1978 in film

See also: 1977 in film, other events of 1978, 1979 in film, list of 'years in film'.

Table of contents

1 Events 2 Top Grossing Films of the Year 3 Academy Awards 4 Births 5 Deaths 6 Other Movies Released

Events

• February 1 - Bob Dylan's film Renaldo and Clara, a documentary of the "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour premieres in Los Angeles, California
• March 1 - Charlie Chaplin's coffin is stolen from a Swiss cemetery 3 months after burial
• March - Leigh Brackett completes the first draft for Star Wars' sequel, The Empire Strikes Back
• September - George Lucas purchases Bulltail Ranch, on Lucas Valley Road, for the development of Skywalker Ranch.
• November 17 - The Star Wars Holiday Special airs on CBS. The special gives fans their first glimpse of Boba Fett, a character from the upcoming sequel.
• US Supreme Court lists words that should not be used in movies.

Top Grossing Films of the Year

1. Saturday Night Fever, starring John Travolta
2. Grease, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
3. National Lampoon's Animal House, starring John Belushi
4. Superman, starring Christopher Reeve
5. Jaws 2
6. Every Which Way But Loose
7. The Deer Hunter
8. Halloween, starring Jamie Lee Curtis
9. Up in Smoke
10. Revenge of the Pink Panther
11. Midnight Express

Academy Awards

• Best Picture: The Deer Hunter - EMI Films/Cimino, Universal
• Best Director: Michael Cimino - The Deer Hunter
• Best Actor: Jon Voight - Coming Home
• Best Actress: Jane Fonda - Coming Home
• Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Walken - The Deer Hunter
• Best Supporting Actress: Maggie Smith - California Suite

Births

• April 22 - Daniel Johns, singer/guitarist/songwriter
• June 1 - Danielle Harris, voice actress in The Wild Thornberrys
• November 9 - Sisqo, rap singer/actor/songwriter

Deaths

• January 5 - Sally Eilers, actress
• March 24 - Leigh Brackett, science fiction writer
• August 9 - Audrey Tautou, French actress
• August 24 - Louis Prima, bandleader, voice actor ("King Louie of the Apes" in The Jungle Book)
• August 26 - Charles Boyer, actor
• August 28 - Robert Shaw, actor
• September 9 - Jack Warner, Hollywood studio founder
• September 30 - Edgar Bergen, actor
• October 16 - Dan Dailey, actor
• October 19 - Gig Young, actor

Other Movies Released

1. , starring William Holden
2. The Lord of the Rings, animated film by Ralph Bakshi