See also: 2002 in film, other events of 2003, 2004 in film and the list of 'years in film'

Events

• February 24 - The Pianist, directed by Roman Polanski, wins 7 Cesar Awards: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Sound, Best Production Design, Best Music and Best Cinematography.
• November 17: Russell Crowe attended the London premiere of his movie Master and Commander. [1] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3276581.stm)
• November 17: Arnold Schwarzenegger sworn in as Governor of California.
• December 22: Both of the movies from the Matrix series released in 2003 were shut out of visual effects Oscar consideration by the Visual Effects Award Nominating Committee.
• December 31 The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences mails nomination ballots in which it qualifies 254 films released in 2003 as eligible for Oscar consideration.

Top grossing films

Please note that these are the top grossing films that were first released in 2003; because they may have made most of their income in a later year, they may not be the top-grossing films for calendar year 2003.

Movies reaching blockbuster motion picture status were led by New Line's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which topped $1 billion in box office receipts worldwide. Other major films included Disney's Finding Nemo. These are the worldwide top 10 grossing films as of June 3, 2004:

Worldwide, 52 films grossed more than $100 million, achieving blockbuster status, of those, 21 films grossed more than $200 million, nine films grossed more than $400 million, four films more than $600 million, three films more than $700 million, two films more than $800 million and one film, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King passed $1.1 billion, becoming the second-highest grossing film in history.

For a complete list of 2003's top-grossing films, follow this link:

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2003&p=.htm

Academy Awards

• Best Picture: The Return of the King
• Best Actor: Sean Penn - Mystic River
• Best Actress: Charlize Theron - Monster

Deaths

• January 4 Conrad Hall, Hollywood cinematographer, a two-time Academy Award-winner
• January 8 Ron Goodwin, British film music composer and conductor
• January 11 Maurice Pialat, French movie director
• January 11 Anthony Havelock-Allan, British screenwriter
• January 12 Maurice Gibb, of the Bee Gees, singer, composer, actor
• January 13 Norman Panama, screenwriter and director
• January 18 Richard Crenna, actor
• January 23 Nell Carter, singer, actress
• January 25 Robert Rockwell, actor
• January 29 Peter Shaw, producer; husband of actress Angela Lansbury
• February 9 Vera Hruba Ralston, actress
• February 18 Jack Brodsky, movie producer and publicist
• February 22 Daniel Taradash, former president of AMPAS; Oscar-winning screenwriter of "From Here to Eternity"
• February 25 Alberto Sordi, Italian comedy film legend
• March 3 Horst Buchholz, German actor
• March 8 Karen Morley, actress
• March 8 Adam Faith, British singer and actor
• March 9 Stan Brakhage, filmmaker
• March 12 Lynne Thigpen, actor
• March 15 Dame Thora Hird, veteran British actress
• March 24 Philip Yordan, screenwriter; won Oscar for "Broken Lance"
• March 31 Michael Jeter, actor
• April 1 Leslie Cheung, actor and singer
• April 2 Michael Wayne, film producer; eldest son of John Wayne
• April 12 Sydney Lassick, actor, best known playing asylum resident Cheswick in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
• April 21 Nina Simone, jazz singer, "High Priestess of Soul"
• April 26 Peter Stone, Oscar-and-(3-time)Tony-winning writer
• April 27 Elaine Steinbeck, actress
• May 3 Suzy Parker, actress, model
• May 14 Dame Wendy Hiller, actress
• May 14 Robert Stack, actor
• May 28 Martha Scott, actress
• June 2 Richard Cusack, 77, ad executive turned actor/screenwriter
• June 7 Trevor Goddard, actor
• June 7 Tony McAuley BBC Northern Ireland broadcaster & film-maker associated with traditional Irish music and arts
• June 12 Gregory Peck, actor
• June 15 Hume Cronyn, actor
• June 29 Katharine Hepburn, actress
• June 30 Buddy Hackett, comic, actor
• July 1 N!xau, Namibian actor
• July 6 Buddy Ebsen, actor
• July 25 John Schlesinger, director
• July 27 Bob Hope, comedian, actor
• August 1 Marie Trintignant, French actress and daughter of actor Jean-Louis Trintignant.
• August 2 Don Estelle, actor
• August 9 Gregory Hines, actor, dancer.
• August 30 Charles Bronson, actor
• September 8 German filmmaker
• September 9 Larry Hovis, actor, played Carter on "Hogan's Heroes"
• September 10 Harry Goz, cartoon voice actor.
• September 11 John Ritter, American actor, played Jack Tripper on Three's Company
• September 12 Johnny Cash, American country singer
• September 16 Erich Hallhuber, Bavarian actor.
• September 22 Gordon Jump, American actor.
• September 27 Donald O'Connor, entertainer, actor
• September 28 Elia Kazan, director
• October 2 Gunther Philipp, Austrian actor
• October 3 William Steig, American cartoonist and children's author; creator of Shrek
• October 5 Denis Quilley, British actor
• October 20 Jack Elam, American actor, 84 years
• October 21 Fred Berry, American actor,
• October 23 Tony Capstick, British actor, comedian, musician and broadcaster
• November 4 Ken Gampu, South African actor
• November 6 Eduardo Palomo, Mexican actor (41 years)
• November 9 Art Carney, The Honeymooners actor (85 years)
• November 12 Jonathan Brandis, actor, reportedly suicide (27 years)
• November 12 Penny Singleton, actress (95 years)
• November 13 Kellie Waymire, actress (35 years)
• November 14 Gene Anthony Ray, actor and dancer
• November 15 Dorothy Loudon, actress
• November 18 Michael Kamen, composer
• November 20 Kerem Yilmazer, Turkish actor (58 years)
• November 20 Robert Addie, British actor (43 years)
• November 27 Will Quadflieg, German actor
• December 3 David Hemmings, actor
• December 12 Keiko, orca of Reino Aventura and Free Willy fame (27 years)
• December 14 Jeanne Crain, Oscar-nominated actress (78 years)
• December 17 Ed Devereaux, Australian actor
• December 19 Hope Lange, actress in Peyton Place
• December 27 Sir Alan Bates, British actor
• December 30 Anita Mui, 40, Hong Kong actress
• December 30 John Gregory Dunne, 71, screenwriter

Wide-release movies

(Movies released in at least 1,000 North American theatres)

	Results from FactBites:
	Midnight Eye feature: Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival 2003 report (3018 words) As the film charts the weather patterns throughout the four seasons, and how they influence the plants' growth, we are treated to a parade of startling shots: the microscopic capture of diffusing pollen and the rice grains actually forming within the plant; time-lapse photos of clouds; the water rippling with the wind. With so many films playing, not to mention the large number of seminars, discussion panels, live music events and opportunities for a quick drink or two taking place around the screenings, there was little chance of catching any more than a mere fraction of the films showing. The resulting films were screened in public venues such as university campuses all over America, and indeed across the world, with the intention of working up viewers and forcing them to confront the issues of the day. 2003 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (4925 words) Together with them to promote the film in the US was Singaporean Chinese actress Fann Wong in her Hollywood debut and first English-speaking role. November 12 - Occupation of Iraq: In Nasiriya, Iraq, at least 23 people, among them the first Italian casualties of the 2003 Iraq war are killed in a suicide bomb attack on an Italian police base. December 17 - The film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King released, effectively completing the Lord of the Rings Trilogy directed by Peter Jackson.
	More results at FactBites »