The U.S. must join forces with the U.S.S.R. in order to destroy a gigantic asteroid heading straight for Earth.
Director:
Writers:
Stars:
Award:
- Nominated for 1 Oscar.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Sean Connery | ... |
Paul Bradley
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| Natalie Wood | ... |
Tatiana Donskaya
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| Karl Malden | ... |
Harry Sherwood
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| Brian Keith | ... |
Dr. Dubov
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| Martin Landau | ... |
General Adlon
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| Trevor Howard | ... |
Sir Michael Hughes
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| Richard Dysart | ... |
Secretary of Defense
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| Henry Fonda | ... |
The President
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| Joseph Campanella | ... |
General Easton
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| Bo Brundin | ... |
Rolf Manheim
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| Katherine De Hetre | ... |
Jan Watkins
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James G. Richardson | ... |
Alan Marshall
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| Roger Robinson | ... |
Bill Hunter
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| Michael Zaslow | ... |
Sam Mason
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John McKinney | ... |
Peter Watson
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| John Findlater | ... |
Astronaut Tom Easton
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Paul Tulley | ... |
Astronaut Bill Frager
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| Allen Williams | ... |
Astronaut Michael McKendrick
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| Bibi Besch | ... |
Helen Bradley
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| Gregory Gaye | ... |
Russian Premier
(as Gregory Gay)
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| Clyde Kusatsu | ... |
Yamashiro
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Burke Byrnes | ... |
Coast Guard Officer
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Joseph G. Medalis | ... |
Bartender
(as Joe Medalis)
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| Charles Bartlett | ... |
Guard
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Raymond O'Keefe | ... |
Guard
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| Henry Olek | ... |
Army Translator
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Peter Bourne | ... |
U.N. President
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| Stanley Mann | ... |
Canadian Representative
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| Ronald Neame | ... |
British Representative
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| Philip Sterling | ... |
Russian Representative
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| Arthur Adams | ... |
Ghana Representative
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Fred Carney | ... |
United States Representative
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| Sybil Danning | ... |
Girl Skier
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Meschino Paterlini | ... |
Boy Skier
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| Johnny Yune | ... |
Siberian Man
(as Jon Yune)
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| Eileen Saki | ... |
Siberian Woman
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Christine Anne Baur | ... |
Communications Center Technician
(as Chris Baur)
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Paul Camen | ... |
Communications Center Technician
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Dottie Catching | ... |
Communications Center Technician
(as Dorothy Catching)
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Bill Couch | ... |
Communications Center Technician
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William Darr | ... |
Communications Center Technician
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| Joan Foley | ... |
Communications Center Technician
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| Paul L. Ehrmann | ... |
Communications Center Technician
(as Paul Laurence)
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| John Moio | ... |
Communications Center Technician
(as Johnny Moio)
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| Read Morgan | ... |
Communications Center Technician
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| Conrad E. Palmisano | ... |
Communications Center Technician
(as Conrad Palmisano)
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Tony Rocco | ... |
Communications Center Technician
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| Jesse Wayne | ... |
Communications Center Technician
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Carole Hemingway | ... |
Sherwood's Secretary
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| Clete Roberts | ... |
Network Newscaster
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| Stu Nahan | ... |
Football Announcer
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Osman Ragheb | ... |
Swiss TV Newscaster
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| Yung Henry Yu | ... |
Chinese Fisherman
(as Yu Wing)
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| Tsui-Ling Yu | ... |
Chinese Fisherman's Wife
(as Yau Tsui Ling)
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Ricker Slaven | ... |
Canteen Worker
(as Rick Slaven)
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| James Bacon | ... |
News Reporter
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Yani Begakis | ... |
News Reporter
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| Selma Archerd | ... |
Woman in Subway
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Domingo Ambriz | ... |
Boy with Radio
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| Peter Donat | ... |
Opening Sequence Narrator (voice)
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Buzz Barbee | ... |
U.N. Meeting Attendee (uncredited)
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Jack Berle | ... |
U.N. Meeting Attendee (uncredited)
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| Simon Cadell | ... |
BBC News Reporter (uncredited)
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Frank Cotolo | ... |
Bus Man (uncredited)
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| Paul DeCeglie | ... |
U.N. Meeting Attendee (uncredited)
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| Roy Edward Disney | ... |
Bradley's Yachting Colleague (uncredited)
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| Philip Ettington | ... |
Boy in Subway (uncredited)
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Eddie Garrett | ... |
Reporter (uncredited)
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George Golden | ... |
U.N. Meeting Attendee (uncredited)
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Robert Hitchcock | ... |
Official (uncredited)
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Paul King | ... |
U.N. Meeting Attendee (uncredited)
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| Wei-Tu Lin | ... |
Escaping Tenant (uncredited)
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Todd Mason | ... |
Man Wearing Sunglasses in Crowd (uncredited)
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| Monty O'Grady | ... |
Reporter (uncredited)
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Tony Regan | ... |
U.N. Meeting Attendee (uncredited)
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Frieda Rentie | ... |
U.N. Meeting Attendee (uncredited)
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| Hank Robinson | ... |
Official (uncredited)
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| John Spencer | ... |
Control Center Worker (uncredited)
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Bob Templeton | ... |
Official (uncredited)
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Arthur Tovey | ... |
U.N. Meeting Attendee (uncredited)
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George Tracy | ... |
Scientist (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Ronald Neame | ||
Written by
| Stanley Mann | ... | (screenplay) and |
| Edmund H. North | ... | (screenplay) |
| Edmund H. North | ... | (story) |
Produced by
| Samuel Z. Arkoff | ... | executive producer (uncredited) |
| Sandy Howard | ... | executive producer |
| Gabriel Katzka | ... | executive producer |
| Arnold H. Orgolini | ... | producer (as Arnold Orgolini) |
| Theodore R. Parvin | ... | producer (as Theodore Parvin) |
| Run Run Shaw | ... | producer (uncredited) |
Music by
| Laurence Rosenthal | ||
Cinematography by
| Paul Lohmann | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
| Carl Kress | ||
Editorial Department
| Dee D'Orazio | ... | additional film editor (as Etter Vincent D'Orazio) |
| Dody Dorn | ... | assistant film editor |
| Carrie Ellison | ... | assistant film editor |
| Janice Hampton | ... | associate film editor |
| Marsha Hoke | ... | assistant film editor |
| Jibralta Merrill | ... | assistant film editor |
| Dale Mishkin | ... | assistant film editor |
| Toni Morgan | ... | assistant film editor |
| Maureen O'Connell | ... | assistant film editor |
| Bruce Pearson | ... | color timer (uncredited) |
Production Design by
| Edward C. Carfagno | ... | (as Edward Carfagno) |
Art Direction by
| David A. Constable | ||
Set Decoration by
| Barbara Krieger | ||
Costume Design by
| Albert Wolsky | ||
Makeup Department
| Del Armstrong | ... | makeup artist |
| Sugar Blymyer | ... | hair stylist |
| Edwin Butterworth | ... | makeup artist (as Ed Butterworth) |
| Lynn Del Kail | ... | hair stylist |
| Hallie Smith-Simmons | ... | makeup artist |
Production Management
| Frank Baur | ... | production supervisor |
| Salvatore Billitteri | ... | post-production executive |
| Lam Chua | ... | production manager/Hong Kong (as Chua Lam) |
| Jere Henshaw | ... | executive in charge of production |
| Chris Holenia | ... | production manager/Europe |
| Norman A. Cook | ... | uncredited |
| Ephraim 'Red' Schaffer | ... | production manager: second unit (uncredited) |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| D. Scott Easton | ... | second assistant director (as Scott Easton) |
| Daniel McCauley | ... | first assistant director (as Daniel J. McCauley) |
| Albert M. Shapiro | ... | second assistant director (as Albert Shapiro) |
| Ephraim 'Red' Schaffer | ... | assistant director: second unit (uncredited) |
Art Department
| David Evans | ... | assistant property master |
| Jack M. Marino | ... | property master (as Jack Marino) |
| Gary Martin | ... | construction coordinator |
| Tom Southwell | ... | assistant property master |
| Mentor Huebner | ... | production illustrator (uncredited) |
| Kevin Shanks | ... | drapery man/floor covering (uncredited) |
| Robert Tanenbaum | ... | movie poster artist (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Craig Huxley | ... | electronic effects (as Craig Hundley) |
| Joe Kenworthy | ... | sound boom operator |
| Michael J. Kohut | ... | re-recording mixer |
| Tom McCarthy Jr. | ... | sound editor |
| William L. McCaughey | ... | re-recording mixer (as William McCaughey) |
| Charles E. Moran | ... | sound editor (as Charles Moran) |
| Aaron Rochin | ... | re-recording mixer |
| Jack Solomon | ... | sound mixer |
| Mark Winitsky | ... | sound editor |
| Ken Dufva | ... | foley artist (uncredited) |
| Robin Haskins | ... | re-recordist (uncredited) |
Special Effects by
| Glen Robinson | ... | special effects supervisor |
| Robert Staples | ... | special effects supervisor |
| Brian Bevis | ... | special effects crew (uncredited) |
| Allen Hurd | ... | special effects (uncredited) |
| Wayne Rose | ... | special effects crew (uncredited) |
Visual Effects by
| Margo Anderson | ... | visual effects supervisor |
| Byron Bauer | ... | visual effects unit |
| Allen Blaisdell | ... | visual unit camera operator |
| Dave Cornell | ... | visual effects unit |
| William Cruse | ... | visual effects |
| Alessandra De Clario | ... | visual effects unit |
| Sam DiMaggio | ... | visual unit camera operator (as Sam Di Maggio) |
| Jim Doyle | ... | visual effects unit |
| Marcia Dripchak | ... | visual effects unit |
| Mimi Gramatky | ... | visual effects unit |
| John Greenleigh | ... | visual effects unit |
| Ron Kolman | ... | visual effects unit |
| Dennis Michelson | ... | visual effects unit |
| Charles Naddour | ... | visual effects unit |
| Martin Jay Sadoff | ... | visual effects editor |
| Catherine Schlesinger | ... | visual effects unit |
| Clyde Tichenor | ... | visual unit physicist |
| Max W. Anderson | ... | visual effects (uncredited) |
| Robert Blalack | ... | visual effects (uncredited) |
| Paul Kassler | ... | model maker (uncredited) / sculptor (uncredited) |
| Pete Kleinow | ... | visual effects (uncredited) |
| Michael Minor | ... | visual effects (uncredited) |
| Gene Warren | ... | visual effects (uncredited) |
Stunts
| Robbie Banks | ... | stunts |
| Bruce Paul Barbour | ... | stunt person (as Bruce Barbour) |
| Leah Creed | ... | stunts |
| Roger Creed | ... | stunt coordinator |
| Ted Duncan | ... | stunts |
| Larry Duran | ... | stunts |
| Barbara Eaton | ... | stunts |
| Kenny Endoso | ... | stunts |
| Martha Garza | ... | stunts |
| Len Glascow | ... | stunts |
| Marilyn Jones | ... | stunts |
| Valerie Kelly | ... | stunts |
| Jack Lilley | ... | stunts |
| Nick Palmisano | ... | stunts |
| George Robotham | ... | stunts |
| Sonny Shields | ... | stunts |
| Al Wyatt Sr. | ... | stunt person (as Al Wyatt) |
| Bob Bralver | ... | stunts (uncredited) |
| Leslie Hoffman | ... | stunts (uncredited) |
| Jesse Wayne | ... | stunts (uncredited) |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Mike Ferra | ... | assistant cameraman |
| Ron Frantzvog | ... | assistant cameraman |
| James Globus | ... | still photographer |
| Gerald A. King | ... | key grip (as Gerald King) |
| Edmond L. Koons | ... | camera operator (as Edmond Koons) |
| J. Michael Marlett | ... | gaffer (as Mike Marlett) |
| Guy Polzel | ... | key grip |
| Thomas P. Powell | ... | mgm rigging gaffer: Los Angeles Unit |
| Thomas Thatcher | ... | best boy |
| Doug Byers | ... | electrician (uncredited) |
| Bruce Chimerofsky | ... | rigging grip (uncredited) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Darryl M. Athons | ... | costumer |
| Barry Kellogg | ... | costumer |
| Bucky Rous | ... | costumer |
| Peggy Thorin | ... | costumer |
Location Management
| John James | ... | location manager |
Music Department
| Derek Brechin | ... | music editor |
| Allison Caine | ... | vocal effects advisor |
| Jack Hayes | ... | orchestrator |
| Arthur Morton | ... | orchestrator |
| William Saracino | ... | music editor |
| Herbert W. Spencer | ... | orchestrator |
| Jim Atkinson | ... | musician: french horn (uncredited) |
| Arnold Belnick | ... | musician: violin (uncredited) |
| Larry Bunker | ... | musician: percussion (uncredited) |
| Norman Carr | ... | musician: violin (uncredited) |
| Herman Clebanoff | ... | musician: violin (uncredited) |
| Douglas Davis | ... | musician: cello (uncredited) |
| Vince De Rosa | ... | musician: french horn (uncredited) |
| Bonnie Jean Douglas | ... | musician: violin (uncredited) |
| David Duke | ... | musician: french horn (uncredited) |
| Earl Dumler | ... | musician: oboe (uncredited) |
| Arni Egilsson | ... | musician: bass (uncredited) |
| Dominick Fera | ... | musician: clarinet (uncredited) |
| Norman Herzburg | ... | musician: bassoon (uncredited) |
| Arthur Hoberman | ... | musician: flute (uncredited) |
| The Hollywood Studio Symphony | ... | music performed by (uncredited) |
| Craig Huxley | ... | musician: keyboards (uncredited) |
| Tommy Johnson | ... | musician: tuba (uncredited) |
| Willard Jones | ... | music copyist (uncredited) |
| Anatol Kaminsky | ... | musician: violin (uncredited) |
| Jim Kanter | ... | musician: clarinet (uncredited) |
| Armand Kaproff | ... | musician: cello (uncredited) |
| Roland Kato | ... | musician: viola (uncredited) |
| Milton Kestenbaum | ... | musician: bass (uncredited) |
| Myra Kestenbaum | ... | musician: viola (uncredited) |
| Ezra Kliger | ... | musician: violin (uncredited) |
| Janet Lakatos | ... | musician: viola (uncredited) |
| William Lane | ... | musician: french horn (uncredited) |
| Ron Leonard | ... | musician: cello (uncredited) |
| Harry V. Lojewski | ... | orchestra manager (uncredited) |
| Alfred Lustgarten | ... | musician: violin (uncredited) |
| Edgar Lustgarten | ... | musician: cello (uncredited) |
| Ray Mace | ... | music copyist (uncredited) |
| Arthur Maebe | ... | musician: french horn (uncredited) |
| Virginia Majewski | ... | musician: viola (uncredited) |
| Jack Marsh | ... | musician: bassoon (uncredited) |
| Lincoln Mayorga | ... | musician: keyboards (uncredited) |
| Malcolm McNab | ... | musician: trumpet (uncredited) |
| Peter Mercurio | ... | musician: bass (uncredited) |
| Richard Nash | ... | musician: trombone (uncredited) |
| John Neufeld | ... | musician: clarinet (uncredited) |
| Irma Neumann | ... | musician: violin (uncredited) |
| David Newman | ... | musician: violin (uncredited) |
| Richard Perissi | ... | musician: french horn (uncredited) |
| Uan Rasey | ... | musician: trumpet (uncredited) |
| Dorothy Remsen | ... | musician: harp (uncredited) |
| Emil Richards | ... | musician: percussion (uncredited) |
| Gale Robinson | ... | musician: french horn (uncredited) |
| Aaron Rochin | ... | music engineer (uncredited) / music mixer (uncredited) |
| Laurence Rosenthal | ... | conductor (uncredited) / orchestrator (uncredited) |
| Meyer Rubin | ... | musician: bass (uncredited) |
| Gordon Schoneberg | ... | musician: oboe (uncredited) |
| David Schwartz | ... | musician: viola (uncredited) |
| Jim Self | ... | musician: tuba (uncredited) |
| David Shostac | ... | musician: flute (uncredited) |
| Kenny Shroyer | ... | musician: trombone (uncredited) |
| Haim Shtrum | ... | musician: violin (uncredited) |
| Paul Shure | ... | musician: violin (uncredited) |
| Henry Sigismonti | ... | musician: french horn (uncredited) |
| Clark Spangler | ... | musician: keyboards (uncredited) |
| David Speltz | ... | musician: cello (uncredited) |
| Ann Stockton | ... | musician: harp (uncredited) |
| Sheridon Stokes | ... | musician: flute (uncredited) |
| Robert Sushel | ... | musician: violin (uncredited) |
| Milton Thomas | ... | musician: viola (uncredited) |
| Louise Di Tullio | ... | musician: flute (uncredited) |
| Lloyd Ulyate | ... | musician: trombone (uncredited) |
| Tommy Vig | ... | musician: percussion (uncredited) |
| Don Waldrop | ... | musician: tuba (uncredited) |
| Ken Watson | ... | musician: percussion (uncredited) |
| Chauncey Welsch | ... | musician: trombone (uncredited) |
| Graham Young | ... | musician: trumpet (uncredited) |
| Mary Louise Zeyen | ... | musician: cello (uncredited) |
Script and Continuity Department
| Ray Quiroz | ... | script supervisor |
Transportation Department
| Michael McDuffee | ... | transportation coordinator (as Mike McDuffee) |
| Tim Roslan | ... | transportation coordinator |
Additional Crew
| Samuel Z. Arkoff | ... | presenter |
| Frank Bonner | ... | cast coordinator |
| Renee F. Brown | ... | production accountant (as Renée F. Brown) |
| Carolyn Effler | ... | research assistant |
| Bill Ewing | ... | cast coordinator |
| Dona Friedberg | ... | production liason |
| Stephanie Garman | ... | assistant to the producers |
| Penny Gillman | ... | assistant to accountant |
| Connie Greenwood | ... | post-production accountant |
| Ken Hardie | ... | craft service |
| Ginger Mason | ... | director's assistant |
| Melinda McRae | ... | assistant to accountant (as Melinda Clark-Bell) |
| George Rubinstein | ... | advisor: Russian language |
| John Small | ... | technical advisor (as John Small {JPL}) |
| Doug Ward | ... | technical advisor (as Doug Ward {NASA}) |
| Robert Werden | ... | unit publicist (as Bob Werden) |
| Anna Zappia | ... | production coordinator |
| David Hakim | ... | publicity writer (uncredited) |
Production Companies
Distributors
- Ambassador Film Distributors (1979) (Canada) (theatrical)
- American International Pictures (AIP) (1979) (United States) (theatrical)
- Columbia-Warner Distributors (1979) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Columbia-Warner Filmes de Portugal (1980) (Portugal) (theatrical)
- Fox-Stockholm Film Distribution (1979) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Roadshow Films (1979) (Australia) (theatrical)
- Shaw Brothers (1979) (Hong Kong) (theatrical)
- Triangelfilm (1979) (Norway) (theatrical)
- Warner Bros. Pictures (1980) (Argentina) (theatrical) (through)
- Warner Bros. Pictures (1980) (India) (theatrical) (as Warner Bros. F. E. Inc.)
- Warner Bros. (1980) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
- Warner-Columbia Film (1979) (France) (theatrical)
- Warner-Columbia Films (1980) (Argentina) (theatrical) (through Warner Bros. Pictures Argentina)
- Warner-Columbia Filmverleih (1980) (West Germany) (theatrical)
- Audio Visual Enterprises (1986) (Greece) (VHS)
- GoodTimes Home Video (1993) (United States) (VHS)
- Kino Lorber (2014) (United States) (Blu-ray)
- Kino Lorber (2014) (United States) (DVD)
- MGM Home Entertainment (2000) (Canada) (DVD)
- MGM Home Entertainment (2000) (United States) (DVD)
- Plaion Pictures (2024) (Germany) (Blu-ray)
- Plaion Pictures (2024) (Germany) (DVD)
- Sonet Video (1982) (Sweden) (video)
- Video Releasing Organization (VRO) (Netherlands) (video) (Betamax)
- Warner Home Video (1987) (Australia) (VHS)
- Warner Home Video (1982) (West Germany) (VHS)
- Warner Home Video (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
- Warner Home Video (2006) (United Kingdom) (DVD)
- Warner Home Video (1984) (United States) (VHS)
- Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- California Institute of Technology (Caltech) (special thanks to: for their cooperation and assistance)
- Controlled Demolition (special thanks to: for their cooperation and assistance)
- Griffith Observatory (special thanks to: for their cooperation and assistance)
- International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) (this picture made under the jurisdiction of)
- Kress Editorial Services (post production)
- Lynn Stalmaster & Associates (casting)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (special thanks to: for their cooperation and assistance)
- Metro Goldwyn Mayer Scoring Stage (music recorded at)
- Motion Picture Association (MPA)
- NASA (special thanks to: for their cooperation and assistance)
- Polaris Observatory Association (special thanks to: for their cooperation and assistance)
- United States Coast Guard (special thanks to: for their cooperation and assistance)
- Weddle Brothers Co. (special thanks to: for their cooperation and assistance)
- Worldstage (projected video effects by)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
After a collision with a comet, a nearly five mile (eight kilometer) wide piece of the asteroid "Orpheus" is heading toward Earth. If it hits, it will cause an incredible catastrophe which will probably extinguish mankind. To stop the meteor, N.A.S.A. wants to use the illegal nuclear weapon satellite "Hercules", but soon discovers that it doesn't have enough firepower. Their only chance to save the world is to join forces with the U.S.S.R., which has also launched such an illegal satellite. But will both governments agree? |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | It's five miles wide... it's coming at 30,000 m.p.h.... and there's no place on earth to hide. See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
| Certification |
Additional Details
| Also Known As |
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Box Office
| Budget | $16,000,000 (estimated) |
| Opening Weekend United States | $2,250,000, 19 Oct 1979 |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | Principal photography was shut down for two days when Sir Sean Connery contracted a respiratory condition during the filming of the mud sequence. The mud also knocked Connery off his feet, buried Karl Malden twice, while Natalie Wood was almost sucked into one of the pumps. During the mud filming, the actors and actresses would stuff their ears with cotton-wool, and had to have their eyes washed out, at the completion of each take. See more » |
| Goofs | The meteoroid is headed for Earth at about 35,000 miles an hour, and it will hit Earth in a week. At 35,000 miles an hour, an object would take at least six months to travel from the asteroid belt to Earth orbit. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Edited from Avalanche (1978). See more » |
| Crazy Credits | Info panel and Voice Over about a real defence project Icarus, similar to the one in the film. See more » |
| Quotes |
Dr. Paul Bradley:
Why don't you stick a broom up my ass? I can sweep the carpet on the way out. See more » |