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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
External links
- 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
