Picture Show
Columbia
$13,110,000[ 2]
10
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song
Cinemation Industries
$9,200,000[ 3]
Events
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 films
By country/region
By genre/medium
Births
January 2
January 7 - Jeremy Renner , American actor
January 11 - Mary J. Blige , American singer-songwriter and actress
January 14 - Jennifer Dundas , American actress
January 15 - Regina King , American actress
January 17 - Youki Kudoh , Japanese actress and singer
January 19 - Shawn Wayans , American actor, comedian, writer and producer
January 20 - Questlove , American musician, filmmaker and actor
January 21 - Dylan Kussman , American writer and actor
January 22 - Katie Finneran , American actress
January 23 - Diana Barrows , American actress, singer and dancer
January 24
January 27
January 31 - Darren Boyd , British actor
February 1
February 2 - Arly Jover , Spanish actress
February 3 - Elisa Donovan , American actress
February 4 - Rob Corddry , American actor and comedian
February 6 - Brian Stepanek , American actor
February 11 - Damian Lewis , English actor
February 12 - Scott Menville , American actor
February 14 - Noriko Sakai , Japanese actress and singer
February 15
February 17 - Denise Richards , American actress
February 18
February 21 - Andréa Burns , American actress and singer
February 22 - Lea Salonga , Filipina actress, singer, and columnist
February 25 - Sean Astin , American actor
February 28 - Tasha Smith , American actor, director and producer
March 1
March 2
March 4 - Shavar Ross , American actor, director, screenwriter, producer and editor
March 5
March 7
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 16 - Alan Tudyk , American actor and voice actor
March 22
March 24 - Megyn Price , American actress
March 25 - Peter Shinkoda , Canadian actor
March 26 - Francis Lawrence , Austrian-born American filmmaker and producer
March 27 - Nathan Fillion , Canadian actor
March 29
March 31
April 1 - Lachy Hulme , Australian actor and screenwriter
April 5 - Krista Allen , American actress, model and stand-up comedian
April 7 - Jennifer Schwalbach Smith , American actress
April 12 - Shannen Doherty , American actress (d. 2024)
April 15
April 16 - Peter Billingsley , American actor, director and producer
April 18 - David Tennant , Scottish actor
April 19
April 24 - Stefania Rocca , Italian actress
April 28 - Bridget Moynahan , American actress
May 10
May 11 - Nicky Katt , American actor
May 12 - Steven Mond , Canadian former child actor
May 14 - Sofia Coppola , American actress, writer, and director
May 17 - Randy Davison , American actor
May 22 - MC Eiht , American rapper and actor
May 25 - Justin Henry , American actor
May 26 - Matt Stone , American actor, creator of South Park
May 27
May 30
June 2
June 4
June 5
June 8 - Kent Faulcon , American actor, director and writer
June 11 - Kenjiro Tsuda , Japanese actor
June 14 - Sophiya Haque , English actress and singer (d. 2013)
June 15
June 16
June 18 - Lisa Barbuscia , American model, singer and actress
June 20 - Josh Lucas , American actor
June 22 - Mary Lynn Rajskub , American actress and comedian
June 28
June 30
July 1
July 4 - Al Madrigal , American comedian, writer, actor and producer
July 7 - Christian Camargo , American actor, producer, writer and director
July 8 - Amanda Peterson , American actress (d. 2015)
July 9 - Scott Grimes , American actor and singer
July 15 - Jim Rash , American actor, comedian and filmmaker
July 16 - Corey Feldman , American actor
July 18 - Sarah McLeod , New Zealand actress
July 19
July 20 - Sandra Oh , Canadian-American actress
July 21 - Charlotte Gainsbourg , French-British actress
July 24 - Patty Jenkins , American director, screenwriter and producer
July 25 - Miriam Shor , American actress
July 30 - Christine Taylor , American actress
July 31 - Eve Best , British actress
August 4
August 9
August 10 - Justin Theroux , American actor
August 12
August 13
August 14 - Scott Michael Campbell , American actor, writer, producer and director
August 18 - Jacob Vargas , Mexican-American actor
August 20
David Walliams , English comedian, actor, writer and television personality
Ke Huy Quan , American actor and stunt choreographer
August 21 - Kristi Angus , Canadian actress
August 22 - Richard Armitage , English actor and author
August 25 - Claire Rushbrook , English actress
August 29 - Carla Gugino , American actress
August 31 - Chris Tucker , American actor
September 1 - Maury Sterling , American actor
September 2 - Katt Williams , American actor and comedian[ 5]
September 3 - Drena De Niro , American actress and filmmaker
September 8
September 9
September 14
September 15
September 16 - Amy Poehler , American actress
September 17
September 18 - Jada Pinkett Smith , American actress
September 19
September 21 - Luke Wilson , American actor
September 22 - Lawrence Gilliard Jr. , American actor
September 27 - Amanda Detmer , American actress
September 29 - Mackenzie Crook , English actor, comedian, director and writer
September 30 - Jenna Elfman , American actress
October 5
October 6 - Emily Mortimer , English actress
October 11
October 13
October 17 - Andy Whitfield , Welsh actor (d. 2011)
October 20
October 21 - Jennifer Lee , American screenwriter, film director and chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios
October 25 - Craig Robinson , American actor, comedian, musician and singer
October 26
October 29 - Winona Ryder , American actress
November 2 - Meta Golding , Haitian-American actress
November 3
November 4 - Tabu , Indian actress
November 9 - Jason Antoon , American actor
November 10 - Walton Goggins , American actor
November 11 - David DeLuise , American actor
November 13 - Noah Hathaway , American actor
November 14
November 16 - Justine Clarke , Australian actress, singer, musician and television host
November 17 - David Ramsey , American actor, director and martial artist
November 18 - Goran Kostić , Serbian actor
November 20
Enrico Casarosa , Italian-American storyboard artist, director and writer
Joel McHale , American actor, comedian, writer, producer and television host
November 23
Lisa Arch , American actress and comedian
Chris Hardwick , American comedian, actor, television and podcast host, writer and producer
November 24 - Lior Raz , Israeli actor and screenwriter
November 25
December 3
December 5
December 6 - Katariina Unt , Estonian actress
December 7 - DeObia Oparei , English actor
December 9 - Emma Thomas , English producer
December 14 - Natascha McElhone , British actress
December 17
December 18 - Claudia Gerini , Italian actress
December 21 - Glenn Fitzgerald , American actor
December 23 - Corey Haim , Canadian actor (d. 2010)
December 25
December 26 - Jared Leto , American actor and musician
Deaths
Month
Date
Name
Age
Country
Profession
Notable films
January
5
Douglas Shearer
71
Canada
Sound Engineer
5
Fanfulla
57
Italy
Actor
15
John Dall
52
US
Actor
20
Broncho Billy Anderson
90
US
Actor, Director, Writer
25
Isobel Lennart
55
US
Screenwriter
February
3
Jay C. Flippen
71
US
Actor
22
Frédéric Mariotti
87
France
Actor
22
Matt McHugh
77
US
Actor
26
Fernandel
67
France
Actor
March
5
Winnie Lightner
71
US
Actress
8
Harold Lloyd
77
US
Actor, Director, Writer
8
Borden Chase
71
US
Screenwriter
12
Roy Glenn
56
US
Actor
12
Tor Johnson
67
Sweden
Actor
15
Bebe Daniels
70
US
Actress
21
Nan Wynn
55
US
Singer, Actress
22
Nella Walker
85
US
Actress
23
Basil Dearden
60
UK
Director
30
Selmer Jackson
82
US
Actor
30
Werner Peters
52
Germany
Actor
April
9
Paulette Noizeux
83
France
Actress
20
Cecil Parker
73
UK
Actor
21
Edmund Lowe
81
US
Actor
28
John Tansey
69
US
Actor, Director
May
1
Glenda Farrell
66
US
Actress
26
John Longden
71
UK
Actor
27
Chips Rafferty
62
Australia
Actor
28
Audie Murphy
45
US
Actor
June
8
Piero Gherardi
61
Italy
Production, Costume Designer
9
Harold Lloyd Jr.
40
US
Actor
10
Michael Rennie
61
UK
Actor
14
Kenneth Macpherson
69
Scotland-Italy
Film-maker
18
Thomas Gomez
65
US
Actor
July
6
Louis Armstrong
69
US
Actor, Musician
11
Carleton G. Young
64
US
Actor
17
Cliff Edwards
76
US
Actor, Singer
19
Norman Reilly Raine
77
US
Screenwriter
23
Van Heflin
62
US
Actor
24
Christl Mardayn
74
Austria
Actress, Singer
August
3
Ernst Eklund
81
Sweden
Actor
15
Paul Lukas
80
Hungary
Actor
16
Spyros Skouras
78
Greece
Producer, Studio Executive
17
Horace McMahon
65
US
Actor
September
7
Spring Byington
84
US
Actress
10
Pier Angeli
39
Italy
Actress
11
Bella Darvi
42
Poland
Actress
October
11
Chester Conklin
85
US
Actor
12
Fritz Achterberg
90
Germany
Actor
13
Phoebe Ephron
57
US
Screenwriter
19
Betty Bronson
64
US
Actress
24
Cheryl Walker
53
US
Actress
26
Vincent Coleman
71
US
Actor
November
2
Martha Vickers
46
US
Actress
4
Ann Pennington
77
US
Actress
17
Gladys Cooper
82
UK
Actress
17
Fania Marinoff
81
US
Actress
19
Stuart Gilmore
70
US
Editor, Director
26
Bengt Ekerot
51
Sweden
Actor
December
12
Frank Wolff
43
US
Actor
13
Dita Parlo
63
Poland
Actress
18
Diana Lynn
45
US
Actress
26
Robert Lowery
58
US
Actor
28
Max Steiner
83
Austria
Composer
28
Burt Gillett
80
US
Director
29
Stuart Holmes
87
US
Actor
30
Dorothy Comingore
58
US
Actress
31
Marin Sais
81
US
Actress
31
Lucien Hubbard
83
US
Producer, screenwriter
Film debuts
References
External links