1981 in film

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

Highest-grossing films of 1981

Rank	Title	Distributor	Production company	Domestic gross
1.	Raiders of the Lost Ark	Paramount Pictures / Cinema International Corporation	Lucasfilm Ltd.	$212,222,025
2.	On Golden Pond	Universal Studios / ITC Film Distributors Ltd.	ITC Entertainment Group	$119,285,432
3.	Superman II	Warner Bros. Pictures / Columbia-Warner Distributors	Dovemead Ltd. / Film Export A.G. / International Film Production / DC Entertainment	$108,185,706
4.	Arthur	Warner Bros. Pictures / Columbia-Warner Distributors	Orion Pictures	$95,461,682
5.	Stripes	Columbia Pictures / Columbia-Warner Distributors	Ivan Reitman-Daniel Goldberg Productions	$85,297,000
6.	The Cannonball Run	20th Century-Fox Film Corporation	Golden Harvest / Eurasia Investments	$72,179,579
7.	Chariots of Fire	Warner Bros. Pictures / 20th Century-Fox Film Corporation	The Ladd Company	$58,972,904
8.	For Your Eyes Only	United Artists Pictures	Eon Productions / Danjaq	$54,812,802
9.	The Four Seasons	Universal Studios / Cinema International Corporation / Greater Union Organisation	Martin Bregman Productions	$50,427,646
10.	Time Bandits	Avco Embassy Pictures	HandMade Films / Janus Films	$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

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

U.S.A. unless stated

A

• Absence of Malice, directed by Sydney Pollack, starring Paul Newman, Sally Field, Bob Balaban, Melinda Dillon
• All Night Long, starring Barbra Streisand, Gene Hackman, Diane Ladd, Dennis Quaid
• ...All the Marbles, starring Peter Falk, Vicki Frederick and Laurene Landon
• American Pop, an animated rotoscope musical by Ralph Bakshi and starring Ron Thompson
• An American Werewolf in London, directed by John Landis, starring David Naughton, Griffin Dunne, Jenny Agutter - (U.S.A./U.K.)
• Amy, starring Jenny Agutter and Barry Newman
• Arthur, starring Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, John Gielgud, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Stephen Elliott, Jill Eikenberry
• The Aviator's Wife (La femme de l'aviateur), directed by Éric Rohmer - (France)

B

• Back Roads, directed by Martin Ritt, starring Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones
• Beau Pere, directed by Bertrand Blier - (France)
• Berlin Tunnel 21, starring Richard Thomas and Horst Buchholz
• Die Berührte, directed by Helma Sanders-Brahms - (West Germany)
• Betrayal (Løperjenten) - (Norway)
• Bianco, rosso e Verdone - (Italy)
• Blind Chance (Przypadek) - (Poland)
• The Blood of Hussain - (Pakistan)
• Blood Wedding (Bodas de sangre), directed by Carlos Saura - (Spain)
• Blow Out, directed by Brian De Palma, starring John Travolta, Nancy Allen, Dennis Franz, John Lithgow
• The Boat Is Full (Das Boot ist voll) - (Switzerland)
• Body Heat, directed by Lawrence Kasdan, starring William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Ted Danson, Richard Crenna, J.A. Preston, Mickey Rourke
• Body and Soul, starring Jayne Kennedy, Leon Isaac Kennedy, Michael V. Gazzo
• Das Boot (American release in 1982), directed by Wolfgang Petersen, starring Jürgen Prochnow - (West Germany)
• Buriki no kunsho - (Japan)
• Buddy Buddy, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau
• The Burning, starring Brian Matthews - (U.S.A./Canada)
• Bustin' Loose, starring Richard Pryor and Cicely Tyson

C

• The Cannonball Run, directed by Hal Needham, starring Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett
• Carbon Copy, starring George Segal and Denzel Washington
• Cattle Annie and Little Britches, starring Burt Lancaster, Rod Steiger, John Savage, Diane Lane, Amanda Plummer
• Caveman, directed by Carl Gottlieb, starring Ringo Starr, Dennis Quaid, Shelley Long
• Chariots of Fire, directed by Hugh Hudson, starring Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nigel Havers - (U.K.)
• Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen, starring Peter Ustinov, Lee Grant, Angie Dickinson
• Charlotte - (Netherlands)
• The Chosen, starring Robby Benson, Barry Miller, Maximilian Schell, Rod Steiger
• Christiane F. - Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo, directed by Uli Edel, starring Natja Brunckhorst - (West Germany)
• Chu Chu and the Philly Flash, directed by David Lowell Rich, starring Carol Burnett and Alan Arkin
• Circle of Deceit (Die Fälschung), directed by Volker Schlöndorff, starring Bruno Ganz, Hanna Schygulla and Jerzy Skolimowski - (West Germany)
• Clash of the Titans, starring Harry Hamlin, Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith - (U.S.A./U.K.)
• Condorman, starring Michael Crawford, Oliver Reed, Barbara Carrera - (U.K.)
• Le confort et l'indifférence (Comfort and Indifference) - (Canada)
• Continental Divide, starring John Belushi, Blair Brown, Allen Garfield
• Coup de torchon, directed by Bertrand Tavernier, starring Philippe Noiret and Isabelle Huppert - (France)
• Cutter's Way, starring Jeff Bridges, Lisa Eichhorn, John Heard

D

• Dance Craze, concert documentary featuring Madness, The Beat, The Specials and others - (U.K.)
• Dead & Buried, starring James Farantino
• Deadly Blessing. starring Sharon Stone and Ernest Borgnine
• Death Hunt, starring Charles Bronson, Lee Marvin, Andrew Stevens, Carl Weathers, Angie Dickinson
• The Decline of Western Civilization, a documentary film
• Deprisa, Deprisa (Hurry, Hurry!), directed by Carlos Saura - (Spain) - Golden Bear winner
• The Devil and Max Devlin, starring Elliott Gould and Bill Cosby
• Diva, directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix - (France)
• Do You Remember Dolly Bell? (Sjecas li se Doli Bel?) - (Yugoslavia)
• Dragonslayer, starring Peter MacNicol
• Dreszcze (Shivers) - (Poland)

E

• Eijanaika (Why Not?), directed by Shōhei Imamura - (Japan)
• Ek Duuje Ke Liye (Made for Each Other) - (India)
• Endless Love, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, starring Brooke Shields and Martin Hewitt
• The Entity, starring Barbara Hershey, Ron Silver, Margaret Blye
• Escape from New York, directed by John Carpenter, starring Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Isaac Hayes, Adrienne Barbeau
• Escape to Victory (aka Victory), directed by John Huston, starring Michael Caine, Sylvester Stallone, Max von Sydow, Pelé
• The Evil Dead, directed by Sam Raimi, starring Bruce Campbell
• Excalibur, directed by John Boorman, starring Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicol Williamson, Nicholas Clay, Liam Neeson - (U.K.)
• An Eye for an Eye, starring Chuck Norris
• Eye of the Needle, starring Donald Sutherland and Kate Nelligan - (U.K.)
• Eyewitness, directed by Peter Yates, starring William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Christopher Plummer, James Woods

F

• The Fan, starring Lauren Bacall, James Garner, Maureen Stapleton, Michael Biehn
• Fever (Gorączka), directed by Agnieszka Holland - (Poland)
• First Monday in October, starring Walter Matthau and Jill Clayburgh
• For Your Eyes Only, starring Roger Moore (as James Bond), with Carole Bouquet, Lynn-Holly Johnson - (U.K.)
• Fort Apache the Bronx, directed by Daniel Petrie, starring Paul Newman, Ed Asner, Ken Wahl
• Four Friends, directed by Arthur Penn, starring Craig Wasson and Jodi Thelen
• The Four Seasons, directed by and starring Alan Alda, with Carol Burnett, Rita Moreno, Sandy Dennis, Len Cariou, Jack Weston
• The Fox and the Hound, with the voices of Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell, Pearl Bailey
• The French Lieutenant's Woman, directed by Karel Reisz, starring Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons - (U.K.)
• Friday the 13th Part 2, starring Amy Steel
• Full Moon High, starring Adam Arkin
• The Funhouse, directed by Tobe Hooper

G

• Gallipoli, directed by Peter Weir, starring Mel Gibson - (Australia)
• Gangster Wars, starring Michael Nouri, Joe Penny, Brian Benben, Madeline Stowe
• Garde a vue, starring Romy Schneider and Michel Serrault - (France)
• Gas, starring Susan Anspach, Sterling Hayden, Helen Shaver - (Canada)
• The German Sisters (Die bleierne Zeit), directed by Margarethe von Trotta, starring Barbara Sukowa, Golden Lion winner - (West Germany)
• Ghost Story, starring Fred Astaire, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Melvyn Douglas, John Houseman
• The Girl with the Red Hair (Het meisje met het rode haar) - (Netherlands)
• Going Ape!, starring Tony Danza, Stacey Nelkin, Jessica Walter, Danny DeVito
• Goodbye Pork Pie - (New Zealand)
• Graduation Day, starring Christopher George
• The Great Muppet Caper, directed by Jim Henson - (U.S.A./U.K.)
• Gregory's Girl, directed by Bill Forsyth - (U.K.)
• Grendel Grendel Grendel, starring Peter Ustinov - (Australia)

H

• Halloween II, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence
• The Hand, directed by Oliver Stone, starring Michael Caine
• Hands Up!, (Ręce do góry), directed by Jerzy Skolimowski - (Poland) - originally made in 1967 but withheld
• Happy Birthday to Me, starring Melissa Sue Anderson and Glenn Ford - (Canada)
• Hard Country, starring Jan-Michael Vincent and Kim Basinger
• Hardly Working, directed by and starring Jerry Lewis
• Harry's War, starring Edward Herrmann
• Heartbeeps, directed by Allan Arkush, starring Andy Kaufman and Bernadette Peters
• Heavy Metal, starring John Candy - (Canada)
• Hell Night, starring Linda Blair
• History of the World: Part I, directed by and starring Mel Brooks, with Gregory Hines, Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, Harvey Korman
• Honky Tonk Freeway, starring William Devane, Beau Bridges, Teri Garr, Beverly D'Angelo, Howard Hesseman, Jessica Tandy
• The Hound of the Baskervilles (Priklyucheniya Sherloka Kholmsa i doktora Vatsona: Sobaka Baskerviley) - (U.S.S.R.)
• The Howling, directed by Joe Dante, starring Dee Wallace and Patrick Macnee

I-J

• I Love You (Eu Te Amo), starring Sônia Braga - (Brazil)
• The Incredible Shrinking Woman, starring Lily Tomlin and Charles Grodin
• Inseminoid, starring Judy Geeson, Stephanie Beacham, Victoria Tennant - (U.K.)
• The Inventor (Der Erfinder) - (Switzerland/West Germany)
• Just Another Missing Kid, winner of Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature - (Canada)

K

• Killing Heat (Gräset Sjunger), starring Karen Black - (Sweden/Zambia)
• The Killing of Angel Street - (Australia)
• Knightriders, starring Ed Harris
• Kranti (Revolution), starring Dilip Kumar, Manoj Kumar, Shashi Kapoor - (India)

L

• Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains, starring Diane Lane and Laura Dern
• Lady Chatterley's Lover, starring Sylvia Kristel and Nicholas Clay
• The Land of Hunger (Aakali Rajyam) - (India)
• The Last Chase, starring Lee Majors
• Lawaaris, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Zeenat Aman - (India)
• The Legend of the Lone Ranger, starring Klinton Spilsbury, winner of a Golden Raspberry award for Worst Actor
• Light Years Away (Les Années lumière), starring Trevor Howard - (France)
• Lili Marleen, directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, starring Hanna Schygulla - (West Germany)
• The Lion of the Desert, starring Anthony Quinn - (Libya)
• The Little Fox (Vuk) - (Hungary)
• Lola, a German film directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, starring Barbara Sukowa and Armin Mueller-Stahl - (West Germany)
• Looker, directed by Michael Crichton, starring Albert Finney, James Coburn, Susan Dey
• Looks and Smiles, directed by Ken Loach - (U.K.)
• The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie
• Loophole, starring Albert Finney and Martin Sheen

M

• Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, starring Mel Gibson - (Australia)
• Man of Iron (Człowiek z żelaza), directed by Andrzej Wajda - (Poland) - Palme d'Or winner
• Mandala - (South Korea)
• Marianne and Juliane (Die bleierne Zeit), directed by Margarethe von Trotta, starring Barbara Sukowa - (West Germany)
• Il Marchese del Grillo, directed by Mario Monicelli, starring Alberto Sordi - (Italy)
• Masada, TV miniseries, starring Peter O'Toole, Peter Strauss, Barbara Carrera, David Warner
• The Melody Haunts My Memory (Samo jednom se ljubi) - (Yugoslavia)
• Mephisto, directed by Istvan Szabo, starring Klaus Maria Brandauer - (Hungary/West Germany/Austria)
• Il minestrone, starring Roberto Benigni - (Italy)
• Modern Romance, directed by and starring Albert Brooks, with Kathryn Harrold and Bruno Kirby
• Mommie Dearest, starring Faye Dunaway, Diana Scarwid, Steve Forrest - winner of five Golden Raspberry Awards including Worst Picture and Worst Actress (Dunaway)
• Montenegro, starring Susan Anspach and Erland Josephson - (Sweden)
• Ms. 45, directed by Abel Ferrara
• Muzhiki! - (U.S.S.R.)
• My Bloody Valentine - (Canada)
• My Dinner with Andre, starring Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory
• The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians (Tajemství hradu v Karpatech) - (Czechoslovakia)
• The Mystery of the Third Planet (Tayna tretyey planety) - (U.S.S.R.)

N

• Naseeb (Destiny), starring Amitabh Bachchan - (India)
• National Heritage (Patrimonio nacional), directed by Luis García Berlanga - (Spain)
• Neighbors, starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd
• The Nesting, starring Bill Rowley, Gloria Grahame
• Nice Dreams, a Cheech & Chong film
• Nighthawks, starring Sylvester Stallone, Rutger Hauer, Billy Dee Williams
• The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia, starring Kristy McNichol, Dennis Quaid, Mark Hamill
• Nobody's Perfekt, starring Gabe Kaplan, Alex Karras, Robert Klein

O

• The Oil, the Baby and the Transylvanians (Pruncul, petrolul şi ardelenii) - (Romania)
• Omen III: The Final Conflict, starring Sam Neill, Rossano Brazzi - (U.S.A./U.K.)
• On Golden Pond, directed by Mark Rydell, starring Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda
• On the Right Track, starring Gary Coleman
• Only When I Laugh, starring Marsha Mason, Kristy McNichol, James Coco, Joan Hackett
• Outland, directed by Peter Hyams, starring Sean Connery and Peter Boyle - (U.K.)

P

• Passion of Love (Passione d'amore), directed by Ettore Scola - (Italy)
• Paternity, directed by David Steinberg, starring Burt Reynolds and Beverly D'Angelo
• La Pelle (The Skin), directed by Liliana Cavani, starring Marcello Mastroianni and Claudia Cardinale - (Italy)
• Pennies From Heaven, starring Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, Jessica Harper, Christopher Walken - based on the TV series by Dennis Potter
• Pixote, directed by Héctor Babenco - (Brazil)
• Polyester, directed by John Waters, starring Divine
• Possession, starring Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill - (France/West Germany)
• The Postman Always Rings Twice, directed by Bob Rafelson, starring Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange
• Priest of Love, starring Ian McKellen, Janet Suzman, Ava Gardner - (U.K.)
• Prince of the City, directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Treat Williams and Jerry Orbach
• Private Lessons, starring Sylvia Kristel, Howard Hesseman, Ed Begley, Jr.
• The Prodigal Son (Bai ga jai), directed by and starring Sammo Hung - (Hong Kong)
• The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper, starring Treat Williams, Robert Duvall, Kathryn Harrold

Q

• Quartet, directed by James Ivory, starring Alan Bates, Maggie Smith, Isabelle Adjani - (U.K.)
• Quest for Fire (aka La Guerre du feu), directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud - (Canada/France/U.S.A.)

R

• Race for the Yankee Zephyr, starring Ken Wahl, Lesley Ann Warren, George Peppard - (New Zealand)
• Raggedy Man, starring Sam Shepard and Sissy Spacek
• Ragtime, directed by Miloš Forman, starring James Cagney, Howard E. Rollins, Jr., Elizabeth McGovern, Mandy Patinkin, Mary Steenburgen, Brad Dourif
• Raiders of the Lost Ark, directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Harrison Ford and Karen Allen
• Reds, directed by and starring Warren Beatty, with Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Maureen Stapleton, Gene Hackman, Paul Sorvino
• Rich and Famous, directed by George Cukor, starring Jacqueline Bisset and Candice Bergen
• Ritam zločina - (Yugoslavia)
• Roadgames, directed by Richard Franklin, starring Stacy Keach and Jamie Lee Curtis - (Australia)
• Rollover, directed by Alan J. Pakula, starring Jane Fonda and Kris Kristofferson
• Ruckus, starring Dirk Benedict, Linda Blair, Richard Farnsworth

S

• S.O.B., directed by Blake Edwards, starring Julie Andrews, William Holden, Robert Preston, Richard Mulligan
• The Salamander, starring Anthony Quinn, Franco Nero, Eli Wallach, Claudia Cardinale
• Saturday the 14th, starring Paula Prentiss and Richard Benjamin
• Scanners, directed by David Cronenberg - (Canada)
• Sharky's Machine, directed by and starring Burt Reynolds, with Rachel Ward, Henry Silva, Vittorio Gassman, Charles Durning, Earl Holliman
• Shaukeen, starring Ashok Kumar - (India)
• Shikake-nin Baian - (Japan)
• Shock Treatment, starring Jessica Harper and Cliff De Young
• Short Working Day, directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski - (Poland)
• Shaolin and Wu-Tang (Shao Lin yu Wu Dang), Directed by Liu Chia-Hui, starring Adam Cheng, Gordon Liu and Wang Lung Wei - (Hong Kong)
• The Simple-Minded Murder (Den Enfaldige Mördaren), starring Stellan Skarsgård - (Sweden)
• The Sixth (Shestoy) - (U.S.S.R.)
• Smash Palace, directed by Roger Donaldson - (New Zealand)
• Sogni d'oro (Golden Dreams), directed by and starring Nanni Moretti - (Italy)
• Southern Comfort, directed by Walter Hill, starring Keith Carradine and Powers Boothe
• Sphinx, starring Lesley-Anne Down and Frank Langella
• Station (Eki Station) - (Japan)
• Strange Affair (Une étrange affaire), starring Michel Piccoli - (France)
• Strange Behavior, starring Michael Murphy and Louise Fletcher - (New Zealand)
• Stripes, directed by Ivan Reitman, starring Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates, John Larroquette, John Candy
• Student Bodies
• Suddenly at Midnight (Gipeun bam, gapjagi) - (South Korea)

T

• Take This Job and Shove It, starring Robert Hays, Barbara Hershey, Art Carney
• Tales of Ordinary Madness (Storie di ordinaria follia), starring Ben Gazzara and Ornella Muti - (Italy/France)
• Taps, directed by Harold Becker, starring Timothy Hutton, George C. Scott, Ronny Cox, Sean Penn, Tom Cruise
• Tarzan, the Ape Man, starring Bo Derek and Richard Harris
• Tattoo, starring Bruce Dern and Maud Adams
• Taxi zum Klo (Taxi to the Toilet) - (West Germany)
• Teheran 43, starring Alain Delon - (U.S.S.R./France/Switzerland)
• They All Laughed, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, starring Audrey Hepburn and Ben Gazzara
• They Don't Wear Black Tie (Eles Não Usam Black-Tie) - (Brazil)
• Thief aka Violent Streets, directed by Michael Mann, starring James Caan, Tuesday Weld, James Belushi, Robert Prosky
• This is Elvis, a documentary
• Three Brothers (Tre fratelli), directed by Francesco Rosi - (Italy)
• Threshold, directed by Richard Pearce, starring Donald Sutherland, Jeff Goldblum, Mare Winningham - (Canada)
• Ticket to Heaven, starring Nick Mancuso, Saul Rubinek, Meg Foster - (Canada)
• Time Bandits, directed by Terry Gilliam, starring John Cleese, Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall - (U.K.)
• Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man (La tragedia di un uomo ridicolo), directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, starring Ugo Tognazzi and Anouk Aimée - (Italy)
• Tree of Knowledge (Kundskabens træ) - (Denmark)
• True Confessions, directed by Ulu Grosbard, starring Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Charles Durning, Burgess Meredith, Kenneth McMillan
• The True Story of Ah Q (Ā Q zhèng zhuàn) - (China)
• Tuck Everlasting

U-V

• Under the Rainbow, starring Chevy Chase, Carrie Fisher and Billy Barty
• Les Uns et les Autres, directed by Claude Lelouch - (France)
• Útlaginn (Outlaw: The Saga of Gisli) - (Iceland)
• Variola Vera - (Yugoslavia)
• Vernon, Florida, a documentary

W

• Whose Life Is It Anyway?, directed by John Badham, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Bob Balaban, Christine Lahti, John Cassavetes
• Will, starring Robert Conrad
• Wolfen, starring Albert Finney, Diane Venora and Gregory Hines
• The Woman Next Door (La Femme d'à côté), directed by François Truffaut, starring Gérard Depardieu and Fanny Ardant - (France)
• Woman Who Exposes Herself (Misetagaru onna) - (Japan)

Z

• Zoot Suit, starring Edward James Olmos
• Zorro, the Gay Blade, starring George Hamilton, Lauren Hutton, Brenda Vaccaro, Ron Leibman

1981 Wide-release movies

January–March

• January 1981
  • January 1
    • Scream
  • January 14
    • Scanners
  • January 28
    • Blood Beach
  • January 30
    • Earthbound
    • The Incredible Shrinking Woman
• February 1981
  • February 1
    • Blood Beach
  • February 11
    • Sphinx
  • February 13
    • American Pop
    • Eyewitness
• March 1981
  • March 6
    • All Night Long
    • The Devil and Max Devlin
    • Maniac
    • On the Right Track
  • March 13
    • Back Roads
    • The Funhouse
    • Modern Romance
  • March 20
    • Amy
    • Omen III: The Final Conflict
    • The Postman Always Rings Twice
  • March 27
    • Eyes of a Stranger
    • Thief

April–June

• April 1981
  • April 3
    • Hardly Working
  • April 4
    • This Is Elvis
    • Nighthawks
  • April 10
    • Excalibur
    • Going Ape!
    • The Howling
    • Knightriders
  • April 17
    • Caveman
  • April 24
    • Cattle Annie and Little Britches
    • The Hand
    • Ms. 45
    • Night School
    • Take This Job and Shove It
  • April 28
    • Bloody Birthday
• May 1981
  • May 1
    • Friday the 13th Part 2
    • Graduation Day
    • King of the Mountain
  • May 3
    • Image of the Beast
  • May 8
    • The Burning
  • May 15
    • The Fan
  • May 22
    • Bustin' Loose
    • The Four Seasons
    • The Legend of the Lone Ranger
  • May 29
    • Dead & Buried
    • Polyester
    • The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia
• June 1981
  • June 5
    • Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams
    • Final Exam
    • Tuck Everlasting
  • June 12
    • Clash of the Titans
    • History of the World, Part I
    • Raiders of the Lost Ark
  • June 19
    • The Cannonball Run
    • Superman II
  • June 26
    • The Cannonball Run
    • Stripes

July–September

• July 1981
  • July 1
    • S.O.B.
  • July 10
    • Escape from New York
    • The Fox and the Hound
  • July 17
    • Arthur
    • Endless Love
    • Zorro, The Gay Blade
  • July 24
    • Blow Out
    • Wolfen
  • July 31
    • Under the Rainbow
• August 1981
  • August 7
    • Student Bodies
  • August 14
    • Deadly Blessing
    • An Eye for an Eye
    • They All Laughed
  • August 21
    • An American Werewolf in London
    • First Monday in October
    • Prince of the City
  • August 26
    • Private Lessons
  • August 28
    • Body Heat
    • Chu Chu and the Philly Flash
    • Hell Night
• September 1981
  • September 18
    • Continental Divide
    • Mommie Dearest
    • Raggedy Man
  • September 23
    • Only When I Laugh
    • Rich and Famous
  • September 25
    • The Boogens
    • Carbon Copy
    • So Fine

October–December

• October 1981
  • October 2
    • Enter the Ninja
    • Paternity
  • October 9
    • Full Moon High
    • Tattoo
  • October 11
    • My Dinner with Andre
  • October 14
    • Just Before Dawn
  • October 16
    • All the Marbles
  • October 23
    • Nightmare
  • October 30
    • Looker
    • Halloween II
• November 1981
  • November 6
    • The Prowler
    • Fantasies
  • November 13
    • The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper
  • November 20
    • The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie
• December 1981
  • December 4
    • On Golden Pond
    • Reds
  • December 11
    • Buddy Buddy
    • Dawn of the Mummy
    • Four Friends
    • Rollover
  • December 18
    • Absence of Malice
    • Ghost Story
    • Neighbors
    • Sharky's Machine
  • December 20
    • Taps
  • December 25
    • Modern Problems

Births

• January 8
  • Genevieve Cortese, actress
  • Jérémie Renier, Belgian actor
• January 21 - Izabella Miko, Polish actress and dancer
• January 22 - Beverley Mitchell, actress
• January 28 - Elijah Wood, actor
• January 31 - Justin Timberlake, singer and actor
• February 9 - Tom Hiddleston, English actor
• February 11 - Kelly Rowland, singer and actress
• February 17 - Joseph Gordon-Levitt, actor
• February 19 - Beth Ditto, singer-songwriter
• February 23 - Josh Gad, actor and comedian
• March 2 - Bryce Dallas Howard, actress
• March 6 - Ellen Muth, actress
• March 11 - David Anders, actor
• March 28 - Julia Stiles, actress
• April 10
  • Laura Bell Bundy, actress
  • Michael Pitt, actor
• April 13 - Courtney Peldon, actress
• April 19
  • Hayden Christensen, Canadian actor
  • Catalina Sandino Moreno, Colombian actress
• April 28 - Jessica Alba, actress
• May 5
  • Danielle Fishel, actress
  • Farid Kamil, Malaysian actor and film director
• May 11 - Austin O'Brien, actor
• May 12 - Rami Malek, actor
• May 15 - Jamie-Lynn Sigler, actress
• May 28 - Laura Bailey, voice actress
• June 7 - Larisa Oleynik, actress
• June 9 - Natalie Portman, Israeli-American actress
• June 10 - Jonathan Bennett, actor
• June 13 - Chris Evans, actor
• June 14 - Chauncey Leopardi, actor
• June 20 - Alisan Porter, former actress
• July 24 - Summer Glau, actress
• August 1 - Taylor Fry, former child actress
• August 3 - Travis Willingham, voice actor
• August 4
  • Marques Houston, singer and actor
  • Abigail Spencer, actress
• August 8 - Meagan Good, actress
• August 20 - Ben Barnes, English actor
• August 24 - Chad Michael Murray, actor
• August 25 - Rachel Bilson, actress
• August 27 - Patrick J. Adams, Canadian actor
• September 4 - Beyoncé Knowles, singer and actress
• September 8 - Jonathan Taylor Thomas, actor
• September 12 - Jennifer Hudson, singer and actress
• September 16 - Alexis Bledel, actress
• September 23 - Misti Traya, actress
• September 26 - Christina Milian, singer and actress
• September 29 - Shay Astar, singer and actress
• September 30 - Ashleigh Aston Moore, former Canadian child actress (d. 2007)
• October 1 - Rupert Friend, English actor
• October 3 - Seth Gabel, actor
• October 9 - Zachery Ty Bryan, actor
• October 22 - Michael Fishman, actor
• October 27 - Andrea Riseborough, English actress
• November 9 - Scottie Thompson, actress
• November 16 - Caitlin Glass, voice actress
• November 18 - Nasim Pedrad, Iranian-American actress and comedienne
• December 2 - Britney Spears, singer and actress
• December 3 - Liza Lapira, actress
• December 18 - Joshua Dallas, actor
• December 27 - Emilie de Ravin, Australian actress
• December 28 - Sienna Miller, English actress

Deaths

• January 10 - Richard Boone, 63, American actor, The Shootist, Big Jake, The Garment Jungle, The Kremlin Letter, The Robe, The Big Sleep, The Tall T, Hombre
• January 11 - Beulah Bondi, 91, American actress, It's a Wonderful Life, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Penny Serenade, Make Way for Tomorrow
• January 16 - Bernard Lee, 73, English actor, Dr. No, Goldfinger, The Third Man, From Russia with Love, Moonraker, The Spy Who Loved Me
• February 1 - Wanda Hendrix, 52, American actress, Prince of Foxes, Captain Carey, U.S.A., Sierra, Miss Tatlock's Millions, Ride the Pink Horse
• February 21 - Ron Grainer, 58, composer, The Mouse on the Moon, To Sir, with Love, The Assassination Bureau, The Omega Man, Mutiny on the Buses
• March 4 - Torin Thatcher, 76, India-born British actor, Houdini, The Robe, The Black Shield of Falworth, Helen of Troy, The Crimson Pirate, Darby's Rangers
• March 14 - Eleanor Perry, 66, American screenwriter, Diary of a Mad Housewife, The Swimmer, The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing, David and Lisa
• April 26 - Jim Davis, 71, American actor, The Big Sky, The Maverick Queen, Red Stallion in the Rockies, Winter Meeting, The Parallax View
• April 26 - Herb Voland, 62, American actor, Another Nice Mess, With Six You Get Eggroll
• May 18 - Richard Hale, 88, American actor, Friendly Persuasion, To Kill a Mockingbird
• May 18 - Arthur O'Connell, 73, American actor, Anatomy of a Murder, Picnic, Bus Stop, Man of the West, Follow That Dream, The Poseidon Adventure
• June 22 - Lola Lane, 75, American actress, Four Daughters, Four Wives, They Made Me a Killer
• July 3 - Ross Martin, 61, Polish-American actor, Experiment in Terror, The Great Race
• July 27 - William Wyler, 79, German director, Ben-Hur, Roman Holiday, The Best Years of Our Lives, Funny Girl, How to Steal a Million, Mrs. Miniver
• August 1 - Paddy Chayefsky, 58, American screenwriter, Altered States, Network, Marty, The Bachelor Party, The Catered Affair, Paint Your Wagon
• August 4 - Melvyn Douglas, 80, American actor, Being There, Hud, Ninotchka, The Changeling, Ghost Story, The Americanization of Emily, I Never Sang for My Father, Billy Budd
• August 18 - Anita Loos, 93, American writer, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Women, Gentlemen Marry Brunettes, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
• August 30 - Vera-Ellen, 60, American actress, White Christmas, On the Town, Call Me Madam, Words and Music, Three Little Words
• September 1 - Ann Harding, 79, American actress, Holiday, It Happened on Fifth Avenue, The Magnificent Yankee, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit
• September 27 - Robert Montgomery, 77, American actor, They Were Expendable, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Ride the Pink Horse, Lady in the Lake
• September 30 - L. C. Rudkin, 73, English-British costume designer, Goldfinger, Dr. No, The Man in the White Suit, Born Free, Whisky Galore!, The Cruel Sea, School for Scoundrels, Dad's Army, The Scapegoat, The Trap, The Blue Lamp, A Stitch in Time, On the Beat
• October 5 - Gloria Grahame, 54, American actress, In a Lonely Place, The Bad and the Beautiful, Oklahoma!, The Big Heat, It's a Wonderful Life, Sudden Fear, Crossfire
• October 24 - Edith Head, 83, American costume designer, The Ten Commandments, White Christmas, All About Eve, Rear Window, Vertigo, The Sting, Sunset Blvd., Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
• October 26 - Glenn Anders, 92, American actor, Lady from Shanghai, M
• November 12 - William Holden, 63, American actor, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Sunset Blvd., The Wild Bunch, Network, The Towering Inferno, Picnic, Stalag 17, Born Yesterday, Executive Suite, Golden Boy, The Country Girl, Sabrina, The World of Suzie Wong, Wild Rovers, S.O.B., When Time Ran Out
• November 16 - Morgan Conway, 78, American actor, Dick Tracy, Dick Tracy vs. Cueball
• November 21 - Ejner Federspiel, 85, Danish actor, Story of Barbara
• November 25 - Jack Albertson, 74, American actor, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, The Poseidon Adventure, The Subject Was Roses, Kissin' Cousins, The Harder They Fall, The Fox and the Hound
• November 27 - Lotte Lenya, 83, Austrian actress, From Russia with Love, The Threepenny Opera, Semi-Tough, The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone
• November 29 - Natalie Wood, 43, American actress, West Side Story, Rebel Without a Cause, Miracle on 34th Street, The Searchers, Splendor in the Grass, Inside Daisy Clover, Gypsy, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, Cash McCall, Marjorie Morningstar, Sex and the Single Girl, The Great Race, Meteor, Brainstorm
• December 17 - Ada Kramm, 82, Norwegian actress
• December 27 - Hoagy Carmichael, 82, American actor and musician, To Have and Have Not, The Best Years of Our Lives, Canyon Passage, Young Man with a Horn, Night Song
• December 28 - Allan Dwan, 96, Canadian director, Sands of Iwo Jima, Heidi, Robin Hood, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Brewster's Millions

Film debuts

• Ben Affleck - The Dark End of the Street
• Jason Alexander - The Burning
• Kim Basinger - Hard Country
• James Belushi - Thief
• Gabriel Byrne - Excalibur
• James Cameron - Piranha Part Two: The Spawning
• Kevin Costner - Malibu Hot Summer
• Tom Cruise - Endless Love
• Jeff Daniels - Ragtime
• Dennis Farina - Thief
• Jami Gertz - Endless Love
• Glenne Headly - Four Friends
• Holly Hunter - The Burning
• Ciarán Hinds - Excalibur
• Peter MacNicol - Dragonslayer
• Alfred Molina - Raiders of the Lost Ark
• Demi Moore - Choices
• Sean Penn - Taps
• 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