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

Events

 * January 19 – 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.
 * November 29 – Off Santa Catalina Island, 43-year-old actress Natalie Wood drowns during a boating accident.
 * Kathleen Turner makes her acting debut.
 * Tom Cruise makes his acting debut.
 * June 12 – Raiders of the Lost Ark is released. It set a major standard for many action-adventure films to date.

Awards
Academy Awards:


 * Best Picture: Chariots of Fire – Enigma, The Ladd Company/Warner Bros.
 * Best Director: Warren Beatty – Reds
 * Best Actor: Henry Fonda – On Golden Pond
 * Best Actress: Katharine Hepburn – On Golden Pond
 * Best Supporting Actor: John Gielgud – Arthur
 * Best Supporting Actress: Maureen Stapleton – Reds
 * Best Foreign Language Film: Mephisto, directed by Istvan Szabo, Hungary

Golden Globe Awards:


 * Drama:
 * Best Picture: On Golden Pond
 * Best Actor: Henry Fonda – On Golden Pond
 * Best Actress: Meryl Streep – The French Lieutenant's Woman


 * Musical or comedy:
 * Best Picture: Arthur
 * Best Actor: Dudley Moore – Arthur
 * Best Actress: Bernadette Peters – Pennies from Heaven


 * Other
 * Best Director: Warren Beatty – Reds
 * Best Foreign Film: Chariots of Fire, United Kingdom

Golden Raspberry Awards:


 * Worst Picture: Mommie Dearest
 * Worst Director: Michael Cimino – Heaven's Gate
 * Worst Actor: Klinton Spilsbury – The Legend of the Lone Ranger
 * Worst Actress: Bo Derek – Tarzan, the Ape Man; Faye Dunaway – Mommie Dearest
 * Worst Supporting Actor: Steve Forrest – Mommie Dearest
 * Worst Supporting Actress: Diana Scarwid – Mommie Dearest

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

Notable films released in 1981
==Romance films released in 1981]]
 * 1) Modern Romance

Births

 * January 6 – Jérémie Renier, Belgian actor
 * January 8 – Genevieve Cortese, American actress
 * January 21 – Izabella Miko, Polish actress and dancer
 * January 22 – Beverley Mitchell, American actress
 * January 28 – Elijah Wood, American actor
 * January 31 – Justin Timberlake, American singer and actor
 * February 9 – Tom Hiddleston, English actor
 * February 11 – Kelly Rowland, American singer and actress
 * February 12 - Lauri Lagle, Estonian actor, director and screenwriter
 * February 17 – Joseph Gordon-Levitt, American actor
 * February 19 – Beth Ditto, American singer-songwriter
 * February 23 – Josh Gad, American actor and comedian
 * March 2 – Bryce Dallas Howard, American actress
 * March 6 – Ellen Muth, American actress
 * March 11 – David Anders, American actor
 * March 28 – Julia Stiles, American actress
 * April 10
 * Laura Bell Bundy, American actress
 * Michael Pitt, American actor
 * April 13 – Courtney Peldon, American actress
 * April 19
 * Hayden Christensen, Canadian actor
 * Catalina Sandino Moreno, Colombian actress
 * April 28 – Jessica Alba, American actress
 * May 5
 * Danielle Fishel, American actress
 * Farid Kamil, Malaysian actor and film director
 * May 11 – Austin O'Brien, American actor
 * May 12 – Rami Malek, American actor
 * May 15 – Jamie-Lynn Sigler, American actress
 * May 28 – Laura Bailey, American voice actress
 * June 1 – Amy Schumer, American actress and comedian
 * June 7 – Larisa Oleynik, American actress
 * June 9 – Natalie Portman, Israeli-American actress
 * June 10 – Jonathan Bennett, American actor
 * June 13 – Chris Evans, American actor
 * June 14 – Chauncey Leopardi, American actor
 * June 20 – Alisan Porter, former American actress
 * July 24 – Summer Glau, American actress
 * July 30 – Lisa Wilhoit, American actress
 * August 1 – Taylor Fry, former American child actress
 * August 3 – Travis Willingham, American voice actor
 * August 4
 * Marques Houston, American singer and actor
 * Meghan Markle, American actress and model
 * Abigail Spencer, American actress
 * August 8 – Meagan Good, American actress
 * August 20 – Ben Barnes, English actor
 * August 24 – Chad Michael Murray, American actor
 * August 25 – Rachel Bilson, American actress
 * August 27 – Patrick J. Adams, Canadian actor
 * September 4 – Beyoncé Knowles, American singer and actress
 * September 8 – Jonathan Taylor Thomas, American actor
 * September 12 – Jennifer Hudson, American singer and actress
 * September 16 – Alexis Bledel, 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, former Canadian child actress (d. 2007)
 * October 1 – Rupert Friend, English actor
 * October 3 – Seth Gabel, American actor
 * October 9 – Zachery Ty Bryan, American actor
 * October 12 – Tom Guiry, American actor
 * October 22 – Michael Fishman, American actor
 * November 9 – Scottie Thompson, American actress
 * November 16 – Caitlin Glass, American voice actress
 * November 18 – Nasim Pedrad, Iranian-American actress and comedian
 * November 20 – Andrea Riseborough, English actress
 * December 2 – Britney Spears, American singer and actress
 * December 3 – Liza Lapira, American actress
 * December 13 – Amy Lee, American singer-songwriter (Evanescence)
 * December 16 – Krysten Ritter, American actress
 * December 18 – Josh Dallas, American actor
 * December 27 – Emilie de Ravin, Australian actress
 * December 28 – Sienna Miller, English actress

Film debuts

 * Ben Affleck – The Dark End of the Street
 * Jason Alexander – The Burning
 * Kim Basinger – Hard Country
 * Bart the Bear – Windwalker
 * James Belushi – Thief
 * Gabriel Byrne – Excalibur
 * James Cameron – Piranha II: The Spawning
 * Kevin Costner – Malibu Hot Summer
 * Tom Cruise – Endless Love
 * Jeff Daniels – Ragtime
 * Rebecca De Mornay - One from the Heart
 * Dennis Farina – Thief
 * Jami Gertz – Endless Love
 * Bob Gunton – Rollover
 * Glenne Headly – Four Friends
 * Holly Hunter – The Burning
 * Ciarán Hinds – Excalibur
 * Peter MacNicol – Dragonslayer
 * Alfred Molina – Raiders of the Lost Ark
 * Chris Noth - Waitress!
 * Demi Moore – Choices
 * Sean Penn – Taps
 * Martha Plimpton – Rollover
 * Amanda Plummer – Cattle Annie and Little Britches
 * Geoffrey Rush – Hoodwink
 * Meg Ryan – Rich and Famous
 * Madeleine Stowe – Gangster Wars
 * Henry Thomas – Raggedy Man
 * Kathleen Turner – Body Heat