The following is an overview of events in1981 in film,including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies and festivals, a list of films released and notable deaths.
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Highest-grossing films (U.S.)
editThe top ten films released in 1981 by box office gross in North America are as follows:
| 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 | $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 | $42,365,581 |
Events
edit- January 20 – FormerGovernor of Californiaandfilm actorRonald Reaganisinaugurated president.
- March 30 – The53rd Academy Awardsare postponed due to theattempted assassination of President Ronald Reaganearlier that day. They are held the following day with a message from thePresidentrecorded for the ceremony prior to the assassination attempt.
- May 16 –Metro-Goldwyn-Mayeracquires beleaguered concurrentUnited Artists.UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movieHeaven's Gate,a major factor in the decision of ownerTransamericato sell it.
- June 8 –Marvin Davisacquires20th Century Foxfor $720 million.
- June 12 –Raiders of the Lost Arkis released byParamount 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 Londonis released and becomes a landmark in Visual Effects and Makeup.
- October 1 – MGM president and chief operating officerDavid Begelmanbecomes chairman and chief executive officer of United Artists.
- November 1 –United International Picturesis created to handle international distribution of films forUnited Artists,MGM,Universal PicturesandParamount Picturesto replaceCinema International Corporationfollowing MGM's acquisition of UA.
- November 25 –Norman Learand his partnerJerry Perenchioagree to buyAvco Embassyfor $25 million.
- November 29 – ActressNatalie Wooddrowns in a boating accident offSanta Catalina Island.
Awards
editPalme d'Or(Cannes Film Festival):
- Man of Iron(Człowiek z żelaza), directed byAndrzej Wajda,Poland
Golden Lion(Venice Film Festival):
- Marianne and Juliane(Die Bleierne Zeit), directed byMargarethe von Trotta,W. Germany
Golden Bear(Berlin Film Festival):
- Faster, Faster(Deprisa, deprisa/Vivre vite), directed byCarlos Saura,Spain / France
1981 films
editBy country/region
edit- List of American films of 1981
- List of Argentine films of 1981
- List of Australian films of 1981
- List of Bangladeshi films of 1981
- List of British films of 1981
- List of Canadian films of 1981
- List of French films of 1981
- List of Hong Kong films of 1981
- List of Indian films of 1981
- List of Japanese films of 1981
- List of Mexican films of 1981
- List of Pakistani films of 1981
- List of South Korean films of 1981
- List of Soviet films of 1981
- List of Spanish films of 1981
By genre/medium
editBirths
edit- 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
- Austin Highsmith Garces,American actress
- 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
- Elle LaMont,American 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
edit| Month | Date | Name | Age | Country | Profession | Notable films |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10 | Katharine Alexander | 82 | US | Actress | |
| 10 | Richard Boone | 63 | US | Actor | ||
| 11 | Beulah Bondi | 91 | US | Actress | ||
| 12 | Isobel Elsom | 87 | UK | Actress | ||
| 16 | Bernard Lee | 73 | UK | Actor | ||
| 21 | Allyn Joslyn | 79 | US | Actor | ||
| February | 1 | Wanda Hendrix | 52 | US | Actress | |
| 2 | Louise Lorraine | 76 | US | Actress | ||
| 4 | Mario Camerini | 85 | Italy | Director, Screenwriter | ||
| 11 | Ketti Frings | 71 | US | Screenwriter | ||
| 12 | Jean Dixon | 84 | US | Actress | ||
| 21 | Bernard B. Brown | 82 | US | Sound Engineer, Composer | ||
| 21 | Ron Grainer | 58 | Australia | Composer | ||
| 22 | Curtis Bernhardt | 81 | Germany | Director | ||
| 28 | Virginia Huston | 55 | US | Actress | ||
| 28 | Robert L. Wolfe | 52 | US | Film Editor | ||
| March | 4 | Torin Thatcher | 76 | UK | Actor | |
| 5 | Brenda de Banzie | 71 | UK | Actress | ||
| 6 | E.Y. Harburg | 84 | US | Lyricist | ||
| 14 | Eleanor Perry | 66 | US | Screenwriter | ||
| 15 | René Clair | 82 | France | Director, Screenwriter | ||
| 17 | Dorothy Dwan | 74 | US | Actress | ||
| 27 | Oliver A. Unger | 66 | US | Producer | ||
| 31 | Hank Henry | 74 | US | Actor | ||
| April | 7 | Norman Taurog | 82 | US | Director | |
| 14 | Sergio Amidei | 76 | Italy | Screenwriter | ||
| 26 | Madge Evans | 71 | US | Actress | ||
| 26 | Jim Davis | 71 | US | Actor | ||
| 26 | Herb Voland | 62 | US | Actor | ||
| May | 1 | Marlin Skiles | 74 | US | Composer, Musical Director | |
| 9 | Margaret Lindsay | 70 | US | Actress | ||
| 17 | Hugo Friedhofer | 80 | US | Composer | ||
| 18 | Richard Hale | 88 | US | Actor | ||
| 18 | Arthur O'Connell | 73 | US | Actor | ||
| 22 | Boris Sagal | 57 | Ukraine | Director | ||
| 23 | George Jessel | 83 | US | Actor, Producer | ||
| 28 | Henry Blanke | 79 | US | Producer | ||
| June | 5 | Miguel Torres | 81 | Mexico | Director | |
| 9 | Russell Hayden | 68 | US | Actor | ||
| 10 | Jenny Maxwell | 39 | US | Actress | ||
| 12 | Eleanor Hunt | 71 | US | Actress | ||
| 12 | Evalyn Knapp | 74 | US | Actress | ||
| 17 | Lou Forbes | 78 | US | Composer | ||
| 19 | Alfred Santell | 85 | US | Director | ||
| 22 | Lola Lane | 75 | US | Actress | ||
| 23 | Zarah Leander | 74 | Sweden | Actress | ||
| July | 1 | George Voskovec | 76 | Czech Republic | Actor | |
| 2 | Edward Killy | 78 | US | Director | ||
| 3 | Ross Martin | 61 | Poland | Actor | ||
| 7 | Keefe Brasselle | 58 | US | Actor | ||
| 20 | Dale Hennesy | 54 | US | Production Designer, Art Director | ||
| 25 | Gerardo de Leon | 67 | Philippines | Director, Actor | ||
| 27 | William Wyler | 79 | Germany | Director, Producer | ||
| August | 1 | Paddy Chayefsky | 58 | US | Screenwriter | |
| 4 | Melvyn Douglas | 80 | US | Actor | ||
| 12 | Shirley Grey | 79 | US | Actress | ||
| 16 | Robert Krasker | 68 | Australia | Cinematographer | ||
| 18 | Anita Loos | 93 | US | Screenwriter | ||
| 19 | Jessie Matthews | 74 | UK | Actress, Singer | ||
| 21 | Eddie Byrne | 70 | Ireland | Actor | ||
| 30 | Vera-Ellen | 60 | US | Actress, Dancer | ||
| September | 1 | Ann Harding | 79 | US | Actress | |
| 6 | Maria Palmer | 64 | Austria | Actress | ||
| 11 | Frank McHugh | 83 | US | Actor | ||
| 15 | Sara Haden | 81 | US | Actress | ||
| 22 | Harry Warren | 87 | US | Composer | ||
| 23 | Chief Dan George | 82 | Canada | Actor | ||
| 24 | Patsy Kelly | 71 | US | Actress | ||
| 27 | Robert Montgomery | 77 | US | Actor, Director | ||
| October | 4 | Dorothy Dare | 70 | US | Actress | |
| 5 | Gloria Grahame | 54 | US | Actress | ||
| 15 | Frank de Kova | 71 | US | Actor | ||
| 19 | Nils Asther | 84 | Denmark | Actor | ||
| 24 | Edith Head | 83 | US | Costume Designer | ||
| 26 | Glenn Anders | 92 | US | Actor | ||
| November | 2 | Ghislain Cloquet | 57 | France | Cinematographer | |
| 3 | Jean Eustache | 42 | France | Director | ||
| 12 | William Holden | 63 | US | Actor | ||
| 16 | Morgan Conway | 78 | US | Actor | ||
| 21 | Ejner Federspiel | 85 | Denmark | Actor | ||
| 21 | Harry von Zell | 75 | US | Actor | ||
| 25 | Jack Albertson | 74 | US | Actor | ||
| 27 | Lotte Lenya | 83 | Austria | Actress | ||
| 29 | Natalie Wood | 43 | US | Actress | ||
| 30 | Robert H. Harris | 70 | US | Actor | ||
| December | 5 | Charles Barton | 79 | US | Director | |
| 15 | Karl Struss | 95 | US | Cinematographer | ||
| 17 | Ada Kramm | 82 | Norway | Actress | ||
| 27 | Hoagy Carmichael | 82 | US | Actor, Composer | ||
| 28 | Allan Dwan | 96 | Canada | Director |
Film debuts
edit- 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
editReferences
edit- ^"1981 Domestic Grosses".Box Office Mojo.Retrieved7 April2014.
- ^Japan Voice Producer Directory 2004.Vol. 1.Shogakukan.April 2004. p. 219.ISBN978-4095263014.
