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This page covers significant events of the year 1973 in film. Warner Bros. and Walt Disney Studios celebrated their 50th anniversaries.
Highest-grossing films
Summarize
Perspective
United States and Canada
The top ten 1973 released films by box office gross in the United States and Canada are as follows:
| Rank | Title | Distributor | Domestic rentals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Exorcist | Warner Bros. | $88,500,000[1] |
| 2 | The Sting | Universal | $79,000,000[1] |
| 3 | American Graffiti | $55,900,000[1] | |
| 4 | Papillon | Allied Artists | $22,500,000[1] |
| 5 | The Way We Were | Columbia | $22,457,000[2] |
| 6 | Magnum Force | Warner Bros. | $20,100,000[2] |
| 7 | Last Tango in Paris | United Artists | $16,711,000[2] |
| 8 | Paper Moon | Paramount | $16,559,000[2] |
| 9 | Live and Let Die | United Artists | $15,925,000[2] |
| 10 | Serpico | Paramount Pictures | $15,400,000[3] |
Outside North America
The highest-grossing 1973 films in countries outside of North America.
| Country | Title | Studio | Gross | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob | SNC | 7,295,727 admissions | [4] |
| Germany | Papillon | Columbia Pictures | 8,500,000 admissions | [5] |
| Hong Kong | The House of 72 Tenants | Shaw Brothers Studio | HK$5,600,000 | [6] |
| India | Bobby | R. K. Films | ₹110,000,000 (US$14,210,000) | [7][nb 1] |
| Italy | Malicious | Paramount Pictures | 11,756,327 admissions | [9] |
| Soviet Union | The Headless Horseman | Lenfilm | 64,900,000 admissions | [10] |
| Spain | Cabaret | TBD | 125.8 million ₧ | [11] |
| United Kingdom | Live and Let Die | Eon Productions | 9,000,000 admissions | [12] |
Worldwide gross revenue
The following table lists known worldwide gross revenue figures for several high-grossing films that originally released in 1973. Note that this list is incomplete and is therefore not representative of the highest-grossing films worldwide in 1973. This list also includes gross revenue from later re-releases.
| Title | Worldwide gross | Country | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Exorcist | $441,306,145[nb 2] | United States | [13] |
| Enter the Dragon | $400,000,000[nb 2] | Worldwide | [14] |
| The Sting | $257,000,000 | United States | [15][16] |
| Live and Let Die | $161,800,000 | United Kingdom | [17] |
| American Graffiti | $140,000,000 | United States | [18] |
| Bobby | $39,000,000 | India | [19][20] |
The year's highest-grossing actor worldwide was Hong Kong martial arts film star Bruce Lee, who died the same year.[21]
Events
- March – Five Fingers of Death is released in the United States and is a surprise success starting a kung fu film craze in North America[22]
- April 11 – Kim Jong-il publishes his film treatise On the Art of the Cinema.[23]
- May 1 – The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces his second wife, Barbara Blakely; she will marry actor/singer Frank Sinatra in 1976.
- July 20 – Martial arts legend Bruce Lee dies before Enter the Dragon is released on July 26.
- August 17 – The sci-fi movie Westworld is the first feature film to use digital image processing.
- December 25 – The Sting is released and goes on to become one of the top-grossing films of all time.
- December 26 – The Exorcist reawakens the horror film genre and becomes one of the most popular and controversial films ever released.
Awards
Summarize
Perspective
Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):
- The Hireling, directed by Alan Bridges, United Kingdom
- Scarecrow, directed by Jerry Schatzberg, United States
Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):
- Ashani Sanket (Distant Thunder), directed by Satyajit Ray, India
1973 films
By country/region
- List of American films of 1973
- List of Argentine films of 1973
- List of Australian films of 1973
- List of Bangladeshi films of 1973
- List of British films of 1973
- List of Canadian films of 1973
- List of French films of 1973
- List of Hong Kong films of 1973
- List of Indian films of 1973
- List of Japanese films of 1973
- List of Mexican films of 1973
- List of Pakistani films of 1973
- List of South Korean films of 1973
- List of Soviet films of 1973
- List of Spanish films of 1973
By genre/medium
Births
- January 4 - Damon Gupton, American actor
- January 7 – Baiba Broka, Latvian actress
- January 10 – Ryan Drummond, American actor and comedian
- January 14 – Katie Griffin, Canadian actress and singer.
- January 17 - Bob Persichetti, American animator, story artist, storyboard artist, screenwriter and director
- January 18 - Ben Willbond, English actor and screenwriter
- January 23 – Lanei Chapman, American actress
- January 24 – William Gregory Lee, American actor
- January 29 – Arben Bajraktaraj, Korovan-born French actor
- January 30 - Jordan Prentice, Canadian actor
- January 31
- Portia de Rossi, Australian-Canadian actress
- Matthew Faber, American actor (d. 2020)
- February 9 - Colin Egglesfield, American actor
- February 12 – Tara Strong, Canadian-American voice actress
- February 14 - Kristen Dalton, American actress
- February 15 - Sarah Wynter, Australian actress
- February 17 – Lucy Davis, English actress
- February 18 – Tom Wisdom, English actor
- February 20 - Andrea Savage, American actress and comedian
- February 25 – Anson Mount, American actor
- February 27 – Li Bingbing, Chinese actress
- March 1 – Jack Davenport, English actor
- March 3 - Matthew Marsden, English-American actor, producer and singer
- March 4 – Len Wiseman, American director, screenwriter and producer
- March 8 - Boris Kodjoe, German actor and producer
- March 10 – Natasha Alam, Uzbekistani–American actress and model
- March 13 – Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Icelandic-American actor, producer and screenwriter
- March 16 - Jerome Flynn, English actor and singer
- March 18 – Luci Christian, American voice actress
- March 19 - Jill Culton, American animator, storyboard artist, director and screenwriter
- March 20
- Jane March, English actress and model
- Cedric Yarbrough, American actor and comedian
- March 21 - Vanessa Branch, English-born American actress
- March 22 - Clay Kaytis, American animator and director
- March 24 – Jim Parsons, American actor and producer
- April 1 - Kris Marshall, English actor
- April 2
- Simon Farnaby, English actor, comedian and writer
- Roselyn Sánchez, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, actress, producer and writer
- April 3 – Adam Scott, American actor, comedian and producer
- April 6
- Lori Heuring, American actress
- Cindy Robinson, American voice actress
- April 10 – Guillaume Canet, French actor
- April 11
- Kris Marshall, English actor
- Alec Musser, American actor and fitness model (d. 2024)
- April 12 - Amr Waked, Egyptian actor
- April 14 – Adrien Brody, American actor
- April 19
- Michael Bacall, American screenwriter and actor
- David Soren, Canadian director, writer, voice actor and storyboard artist
- April 22 – Christopher Sabat, American voice actor
- April 30
- Robyn Griggs, American actress (d. 2022)
- Antonino Isordia, Mexican director
- May 5 – Tina Yothers, American actress
- May 8
- Marcus Brigstocke, British comedian and actor
- Jonathon Young, Canadian actor
- May 10 – Tora Sudiro, Indonesian actor
- May 12 - Mackenzie Astin, American actor
- May 17
- Sasha Alexander, American actress and director
- Matthew McGrory, American actor (d. 2005)
- May 21 - Noel Fielding, English comedian, writer, actor, artist, musician and television presenter
- May 25 - Jossara Jinaro, Brazilian-American actress (d. 2022)
- May 27 - Jack McBrayer, American actor, singer and comedian
- May 30 - Minae Noji, Japanese-American actress
- June 1 - Adam Garcia, Australian actor
- June 2 - Kevin Feige, American producer
- June 4 - Matt Corboy, American actor
- June 8 - Lexa Doig, Canadian actress
- June 9 - Orlando Wells, English actor and writer
- June 12 - Mel Rodriguez, American actor
- June 15 – Neil Patrick Harris, American actor
- June 16 – Eddie Cibrian, American actor
- June 17 - Louis Leterrier, French director and producer
- June 18 - Julie Depardieu, French actress
- June 19 - Leticia Spiller, Brazilian actress
- June 21 – Juliette Lewis, American actress
- June 22 - Tracy Melchior, American actress
- June 24 - Alexander Beyer, German actor
- June 27 - Razaaq Adoti, British actor, producer and screenwriter
- June 29 - Lance Barber, American actor
- July 2 - Peter Kay, English comedian and actor
- July 3 - Patrick Wilson, American actor, director and singer
- July 6 - William Lee Scott, American actor
- July 8 - Sebastian Maniscalco, American stand-up comedian and actor
- July 9 - Enrique Murciano, American actor
- July 10 - Annie Mumolo, American actress, screenwriter, comedian and producer
- July 11 - Jason Liebrecht, American voice actor
- July 15 - Rachel Pickup, British actress
- July 16 - Robert Jayne, American actor
- July 19 - Saïd Taghmaoui, French-American actor and screenwriter
- July 20 – Omar Epps, American actor, rapper and producer
- July 22 - Jaime Camil, Mexican actor and singer
- July 23
- Daisy Donovan, English television presenter, actress and writer
- Kathryn Hahn, American actress and comedian
- July 24 - Jamie Denbo, American actress, writer and comedian
- July 25 - David Denman, American actor
- July 26 – Kate Beckinsale, English actress
- July 29
- Stephen Dorff, American actor
- Dileep Rao, American actor
- August 1 - Eduardo Noriega, Spanish actor
- August 2 - Simon Kinberg, British-born American filmmaker
- August 3 - Michael Ealy, American actor
- August 5 - Michael Hollick, American actor
- August 6
- Asia Carrera, American pornographic actress
- David Campbell, Australian singer, actor and television personality
- Vera Farmiga, American actress
- August 8 – Jessica Calvello, American voice actress
- August 9 - Kevin McKidd, Scottish actor and television director
- August 18 - Carmen Serano, American actress
- August 19 - Ahmed Best, American actor, comedian and musician
- August 22 – Kristen Wiig, American actress and comedian
- August 24
- Dave Chappelle, American actor
- Carmine Giovinazzo, American actor, writer and musician
- Grey Griffin, American actress, comedian and singer-songwriter
- Barrett Oliver, American child actor
- August 25 - Ben Falcone, American filmmaker, comedian and actor
- August 26 - Andy Muschietti, Argentine filmmaker
- August 28 - Kirby Morrow, Canadian actor, comedian and writer (d. 2020)
- September 1 - Guillem Morales, Spanish director
- September 4
- Jason David Frank, American actor and mixed martial artist (d. 2022)
- Lazlow Jones, American writer, producer, director, voice actor and radio personality
- September 5
- Paddy Considine, English actor, director, screenwriter and musician
- Rose McGowan, American actress
- September 7 – Shannon Elizabeth, American actress
- September 12 –
- Maximiliano Hernández, American actor
- Paul Walker, American actor and producer (d. 2013)
- September 13 - Travis Knight, American animator, producer and director
- September 14 – Andrew Lincoln, English actor
- September 18 – James Marsden, American actor
- September 19 - Nicholas Bishop, English-born Australian actor
- September 25 - Bridgette Wilson, American actress and singer
- September 26 – Julienne Davis, American actress and model
- September 27 - Indira Varma, British actress and narrator
- October 1 – Christian Borle, American actor and singer
- October 2 – Efren Ramirez, American actor
- October 3
- Keiko Agena, American actress
- Neve Campbell, Canadian actress
- Richard Ian Cox, Welsh-Canadian voice actor
- Lena Headey, English actress
- October 6 – Ioan Gruffudd, Welsh actor
- October 8 - Jan Pavel Filipensky, Czech actor
- October 10
- Mario Lopez, American actor and television host
- S. S. Rajamouli, Indian director
- October 21 - Sasha Roiz, Israeli-born Canadian actor
- October 22 – Carmen Ejogo, British actress and singer
- October 23 - Stéphane Debac, French actor
- October 24
- Burgess Jenkins, American actor
- Kurt Kuenne, American filmmaker
- October 25 - Michael Weston, American actor
- October 26 – Seth MacFarlane, American actor, animator, screenwriter, comedian, director and singer
- October 28 – Kim Seo-hyung, South Korean actress
- October 30
- Adam Copeland, Canadian wrestler and actor
- Kemp Powers, American filmmaker
- November 1
- Robert Luketic, Australian director
- Aishwarya Rai, Indian actress
- November 2 - Marisol Nichols, American actress
- November 3 - Sticky Fingaz, American rapper and actor
- November 4 - Steven Ogg, Canadian actor
- November 11 - Chris McKay, American filmmaker
- November 12 - Radha Mitchell, Australian actress
- November 13 - John DeSantis, Canadian actor
- November 14 - Dana Snyder, American actor and voice actor
- November 21 - Brook Kerr, American actress
- November 24
- J. C. Chandor, American filmmaker
- Lucy Liemann, British actress
- Danielle Nicolet, American actress
- November 26 – Peter Facinelli, American actor
- November 27
- Tadanobu Asano, Japanese actor
- Sharlto Copley, South African actor
- December 1 - Lombardo Boyar, American actor
- December 3
- Bruno Campos, Brazilian-American actor and lawyer
- Holly Marie Combs, American actress and producer
- December 4 - Tyra Banks, American television personality, producer, writer and actress
- December 11 - Mos Def, American rapper, singer-songwriter and actor
- December 14
- Thuy Trang, Vietnamese-American actress (d. 2001)
- Jan Uuspõld, Estonian actor
- December 17 - Rian Johnson, American filmmaker
- December 28 - Seth Meyers, American talkshow host, actor, comedian
Deaths
| Month | Date | Name | Age | Country | Profession | Notable films |
| January | 2 | Franciska Gaal | 68 | Hungary | Actress, Singer | |
| 15 | Coleman Francis | 53 | US | Actor, Director | ||
| 19 | Max Adrian | 69 | Northern Ireland | Actor | ||
| 24 | J. Carrol Naish | 77 | US | Actor | ||
| 26 | Edward G. Robinson | 79 | Romania | Actor | ||
| 29 | Ludwig Stossel | 89 | Austria | Actor | ||
| 31 | Jack MacGowran | 54 | Ireland | Actor | ||
| February | 13 | David Bauer | 55 | US | Actor | |
| 15 | Tim Holt | 54 | US | Actor | ||
| 15 | Wally Cox | 48 | US | Actor | ||
| 22 | Katina Paxinou | 72 | Greece | Actress | ||
| 24 | Art Smith | 73 | US | Actor | ||
| 28 | Cecil Kellaway | 82 | South Africa | Actor | ||
| March | 5 | Rupert Crosse | 45 | US | Actor | |
| 10 | Robert Siodmak | 72 | Germany | Director | ||
| 11 | Gregorio Fernandez | 68 | Philippines | Actor, Director | ||
| 13 | Melville Cooper | 76 | England | Actor | ||
| 16 | Carl Benton Reid | 79 | US | Actor | ||
| 19 | Lauritz Melchior | 82 | US | Singer | ||
| 22 | Kane Richmond | 66 | US | Actor | ||
| 23 | Ken Maynard | 77 | US | Actor | ||
| 26 | Noël Coward | 73 | England | Actor, Songwriter | ||
| April | 11 | Ted de Corsia | 69 | US | Actor | |
| 12 | Arthur Freed | 78 | US | Songwriter, Producer | ||
| 14 | Minna Gombell | 80 | US | Actress | ||
| 20 | Robert Armstrong | 82 | US | Actor | ||
| 21 | Merian C. Cooper | 79 | US | Director, Producer, Screenwriter | ||
| 21 | Ursula Jeans | 73 | UK | Actress | ||
| 26 | Irene Ryan | 70 | US | Actress | ||
| May | 4 | Charles Grayson | 69 | US | Screenwriter | |
| 6 | Myrna Fahey | 40 | US | Actress | ||
| 7 | Maxine Doyle | 58 | US | Actress | ||
| 10 | Jack E. Leonard | 63 | US | Actor, Comedian | ||
| 11 | Lex Barker | 54 | US | Actor | ||
| 12 | Frances Marion | 84 | US | Screenwriter | ||
| 21 | Vaughn Monroe | 61 | US | Singer, Actor | ||
| 29 | P. Ramlee | 44 | Malaysia | Actor, Director | ||
| June | 5 | Max Terhune | 87 | US | Actor | |
| 10 | William Inge | 60 | US | Screenwriter, Playwright | ||
| 16 | Louise Latimer | 60 | US | Actress | ||
| 18 | Roger Delgado | 55 | England | Actor | ||
| 23 | Fay Holden | 79 | England | Actress | ||
| 25 | Lars Tvinde | 86 | Norway | Actor | ||
| 26 | Ernest Truex | 83 | US | Actor | ||
| July | 2 | Betty Grable | 56 | US | Actress | |
| 2 | George Macready | 73 | US | Actor | ||
| 6 | Joe E. Brown | 80 | US | Actor | ||
| 7 | Veronica Lake | 50 | US | Actress | ||
| 11 | Robert Ryan | 63 | US | Actor | ||
| 12 | Lon Chaney Jr. | 67 | US | Actor | ||
| 18 | Jack Hawkins | 62 | England | Actor | ||
| 20 | Bruce Lee | 32 | US | Actor | ||
| 30 | Guy Middleton | 65 | England | Actor | ||
| August | 2 | Jean-Pierre Melville | 55 | France | Director | |
| 5 | Warren Duff | 69 | US | Producer, Screenwriter | ||
| 10 | Douglas Kennedy | 57 | US | Actor | ||
| 11 | Peggie Castle | 45 | US | Actress | ||
| 16 | Veda Ann Borg | 58 | US | Actress | ||
| 17 | Eve Miller | 50 | US | Actress | ||
| 22 | Louise Huff | 77 | US | Actress | ||
| 30 | Michael Dunn | 38 | US | Actor, Singer | ||
| 31 | John Ford | 79 | US | Director | ||
| September | 13 | Betty Field | 60 | US | Actress | |
| 20 | Glenn Strange | 74 | US | Actor | ||
| 21 | Diana Sands | 39 | US | Actress | ||
| 24 | Ted Adams | 83 | US | Actress | ||
| 26 | Anna Magnani | 65 | Italy | Actress | ||
| 28 | Norma Crane | 44 | US | Actress | ||
| 28 | Mantan Moreland | 71 | US | Actor, Comedian | ||
| October | 6 | Sidney Blackmer | 78 | US | Actor | |
| 6 | Dennis Price | 58 | UK | Actor | ||
| 16 | Cleo Moore | 48 | US | Actress | ||
| 18 | Crane Wilbur | 86 | US | Screenwriter, Director | ||
| 27 | Allan Lane | 64 | US | Actor | ||
| November | 13 | Lila Lee | 72 | US | Actress | |
| 20 | Viola Lawrence | 78 | US | Film Editor | ||
| 23 | Claire Dodd | 64 | US | Actress | ||
| 23 | Robert Ellis | 40 | US | Actor | ||
| 23 | Constance Talmadge | 75 | US | Actress | ||
| 23 | Sessue Hayakawa | 84 | Japan | Actor | ||
| 23 | Adele Buffington | 73 | US | Screenwriter | ||
| 25 | Laurence Harvey | 45 | Lithuania | Actor | ||
| December | 4 | Michael O'Shea | 67 | US | Actor | |
| 12 | Ranald MacDougall | 58 | US | Screenwriter, Director | ||
| 20 | Bobby Darin | 37 | US | Actor, Singer | ||
| 26 | Steven Geray | 69 | Ukraine | Actor | ||
| 26 | William Haines | 73 | US | Actor | ||
| 31 | A. Edward Sutherland | 78 | England | Director | ||
Debuts
- Danny Aiello – Bang the Drum Slowly
- Nancy Allen – The Last Detail
- John Ashton – The Psychopath
- Daniel Auteuil – The Year 01
- Graham Beckel – The Paper Chase
- Reb Brown – Sssssss
- Dennis Burkley – Bummer!
- Colleen Camp – Battle for the Planet of the Apes
- John Candy – Class of '44
- David Clennon – The Paper Chase
- Laura Dern – White Lightning
- Pino Donnagio – Don't Look Now (film composer)
- George Dzundza – Massage Parlor Murders
- Anthony Edwards – Big Zapper
- Michael Ensign – Assassin
- Emilio Estevez – Badlands
- Dexter Fletcher – Steptoe and Son Ride Again
- Sasson Gabai – Light Out of Nowhere
- Victor Garber – Godspell
- Burton Gilliam – Paper Moon
- John Glover – Shamus
- Irma P. Hall – Book of Numbers
- Rutger Hauer – Turkish Delight
- William Hootkins – Big Zapper
- Gérard Jugnot – The Year 01
- Dimple Kapadia – Bobby
- Sylvia Kristel – Frank en Eva
- Stan Lee – The Year 01
- Kay Lenz – American Graffiti
- Temuera Morrison – Rangi's Catch
- Tatum O'Neal – Paper Moon
- Bernadette Peters – Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies
- Joe Pantoliano – Road Movie
- John Rhys-Davies – Penny Gold
- Allan Rich – Serpico
- Henry G. Sanders – No Place to Hide
- Charlie Sheen – Badlands
- Bo Svenson – Maurie
- Ana Torrent – The Spirit of the Beehive
- Carl Weathers – Magnum Force
Notes
References
External links
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