Events

• March 22 - Filming begins on George Lucas' Star Wars science fiction film. In one of the best business decisions in film history, Lucas cuts his directing fee by $500,000 to gain ownership of merchandising and sequel rights

Top grossing films

North America

1. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
2. All the President's Men, starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford
3. The Omen- Gregory Peck, Lee Remick
4. The Bad News Bears
5. Silent Movie
6. Midway
7. Murder by Death
8. Jaws (re-release)
9. Blazing Saddles (re-release)
10. Lucky Lady
11. Taxi Driver, starring Robert DeNiro, Palme d'Or winner
12. The Outlaw Josey Wales

Academy Awards

• Best Picture: Rocky - Chartoff-Winkler, United Artists
• Best Director: John G. Avildsen - Rocky
• Best Actor: Peter Finch - Network (first actor to win posthumously)
• Best Actress: Faye Dunaway - Network
• Best Supporting Actor: Jason Robards Jr All The President's Men
• Best Supporting Actress: Beatrice Straight - Network

Births

• January 3 - Jason Marsden, actor.
• January 6 - Danny Pintauro, actor
• February 11 - Brice Beckham, actor.
• February 28 - Ja Rule, actor/rap singer/songwriter.
• April 15 - Susan Ward,actress
• September 7 - Shannon Elizabeth, actress.
• October 4 - Alicia Silverstone, actress.

Deaths

• January 12 - Agatha Christie, writer
• January 23 - Paul Robeson, actor, singer
• February 11 - Lee J Cobb, actor.
• February 11 - Alice Allyn , actress.
• February 11 - Charlie Naughton , actor.
• February 12 - Sal Mineo, actor
• February 26 - Frieda Inescort, actress
• March 14 - Busby Berkeley, director
• March 17 - Luchino Visconti, Italian theatre and cinema director.
• June 9 - Sybil Thorndike, actress
• August 27 - Mukesh, singer
• October 14 - Edith Evans, actress
• November 15 - Jean Gabin, actor
• November 28 - Rosalind Russell, actress

Other movies released

• Don's Party - John Hardgreaves, Graham Kennedy, Veronica Lang, Ray Barrett + Clarie Biney, Directed By Bruce berisford, written by David Williamson
• Caddie starring Helen Morse
• Oz A Rock 'N' Roll Road Movie Staring Bruce Spence, Joy Dunstan + Graham Matters
• Silver Streak - Gene Wilder, Richard Pryor
• Aaron Loves Angela
• Wilma - Shirley Jo Finney , Cicely Tyson, Denzel Washington
• Network
• Rocky
• To Fly!
• King Kong, starring Jessica Lange and Jeff Bridges
• The Enforcer
• The Pink Panther Strikes Again
• Carrie, starring Sissy Spacek
• Logan's Run
• Marathon Man
• Monty Python and the Holy Grail
• Jonah Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000
• Buffalo Bill and the Indians Golden Bear winner
• Bugsy Malone
• A Star is Born
• Face to Face
• The Marquis of O
• Cousin, Cousine
• Bound for Glory
• All the President's Men
• Black and White in Color Academy Award for Best Foreign Picture, Ivory Coast
• Seven Beauties
• Voyage of the Damned