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 films released in 1981 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.
 * June 12 – Raiders of the Lost Ark is released by Paramount Pictures. It set a major standard for many action-adventure movies to date and has spawned 3 sequels so far.
 * August 21 – An American Werewolf in London is released and becomes a landmark in Visual Effects and Makeup.
 * November 29 – Off Santa Catalina Island, 43-year-old actress Natalie Wood drowns during a boating accident.
 * Kathleen Turner and Tom Cruise make their acting debuts.

Awards
Academy Awards:


 * Best Picture: Chariots of Fire – Enigma, The Ladd Company/Warner Bros./20th Century Fox
 * 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


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


 * Other
 * Best Supporting Actor: John Gielgud – Arthur
 * Best Supporting Actress: Joan Hackett – Only When I Laugh
 * 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 (tie): Bo Derek – Tarzan, the Ape Man
 * Worst Actress (tie): Faye Dunaway – Mommie Dearest
 * Worst Supporting Actor: Steve Forrest – Mommie Dearest
 * Worst Supporting Actress: Diana Scarwid – Mommie Dearest
 * Worst Screenplay: Frank Yablans & Frank Perry and Tracy Hotchner and Robert Getchell - 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 B
 * 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
 * The Amateur, starring John Savage, Christopher Plummer, Marthe Keller
 * 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)
 * Back Roads, directed by Martin Ritt, starring Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones
 * Beau-père, 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 and Soul, starring Jayne Kennedy, Leon Isaac Kennedy, Michael V. Gazzo
 * Body Heat, directed by Lawrence Kasdan, starring William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Ted Danson, Richard Crenna, J. A. Preston, Mickey Rourke
 * Das Boot (Released in the U.S. in 1982), directed by Wolfgang Petersen, starring Jürgen Prochnow – (West Germany)
 * Buddy Buddy, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau
 * Buriki no kunsho – (Japan)
 * The Burning, starring Brian Matthews – (U.S.A./Canada)
 * The Bushido Blade
 * 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, Adrienne Barbeau
 * Carbon Copy, starring George Segal, Denzel Washington, Susan Saint James, Jack Warden
 * 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, Ian Holm – (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. – We Children from 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, Ursula Andress – (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.)
 * Dark Night of the Scarecrow
 * Dead & Buried, starring James Farentino
 * 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 Shohei 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
 * 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, directed by Edward Bianchi, starring Lauren Bacall, James Garner, Maureen Stapleton and 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 II, directed by Steve Miner, starring Amy Steel, John Furey and Adrienne King
 * 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, Madeleine Stowe
 * Garde à Vue, starring Romy Schneider and Michel Serrault – (France)
 * Gas, starring Susan Anspach, Sterling Hayden, Helen Shaver – (Canada)
 * 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)
 * Gulliver in Lilliput

H
 * Halloween II, directed by Rick Rosenthal, 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, Charles Grodin and Ned Beatty
 * 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)
 * 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 - Golden Lion winner – (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 István Szabó, 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, Lindsay Wagner, Persis Khambatta, Nigel Davenport
 * 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
 * Le Pont du Nord, directed by Jacques Rivette – (France)
 * Porky's, directed by Bob Clark, starring Dan Monahan, Wyatt Knight, Kim Cattrall, Boyd Gaines, Alex Karras, Susan Clark
 * 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
 * Roar, directed by Noel Marshall, starring Tippi Hedren and Melanie Griffith
 * 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 DeYoung
 * 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)
 * Silence of the North, directed by Allan King, Tom Skerritt, Gordon Pinsent and Ellen Burstyn – (Canada)
 * The Simple-Minded Murderer (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, Powers Boothe and Fred Ward
 * 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

January–March

 * January 1981
 * January 7
 * Scream
 * January 14
 * Scanners
 * January 28
 * Blood Beach
 * Zombi 2
 * January 30
 * Earthbound
 * The Incredible Shrinking Woman
 * February 1981
 * February 11
 * My Bloody Valentine
 * 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
 * Alice in Wonderland (re-release)
 * Hardly Working
 * April 4
 * This Is Elvis
 * Nighthawks
 * April 10
 * Excalibur
 * Going Ape!
 * The Howling
 * Knightriders
 * Star Wars (re-release)
 * April 17
 * Caveman
 * April 24
 * Cattle Annie and Little Britches
 * The Hand
 * Ms. 45
 * Night School
 * Take This Job and Shove It
 * 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 21
 * Death Hunt
 * May 22
 * Bustin' Loose
 * The Four Seasons
 * The Legend of the Lone Ranger
 * May 29
 * Dead & Buried
 * The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia
 * Polyester
 * 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
 * Swiss Family Robinson (re-release)
 * June 26
 * Dragonslayer
 * For Your Eyes Only
 * The Great Muppet Caper
 * 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
 * The Empire Strikes Back (re-release)
 * Under the Rainbow
 * August 1981
 * August 7
 * Condorman
 * Heavy Metal
 * 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 28
 * Body Heat
 * Chu Chu and the Philly Flash
 * Hell Night
 * Private Lessons
 * 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
 * Galaxy of Terror
 * 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
 * The Pit (Canada)
 * Silence of the North
 * October 30
 * Looker
 * Halloween II
 * November 1981
 * November 6
 * The Prowler
 * Fantasies
 * Time Bandits
 * November 13
 * Porky's
 * The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper
 * November 20
 * The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie
 * Ragtime
 * December 1981
 * December 4
 * On Golden Pond
 * Reds
 * December 11
 * Buddy Buddy
 * Dawn of the Mummy
 * Four Friends
 * Pennies from Heaven
 * Rollover
 * December 18
 * Absence of Malice
 * Cinderella (re-release)
 * Ghost Story
 * Neighbors
 * Sharky's Machine
 * December 20
 * Chariots of Fire
 * Taps
 * December 25
 * Modern Problems

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 22 – Elodie Yung, French actress
 * 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, American former actress
 * July 24 – Summer Glau, American actress
 * July 30 – Lisa Wilhoit, American actress
 * August 1 – Taylor Fry, American former 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, Canadian former 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
 * Christina Applegate – Jaws of Satan
 * Kim Basinger – Hard Country
 * Bart the Bear – Windwalker
 * James Belushi – Thief
 * Kenneth Branagh – Chariots of Fire
 * Gabriel Byrne – Excalibur
 * James Cameron (director) – Piranha II: The Spawning
 * Dana Carvey – Halloween II
 * Kevin Costner – Malibu Hot Summer
 * Tom Cruise – Endless Love
 * Jeff Daniels – Ragtime
 * Dennis Farina – Thief
 * Stephen Fry – Chariots of Fire
 * Jami Gertz – Endless Love
 * Bob Gunton – Rollover
 * Glenne Headly – Four Friends
 * Holly Hunter – The Burning
 * Ciarán Hinds – Excalibur
 * Jennifer Jason Leigh – Eyes of a Stranger
 * Peter MacNicol – Dragonslayer
 * Alfred Molina – Raiders of the Lost Ark
 * Bill Nighy – Eye of the Needle
 * Chris Noth – Waitress!
 * Demi Moore – Choices
 * Sean Penn – Taps
 * Ron Perlman – Quest for Fire
 * Amanda Plummer – Cattle Annie and Little Britches
 * Geoffrey Rush – Hoodwink
 * Meg Ryan – Rich and Famous
 * Vinessa Shaw – Home Sweet Home
 * Mindy Sterling – The Devil and Max Devlin
 * Fisher Stevens – The Burning
 * Madeleine Stowe – Gangster Wars
 * Henry Thomas – Raggedy Man
 * Kathleen Turner – Body Heat
 * Diane Venora – Wolfen
 * Hugo Weaving – ...Maybe This Time