1981 in film explained

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.)

See also: List of 1981 box office number-one films in the United States. The top ten films released in 1981 by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Highest-grossing films of 1981^[1]
Rank	Title	Distributor	Box-office gross
1	Raiders of the Lost Ark	Paramount	$212,222,025
2	On Golden Pond	Universal	$119,285,432
3	Superman II	Warner Bros.	$108,185,706
4	Arthur	Warner Bros.	$95,461,682
5	Stripes		$85,297,000
6	The Cannonball Run	20th Century Fox	$72,179,579
7	Chariots of Fire	Warner Bros.	$58,972,904
8	For Your Eyes Only	United Artists	$54,812,802
9	The Four Seasons	Universal	$50,427,646
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

Category/Organization	39th Golden Globe Awards January 30, 1982		35th BAFTA Awards March 18, 1982	54th Academy Awards March 29, 1982
Category/Organization	width=200	Drama !	35th BAFTA Awards March 18, 1982	54th Academy Awards March 29, 1982	Musical or Comedy
Best Film	On Golden Pond	Arthur	Chariots of Fire
Best Director	Warren Beatty Reds		Louis Malle Atlantic City	Warren Beatty Reds
Best Actor	Henry Fonda On Golden Pond	Dudley Moore Arthur	Burt Lancaster Atlantic City	Henry Fonda On Golden Pond
Best Actress	Meryl Streep The French Lieutenant's Woman	Bernadette Peters Pennies from Heaven	Meryl Streep The French Lieutenant's Woman	Katharine Hepburn On Golden Pond
Best Supporting Actor	John Gielgud Arthur		Ian Holm Chariots of Fire	John Gielgud Arthur
Best Supporting Actress	Joan Hackett Only When I Laugh		N/A	Maureen Stapleton Reds
Best Screenplay, Adapted	Ernest Thompson On Golden Pond		Bill Forsyth Gregory's Girl	Ernest Thompson On Golden Pond
Best Screenplay, Original	Ernest Thompson On Golden Pond		Bill Forsyth Gregory's Girl	Colin Welland Chariots of Fire
Best Original Score	N/A		Carl Davis The French Lieutenant's Woman	Vangelis Chariots of Fire
Best Original Song	"Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" Arthur		N/A	"Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" Arthur
Best Foreign Language Film	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

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 - 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 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

Month	Date	Name	Age	Country	Profession
January	10		82	US	Actress
10		63	US	Actor
11		91	US	Actress
12		87	UK	Actress
16		73	UK	Actor
21		79	US	Actor
February	1		52	US	Actress
2		76	US	Actress
4		85	Italy	Director, Screenwriter
11		71	US	Screenwriter
12		84	US	Actress
21		82	US	Sound Engineer, Composer
21		58	Australia	Composer
22		81	Germany	Director
28		55	US	Actress
28		52	US	Film Editor
March	4		76	UK	Actor
5		71	UK	Actress
6		84	US	Lyricist
14		66	US	Screenwriter
15		82	France	Director, Screenwriter
17		74	US	Actress
27		66	US	Producer
31		74	US	Actor
April	7		82	US	Director
14		76	Italy	Screenwriter
26		71	US	Actress
26		71	US	Actor
26		62	US	Actor
May	1		74	US	Composer, Musical Director
9		70	US	Actress
17		80	US	Composer
18		88	US	Actor
18		73	US	Actor
22		57	Ukraine	Director
23		83	US	Actor, Producer
28		79	US	Producer
June	5		81	Mexico	Director
9		68	US	Actor
10		39	US	Actress
12		71	US	Actress
12		74	US	Actress
17		78	US	Composer
19		85	US	Director
22		75	US	Actress
23		74	Sweden	Actress
July	1		76	Czech Republic	Actor
2		78	US	Director
3		61	Poland	Actor
7		58	US	Actor
20		54	US	Production Designer, Art Director
25		67	Philippines	Director, Actor
27		79	Germany	Director, Producer
August	1		58	US	Screenwriter
4		80	US	Actor
12		79	US	Actress
16		68	Australia	Cinematographer
18		93	US	Screenwriter
19		74	UK	Actress, Singer
21		70	Ireland	Actor
30		60	US	Actress, Dancer
September	1		79	US	Actress
6		64	Austria	Actress
11		83	US	Actor
15		81	US	Actress
22		87	US	Composer
23		82	Canada	Actor
24		71	US	Actress
27		77	US	Actor, Director
October	4		70	US	Actress
5		54	US	Actress
15		71	US	Actor
19		84	Denmark	Actor
24		83	US	Costume Designer
26		92	US	Actor
November	2		57	France	Cinematographer
3		42	France	Director
12		63	US	Actor
16		78	US	Actor
21		85	Denmark	Actor
21		75	US	Actor
25		74	US	Actor
27		83	Austria	Actress
29		43	US	Actress
30		70	US	Actor
December	5		79	US	Director
15		95	US	Cinematographer
17		82	Norway	Actress
27		82	US	Actor, Composer
28		96	Canada	Director

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

Notes and References

Web site: 1981 Domestic Grosses. Box Office Mojo. 7 April 2014.
Book: April 2004. Japan Voice Producer Directory 2004. 1. 219. Shogakukan. 978-4095263014.