| List of years in film |
|---|
| Years in film |
|---|
| 19th century |
| 1870s |
The year2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first installments of theHarry Potter,Fast & Furious,Spy Kids,Monsters, Inc. andShrek franchises, andThe Lord of the Rings andOcean's trilogies. Significant non-English language films released includedMonsoon Wedding,Amélie andSpirited Away. There was one film,Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, that passed over $1 billion in a re-release of 2020.
The inaugural entries of theHarry Potter andLord of the Rings film franchises prompted a shift in both the film and literary communities by propellingfantasy into mainstream culture, popularisingyoung adult novels, and reforming theblockbuster to promotefilm franchises and cater tofandom communities.[1][2]
The top 10 films released in 2001 by worldwide gross are as follows:[3]
| Rank | Title | Distributor | Worldwide gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Warner Bros. | $974,755,371 |
| 2 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | New Line/Warner Bros. Pictures | $883,726,270 |
| 3 | Monsters, Inc. | Buena Vista | $528,773,250 |
| 4 | Shrek | DreamWorks | $487,853,320 |
| 5 | Ocean's Eleven | Warner Bros. | $450,717,150 |
| 6 | Pearl Harbor | Buena Vista | $449,220,945 |
| 7 | The Mummy Returns | Universal | $435,040,395 |
| 8 | Jurassic Park III | $368,780,809 | |
| 9 | Planet of the Apes | Fox | $362,211,740 |
| 10 | Hannibal | MGM /Universal | $351,692,268 |
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone grossed $974 million, and became thesecond highest-grossing film of all time. It was also the highest-grossing film in theHarry Potter film franchise before the finale,Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, surpassed it in2011.
2001 was the first time that two films released in the same year grossed more than $800 million at the box office, withHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone andThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring surpassing the milestone.
The highest-grossing non-English film wasStudio Ghibli'sanimeSpirited Away, which was the 15th highest-grossing film of the year.[4]
| Month | Date | Name | Age | Country | Profession | Notable films |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1 | Ray Walston[5] | 86 | US | Actor | |
| 5 | Nancy Parsons | 58 | US | Actress | ||
| 10 | Jacques Marin | 81 | France | Actor | ||
| 11 | James Hill | 84 | US | Producer, Screenwriter | ||
| 11 | Michael Williams | 65 | UK | Actor | ||
| 15 | Ted Mann | 84 | US | Producer | ||
| 16 | Virginia O'Brien | 81 | US | Actress, Singer | ||
| 18 | Al Waxman | 65 | Canada | Actor | ||
| 21 | Sandy Baron | 64 | US | Actor | ||
| 21 | Joseph O'Conor | 84 | Ireland | Actor | ||
| 30 | Jean-Pierre Aumont[6] | 90 | France | Actor | ||
| 30 | John Prebble | 85 | UK | Screenwriter | ||
| 31 | Bert Williams | 78 | US | Actor | ||
| February | 4 | Tony Steedman | 73 | UK | Actor | |
| 7 | Dale Evans[7] | 88 | US | Actress, Singer | ||
| 10 | Lewis Arquette | 65 | US | Actor | ||
| 11 | Sy Gomberg | 82 | US | Screenwriter | ||
| 14 | Charles B. Fitzsimons | 76 | Ireland | Producer | ||
| 15 | Burt Kennedy | 78 | US | Director, Screenwriter | ||
| 16 | Howard W. Koch | 84 | US | Producer | ||
| 19 | Stanley Kramer[8] | 87 | US | Director, Producer | ||
| 20 | Rosemary DeCamp | 90 | US | Actress | ||
| 27 | Ralf D. Bode | 59 | Germany | Cinematographer | ||
| 27 | Stan Margulies | 80 | US | Producer | ||
| March | 6 | Kim Walker | 32 | US | Actress | |
| 8 | Edward Winter | 63 | US | Actor | ||
| 9 | Richard Stone | 47 | US | Composer, Music Editor | ||
| 12 | Morton Downey Jr. | 68 | US | Actor | ||
| 13 | John A. Alonzo | 66 | US | Cinematographer, Actor | ||
| 15 | Ann Sothern[9] | 92 | US | Actress | ||
| 16 | Norma MacMillan | 79 | Canada | Actress | ||
| 17 | Ralph Thomas | 85 | UK | Director | ||
| 19 | Mentor Huebner | 79 | US | Illustrator | ||
| 21 | Anthony Steel | 80 | UK | Actor | ||
| 22 | William Hanna | 90 | US | Animator, Director, Producer | ||
| 23 | Sully Boyar | 77 | US | Actor | ||
| 24 | Tambi Larsen | 86 | India | Art Director | ||
| 26 | Piotr Sobociński | 43 | Poland | Cinematographer | ||
| April | 1 | Larry Tucker | 66 | US | Screenwriter | |
| 7 | David Graf | 50 | US | Actor | ||
| 7 | Beatrice Straight | 86 | US | Actress | ||
| 10 | Nyree Dawn Porter | 65 | New Zealand | Actress | ||
| 11 | Harry Secombe[10] | 79 | UK | Actor | ||
| 13 | Jimmy Logan | 73 | UK | Actor | ||
| 13 | Ken Weston | 53 | UK | Sound Engineer | ||
| 14 | Hiroshi Teshigahara[11] | 74 | Japan | Director | ||
| 16 | Michael Ritchie | 62 | US | Director | ||
| 20 | Maria Karnilova | 80 | US | Actress | ||
| 21 | Jack Haley Jr. | 67 | US | Director | ||
| 22 | Edward Muhl | 94 | US | Studio Executive | ||
| 27 | Jack Murdock | 78 | US | Actor | ||
| 28 | Ken Hughes | 79 | UK | Screenwriter | ||
| 29 | Walter Hannemann | 88 | US | Film Editor | ||
| May | 2 | Gina Mastrogiacomo | 39 | US | Actress | |
| 3 | Ernie Wheelwright | 61 | US | Actor | ||
| 7 | Gary Wissner | 37 | US | Production Designer, Art Director | ||
| 9 | Leslie Sands | 79 | UK | Actor | ||
| 10 | Deborah Walley | 59 | US | Actress | ||
| 12 | Perry Como[12] | 88 | US | Singer, Actor | ||
| 13 | Eddra Gale | 79 | US | Actress | ||
| 13 | Jason Miller[13] | 62 | US | Actor, Director | ||
| 13 | Ralph Tabakin | 79 | US | Actor | ||
| 14 | Mauro Bolognini | 78 | Italy | Director, Screenwriter | ||
| 14 | Peter Griffith | 74 | US | Actor | Halloween | |
| 14 | Armando Nannuzzi | 75 | Italy | Cinematographer | ||
| 15 | Sacha Vierny | 81 | France | Cinematographer | ||
| 16 | Joe Baker | 72 | UK | Actor | ||
| 22 | Connie Marshall | 68 | US | Actress | ||
| 22 | Whitman Mayo | 70 | US | Actor | ||
| 22 | Jack Watling | 78 | UK | Actor | ||
| 23 | Lita Chevret | 92 | US | Actress | ||
| 25 | John W. Holmes | 84 | US | Film Editor | ||
| 26 | Anne Haney | 67 | US | Actress | ||
| 27 | Ramon Bieri | 71 | US | Actor | ||
| 29 | Russell Saunders | 82 | US | Stuntman | ||
| 31 | Arlene Francis | 93 | US | Actress | ||
| June | 2 | Imogene Coca | 92 | US | Actress | |
| 3 | Anthony Quinn[14] | 86 | Mexico | Actor | ||
| 4 | Joan Vohs | 73 | US | Actress | ||
| 7 | Leonard Tepper | 61 | US | Actor | ||
| 15 | Henri Alekan | 92 | France | Cinematographer | ||
| 21 | Carroll O'Connor | 76 | US | Actor | ||
| 21 | Vernon Sewell | 97 | UK | Director, Screenwriter | ||
| 23 | Corinne Calvet | 76 | France | Actress | ||
| 26 | Paul Berry | 40 | UK | Animator | ||
| 27 | Jack Lemmon | 76 | US | Actor | ||
| 28 | Joan Sims | 71 | UK | Actress | ||
| July | 2 | Jack Gwillim | 91 | UK | Actor | |
| 3 | Mordecai Richler | 70 | Canada | Screenwriter | ||
| 5 | A. D. Flowers | 84 | US | Special Effects Artist | ||
| 7 | Molly Lamont | 91 | South Africa | Actress | ||
| 12 | James Bernard | 75 | UK | Composer | ||
| 13 | Eleanor Summerfield | 80 | UK | Actress | ||
| 15 | Ted Berman | 81 | US | Director, Screenwriter, Animator | ||
| 19 | Paul Beeson | 79 | UK | Cinematographer | ||
| 21 | Sivaji Ganesan | 72 | India | Actor | ||
| 29 | Alex Nicol | 85 | US | Actor | ||
| August | 1 | Joe Lynch | 75 | Spain | Actor | |
| 3 | Christopher Hewett | 79 | UK | Actor | ||
| 6 | Alan Rafkin | 73 | US | Director | ||
| 6 | Dorothy Tutin | 71 | UK | Actress | ||
| 8 | Harry Julian Fink | 78 | US | Screenwriter | ||
| 14 | Missy Cleveland | 41 | US | Actress | ||
| 14 | Jackie "Butch" Jenkins | 63 | US | Actor | ||
| 16 | Dave Barry | 82 | US | Actor | ||
| 18 | Jack Elliott | 74 | US | Composer, Conductor | ||
| 20 | Kim Stanley | 76 | US | Actress | ||
| 23 | Kathleen Freeman | 82 | US | Actress | ||
| 25 | Aaliyah | 22 | US | Actress, Singer | ||
| 25 | John Chambers | 78 | US | Makeup Artist | ||
| 25 | Jane Greer | 76 | US | Actress | ||
| 25 | Inigo Jackson | 68 | UK | Actor | ||
| 28 | Lawrence B. Marcus | 84 | US | Screenwriter | ||
| 29 | Francisco Rabal | 75 | Spain | Actor | ||
| 30 | Julie Bishop | 87 | US | Actress | ||
| September | 2 | Troy Donahue | 65 | US | Actor | |
| 3 | Ferruccio Amendola | 71 | Italy | Actor | ||
| 3 | Pauline Kael | 82 | US | Film Critic | None; critiqued films forThe New Yorker | |
| 3 | Thuy Trang[15] | 27 | US | Actress | ||
| 4 | Merrill Connally | 80 | US | Actor | ||
| 9 | Tommy Hollis | 47 | US | Actor | ||
| 12 | Victor Wong | 74 | US | Actor | ||
| 13 | Barbara Matera | 72 | UK | Costume Designer | ||
| 13 | Dorothy McGuire | 85 | US | Actress | ||
| 15 | Fred de Cordova | 90 | US | Director | ||
| 16 | Samuel Z. Arkoff | 83 | US | Producer | ||
| 25 | Evan A. Lottman | 70 | US | Film Editor | ||
| 25 | Dolores Michaels | 68 | US | Actress | ||
| 26 | Hannes Nikel | 70 | Germany | Film Editor | ||
| 27 | Helen Cherry | 85 | UK | Actress | ||
| 28 | Martin Garner | 74 | US | Actor | ||
| 29 | Gloria Foster | 67 | US | Actress | ||
| October | 9 | Herbert Ross[16] | 74 | US | Director | |
| 15 | Robert Rutledge | 53 | US | Sound Engineer | ||
| 17 | Jay Livingston | 86 | US | Composer | ||
| 19 | Ray Lovejoy | 62 | UK | Film Editor | ||
| 21 | David Lowell Rich | 81 | US | Director | ||
| 23 | Linden Travers | 88 | UK | Actress | ||
| 24 | Jaromil Jireš | 65 | Slovakia | Director | ||
| 26 | Eugene Jackson | 58 | US | Actor | ||
| 28 | Larry Jost | 80 | US | Sound Engineer | ||
| 29 | Maura Fay | 43 | Australia | Casting Director | ||
| 31 | Jenny Laird | 89 | UK | Actress | ||
| November | 5 | Roy Boulting | 87 | UK | Director | |
| 6 | Anthony Shaffer | 75 | UK | Screenwriter | ||
| 7 | Bobby Bass | 65 | US | Stuntman, Actor | ||
| 12 | Albert Hague | 82 | Germany | Actor | ||
| 13 | Peggy Mount | 86 | UK | Actress | ||
| 14 | Charlotte Coleman[17] | 33 | UK | Actress | ||
| 21 | Ralph Burns | 79 | US | Composer, Arranger | ||
| 29 | Budd Boetticher | 85 | US | Director | ||
| 29 | George Harrison[18] | 58 | UK | Singer, Actor, Producer | ||
| 29 | John Mitchum | 82 | US | Actor | ||
| December | 1 | Danilo Donati | 74 | Italy | Costume Designer, Production Designer | |
| 6 | Walt Mulconery | 69 | US | Film Editor | ||
| 7 | Pauline Moore | 87 | US | Actress | ||
| 10 | Lance Fuller | 73 | US | Actor | ||
| 15 | Wilkie Cooper | 90 | UK | Cinematographer | ||
| 16 | Roy Brocksmith | 56 | US | Actor | ||
| 20 | Foster Brooks | 89 | US | Actor | ||
| 20 | Edward Evans | 87 | UK | Actor | ||
| 26 | Nigel Hawthorne | 72 | UK | Actor | ||
| 29 | Robert Patten | 76 | US | Actor | ||
| 30 | Ray Patterson | 90 | US | Animator | ||
| 31 | Eileen Heckart | 82 | US | Actress | ||
| 31 | David Swift | 82 | US | Director |