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:

Rank	Title	Distributor	Domestic rentals
1	Fiddler on the Roof	United Artists	$40,500,000
2	Billy Jack	Warner Bros.	$32,500,000
3	The French Connection	20th Century Fox	$26,300,000
4	Summer of '42	Warner Bros.	$20,500,000
5	Diamonds Are Forever	United Artists	$19,727,000
6	Dirty Harry	Warner Bros.	$18,000,000
7	A Clockwork Orange	Warner Bros.	$17,000,000
8	Carnal Knowledge	Embassy	$14,075,000
9	The Last Picture Show	Columbia	$13,110,000
10	Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song	Cinemation Industries	$9,200,000

Events

February 8 - Bob Dylan's hour-long documentary film, Eat the Document, premieres at New York's Academy of Music. The film includes footage from Dylan's 1966 UK tour.
April 23 - Melvin Van Peebles film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song becomes the highest-grossing independent film of 1971.
May - The first permanent IMAX projection system begins showing at Ontario Place's "Cinesphere" in Toronto.
May 10 - Frank Yablans becomes President of Paramount Pictures.
Britain's National Film School begins operation at Beaconsfield Film Studios.

Awards

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

1971 films

By country/region

By genre/medium

Births

January 2
*Taye Diggs, American actor
*Renée Elise Goldsberry, American actress and singer
January 3 - Sarah Alexander, English actress
January 7 - Jeremy Renner, American actor
January 11 - Mary J. Blige, American singer-songwriter and actress
January 13 - Caspar Phillipson, Danish actor and singer
January 14 - Jennifer Dundas, American actress
January 15 - Regina King, American actress
January 16 - Josh Evans, American filmmaker, screenwriter and actor
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
*Jonathan Aris, English actor
*Stanislas Merhar, French actor
January 27
*Karin Tammaru, Estonian actress
*Fann Wong, Singaporean actress, singer and model
January 31 - Darren Boyd, British actor
February 1
*Michael C. Hall, American actor
*Jill Kelly, American pornographic actress
*Liisa Repo-Martell, Canadian actress
*Hynden Walch, American actress, voice actress, writer and singer
February 2 - Arly Jover, Spanish actress
February 3 - Elisa Donovan, American actress
February 4 - Rob Corddry, American actor and comedian
February 5 - Myndy Crist, American actress
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
*Alex Borstein, American actress
*Renee O'Connor, American actress
February 17 - Denise Richards, American actress
February 18
*E. Roger Mitchell, American actor
*Hiep Thi Le, Vietnamese-American actress
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
*Ma Dong-seok, South Korean-born American actor
*Teresa Gallagher, American-born British actress, voice actress and singer
March 2
*Stefano Accorsi, Italian actor
*Method Man, American actor and musician
*Amber Smith, American actress
March 4 - Shavar Ross, American actor, director, screenwriter, producer and editor
March 5
*Yuri Lowenthal, American voice actor
*Scott Mosier, American producer, director and editor
March 7
*Peter Sarsgaard, American actor
*Matthew Vaughn, English filmmaker
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
*Iben Hjejle, Danish actress
*Keegan-Michael Key, American actor, comedian, writer and producer
*Will Yun Lee, American actor and martial artist
March 24
*Tig Notaro, American stand-up comedian, writer and actress
*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
*Michael-Leon Wooley, American theatre, film, television and voice actor
*Hidetoshi Nishijima, Japanese actor
March 31
*Craig McCracken, American cartoonist, animator, director, writer and producer
*Ewan McGregor, Scottish actor
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
*Nicholas Brendon, American actor and writer
*Shannen Doherty, American actress
April 15
*Andy Daly, American actor, comedian and writer
*Kate Harbour, English voice actress
April 16
*Max Beesley, English actor and musician
*Peter Billingsley, American actor, director and producer
April 18 - David Tennant, Scottish actor
April 19
*Gad Elmaleh, Moroccan-Canadian stand-up comedian and actor
*Desreta Jackson, Virgin Islander actress
*Wendy Powell, American voice actress
April 22 - Eric Mabius, American actor
April 24
*Anastasia Barzee, American actress
*Stefania Rocca, Italian actress
April 28 - Bridget Moynahan, American actress
May 10
*Adriano Giannini, Italian actor and voice actor
*Leslie Stefanson, American actress
May 11 - Nicky Katt, American actor
May 12 - Steven Mond, Canadian former child actor
May 13 - Mido Hamada, Egyptian-German 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 23 - Laurel Holloman, American actress
May 25 - Justin Henry, American actor
May 26 - Matt Stone, American actor, creator of South Park
May 27
*Paul Bettany, English actor
*Lisa Lopes, American singer and actress
May 30
*Duncan Jones, British director, producer and screenwriter
*Idina Menzel, American actress, singer and songwriter
*John Ross Bowie, American actor and comedian
31 May - Jon Øigarden, Norwegian actor
June 2
*Anthony Montgomery, American actor
*Espen Sandberg, Norwegian director
June 4
*James Callis, British actor
*Noah Wyle, American actor
June 5
*Susan Lynch, Northern Irish actress
*Mark Wahlberg, American actor and musician
June 8 - Kent Faulcon, American actor, director and writer
June 11 - Kenjiro Tsuda, Japanese actor
June 13 - Bryan Massey, American actor
June 14 - Sophiya Haque, English actress and singer
June 15
*Jake Busey, American actor
*Taavi Eelmaa, Estonian actor
*Daniel Lapaine, Australian actor
June 16
*Eva Püssa, Estonian actress
*Tupac Shakur, American actor and rapper
June 18
*Lisa Barbuscia, American model, singer and actress
*Mara Hobel, American actress
June 20 - Josh Lucas, American actor
June 22 - Mary Lynn Rajskub, American actress and comedian
June 28
*Benito Martinez, American actor
*Aileen Quinn, American actress and singer
June 30
*Tom Green, Canadian-American comedian, show host, actor and filmmaker
*Monica Potter, American actress
July 1
*Missy Elliott, American musician and actress
*Melissa Peterman, American actress, television host and comedian
July 4
*Kate Dickie, Scottish actress
*Al Madrigal, American comedian, writer, actor and producer
July 7 - Christian Camargo, American actor, producer, writer and director
July 8 - Amanda Peterson, American actress
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
*Kate Henshaw, Nigerian actress
*Andres Puustusmaa, Estonian actor and director
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
*Stuart Beattie, Australian filmmaker
*Yo-Yo, American rapper and actress
August 6 - Merrin Dungey, American actress
August 9
*Mark Povinelli, American actor
*Nikki Ziering, American model and actress
August 10
*Luca Guadagnino, Italian director and producer
*Justin Theroux, American actor
August 12
*Rebecca Gayheart, American actress
*Yvette Nicole Brown, American actress, comedian, writer and host
August 13
*Moritz Bleibtreu, German actor and director
*Heike Makatsch, German actress, voice actress and singer
*Rolando Molina, Salvadoran actor
August 14 - Scott Michael Campbell, American actor, writer, producer and director
August 17 - Oliver Robins, American actor, writer 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
September 3 - Drena De Niro, American actress and filmmaker
September 8
*David Arquette, American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter
*Martin Freeman, English actor
September 9
*Eric Stonestreet, American actor and comedian
*Henry Thomas, American actor
September 14
*Pat Healy, American actor
*Kimberly Williams-Paisley, American actress
September 15
*Josh Charles, American actor
*Colleen O'Shaughnessey, American voice actress
September 16 - Amy Poehler, American actress
September 17
*Felix Solis, American actor, director and producer
*Ian Whyte, Welsh actor and stuntman
September 18 - Jada Pinkett Smith, American actress
September 19
*Sanaa Lathan, American actress
*Selene Luna, Mexican-American actress and comedian
September 21 - Luke Wilson, American actor
September 22 - Lawrence Gilliard Jr., American actor
September 27 - Amanda Detmer, American actress
September 28 - Matt Day, Australian actor and filmmaker
September 29 - Mackenzie Crook, English actor, comedian, director and writer
September 30 - Jenna Elfman, American actress
October 5
*Matthew Maher, American actor
*Samuel Vincent, Canadian voice actor and singer
October 6 - Emily Mortimer, English actress
October 10 - Amanda Ryan, English actress
October 11
*Justin Lin, Taiwanese-American director
*Trish Sie, American director
October 13
*Sacha Baron Cohen, English actor, comedian, screenwriter and producer
*Luis Tosar, Spanish actor and musician
October 17 - Andy Whitfield, Welsh actor
October 20
*Snoop Dogg, American rapper, songwriter, media personality and actor
*Kenneth Choi, American actor
*Rachel House, New Zealand actress and director
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
*Rosemarie DeWitt, American actress
*Anthony Rapp, American actor and singer
*Phil Johnston, American screenwriter, director, producer and voice actor
October 29 - Winona Ryder, American actress
November 2 - Meta Golding, Haitian-American actress
November 3
*Piret Laurimaa, Estonian actress
*Dylan Moran, Irish comedian, writer and actor
November 4 - Tabu, Indian actress
November 5 - Chris Addison, British comedian, writer, actor and director
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
*Giovanni Cirfiera, Italian actor
*Marco Leonardi, Italian actor
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
*Lola Glaudini, American actress
*Lior Raz, Israeli actor and screenwriter
November 25 - Christina Applegate, American actress
November 29 - Naoko Mori, Japanese actress
December 3
*Joseph Gatt, English actor
*Ola Rapace, Swedish actor
December 5
*Mitch Silpa, American writer, actor and director
*Kali Rocha, American actress
*Dolly Wells, English actress and writer
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
*Sinan Akkuş, Turkish-German actor
*Claire Forlani, English actress
December 18 - Claudia Gerini, Italian actress
December 21 - Glenn Fitzgerald, American actor
December 23 - Corey Haim, Canadian actor
December 25
*Patrick Baladi, English actor and musician
*Ain Mäeots, Estonian actor, director and producer
December 26 - Jared Leto, American actor and musician
December 30 - Daniel Sunjata, American actor