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:
+ Highest-grossing films of 1981 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 IIWarner 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. / 20th Century Fox $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 January 20 – Former Governor of California and film actor Ronald Reagan is inaugurated president. March 30 – The 53rd Academy Awards are postponed due to the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan earlier that day. They are held the following day with a message from the President recorded for the ceremony prior to the assassination attempt. May 16 – 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 8 – Marvin Davis acquires 20th Century Fox for $720 million. June 12 – Raiders of the Lost Ark is released by Paramount 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 London is released and becomes a landmark in Visual Effects and Makeup. October 1 – MGM president and chief operating officer David Begelman becomes chairman and chief executive officer of United Artists. November 1 – United International Pictures is created to handle international distribution of films for United Artists, MGM, Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures to replace Cinema International Corporation following MGM's acquisition of UA. November 25 – Norman Lear and his partner Jerry Perenchio agree to buy Avco Embassy for $25 million. November 29 – Actress Natalie Wood drowns in a boating accident off Santa Catalina Island.
Awards Category/Organization 39th Golden Globe AwardsJanuary 30, 1982 35th BAFTA AwardsMarch 18, 1982 54th Academy AwardsMarch 29, 1982 Drama Musical or Comedy Best Film On Golden Pond Arthur Chariots of Fire Best Director Warren BeattyReds Louis MalleAtlantic City Warren BeattyReds Best Actor Henry FondaOn Golden Pond Dudley MooreArthur Burt LancasterAtlantic City Henry FondaOn Golden Pond Best Actress Meryl StreepThe French Lieutenant's Woman Bernadette PetersPennies from Heaven Meryl StreepThe French Lieutenant's Woman Katharine HepburnOn Golden Pond Best Supporting Actor John GielgudArthur Ian HolmChariots of Fire John GielgudArthur Best Supporting Actress Joan HackettOnly When I Laugh N/A Maureen StapletonReds Best Screenplay, Adapted Ernest ThompsonOn Golden Pond Bill ForsythGregory's Girl Ernest ThompsonOn Golden Pond Best Screenplay, Original Colin WellandChariots of Fire Best Original Score N/A Carl DavisThe French Lieutenant's Woman VangelisChariots of Fire Best Original Song "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)"Arthur N/A "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)"Arthur Best Foreign Language Film Chariots of Fire N/A Mephisto
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
People's Choice Award (Toronto International Film Festival): Chariots of Fire, directed by Hugh Hudson, United Kingdom
1981 films By country/region 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 Hindi films of 1981 List of Kannada films of 1981 List of Malayalam films of 1981 List of Marathi films of 1981 List of Tamil films of 1981 List of Telugu 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 List of action films of 1981 List of animated feature films of 1981 List of avant-garde films of 1981 List of comedy films of 1981 List of drama films of 1981 List of horror films of 1981 List of science fiction films of 1981 List of thriller films of 1981 List of western films of 1981
Births January 1 Jonas Armstrong, Irish-English actor 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, Cuban-American rapper and actor January 17 Scott Mechlowicz, American actor Diogo Morgado, Portuguese actor January 18 - Antje Traue, German actress January 19 - Elizabeth Tulloch, American 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 7 - James Snyder, American actor and singer February 8 Dawn Olivieri, American actress Jim Parrack, American actor February 9 – Tom Hiddleston, English actor February 10 Uzo Aduba, American actress Stephanie Beatriz, Argentine actress February 11 Sonia Rolland, French-Rwandan actress 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 Ethan Rains, Iranian-American actor 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 February 25 Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Mexican actor Shahid Kapoor Indian 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 7 – Mona Fastvold, Norwegian filmmaker and actress March 11 David Anders, American actor Matthias Schweighöfer, German actor and filmmaker March 12 - Lisa Durupt, Canadian actress March 13 - Kiruna Stamell, Australian-British actress 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 Ryan Bingham, American singer-songwriter and actor Ryōko Shintani, Japanese voice actress April 1 - Hannah Spearritt, English actress and singer April 6 Eliza Coupe, American actress and comedian Niko Nicotera, German-born American actor April 8 - Taylor Kitsch, Canadian actor and model April 9 - Moran Atias, Israeli actress April 10 Laura Bell Bundy, American actress Harry Hadden-Paton, British actor Michael Pitt, American actor April 12 - Paul Rust, American actor and comedian April 13 – Courtney Peldon, American actress April 16 - Russell Harvard, American actor April 17 - Charlie Hofheimer, American actor April 19 Hayden Christensen, Canadian actor Catalina Sandino Moreno, Colombian actress April 23 – Gemma Whelan, English actress April 24 - Sasha Barrese, American 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 4 - Angel Oquendo, American actor May 5 Danielle Fishel, American actress Farid Kamil, Malaysian actor and film director May 8 - Kaan Urgancıoğlu, Turkish actor May 10 Qurrat Ann Kadwani, American actress Nicky Whelan, Australian actress May 11 JP Karliak, American actor, voice actor and comedian Austin O'Brien, American actor Terry Pheto, South African actress May 12 – Rami Malek, American actor May 13 - Ryan Piers Williams, American actor, director and writer May 15 – Jamie-Lynn Sigler, American actress May 16 - Joseph Morgan, English actor May 18 - Allen Leech, Irish actor May 21 - Belladonna, American actress, director and producer 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 comedian and actress 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 John Heffernan, British 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 23 - Raphaël Personnaz, French actor July 24