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The following is an overview of events in 1981 in film, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies and festivals, a list of films released and notable deaths.

Highest-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten films released in 1981 by box office gross in North America are as follows:

<!-- Note: We only link the studios ONCE-->

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:auto; margin:auto;"

|+ Highest-grossing films of 1981

|-

! Rank!! Title !! Distributor !! Box-office gross

|-

! style="text-align:center;"| 1

| Raiders of the Lost Ark

| Paramount

| $212,222,025

|-

! style="text-align:center;"| 2

| On Golden Pond

| Universal

| $119,285,432

|-

! style="text-align:center;"| 3

| Superman II

|rowspan="2"|Warner Bros.

| $108,185,706

|-

! style="text-align:center;"| 4

| Arthur

| $95,461,682

|-

! style="text-align:center;"| 5

| Stripes

| Columbia

| $85,297,000

|-

! style="text-align:center;"| 6

| The Cannonball Run

| 20th Century Fox

| $72,179,579

|-

! style="text-align:center;"| 7

| Chariots of Fire

| Warner Bros. / 20th Century Fox

| $58,972,904

|-

! style="text-align:center;"| 8

| For Your Eyes Only

| United Artists

| $54,812,802

|-

! style="text-align:center;"| 9

| The Four Seasons

| Universal

| $50,427,646

|-

! style="text-align:center;"| 10

| Time Bandits

| Embassy

| $42,365,581

|}

Events

  • January 20 – Former Governor of California and film actor Ronald Reagan is inaugurated president.
  • March 30 – The 53rd Academy Awards are postponed due to the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan earlier that day. They are held the following day with a message from the President recorded for the ceremony prior to the assassination attempt.
  • May 16 – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movie Heaven's Gate, a major factor in the decision of owner Transamerica to sell it.
  • June 8 – Marvin Davis acquires 20th Century Fox for $720 million.
  • June 12 – Raiders of the Lost Ark is released by Paramount Pictures. It became Paramount's highest-grossing film of all time and set a major standard for many action-adventure movies to date and spawned four sequels.
  • August 21 – An American Werewolf in London is released and becomes a landmark in Visual Effects and Makeup.
  • October 1 – MGM president and chief operating officer David Begelman becomes chairman and chief executive officer of United Artists.
  • November 1 – United International Pictures is created to handle international distribution of films for United Artists, MGM, Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures to replace Cinema International Corporation following MGM's acquisition of UA.
  • November 25 – Norman Lear and his partner Jerry Perenchio agree to buy Avco Embassy for $25 million.
  • November 29 – Actress Natalie Wood drowns in a boating accident off Santa Catalina Island.

Awards

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;"

|-

! rowspan="2" style="width:20px;"| Category/Organization !! colspan="2" style="width:250px;"| 39th Golden Globe Awards<br>January 30, 1982 !! rowspan="2" style="width:250px;"| 35th BAFTA Awards<br>March 18, 1982 !! rowspan="2" style="width:250px;"| 54th Academy Awards<br>March 29, 1982

|-

! width=200| Drama !! style="width:200px;"| Musical or Comedy

|-

| Best Film || On Golden Pond || Arthur || colspan="2" | Chariots of Fire

|-

| Best Director || colspan="2" | Warren Beatty<br>Reds || Louis Malle<br>Atlantic City || Warren Beatty<br>Reds

|-

| Best Actor || Henry Fonda<br>On Golden Pond || Dudley Moore<br>Arthur || Burt Lancaster<br>Atlantic City || Henry Fonda<br>On Golden Pond

|-

| Best Actress || Meryl Streep<br>The French Lieutenant's Woman || Bernadette Peters<br>Pennies from Heaven || Meryl Streep<br>The French Lieutenant's Woman || Katharine Hepburn<br>On Golden Pond

|-

| Best Supporting Actor || colspan="2" | John Gielgud<br>Arthur || Ian Holm<br>Chariots of Fire || John Gielgud<br>Arthur

|-

| Best Supporting Actress || colspan="2" | Joan Hackett<br>Only When I Laugh || N/A || Maureen Stapleton<br>Reds

|-

| Best Screenplay, Adapted || colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Ernest Thompson<br>On Golden Pond || rowspan="2" | Bill Forsyth<br>Gregory's Girl || Ernest Thompson<br>On Golden Pond

|-

| Best Screenplay, Original || Colin Welland<br>Chariots of Fire

|-

| Best Original Score || colspan="2" | N/A || Carl Davis<br>The French Lieutenant's Woman || Vangelis<br>Chariots of Fire

|-

| Best Original Song || colspan="2" | "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)"<br>Arthur || N/A || "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)"<br>Arthur

|-

| Best Foreign Language Film || colspan="2" | Chariots of Fire || N/A || Mephisto

|}

Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):

:Man of Iron (Człowiek z żelaza), directed by Andrzej Wajda, Poland

Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival):

:Marianne and Juliane (Die Bleierne Zeit), directed by Margarethe von Trotta, W. Germany

Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):

:Faster, Faster (Deprisa, deprisa / Vivre vite), directed by Carlos Saura, Spain / France

1981 films

By country/region

  • List of American films of 1981
  • List of Argentine films of 1981
  • List of Australian films of 1981
  • List of Bangladeshi films of 1981
  • List of British films of 1981
  • List of Canadian films of 1981
  • List of French films of 1981
  • List of Hong Kong films of 1981
  • List of Indian films of 1981
  • List of Hindi films of 1981
  • List of Kannada films of 1981
  • List of Malayalam films of 1981
  • List of Marathi films of 1981
  • List of Tamil films of 1981
  • List of Telugu films of 1981
  • List of Japanese films of 1981
  • List of Mexican films of 1981
  • List of Pakistani films of 1981
  • List of South Korean films of 1981
  • List of Soviet films of 1981
  • List of Spanish films of 1981

By genre/medium

  • List of action films of 1981
  • List of animated feature films of 1981
  • List of avant-garde films of 1981
  • List of comedy films of 1981
  • List of drama films of 1981
  • List of horror films of 1981
  • List of science fiction films of 1981
  • List of thriller films of 1981
  • List of western films of 1981

Births

  • January 1
  • Jonas Armstrong, Irish-English actor
  • Eden Riegel, American actress
  • January 6
  • Betty Gabriel, American actress
  • Rinko Kikuchi, Japanese actress and director
  • Jérémie Renier, Belgian actor
  • January 8 – Genevieve Cortese, American actress
  • January 15 - Pitbull, Cuban-American rapper and actor
  • January 17
  • Scott Mechlowicz, American actor
  • Diogo Morgado, Portuguese actor
  • January 18 - Antje Traue, German actress
  • January 19 - Elizabeth Tulloch, American actress
  • January 20
  • Daniel Cudmore, Canadian actor
  • Crystal Lowe, Canadian actress and director
  • January 21
  • Amanda Aday, American actress
  • Izabella Miko, Polish actress and dancer
  • David F. Sandberg, Swedish filmmaker
  • January 22
  • O. T. Fagbenle, British actor, writer and director
  • Willa Ford, American singer, songwriter, model, television personality and actress
  • Beverley Mitchell, American actress
  • January 23 - Julia Jones, American actress
  • January 24 – Carrie Coon, American actress
  • January 25 - Charlie Bewley, English actor and producer
  • January 28
  • Gen Hoshino, Japanese actor and singer
  • Elijah Wood, American actor
  • January 29 - Tenoch Huerta, Mexican actor
  • January 30 – Chieko Higuchi, Japanese voice actress
  • January 31 – Justin Timberlake, American singer and actor
  • February 2 - Emily Rose, American actress
  • February 5
  • Lee Eon, South Korean actor and model (d. 2008)
  • Sara Foster, American actress
  • Nora Zehetner, American actress
  • February 7 - James Snyder, American actor and singer
  • February 8
  • Dawn Olivieri, American actress
  • Jim Parrack, American actor
  • February 9 – Tom Hiddleston, English actor
  • February 10
  • Uzo Aduba, American actress
  • Stephanie Beatriz, Argentine actress
  • February 11
  • Sonia Rolland, French-Rwandan actress
  • Kelly Rowland, American singer and actress
  • February 12
  • Jesse Hutch, Canadian actor
  • Lauri Lagle, Estonian actor, director and screenwriter
  • February 14 - Patrick Heusinger, American actor
  • February 17 –
  • Joseph Gordon-Levitt, American actor
  • Paris Hilton, American media personality, singer and actress
  • February 19
  • Beth Ditto, American singer-songwriter
  • Ethan Rains, Iranian-American actor
  • February 20 - Majandra Delfino, American actress and singer
  • February 22 – Elodie Yung, French actress
  • February 23
  • Josh Gad, American actor and comedian
  • Mai Nakahara, Japanese voice actress
  • February 25 - Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Mexican actor
  • February 26 - Demetrius Grosse, American actor and producer
  • February 27 - Josh Groban, American singer-songwriter and actor
  • March 2
  • Amos Crawley, Canadian actor
  • Bryce Dallas Howard, American actress
  • March 3
  • Austin Highsmith Garces, American actress
  • Eugene, South Korean actress and singer
  • March 5 - Hanna Alström, Swedish actress
  • March 6 – Ellen Muth, American actress
  • March 7 – Mona Fastvold, Norwegian filmmaker and actress
  • March 11
  • David Anders, American actor
  • Matthias Schweighöfer, German actor and filmmaker
  • March 12 - Lisa Durupt, Canadian actress
  • March 13 - Kiruna Stamell, Australian-British actress
  • March 17 - Nicky Jam, American singer and actor
  • March 18 - Chris Geere, English actor
  • March 20 - Jake Hoffman, American actor and writer
  • March 21 - Rini Bell, American actress
  • March 22 - Tiffany Dupont, American actress
  • March 23 - Luciana Carro, Canadian actress
  • March 24 - Philip Winchester, American actor
  • March 27 - Quim Gutiérrez, Spanish actor
  • March 28 – Julia Stiles, American actress
  • March 29
  • Alexander Fehling, German actor
  • Alain Moussi, Canadian-Gabonese actor and stuntman
  • March 30 - Katy Mixon, American actress
  • March 31
  • Ryan Bingham, American singer-songwriter and actor
  • Ryōko Shintani, Japanese voice actress
  • April 1 - Hannah Spearritt, English actress and singer
  • April 6
  • Eliza Coupe, American actress and comedian
  • Niko Nicotera, German-born American actor
  • April 8 - Taylor Kitsch, Canadian actor and model
  • April 9 - Moran Atias, Israeli actress
  • April 10
  • Laura Bell Bundy, American actress
  • Harry Hadden-Paton, British actor
  • Michael Pitt, American actor
  • April 12 - Paul Rust, American actor and comedian
  • April 13 – Courtney Peldon, American actress
  • April 16 - Russell Harvard, American actor
  • April 17 - Charlie Hofheimer, American actor
  • April 19
  • Hayden Christensen, Canadian actor
  • Catalina Sandino Moreno, Colombian actress
  • April 23 – Gemma Whelan, English actress
  • April 24 - Sasha Barrese, American actress
  • April 26
  • Mariana Ximenes, Brazilian actress
  • Luke Ford, Canadian-Australian actor
  • Amit Shah, English actor
  • April 28
  • Jessica Alba, American actress
  • Toby Leonard Moore, Australian actor
  • Catherine Reitman, Canadian-American actress, producer and writer
  • April 29 - Alex Vincent, American actor and writer
  • April 30
  • Kunal Nayyar, British actor
  • Emma Pierson, English actress
  • Rose Rollins, American actress
  • May 2 – Rina Satō, Japanese voice actress
  • May 3 – Natalie Tong, Hong Kong actress and model
  • May 4 - Angel Oquendo, American actor
  • May 5
  • Danielle Fishel, American actress
  • Farid Kamil, Malaysian actor and film director
  • May 8 - Kaan Urgancıoğlu, Turkish actor
  • May 10 – Qurrat Ann Kadwani, American actress
  • May 11
  • JP Karliak, American actor, voice actor and comedian
  • Austin O'Brien, American actor
  • Terry Pheto, South African actress
  • May 12 – Rami Malek, American actor
  • May 13 - Ryan Piers Williams, American actor, director and writer
  • May 15 – Jamie-Lynn Sigler, American actress
  • May 16 - Joseph Morgan, English actor
  • May 18 - Allen Leech, Irish actor
  • May 21 - Belladonna, American actress, director and producer
  • May 28 – Laura Bailey, American voice actress
  • May 29
  • Justin Chon, American actor, director and YouTube personality
  • Anders Holm, American actor, comedian, writer and producer
  • June 1
  • Johnny Pemberton, American actor, comedian and podcaster
  • Amy Schumer, American comedian and actress
  • June 4 – T.J. Miller, American actor, stand-up comedian, producer and writer
  • June 7 – Larisa Oleynik, American actress
  • June 9 – Natalie Portman, Israeli-American actress
  • June 10 – Jonathan Bennett, American actor
  • June 12
  • Jeremy Howard, American actor
  • Malachi Pearson, American actor
  • June 13 – Chris Evans, American actor
  • June 14 – Chauncey Leopardi, American actor
  • June 20 – Alisan Porter, American former actress
  • June 23 - Joe Taslim, Indonesian actor and martial artist
  • June 26 - Jimmy Ray Bennett, American actor
  • June 28 - Jon Watts, American filmmaker
  • June 30
  • Tom Burke, English actor
  • Anna Slotky, American former actress
  • July 1 - Amanda Lucas, American retired professional mixed martial artist and actress
  • July 3 - Rebecca Honig, American voice actress
  • July 4 - Tahar Rahim, French actor
  • July 5 - Ryan Hansen, American actor and comedian
  • July 13
  • Fran Kranz, American actor and director
  • Michael Mando, Canadian actor
  • July 17 - Michiel Huisman, Dutch actor
  • July 21
  • Davide Perino, Italian actor and voice actor
  • Romeo Santos, American singer-songwriter and actor
  • July 22 - Josh Lawson, Australian actor and filmmaker
  • July 23 - Raphaël Personnaz, French actor
  • July 24
  • Mohammed Amer, Palestinian-American stand-up comedian and actor
  • Summer Glau, American actress
  • Sheaun McKinney, American actor
  • Lauren Miller Rogen, American actress, comedian, screenwriter and director
  • July 26 - Sarah Burns, American actress and comedian
  • July 28 - Neil Casey, American actor, writer and comedian
  • July 30 – Lisa Wilhoit, American actress
  • July 31 - Eric Lively, American former actor
  • August 1 – Taylor Fry, American former child actress
  • August 3 – Travis Willingham, American voice actor
  • August 4
  • Marques Houston, American singer and actor
  • Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, American former actress and model
  • Valerie LaPointe, American storyboard artist and director
  • Abigail Spencer, American actress
  • August 5 - Jesse Williams, American actor, director and producer
  • August 6 – Leslie Odom Jr., American actor
  • August 8
  • Tongayi Chirisa, Zimbabwean actor and singer
  • Meagan Good, American actress
  • August 10 - Jon Prescott, American actor
  • August 20
  • Ben Barnes, English actor
  • Ali Liebert, Canadian actress, director and producer
  • Michael Rady, American actor
  • August 22
  • Ross Marquand, American impressionist, actor and producer
  • Takumi Saito, Japanese actor
  • August 24 – Chad Michael Murray, American actor
  • August 25 – Rachel Bilson, American actress
  • August 27
  • Patrick J. Adams, Canadian actor
  • Sugar Lyn Beard, Canadian actress and radio personality
  • August 29 - Émilie Dequenne, Belgian actress (d. 2025)
  • August 31 - Joshua Close, Canadian actor
  • September 1
  • Michael Adamthwaite, Canadian actor
  • Boyd Holbrook, American actor
  • September 3
  • Evgeniya Brik, Russian actress (d. 2022)
  • David Shae, American actor
  • September 4 – Beyoncé Knowles, American singer and actress
  • September 8 – Jonathan Taylor Thomas, American actor
  • September 9 - Julie Gonzalo, Argentine-American actress
  • September 12
  • Jennifer Hudson, American singer and actress
  • Elle LaMont, American actress
  • September 14 - Miyavi, Japanese guitarist, singer-songwriter and actor
  • September 15 - Ben Schwartz, American actor, voice actor, comedian, improviser, writer, director and producer
  • September 16
  • Fan Bingbing, Chinese actress, model, producer and singer
  • Alexis Bledel, American actress
  • September 17 - Griff Furst, American actor, producer and director
  • September 18 - Jennifer Tisdale, American actress and singer
  • September 22 - Ashley Eckstein, American actress
  • September 23 – Misti Traya, American actress
  • September 24
  • Yuki Matsuzaki, Japanese actor
  • Fernanda Urrejola, Chilean actress
  • September 26 – Christina Milian, American singer and actress
  • September 29 – Shay Astar, American singer and actress
  • September 30 – Ashleigh Aston Moore, American-Canadian former child actress (d. 2007)
  • October 1 – Rupert Friend, English actor
  • October 3
  • Seth Gabel, American actor
  • Giselle Itié, Mexican-born Brazilian actress
  • October 9 – Zachery Ty Bryan, American actor
  • October 12
  • Tom Guiry, American actor
  • Brian J. Smith, American actor
  • October 15 - Brandon Jay McLaren, Canadian actor
  • October 17 - Liam Garrigan, English actor
  • October 18 – Graham Moore, American screenwriter
  • October 22 – Michael Fishman, American actor
  • October 23 - Jackie Long, American actor, writer, musician, director and producer
  • October 25 - Josh Henderson, American actor and singer
  • October 30
  • Fiona Dourif, American actress and producer
  • Steve Peacocke, Australian actor
  • Shaun Sipos, Canadian actor
  • November 1 - Matt Jones, American actor, voice artist, comedian, rapper and singer
  • November 2 - Katharine Isabelle, Canadian actress
  • November 6 – Lee Dong-wook, South Korean actor
  • November 7 - Lotta Losten, Swedish actress
  • November 9 – Scottie Thompson, American actress
  • November 10 – Perla Liberatori, Italian voice actress
  • November 14 - Vanessa Bayer, American actress
  • November 15 - Sammy Sheik, Egyptian-American actor
  • November 16
  • Caitlin Glass, American voice actress
  • Kate Miller-Heidke, Australian singer-songwriter and actress
  • November 17 - Bojana Novakovic, Serbian-Australian actress
  • November 18
  • Nasim Pedrad, Iranian-American comedian and actress
  • Christina Vidal, American actress and singer
  • November 20 – Andrea Riseborough, English actress
  • November 23 - John Lavelle, American actor and playwright
  • November 30 - Jake Szymanski, American actor, writer, director and producer
  • December 2 – Britney Spears, American singer and actress
  • December 3
  • Maddy Curley, American actress
  • Liza Lapira, American actress
  • December 5
  • Adan Canto, Mexican actor (d. 2024)
  • Lydia Leonard, British actress
  • December 8 - Dov Tiefenbach, Canadian actor and musician
  • December 13 – Amy Lee, American singer-songwriter (Evanescence)
  • December 15
  • Michelle Dockery, English actress
  • Brendan Fletcher, Canadian actor, screenwriter and producer
  • Victoria Summer, English actress, model and singer
  • December 16 – Krysten Ritter, American actress
  • December 22 - Nicolas Vaporidis, Italian actor
  • December 27
  • Emilie de Ravin, Australian actress
  • Jay Ellis, American actor
  • December 28 – Sienna Miller, English actress
  • December 29 - Charlotte Riley, English actress
  • December 30
  • Gina Beck, British actress and singer
  • Leila Farzad, British actress

Deaths

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%;"

|- style="background:#dae3e7; text-align:center;"

! Month !! Date !! Name !! Age !! Country !! Profession !! Notable films

|-

| rowspan=6 style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;"| January

| style="text-align:center;"| 10 || Katharine Alexander || style="text-align:center;| 82 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;| Actress ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 10 || Richard Boone || style="text-align:center;"| 63 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 11 || Beulah Bondi || style="text-align:center;"| 91 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 12 || Isobel Elsom || style="text-align:center;"| 87 || style="text-align:center;"| UK || style="text-align:center;"| Actress ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 16 || Bernard Lee || style="text-align:center;"| 73 || style="text-align:center;"| UK || style="text-align:center;"| Actor ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 21 || Allyn Joslyn || style="text-align:center;"| 79 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor ||

|-

| rowspan=10 style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;"| February

| style="text-align:center;"| 1 || Wanda Hendrix || style="text-align:center;"| 52 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 2 || Louise Lorraine || style="text-align:center;"| 76 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 4 || Mario Camerini || style="text-align:center;"| 85 || style="text-align:center;"| Italy || style="text-align:center;"| Director, Screenwriter ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 11 || Ketti Frings || style="text-align:center;"| 71 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Screenwriter ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 12 || Jean Dixon || style="text-align:center;"| 84 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 21 || Bernard B. Brown || style="text-align:center;"| 82 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Sound Engineer, Composer ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 21 || Ron Grainer || style="text-align:center;"| 58 || style="text-align:center;"| Australia || style="text-align:center;"| Composer ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 22 || Curtis Bernhardt || style="text-align:center;"| 81 || style="text-align:center;"| Germany || style="text-align:center;"| Director ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 28 || Virginia Huston || style="text-align:center;"| 55 || style="text-align:center;" | US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 28 || Robert L. Wolfe || style="text-align:center;"| 52 || style="text-align:center;" | US || style="text-align:center;"| Film Editor ||

|-

| rowspan=8 style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;"| March

| style="text-align:center;"| 4 || Torin Thatcher || style="text-align:center;"| 76 || style="text-align:center;"| UK || style="text-align:center;"| Actor ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 5 || Brenda de Banzie || style="text-align:center;"| 71 || style="text-align:center;"| UK || style="text-align:center;"| Actress ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 6 || E.Y. Harburg || style="text-align:center;"| 84 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Lyricist ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 14 || Eleanor Perry || style="text-align:center;"| 66 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Screenwriter ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 15 || René Clair || style="text-align:center;"| 82 || style="text-align:center;"| France || style="text-align:center;"| Director, Screenwriter ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 17 || Dorothy Dwan || style="text-align:center;"| 74 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 27 || Oliver A. Unger || style="text-align:center;"| 66 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Producer ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 31 || Hank Henry || style="text-align:center;"| 74 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor ||

|-

| rowspan=5 style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;"| April

| style="text-align:center;"| 7 || Norman Taurog || style="text-align:center;"| 82 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Director ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 14 || Sergio Amidei || style="text-align:center;"| 76 || style="text-align:center;"| Italy || style="text-align:center;"| Screenwriter ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 26 || Madge Evans || style="text-align:center;"| 71 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 26 || Jim Davis || style="text-align:center;"| 71 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 26 || Herb Voland || style="text-align:center;"| 62 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor ||

|-

| rowspan=8 style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;"| May

| style="text-align:center;"| 1 || Marlin Skiles || style="text-align:center;"| 74 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Composer, Musical Director ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 9 || Margaret Lindsay || style="text-align:center;"| 70 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 17 || Hugo Friedhofer || style="text-align:center;"| 80 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Composer ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 18 || Richard Hale || style="text-align:center;"| 88 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 18 || Arthur O'Connell || style="text-align:center;"| 73 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 22 || Boris Sagal || style="text-align:center;"| 57 || style="text-align:center;"| Ukraine || style="text-align:center;"| Director ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 23 || George Jessel || style="text-align:center;"| 83 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor, Producer ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 28 || Henry Blanke || style="text-align:center;"| 79 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Producer ||

|-

| rowspan=9 style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;"| June

| style="text-align:center;"| 5 || Miguel Torres || style="text-align:center;"| 81 || style="text-align:center;"| Mexico || style="text-align:center;"| Director ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 9 || Russell Hayden || style="text-align:center;"| 68 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 10 || Jenny Maxwell || style="text-align:center;"| 39 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 12 || Eleanor Hunt || style="text-align:center;"| 71 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 12 || Evalyn Knapp || style="text-align:center;| 74 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 17 || Lou Forbes || style="text-align:center;"| 78 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Composer ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 19 || Alfred Santell || style="text-align:center;"| 85 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Director ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 22 || Lola Lane || style="text-align:center;"| 75 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 23 || Zarah Leander || style="text-align:center;"| 74 || style="text-align:center;"| Sweden || style="text-align:center;"| Actress ||

|-

| rowspan=7 style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;"| July

| style="text-align:center;"| 1 || George Voskovec || style="text-align:center;"| 76 || style="text-align:center;"| Czech Republic || style="text-align:center;"| Actor ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 2 || Edward Killy || style="text-align:center;"| 78 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Director ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 3 || Ross Martin || style="text-align:center;"| 61 || style="text-align:center;"| Poland || style="text-align:center;"| Actor ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 7 || Keefe Brasselle || style="text-align:center;"| 58 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 20 || Dale Hennesy || style="text-align:center;"| 54 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Production Designer, Art Director ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 25 || Gerardo de Leon || style="text-align:center;"| 67 || style="text-align:center;"| Philippines || style="text-align:center;"| Director, Actor ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 27 || William Wyler || style="text-align:center;"| 79 || style="text-align:center;"| Germany || style="text-align:center;"| Director, Producer ||

|-

| rowspan=8 style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;"| August

| style="text-align:center;"| 1 || Paddy Chayefsky || style="text-align:center;"| 58 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Screenwriter ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 4 || Melvyn Douglas || style="text-align:center;"| 80 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 12 || Shirley Grey || style="text-align:center;"| 79 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 16 || Robert Krasker || style="text-align:center;"| 68 || style="text-align:center;"| Australia || style="text-align:center;"| Cinematographer ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 18 || Anita Loos || style="text-align:center;"| 93 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Screenwriter ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 19 || Jessie Matthews || style="text-align:center;"| 74 || style="text-align:center;"| UK || style="text-align:center;"| Actress, Singer ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 21 || Eddie Byrne || style="text-align:center;"| 70 || style="text-align:center;"| Ireland || style="text-align:center;"| Actor ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 30 || Vera-Ellen || style="text-align:center;"| 60 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress, Dancer ||

|-

| rowspan=8 style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;"| September

| style="text-align:center;"| 1 || Ann Harding || style="text-align:center;"| 79 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 6 || Maria Palmer || style="text-align:center;"| 64 || style="text-align:center;"| Austria || style="text-align:center;"| Actress ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 11 || Frank McHugh || style="text-align:center;"| 83 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 15 || Sara Haden || style="text-align:center;"| 81 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 22 || Harry Warren || style="text-align:center;"| 87 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Composer ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 23 || Chief Dan George || style="text-align:center;"| 82 || style="text-align:center;"| Canada || style="text-align:center;"| Actor ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 24 || Patsy Kelly || style="text-align:center;"| 71 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 27 || Robert Montgomery || style="text-align:center;"| 77 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor, Director ||

|-

| rowspan=6 style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;"| October

| style="text-align:center;"| 4 || Dorothy Dare || style="text-align:center;"| 70 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 5 || Gloria Grahame || style="text-align:center;"| 54 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 15 || Frank de Kova || style="text-align:center;"| 71 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 19 || Nils Asther || style="text-align:center;"| 84 || style="text-align:center;"| Denmark || style="text-align:center;"| Actor ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 24 || Edith Head || style="text-align:center;"| 83 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Costume Designer ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 26 || Glenn Anders || style="text-align:center;"| 92 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor ||

|-

| rowspan=10 style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;"| November

| style="text-align:center;"| 2 || Ghislain Cloquet || style="text-align:center;"| 57 || style="text-align:center;"| France || style="text-align:center;"| Cinematographer ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 3 || Jean Eustache || style="text-align:center;"| 42 || style="text-align:center;"| France || style="text-align:center;"| Director ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 12 || William Holden || style="text-align:center;"| 63 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 16 || Morgan Conway || style="text-align:center;"| 78 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 21 || Ejner Federspiel || style="text-align:center;"| 85 || style="text-align:center;"| Denmark || style="text-align:center;"| Actor ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 21 || Harry von Zell || style="text-align:center;"| 75 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 25 || Jack Albertson || style="text-align:center;"| 74 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 27 || Lotte Lenya || style="text-align:center;"| 83 || style="text-align:center;"| Austria || style="text-align:center;"| Actress ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 29 || Natalie Wood || style="text-align:center;"| 43 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 30 || Robert H. Harris || style="text-align:center;"| 70 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor ||

|-

| rowspan=5 style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;"| December

| style="text-align:center;"| 5 || Charles Barton || style="text-align:center;"| 79 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Director ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 15 || Karl Struss || style="text-align:center;"| 95 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Cinematographer ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 17 || Ada Kramm || style="text-align:center;"| 82 || style="text-align:center;"| Norway || style="text-align:center;"| Actress ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 27 || Hoagy Carmichael || style="text-align:center;"| 82 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor, Composer ||

|-

| style="text-align:center;"| 28 || Allan Dwan || style="text-align:center;"| 96 || style="text-align:center;"| Canada || style="text-align:center;"| Director ||

|}

Film debuts

Notes

References

  • List of 1981 films at IMDb
  • 1981 Domestic Grosses at Box Office Mojo
  • List of 1981 deaths at IMDb
  • List of 1981 births at IMDb