1981 in film

	… 1971; 1972; 1973; 1974; 1975; 1976; 1977; ; 1978; 1979; 1980; 1981; 1982; 1983; 1984; ; 1985; 1986; 1987; 1988; 1989; 1990; 1991 …;
	<templatestyles src="Nobold/styles.css"/>In home video 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 <templatestyles src="Nobold/styles.css"/>In television 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984
	Art; Archaeology; Architecture; Literature; Music; Philosophy; Science +...;

300px

[[Category:Script error: No such module "pagetype". with short description]]Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Expression error: Unexpected < operator.Script error: No such module "SDcat".

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.)

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". The top ten 1981 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Highest-grossing films of 1981^[1]
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

Script error: No such module "Sidebar".

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

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

Notable deaths

Month	Date	Name	Age	Country	Profession	Notable films
January	10	Richard Boone	63	USA	Actor	Script error: No such module "list".
	11	Beulah Bondi	91	USA	Actress	Script error: No such module "list".
	16	Bernard Lee	73	UK	Actor	Script error: No such module "list".
February	1	Wanda Hendrix	52	USA	Actress	Script error: No such module "list".
	4	Mario Camerini	85	Italy	Director, Screenwriter	Script error: No such module "list".
	21	Ron Grainer	58	Australia	Composer	Script error: No such module "list".
	22	Curtis Bernhardt	81	Germany	Director	Script error: No such module "list".
	28	Virginia Huston	55	USA	Actress	Script error: No such module "list".
March	4	Torin Thatcher	76	UK	Actor	Script error: No such module "list".
	5	Brenda de Banzie	71	UK	Actress	Script error: No such module "list".
	14	Eleanor Perry	66	USA	Screenwriter	Script error: No such module "list".
	15	René Clair	82	France	Director, Screenwriter	Script error: No such module "list".
April	7	Norman Taurog	82	USA	Director, Screenwriter	Script error: No such module "list".
	14	Sergio Amidei	76	Italy	Screenwriter	Script error: No such module "list".
	26	Herb Voland	62	USA	Actor	Script error: No such module "list".
	26	Jim Davis	71	USA	Actor	Script error: No such module "list".
May	9	Margaret Lindsay	70	USA	Actress	Script error: No such module "list".
	18	Arthur O'Connell	73	USA	Actor	Script error: No such module "list".
	18	Richard Hale	88	USA	Actor	Script error: No such module "list".
	22	Boris Sagal	57	Russia	Director	Script error: No such module "list".
	23	George Jessel	83	USA	Producer, Actor	Script error: No such module "list".
June	12	Evalyn Knapp	74	USA	Actress	Script error: No such module "list".
June	22	Lola Lane	75	USA	Actress	Script error: No such module "list".
July	1	George Voskovec	76	Czech Republic	Actor	Script error: No such module "list".
	3	Ross Martin	61	Poland	Actor	Script error: No such module "list".
	27	William Wyler	79	Germany	Director, Producer	Script error: No such module "list".
August	1	Paddy Chayefsky	58	USA	Screenwriter	Script error: No such module "list".
	4	Melvyn Douglas	80	USA	Actor	Script error: No such module "list".
	12	Shirley Grey	79	USA	Actress	Script error: No such module "list".
	18	Anita Loos	93	USA	Screenwriter	Script error: No such module "list".
	30	Vera-Ellen	60	USA	Actress	Script error: No such module "list".
September	1	Ann Harding	79	USA	Actress	Script error: No such module "list".
	11	Frank McHugh	83	USA	Actor	Script error: No such module "list".
	23	Chief Dan George	82	Canada	Actor	Script error: No such module "list".
	24	Patsy Kelly	71	USA	Actress	Script error: No such module "list".
	27	Robert Montgomery	77	USA	Actor	Script error: No such module "list".
October	5	Gloria Grahame	54	USA	Actress	Script error: No such module "list".
	24	Edith Head	83	USA	Costume Designer	Script error: No such module "list".
	26	Glenn Anders	92	USA	Actor	Script error: No such module "list".
November	12	William Holden	63	USA	Actor	Script error: No such module "list".
	16	Morgan Conway	78	USA	Actor	Script error: No such module "list".
	21	Ejner Federspiel	85	Denmark	Actor	Script error: No such module "list".
	21	Harry von Zell	75	USA	Actor	Script error: No such module "list".
	25	Jack Albertson	74	USA	Actor	Script error: No such module "list".
	27	Lotte Lenya	83	Austria	Actress	Script error: No such module "list".
	29	Natalie Wood	43	USA	Actress	Script error: No such module "list".
December	5	Charles Barton	79	USA	Director	Script error: No such module "list".
	17	Ada Kramm	82	Norway	Actress	Script error: No such module "list".
	27	Hoagy Carmichael	82	USA	Actor	Script error: No such module "list".
	28	Allan Dwan	96	Canada	Director	Script error: No such module "list".

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

References

↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

Template:1981 films Template:Portal bar

[1] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[1]