1983 in film


The following is an overview of events in 1983 in film, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies and festivals, a list of films released and notable deaths.

Highest-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten 1983 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:
RankTitleDistributorBox-office gross
1Return of the Jedi20th Century Fox$252,583,617
2Terms of EndearmentParamount$108,423,489
3FlashdanceParamount$92,921,203
4Trading PlacesParamount$90,404,800
5WarGamesUnited Artists$79,567,667
6OctopussyUnited Artists$67,893,619
7Sudden ImpactWarner Bros.$67,642,693
8Staying AliveParamount$64,892,670
9Mr. Mom20th Century Fox$64,783,827
10Risky BusinessWarner Bros.$63,541,777

Events

  • February 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Let's Spend the Night Together opens in New York City.
  • May 25 - Return of the Jedi, the final installment in the original Star Wars trilogy, is released. Like the previous films, it goes on to become the highest-grossing film of the year.
  • Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman makes her film debut in the Australian movie Bush Christmas.
  • Brainstorm, the final film of screen star Natalie Wood, is released, 2 years after her death.
  • October - Frank Price resigns as president of Columbia Pictures and is replaced by Guy McElwaine.
  • November 18 - A Christmas Story released to theaters to moderate success, earning about $2 million in its first weekend. By Christmas 1983, the film is no longer playing at most venues but remains in about a hundred theatres until January 1984. Gross earnings were just over $19.2 million. Over the years, the film's critical reputation would grow considerably and it is now regarded by some as one of the best films of 1983. By the late 1980s, it was already considered a classic.

Awards

Palme d'Or :
Golden Lion :
'''Golden Bear :'''

1983 films

By country/region

By genre/medium

Births

Deaths

MonthDateNameAgeCountryProfessionNotable films
January8Gale Page69USActress
January15Shepperd Strudwick75USActor
January19Robert Carson73USScreenwriter
January24George Cukor83USDirector
January27Louis de Funès68FranceActor, Director
January28Billy Fury42UKSinger, Actor
January30Joan Valerie71USActress
February10Eduard Franz80USActor
February13Marian Nixon78USActress
February19Charles Bluhdorn56AustriaStudio Executive
February19Alice White75USActress
February21Marie Mosquini83USActress
February25Tennessee Williams71USScreenwriter
February27Ruth Dunning71UKActress
March7Robert Bray65USActor
March8William Walton80UKComposer
March9Faye Emerson65USActress
March14Maurice Ronet55FranceActor
March16Arthur Godfrey79USActor
March27James Hayter75UKActor
March28Walter Reisch79AustriaScreenwriter
April4Buster Crabbe75USActor
April4Gloria Swanson84USActress
April5Bronisław Kaper81PolandComposer
April11Dolores del Río77MexicoActress
April15Rodolfo Hoyos Jr.67MexicoActor
April21Walter Slezak80AustriaActor
April23Selena Royle78USActress
April26Shirley Deane70USActress
April26Vaughn Taylor73USActor
May1Joseph Ruttenberg93UkraineCinematographer
May5John Williams80UKActor
May8Fay Spain50USActress
May22Art Cruickshank68USSpecial Effects Artist
May23George Bruns68USComposer
May23Eve Gray87UKActress
May25Sydney Box78UKProducer, Screenwriter
May28John C. Howard52USFilm Editor
May30Burnett Guffey78USCinematographer
June12Norma Shearer80CanadaActress
June22David MacDonald79UKDirector
June23Jonathan Latimer76USScreenwriter
June30Herbert Baker62USScreenwriter
July1Charles G. Clarke84USCinematographer
July5Harry James67USMusician, Actor
July9Robert Dawn61USMakeup Artist
July15Eddie Foy Jr.78USActor
July16Samson Raphaelson89USScreenwriter
July17Byron Kennedy33AustraliaProducer
July20E. Preston Ames77USArt Director
July23Georges Auric84FranceComposer
July25Jerome Moross69USComposer
July29Luis Buñuel83SpainScreenwriter, Director, Actor
July29Raymond Massey86CanadaActor
July29David Niven73UKActor
July30Lynn Fontanne95UKActress
August1Peter Arne64UKActor
August3Carolyn Jones53USActress
August5Judy Canova69USActress
August26Mike Kellin61USActor
August28Jan Clayton66USActress
August29Simon Oakland68USActor
September15LeRoy Prinz88USChoreographer, Director
September16Henry Grace76USSet Decorator
September27Ben Carruthers47USActor
September30William Elliott49USActor
October5Rafael Bertrand66CubaActor
October8Joan Hackett49USActress
October10Ralph Richardson80UKActor, Director
October11William Hornbeck82USFilm Editor
October14Paul Fix82USActor
October15Pat O'Brien83USActor
October17Vittorio Nino Novarese76ItalyCostume Designer
October18Barbara Karinska97UkraineCostume Designer
October22Paul Hardwick64UKActor
November?Eleanore Whitney66USActress
November8Robert Agnew84USActor
November15John Le Mesurier71UKActor
November18Marcel Dalio83FranceActor
November22Michael Conrad58USActor
November28Johnnie Davis73USActor
November28Christopher George52USActor
December2Fifi D'Orsay79CanadaActress
December5Robert Aldrich65USDirector
December8Slim Pickens64USActor
December13Leora Dana60USActress
December17Hal Pereira78USArt Director
December21Rod Cameron73CanadaActor
December22Charles Lloyd-Pack81UKActor
December28William Demarest91USActor
December29Janet Webb52UKActress