| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
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.
Contents
Highest-grossing films (U.S.)
See also: List of 1981 box office number-one films in the United States
The top ten 1981 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:
| Rank | Title | Distributor | Domestic 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 | Orion Pictures / Warner Bros. | $95,461,682 |
| 5. | Stripes | Columbia | $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 Pictures | $42,365,581 |
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
| Years in film |
|---|
| 80px |
| 1870s |
| <templatestyles src="Module:Navbar/styles.css"></templatestyles> |
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
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
Notable deaths
| Month | Date | Name | Age | Country | Profession | Notable films |
| January | 10 | Richard Boone | 63 | USA | Actor |
|
| 11 | Beulah Bondi | 91 | USA | Actress |
| |
| 16 | Bernard Lee | 73 | UK | Actor | ||
| February | 1 | Wanda Hendrix | 52 | USA | Actress |
|
| 4 | Mario Camerini | 85 | Italy | Director, Screenwriter |
| |
| 21 | Ron Grainer | 58 | Australia | Composer |
| |
| 22 | Curtis Bernhardt | 81 | Germany | Director |
| |
| 28 | Virginia Huston | 55 | USA | Actress |
| |
| March | 4 | Torin Thatcher | 76 | UK | Actor |
|
| 5 | Brenda de Banzie | 71 | UK | Actress |
| |
| 14 | Eleanor Perry | 66 | USA | Screenwriter |
| |
| 15 | René Clair | 82 | France | Director, Screenwriter |
| |
| April | 7 | Norman Taurog | 82 | USA | Director, Screenwriter |
|
| 14 | Sergio Amidei | 76 | Italy | Screenwriter |
| |
| 26 | Herb Voland | 62 | USA | Actor |
| |
| 26 | Jim Davis | 71 | USA | Actor |
| |
| May | 9 | Margaret Lindsay | 70 | USA | Actress |
|
| 18 | Arthur O'Connell | 73 | USA | Actor |
| |
| 18 | Richard Hale | 88 | USA | Actor |
| |
| 22 | Boris Sagal | 57 | Russia | Director |
| |
| 23 | George Jessel | 83 | USA | Producer, Actor |
| |
| June | 12 | Evalyn Knapp | 74 | USA | Actress |
|
| 22 | Lola Lane | 75 | USA | Actress |
| |
| July | 1 | George Voskovec | 76 | Czech Republic | Actor |
|
| 3 | Ross Martin | 61 | Poland | Actor |
| |
| 27 | William Wyler | 79 | Germany | Director, Producer | ||
| August | 1 | Paddy Chayefsky | 58 | USA | Screenwriter |
|
| 4 | Melvyn Douglas | 80 | USA | Actor |
| |
| 12 | Shirley Grey | 79 | USA | Actress |
| |
| 18 | Anita Loos | 93 | USA | Screenwriter |
| |
| 30 | Vera-Ellen | 60 | USA | Actress | ||
| September | 1 | Ann Harding | 79 | USA | Actress |
|
| 11 | Frank McHugh | 83 | USA | Actor |
| |
| 23 | Chief Dan George | 82 | Canada | Actor |
| |
| 24 | Patsy Kelly | 71 | USA | Actress |
| |
| 27 | Robert Montgomery | 77 | USA | Actor |
| |
| October | 5 | Gloria Grahame | 54 | USA | Actress |
|
| 24 | Edith Head | 83 | USA | Costume Designer |
| |
| 26 | Glenn Anders | 92 | USA | Actor |
| |
| November | 12 | William Holden | 63 | USA | Actor |
|
| 16 | Morgan Conway | 78 | USA | Actor |
| |
| 21 | Ejner Federspiel | 85 | Denmark | Actor |
| |
| 21 | Harry von Zell | 75 | USA | Actor |
| |
| 25 | Jack Albertson | 74 | USA | Actor |
| |
| 27 | Lotte Lenya | 83 | Austria | Actress |
| |
| 29 | Natalie Wood | 43 | USA | Actress |
| |
| December | 5 | Charles Barton | 79 | USA | Director |
|
| 17 | Ada Kramm | 82 | Norway | Actress |
| |
| 27 | Hoagy Carmichael | 82 | USA | Actor |
| |
| 28 | Allan Dwan | 96 | Canada | Director |
|
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
See also
- List of American films of 1981
- British films of 1981
- French films of 1981
- List of German films: 1980s
- Bollywood films of 1981
- Italian films of 1981
- Japanese films of 1981
- Swedish films of the 1980s
References
- ↑ "1981 Domestic Grosses". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
Template:1981 films Template:Portal bar
