1981 in film

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:

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

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

By genre/medium

Births

January 1 - 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, American rapper and actor
January 17 – Diogo Morgado, Portuguese actor
January 18 - Antje Traue, German 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 8 – Jim Parrack, American actor
February 9 – Tom Hiddleston, English actor
February 10
- Uzo Aduba, American actress
- Stephanie Beatriz, Argentine actress
February 11 – 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
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^[2]
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 – Eugene, South Korean actress and singer
March 5 - Hanna Alström, Swedish actress
March 6 – Ellen Muth, American actress
March 11
- David Anders, American actor
- Matthias Schweighöfer, German actor and filmmaker
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 – Ryōko Shintani, Japanese voice actress
April 1 - Hannah Spearritt, English actress and singer
April 8 - Taylor Kitsch, Canadian actor and model
April 10
- Laura Bell Bundy, American actress
- Michael Pitt, American actor
April 13 – Courtney Peldon, American actress
April 17 - Charlie Hofheimer, American actor
April 19
- Hayden Christensen, Canadian actor
- Catalina Sandino Moreno, Colombian actress
April 23 – Gemma Whelan, English 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 5
- Danielle Fishel, American actress
- Farid Kamil, Malaysian actor and film director
May 10 – Qurrat Ann Kadwani, American actress
May 11
- JP Karliak, American actor, voice actor and comedian
- Austin O'Brien, American actor
May 12 – Rami Malek, American actor
May 13 - Ryan Piers Williams, American actor, director and writer
May 15 – Jamie-Lynn Sigler, American actress
May 18 - Allen Leech, Irish actor
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 actress and comedian
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 24
- Mohammed Amer, Palestinian-American stand-up comedian and actor
- Summer Glau, American actress
- Lauren Miller Rogen, American actress, comedian, screenwriter and director
July 28 - Neil Casey, American actor, writer and comedian
July 30
- Brandon Scott, American actor
- 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
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
September 1
- Michael Adamthwaite, Canadian actor
- Boyd Holbrook, American actor
September 3 - Evgeniya Brik, Russian actress (d. 2022)
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
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 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 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 30
- Fiona Dourif, American actress and producer
- 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 and comedian
November 15 - Sammy Sheik, Egyptian-American actor
November 16 – Caitlin Glass, American voice actress
November 17 - Bojana Novakovic, Serbian-Australian actress
November 18 – Nasim Pedrad, Iranian-American actress and comedian
November 20 – Andrea Riseborough, English actress
November 23 - John Lavelle, American actor and playwright
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
- Brendan Fletcher, Canadian actor, screenwriter and producer
- Victoria Summer, English actress, model and singer
December 16 – Krysten Ritter, American actress
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 - Leila Farzad, British actress

Deaths

Film debuts

Ben Affleck – The Dark End of the Street
Jason Alexander – The Burning
Christina Applegate – Jaws of Satan
Javier Bardem – El poderoso influjo de la luna
Kim Basinger – Hard Country
Xander Berkeley – Mommie Dearest
Kenneth Branagh – Chariots of Fire
Rodger Bumpass – Heavy Metal
Robert John Burke – The Chosen
Gabriel Byrne – Excalibur
James Cameron (director) – Piranha II: The Spawning
Bruce Campbell – The Evil Dead
Jeffrey Combs – Honky Tonk Freeway
Kevin Costner – Malibu Hot Summer
Tom Cruise – Endless Love
Charles Dance – For Your Eyes Only
Jeff Daniels – Ragtime
Robert Davi – Gangster Wars
Dana Delany – The Fan
Loretta Devine – Will
Dennis Farina – Thief
Nicholas Farrell – Chariots of Fire
Phil Fondacaro - Under the Rainbow
Colin Friels – Hoodwink
Stephen Fry – Chariots of Fire
Lee Garlington – King of the Mountain
Gina Gershon – Beatlemania: The Movie
Jami Gertz – Endless Love
Bob Gunton – Rollover
James Handy – Taps
Anthony Head – Lady Chatterley's Lover
Glenne Headly – Four Friends
Ciarán Hinds – Excalibur
Holly Hunter – The Burning
John Kapelos – Thief
Dan Lauria – C.O.D.
Peter MacNicol – Dragonslayer
John Mahoney – Hudson Taylor
Rik Mayall – Eye of the Needle
Maria de Medeiros – Silvestre
Steve Miner (director) – Friday the 13th Part 2
Alfred Molina – Raiders of the Lost Ark
Demi Moore – Choices
Chris Noth – Waitress!
Bill Nunn – Sharky's Machine
Michael O'Neill – Ghost Story
Sean Penn – Taps
Ron Perlman – Quest for Fire
Ethan Phillips – Ragtime
Robert Picardo – The Howling
Martha Plimpton – Rollover
Amanda Plummer – Cattle Annie and Little Britches
Jon Polito – Gangster Wars
Geoffrey Rush – Hoodwink
Meg Ryan – Rich and Famous
Dwight Schultz – The Fan
Glenn Shadix – The Postman Always Rings Twice
Vinessa Shaw – Home Sweet Home
Mindy Sterling – The Devil and Max Devlin
Fisher Stevens – The Burning
Madeleine Stowe – Gangster Wars
Barbara Sukowa – Lola
Henry Thomas – Raggedy Man
Frank C. Turner – Silence of the North
Kathleen Turner – Body Heat
Reginald VelJohnson – Wolfen
Diane Venora – Wolfen
Rachel Ward – Night School
Denzel Washington – Carbon Copy
Vernon Wells – Mad Max 2
Celia Weston – Honky Tonk Freeway
Amanda Wyss – Force: Five

Notes

References

^ "1981 Domestic Grosses". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
^ Japan Voice Producer Directory 2004. Vol. 1. Shogakukan. April 2004. p. 219. ISBN 978-4095263014.

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