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 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
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

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 - 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 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 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
 * 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 – 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 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
 * 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 - 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
 * 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 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