Editing 1980s (section)

==Popular culture==

<gallery widths="190" perrow="5">
File:NES-Console-Set.jpg|The [[third generation of video game consoles]] like ''[[SG-1000]]'', ''[[Master System]]'', ''[[Nintendo Entertainment System]]'' (pictured), and ''[[Atari 7800]]'' were released in the 1980s.
File:Full House 1987 TV series logo.png| ''[[Full House]]'', ''[[The Golden Girls]]'', ''[[Family Ties]]'', ''[[Cheers]]'', ''[[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]'' and ''[[Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]'' were popular TV shows in the 1980s. 
File:Michael Jackson Thriller Jacket.jpg|[[Michael Jackson]]'s ''[[Thriller (album)|Thriller]]'' became the best-selling album of all time, followed by the critically acclaimed album ''[[Bad (album)|Bad]]'' five years later, and a musical film adaptation titled ''[[Moonwalker]]''.
File:MTV Logo.svg|[[MTV]] began in 1981, and greatly influenced the way music is marketed and the rise of many rock stars during the 1980s. Early CGI also caught on within music videos, including the popular video for "[[Money for Nothing (song)#Music video|Money for Nothing]]".
File:Commodore 64 (4841984952).jpg|Technological advancements like early [[personal computer]]s, the [[IBM Personal Computer]], [[Commodore 64]] (pictured), and [[Macintosh 128K]] were popular in the 1980s.
File:Polaroid Sun 600 LMS instant camera.jpg|[[Polaroid Corporation|Polaroid]]-branded cameras were popular and at their height in the 1980s.
File:He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.jpg|''[[He-Man and the Masters of the Universe]]'', ''[[The Smurfs (1981 TV series)|The Smurfs]]'', ''[[The Transformers (TV series)|The Transformers]]'', ''[[Inspector Gadget (1983 TV series)|Inspector Gadget]]'', ''[[DuckTales (1987 TV series)|DuckTales]]'', ''[[ThunderCats (1985 TV series)|ThunderCats]]'', and ''[[Alvin and the Chipmunks (1983 TV series)|Alvin and the Chipmunks]]'' were popular cartoons in the 1980s.
File:Side A, TDK D-C60 20041220.jpg|[[Cassette tape]]s used for music listening and operating the Sony [[Walkman]] were popular in the decade.
File:ArcadeGames.jpg|Arcade games like ''[[Pac-Man]]'', ''[[Donkey Kong (arcade game)|Donkey Kong]]'', ''[[Frogger]]'', [[Defender (1981 video game)|''Defender'']], ''[[Galaga]], [[Centipede (video game)|Centipede]], a''nd [[Joust (video game)|''Joust'']], were popular during the [[golden age of arcade video games]].
File:Olympic Torch Tower of the Los Angeles Coliseum.jpg|Six [[Olympic Games]] were held in the 1980s, [[1980 Winter Olympics|Lake Placid]] and [[1980 Summer Olympics|Moscow in 1980]], [[1984 Winter Olympics|Sarajevo]] and [[1984 Summer Olympics|Los Angeles in 1984]], [[1988 Winter Olympics|Calgary]] and [[1988 Summer Olympics|Seoul in 1988]].
File:Back-to-the-future-logo.svg|Teen-oriented films like ''[[Fast Times at Ridgemont High]]'', ''[[Ferris Bueller's Day Off]]'', ''[[Back to the Future]]'', ''[[The Breakfast Club]]'' and ''[[The Outsiders (film)|The Outsiders]]'' were popular in the 1980s.
File:Who Framed Roger Rabbit logo.png|After a turbulent decline in the 1960s and 1970s, animation began to thrive again due to the success and popularity of films such as ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit]]'', ''[[Oliver & Company]]'', ''[[The Land Before Time (film)|The Land Before Time]]'', and ''[[The Little Mermaid (1989 film)|The Little Mermaid]].'' 
File:Graffiti in Bayreuth4.jpg|Along with early hip hop culture like 1989's ''[[Straight Outta Compton]]'', graffiti became more mainstream in the 1980s.
File:Data Processing Technician 2nd Class Trice uses a computer terminal to track a user's request in the Navy Regional Data Automatic Center - DPLA - 3eec547d2abaf44072a2a672ef159283.jpg|Before the more mainstream use of the internet in the 1990s, many computer systems had searchable [[database]]s during the decade. These databases could be used to search a students' grades, computerized library and video rental systems to track books and video rentals. 
File:Ronald Reagan on CRT TV (photo illustration).jpg|[[Ronald Reagan]] was [[president of the United States]] for a majority of the 1980s (1981–1989), during what was called the [[Reagan era]]. Ronald Reagan's vice president [[George H.W. Bush]] became president in 1989. 
</gallery>

===Music===
{{Main|1980s in music}}
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| image2            = Madonna in concert wearing fishnets 1987 (cropped).jpg
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| footer            = [[Duran Duran]] (top), [[Madonna]] (bottom left) and [[Michael Jackson]] (bottom right) were among the best-selling musical talents of the decade, all considered some of the most globally popular and culturally significant [[Pop music|pop]] and [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]] talents of the 1980s, pictured here in 1983, 1987 and 1988 respectively.
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[[File:Chicago logo.svg|thumb|280x280px|American rock band [[Chicago (band)|Chicago]] continued their popularity from the 1970s and achieved two Billboard Hot 100 number 1 singles in the 1980s.]]
In the United States, [[MTV]] was launched and [[music video]]s began to have a larger effect on the record industry. Pop artists/bands such as [[Duran Duran]], [[Michael Jackson]], [[George Michael]], [[Whitney Houston]], [[Prince (musician)|Prince]], [[Cyndi Lauper]] and [[Madonna]] mastered the format and helped turn this new product into a profitable business. At the beginning of the decade [[New wave music|new wave]] fell from favor with the rise of the [[New Romantic]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1990|title=Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s|chapter=Glossary|publisher=[[Pantheon Books]]|isbn=0-679-73015-X|url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/bk-cg80/glossary.php|quote=new wave: a polite term devised to reassure people who were scared by punk, it enjoyed a two- or three-year run but was falling from favor as the '80s began}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The Tuscaloosa News]]|title=Rolling Stone Random Notes|last=Loder|first=Kurt|author-link=Kurt Loder|date=17 July 1981|quote=Pity the natty Anglo-dandies of Japan. Too late for the glam-rock movement, reviled in the New Wave era, these veteran fops — led by David "The Most Beautiful Man in the World" Sylvian — would seem made to order for the age of the clothes-conscious New Romantic bands.|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ricdAAAAIBAJ&pg=3175,3968351&dq=japan+sylvian&hl=en|via=Google News Archive}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|website=ministryofrock.co.uk|title=New Wave Music in The 70s|last=Nickson|first=Chris|author-link=Chris Nickson|url=https://www.ministryofrock.co.uk/NewWave.html|date=25 September 2012|quote=New Wave survived through the post-punk years, but after the turn of the decade found itself overwhelmed by the more outrageous style of the New Romantics.}}</ref> [[new pop]] and [[synthpop]] genres developed by many British and American artists, popular phenomena throughout the decade especially in the early and mid-1980s. Music grew fragmented and combined into subgenres such as house, goth, and rap metal.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www-cgi.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Music/08/21/omigod.80s/index.html |work=The New York Times |title='Like, Omigod!' It's the return of the '80s |date=2002-08-22 |access-date=2013-03-22 |first=Todd |last=Leopold |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104212110/http://www-cgi.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Music/08/21/omigod.80s/index.html |archive-date=2013-11-04 }}</ref> Famous music videos include those of [[Peter Gabriel]].

The advent of numerous new technologies had a significant impact on 1980s music, and led to a distinct production aesthetic that included [[synthesizer]] sounds, [[drum machine]]s and drum reverb.

[[Duran Duran]], the biggest band of the 1980s, were leaders in the [[Second British Invasion]], with a level of fame similar to [[Beatlemania]] by 1984. Their debut single was "[[Planet Earth (Duran Duran song)|Planet Earth]]" (1981). Their breakthrough album was ''[[Rio (Duran Duran album)|Rio]]'' (1982). The single "[[Hungry Like the Wolf]]" was number 1 in Canada. UK number 1 singles include "[[Is There Something I Should Know?]]" and "[[The Reflex]]", which was the band's most successful single and was also number 1 in the US and on the Eurochart Hot 100. "[[A View to a Kill (song)|A View to a Kill]]", theme song of the James Bond film, was number 1 in the US. "[[Notorious (Duran Duran song)|Notorious]]" was number 1 in Italy, Spain and Canada. "[[The Wild Boys (song)|The Wild Boys]]" was number 1 in West Germany and South Africa. The band went on to sell over 100 million records and win Brit, Grammy and MTV awards.

[[Michael Jackson]] was one of the icons of the 1980s and his [[leather jacket]], white [[glove]], and [[Moonwalk dance]] were often imitated. Jackson's 1982 album ''[[Thriller (Michael Jackson album)|Thriller]]'' became—and currently remains—the [[List of best-selling albums|best-selling album of all time]], with sales estimated by various sources as somewhere between 65 and 110 million copies worldwide. His 1987 album ''[[Bad (album)|Bad]]'' sold over 45 million copies and became the first album to have five number-one singles chart on the [[Billboard Hot 100]]. Jackson had the most number-one singles throughout the decade (9), and spent the most weeks at number one (27 weeks). His 1987 [[Bad World Tour]] grossed over $125 million worldwide, making it the highest grossing world tour by a solo artist during the decade. Jackson earned numerous awards and titles during the 1980s, the most notable of which were a record eight [[Grammy Award]]s and eight [[American Music Award]]s in 1984, and the honor of "Artist of the Decade" by US President [[George H. W. Bush]]. Jackson was arguably the biggest star during this time, and would eventually sell more than one billion records around the world.

[[Prince (musician)|Prince]] was a popular star of the 1980s and the most successful chart act of the decade. His breakthrough album [[1999 (Prince album)|''1999'']], released in 1982, produced three top-ten hits and the album itself charted at number nine on the [[Billboard 200]]. His sixth studio album [[Purple Rain (album)|''Purple Rain'']] was an international success, boosting Prince to superstardom and selling over 25 million copies worldwide. The album produced the US number-one singles, "[[When Doves Cry]]" and "[[Let's Go Crazy]]" and sold 13 million copies in the US as of 1996. Prince released an album every year for the rest of the decade, all charting within the top ten, with the exception of ''[[Lovesexy]]''. He went on to sell over 120 million records worldwide and win seven [[Grammy Award]]s.

{{quote box|quoted=1|quote=The '80s were above all a time of international [[corporatization]]... <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Rock music]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> was reconceived as [[intellectual property]], as a form of [[capital (economics)|capital]] itself... The '80s were when stars replaced artists as bearers of significance... The '80s took rock sexuality and rock sexism over the top... The '80s were a time of renewed racial turmoil after ten-plus years of polite resegregation... Technology changed everything in the '80s. [[Cable television|Cable]] brought us [[MTV]] and the triumph of the image. [[Synthesizer]]s inflected the sounds that remained. [[Sampling (music)|Sampling]] revolutionized rock and roll's proprietary relationship to its own history. [[Audio cassette|Cassettes]] made private music portable—and public. [[Compact disc]]s inflated profitability as they faded into the background of busy lives.|source=—[[Robert Christgau]] in ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s]]'' (1990)<ref name="CG">{{cite web|url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/bk-cg80/in_decade.php|title=CG 80s: Decade|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1990|website=robertchristgau.com|access-date=April 12, 2019}}</ref>|width=22%|align=left|style=padding:8px;}}

[[Madonna]] and [[Whitney Houston]] were groundbreaking female artists of the decade.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Garratt |first=Rob |date=2019-12-17 |title=Beyonce, Taylor and Adele: the 10 female stars who ruled music in the 2010s |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/music/beyonce-taylor-and-adele-the-10-female-stars-who-ruled-music-in-the-2010s-1.952776 |access-date=2024-07-03 |website=The National |language=en}}</ref> The [[keyboard synthesizer]] and [[drum machine]] were among the most popular instruments in music during the 1980s. After the 1980s, electronic instruments continued to be the main component of mainstream pop.

Synth pop and new pop musicians included the [[Eurythmics]], [[Pet Shop Boys]], [[Spandau Ballet]], [[A Flock of Seagulls]], [[INXS]], [[Ultravox]], [[Men Without Hats]], [[Icehouse (band)|Icehouse]], [[Toni Basil]], [[Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark|OMD]], [[Visage (band)|Visage]], [[Alphaville (band)|Alphaville]], [[A-ha]], [[Martha and the Muffins]], [[Talk Talk]] and [[Depeche Mode]]. Pop rock bands included [[Tears for Fears]] and [[Transvision Vamp]]. Ska bands included [[Madness (band)|Madness]] and [[The Specials]].

[[Stock Aitken Waterman]] songs were sung by [[Bananarama]], [[Dead or Alive (band)|Dead or Alive]], [[Rick Astley]], [[Kylie Minogue]] and [[Donna Summer]].

[[Hard rock]], [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]], and [[glam metal]] became some of the most dominant music genres of the decade, peaking with the arrival of such bands as [[Mötley Crüe]], [[Guns N' Roses]], [[Metallica]], [[Iron Maiden]], [[Bon Jovi]], [[Def Leppard]], [[Poison (American band)|Poison]], [[Europe (band)|Europe]], [[Megadeth]], [[Slayer]], [[Sepultura]], [[Anthrax (American band)|Anthrax]], and [[virtuoso]] guitarists such as [[Joe Satriani]] and [[Yngwie Malmsteen]]. The scene also helped 1970s hard rock artists and bands such as [[AC/DC]], [[Heart (band)|Heart]], [[Ozzy Osbourne]], [[Black Sabbath]], [[Aerosmith]], [[Alice Cooper]], [[Blue Öyster Cult]], [[Deep Purple]], [[Queen (band)|Queen]], [[Van Halen]], [[Kiss (band)|KISS]], [[Ronnie James Dio]], [[Rush (band)|Rush]] and [[Judas Priest]] reach a new generation of fans.

The 1980s were also known for song parodies becoming more mainstream, a trend led by parodic musician [["Weird Al" Yankovic]]. He was best known for his [[Michael Jackson]] parodies "[[Eat It]]" and "[[Fat (song)|Fat]]" as well as other parodies like "[[Another One Rides The Bus]]" (parody of "[[Another One Bites The Dust]]" by [[Queen (Band)|Queen]]).

By 1989, the [[Hip hop music|hip hop]] scene had evolved, gaining recognition and exhibiting a stronger influence on the music industry. This time period is also considered part of the [[golden age hip hop|golden age]] of hip hop. The [[Beastie Boys]], [[Public Enemy (group)|Public Enemy]], [[Run–D.M.C.|Run-D.M.C.]], [[Grandmaster Flash]], the [[Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five|Furious Five]], [[N.W.A]], [[LL Cool J]], [[De La Soul]], [[A Tribe Called Quest]], [[Ice-T]], [[DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince]], [[Tone Lōc]], [[Biz Markie]],  [[The Sugar Hill Gang]] and others experienced success in this genre.
[[File:"Drive" by The Cars US vinyl A-side.jpg|thumb|The A-side vinyl press of "[[Drive (The Cars song)|Drive]]" by [[The Cars]]. One of the band's most popular singles, it peaked at number 1 on the ''[[Adult contemporary (chart)|Billboard Adult contemporary]]'' chart, and number 3 on the ''[[Billboard Hot 100]]'' in 1984.]]
[[Country music]] advanced into a new realm of popularity with youth appeal and record-breaking marks. Groundbreaking artists such as [[Alabama (American band)|Alabama]], [[Hank Williams Jr.]], [[Reba McEntire]], [[George Strait]], [[Ricky Skaggs]], [[Janie Fricke]], [[The Judds]], and [[Randy Travis]] achieved multiple platinum and award status, foreshadowing the genre's popularity explosion in the 1990s. Country legends from past decades, such as [[George Jones]], [[Waylon Jennings]], [[Willie Nelson]], [[Conway Twitty]], the [[Oak Ridge Boys]], [[Kenny Rogers]], [[Dolly Parton]], [[Merle Haggard]], [[Don Williams]], [[Crystal Gayle]], [[Ronnie Milsap]], [[Barbara Mandrell]], and the [[Statler Brothers]], remained popular and continued to score hits throughout the decade.

The [[techno]] style of electronic dance music emerged in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]], during the mid to late 1980s. The [[house music]] style, another form of electronic dance music, emerged in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino and gay communities, first in Chicago, then in New York City and Detroit. It eventually reached Europe before becoming infused in mainstream pop and dance music worldwide.

Leading [[punk rock]] bands included [[Black Flag (band)|Black Flag]], [[Minor Threat]], [[Suicidal Tendencies]] and [[Minutemen (band)|Minutemen]]. Punk rock gave birth to many subgenres like [[Hardcore punk|hardcore]], which in turn gave birth to a few counterculture movements, most notably the [[Straight Edge]] movement which began in the early 1980s. [[College rock]] caught on in the underground scene of the 1980s in a nationwide movement with a distinct [[DIY ethic|D.I.Y]] approach. Bands like the [[Pixies (band)|Pixies]], [[R.E.M.]], [[The Replacements (band)|The Replacements]], [[Sonic Youth]], [[XTC]], [[The Smiths]], [[Echo & the Bunnymen]], [[The Stone Roses]], [[The Jesus and Mary Chain]] etc. experienced success in this genre. The 1980s also saw the birth of the [[grunge]] genre, with the arrival of such bands as [[Soundgarden]] and [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]].

[[Siouxsie and the Banshees]] and [[Pigbag]] were post punk bands. [[New Order (band)|New Order]] and [[U2]] had post punk origins.

Former [[The Beatles|Beatle]] [[John Lennon]] and [[Yoko Ono]] released their joint number 1 album ''[[Double Fantasy]]'' in November 1980. This was Lennon's final album before his [[Death of John Lennon|murder]] in December 1980. [[Led Zeppelin]] disbanded after drummer [[John Bonham]]'s 1980 death. [[Brian Johnson]] became lead singer of [[AC/DC]] after predecessor [[Bon Scott]] died in 1980. Reggae musician [[Bob Marley]] died from a lentiginous skin [[melanoma]] in 1981. Motown singer [[Marvin Gaye]] was [[Death of Marvin Gaye|shot dead]] by his [[Marvin Gay Sr.|father]] in 1984. Airplane crashes killed Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist [[Randy Rhoads]]  in 1982, and [[Kyu Sakamoto]] in 1985. [[Karen Carpenter]] died from complications of [[anorexia nervosa]] in 1983. Her death resulted in widespread attention and research into eating disorders and body dysmorphia. Other deaths include [[Tim Hardin]] in 1980, [[Harry Chapin]] in 1981, [[Metallica]] bassist [[Cliff Burton]] in 1986, [[Andy Gibb]] in 1988 and [[Hibari Misora]] in 1989.

[[File:Live Aid at JFK Stadium, Philadelphia, PA.jpg|thumb|[[Live Aid]] concert at [[Philadelphia]]'s [[JFK Stadium]] in 1985|left]]
In 1984, the British supergroup [[Band Aid (band)|Band Aid]] was formed to raise aid and awareness of the economic plight of [[Ethiopia]]. In 1985's [[Live Aid]] concert, featuring many artists, promoted attention and action to send food aid to [[Ethiopia]] whose people were suffering from a major [[1984–1985 famine in Ethiopia|famine]].

[[File:Nakamori Akina in 1985.jpg|thumb|[[Akina Nakamori]] in 1985]]
During the 1980s, Japan had the second largest music market in the world.<ref>Tokita and Hughes. The Ashgate Research Companion to Japanese Music. 2008. [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=W2JTgQGc99EC&pg=PA355#v=onepage&q&f=false p 355].</ref> [[J-pop#1980s: Fusion with "kayōkyoku"|Popular music]] included [[Kayōkyoku#1970s–1980s: Idol kayō era|kayōkyoku]],  [[Japanese idol#1980–1990: Golden Age of Idols|idols]], [[New music (Japanese genre)|new music]], [[Japanese rock#1980s to 1990s|rock]] and techno-pop. Artists and bands included [[Seiko Matsuda]], [[Akina Nakamori]], [[Hiroko Yakushimaru]], [[Tomoyo Harada]], [[Yōko Oginome]], [[Yoko Minamino]], [[Chisato Moritaka]], [[Wink (duo)|Wink]],  [[Saki Kubota]], [[Rebecca (band)|Rebecca]], [[Kome Kome Club]], the [[Southern All Stars]], [[Eiichi Ohtaki]] and [[Yellow Magic Orchestra]].<ref>[https://reminder.top/757768202/ 聖子と明菜の頂上決戦「80年代アイドル総選挙 ザ・ベスト100」結果発表!]. Re:minder. 16 February 2023.</ref><ref>Issei Tomizawa, 「昭和ニューミュージック」の1980年代, 言視舎, 2023, ISBN 9784865652581.</ref><ref>Schilling. The Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture. 1997. Fourth printing. 2004. pp 110, 230,  [https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofja00schi/page/231/mode/1up 231] & 300.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160428193100/http://www.jacompa.or.jp/reco23.html 第23回 日本レコード大賞]. Japan Composer's Association</ref> The song "Hana" by [[Shoukichi Kina]], was a hit overseas, and sold 30 million copies.<ref>Urbain. [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=iA6MDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA7#v=onepage&q&f=false Music and Conflict Transformation] p 6</ref>
[[File:Soda Stereo '84.png|thumb|[[Soda Stereo]] in 1984, [[Buenos Aires]].]]
[[Argentine rock]] reached its highest popularity and commercial success. Argentine bands such as [[Soda Stereo]] became widely acclaimed throughout [[Latin America]]. The [[underground culture]] in [[Buenos Aires]] created many bands that would become household names, like [[reggae rock]] band [[Sumo (band)|Sumo]] and [[post-punk]] [[Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota|Los Redondos]]. [[Charly García]] left his [[Supergroup (music)|supergroup]] [[Serú Girán|Seru Giran]] and started a successful solo career with the Argentine rock album [[Clics modernos|Clics Modernos]]. [[Luis Alberto Spinetta]] also thrived as a solo musician, while [[Andrés Calamaro]], along with [[Miguel Abuelo]], leaded [[Los Abuelos de la Nada]], which would go on to compose [[Mil horas|Mil Horas]], a rock anthem in all the spanish-speaking world.

Artists singing in Italian included [[Al Bano and Romina Power]] and [[Matia Bazar]]. [[Rondò Veneziano]] were a [[baroque pop]] outfit.

Artists who topped the [[List of Billboard Year-End number-one singles and albums|US annual album chart]] included [[Pink Floyd]], [[REO Speedwagon]], [[Asia (band)|Asia]], [[Bruce Springsteen]], [[George Michael]] and [[Bobby Brown]]. Artists who topped the US annual singles chart included [[Blondie (band)|Blondie]], [[Kim Carnes]], [[Olivia Newton-John]], [[The Police]], [[Wham!]], Dionne & Friends (which consisted of [[Dionne Warwick]], [[Elton John]], [[Gladys Knight]] and Stevie Wonder) and [[The Bangles]].

The [[List of best-selling albums of the 1980s in the United Kingdom|UK best selling album]] of the 1980s was by [[Dire Straits]]. The [[List of best-selling singles of the 1980s in the United Kingdom|best selling single]] was by Band Aid. Artists who topped the [[1981 in British music#Year-end charts|UK annual singles chart]] included [[The Human League]], [[Dexys Midnight Runners]], [[Culture Club]], [[Jennifer Rush]], [[The Communards]], [[Cliff Richard]] and [[Black Box (band)|Black Box]]. Artists who topped the UK annual albums chart included [[ABBA]], [[Adam and the Ants]], [[Barbra Streisand]] and [[Jason Donovan]].

Other famous and popular female singers included [[Belinda Carlisle]], [[Bette Midler]], [[Bonnie Tyler]], [[Celine Dion]], [[Debbie Gibson]], [[Deniece Williams]], [[Diana Ross]], [[Gloria Estefan]], [[Janet Jackson]], [[Joan Jett]], [[Kate Bush]], [[Kim Wilde]], [[Laura Branigan]], [[Martika]], [[Nena]], [[Pat Benatar]], [[Paula Abdul]], [[Samantha Fox]], [[Sheena Easton]], [[Tiffany Darwish]] and [[Tina Turner]]. Other famous and popular male singers included [[Billy Joel]], [[Billy Ocean]], [[Bob Dylan]], [[Bryan Adams]], [[David Bowie]], [[Don Henley]], [[Frank Sinatra]], [[Freddie Mercury]], [[George Harrison]], [[Nik Kershaw]], [[Paul McCartney]], [[Paul Young]], [[Phil Collins]], [[Rick Springfield]], [[Robert Palmer (singer)|Robert Palmer]], [[Sting (musician)|Sting]]  and [[Terence Trent D'Arby]]. Other famous and popular bands included [[Bee Gees]], [[Boston (band)|Boston]], [[Cheap Trick]], [[The Cure]], [[Fleetwood Mac]], [[Foreigner (band)|Foreigner]], [[Frankie Goes to Hollywood]], [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]], [[Hall & Oates]], [[Imagination (band)|Imagination]], [[The Jackson 5]], [[KC and the Sunshine Band]], [[Kool & the Gang]], [[Lipps Inc.]], [[Miami Sound Machine]], [[Mike and the Mechanics]], [[Men at Work]], [[Motörhead]], [[New Kids on the Block]], [[The Pointer Sisters]], [[The Rolling Stones]], [[The Stranglers]], [[Tight Fit]], [[Toto (band)|Toto]], [[UB40]], [[Whitesnake]], [[Yes (band)|Yes]] and [[ZZ Top]].

Other artists with [[List of Billboard Hot 100 number ones of 1980|US number 1 singles]] included [[John Mellencamp|John Cougar]], [[Captain & Tennille]], [[Rupert Holmes]], [[Eddie Rabbitt]], [[Stars on 45]], [[Air Supply]], [[The J. Geils Band]], [[Steve Miller Band]], [[Patti Austin]], [[James Ingram]], [[John Waite]], [[Huey Lewis and the News]], [[Ready for the World]], [[Jan Hammer]], [[Mr. Mister]], [[Marilyn Martin]], [[Falco (musician)|Falco]], [[Simply Red]], [[Peter Cetera]], [[Amy Grant]], [[Steve Winwood]], [[Patti LaBelle]], [[Michael McDonald (musician)|Michael McDonald]], [[Bruce Hornsby]], [[Gregory Abbott]], [[Billy Vera]], [[Club Nouveau]], [[Aretha Franklin]], [[Cutting Crew]], [[Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam]], [[Atlantic Starr]], [[Los Lobos]], [[Bob Seger]], [[Siedah Garrett]], [[Billy Idol]], [[Exposé (group)|Exposé]], [[Bobby McFerrin]], [[Richard Marx]], [[The Beach Boys]], [[The Escape Club]], [[Will to Power (band)|Will to Power]], [[Sheriff (band)|Sheriff]], [[Roxette]], [[Fine Young Cannibals]], [[Michael Damian]], [[Milli Vanilli]] and [[Bad English]].

In theatre, the decade paved the way for what are now known as the [[megamusical]], with examples such as ''[[Cats (musical)|Cats]]'', ''[[Starlight Express]]'', ''[[Les Misérables (musical)|Les Misérables]]'', ''[[The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)|The Phantom of the Opera]]'', and ''[[Miss Saigon]]''.

Other artists with [[List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 1981|US number 1 albums]] include [[Journey (band)|Journey]] and [[Stevie Nicks]].

French musicians included [[Florent Pagny]], [[F.R. David]], [[France Gall]], [[Jean-Jacques Goldman]], [[Johnny Hallyday]], [[Julie Pietri]], [[Michel Berger]], [[Patrick Bruel]] and [[Renaud]]. Austrian, Dutch and German musicians included [[C. C. Catch]], [[Dschinghis Khan]], [[Joy (Austrian band)|Joy]], [[Modern Talking]] and [[Sandra (singer)|Sandra Cretu]]. Other popular musicians included [[Bad Boys Blue]], [[Baltimora]], [[Demis Roussos]] and [[Ryan Paris]].
* Oscar winners for Best Song: "[[Fame (Irene Cara song)|Fame]]" ([[Irene Cara]]), "[[Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)]]" ([[Christopher Cross]]), "[[Up Where We Belong]]" ([[Joe Cocker]] and [[Jennifer Warnes]]), "[[Flashdance... What a Feeling]]", "[[I Just Called to Say I Love You]]" ([[Stevie Wonder]]), "[[Say You, Say Me]]" ([[Lionel Richie]]), "[[Take My Breath Away]]" ([[Berlin (band)|Berlin]]), "[[(I've Had) The Time of My Life]]" ([[Bill Medley]] and Jennifer Warnes), "[[Let the River Run]]" ([[Carly Simon]]) and "[[Under the Sea]]".

Other artists contributing music to cinema films included [[Vangelis]], [[Limahl]], [[Ray Parker Jr.]], [[Survivor (band)|Survivor]], [[Starship (band)|Starship]], [[Simple Minds]], [[Kenny Loggins]], [[Azumi Inoue]], [[Michael Sembello]], [[Lindsey Buckingham]] and [[John Parr]].

Other musicians included [[Earth Wind & Fire]], [[Frank Zappa]], [[Gloria Gaynor]], [[Jerry Lee Lewis]], [[Little Richard]], [[Luther Vandross]], [[Paul Anka]], [[Queensrÿche]], [[Simon & Garfunkel]], [[Stevie Ray Vaughan]], [[Talking Heads]], [[Twisted Sister]] and the [[Village People]].

===Film===
{{Main|1980s in film}}
[[File:Ponferrada - graffiti & murals 03 (cropped).JPG|260px|thumb|The highest-grossing film of the decade was ''[[E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial]]'' (1982)]]
[[File:Puenzo aleandro premio oscar.jpg|thumb|Director [[Luis Puenzo]] and actress [[Norma Aleandro|Norma Leandro]] from [[Argentina]] celebrating the Oscar won by ''[[The Official Story]]'' at the [[58th Academy Awards]]]]
'''Critically acclaimed films and thespians'''
* Oscar winners for Best Picture: ''[[Ordinary People]]'', ''[[Chariots of Fire]]'', ''[[Gandhi (film)|Gandhi]]'', ''[[Terms of Endearment]]'', ''[[Amadeus (film)|Amadeus]]'', ''[[Out of Africa (film)|Out of Africa]]'', ''[[Platoon (film)|Platoon]]'', ''[[The Last Emperor]]'', ''[[Rain Man]]'' and ''[[Driving Miss Daisy]]''.
* The highest-grossing films of the decade are (in order from highest to lowest ''domestic'' grossing): ''[[E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial]]'', ''[[Return of the Jedi]]'', ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'', ''[[Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade]]'', ''[[Batman (1989 film)|Batman]]'', ''[[Rain Man]]'', ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]'', ''[[Ghostbusters]]'', ''[[Back to the Future]]'', ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit]]'', ''[[Top Gun]]'', ''[[Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom]]'', ''[[Back to the Future Part II]]'', ''[[Crocodile Dundee]]'', ''[[Fatal Attraction]]'' and ''[[Beverly Hills Cop]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/boxoffice/alltimegross?region=world-wide |title=All-Time Worldwide Box Office |work=IMDb |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111125114400/http://www.imdb.com/boxoffice/alltimegross?region=world-wide |archive-date=2011-11-25 }}</ref>
* Oscar winners for Best Foreign Language Film: ''[[Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears]]'', ''[[Mephisto (1981 film)|Mephisto]]'', ''[[Begin the Beguine (film)|Begin the Beguine]]'', ''[[Fanny and Alexander]]'', ''[[Dangerous Moves]]'', ''[[The Official Story]]'', ''[[The Assault (1986 film)|The Assault]]'', ''[[Babette's Feast]]'', ''[[Pelle the Conqueror]]'' and ''[[Cinema Paradiso]]''.
* Oscar winners for Best Actor: [[Robert De Niro]], [[Henry Fonda]], [[Ben Kingsley]], [[Robert Duvall]], [[F. Murray Abraham]], [[William Hurt]], [[Paul Newman]], [[Michael Douglas]], [[Dustin Hoffman]] and [[Daniel Day-Lewis]].
* Oscar winners for Best Actress: [[Sissy Spacek]], [[Katharine Hepburn]], [[Meryl Streep]], [[Shirley MacLaine]], [[Sally Field]], [[Geraldine Page]], [[Marlee Matlin]], [[Cher]], [[Jodie Foster]] and [[Jessica Tandy]].

'''The film industry'''

The 1980s saw the return of studio-driven films, coming from the filmmaker-driven [[New Hollywood]] era of the 1970s.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Ebert, Roger|author2=Bordwell, David|title=Awake in the Dark: The Best of Roger Ebert|date=2008|publisher=The University of Chicago Press|location=Chicago and London|isbn=978-0226182018|page=xvii|edition=Paperback|quote=In his pluralism, [Roger] Ebert proved a more authentic cinephile than many of his contemporaries. They tied their fortunes to the Film Brats and then suffered the inevitable disappointments of the 1980s return to studio-driven pictures.}}</ref> The period was when '[[high concept]]' films gained popularity, where movies were to be easily marketable and understandable, and, therefore, they had short cinematic [[Plot (narrative)|plots]] that could be summarized in one or two sentences. The modern Hollywood [[Blockbuster (entertainment)|blockbuster]] is the most popular film format from the 1980s. Producer [[Don Simpson]]<ref>{{Cite book |last = Fleming |first = Charles |title = High concept: Don Simpson and the Hollywood culture of excess |year = 1998 |publisher = Doubleday |isbn = 978-0-385-48694-1 |url-access = registration |url = https://archive.org/details/highconceptdonsi00flem_0 }}</ref> is usually credited with the creation of the high-concept picture of the modern Hollywood blockbuster. In the mid-1980s, a wave of British directors, including [[Ridley Scott]], [[Alan Parker]], [[Adrian Lyne]] and [[Tony Scott]] (with the latter directing a number of Don Simpson films) ushered in a new era of blockbusters using the crowd-pleasing skills they had honed in UK television commercials.<ref>{{cite news|first=Delaney|last=Sam|title=Jets, jeans and Hovis|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/aug/24/1|work=The Guardian|date=August 24, 2007|access-date=March 13, 2019}}</ref>

A significant development in the home media business is the establishment of [[The Criterion Collection]] in 1984, an American company "dedicated to gathering the greatest films from around the world and publishing them in editions that offer the highest technical quality". Through their releases, they were able to introduce what is now a standard to home video: [[Letterboxing (filming)|letterboxing]] to retain the original aspect ratio, [[Audio commentary|film commentaries]] and supplements/special features.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Criterion |url=https://www.criterion.com/about_us |access-date=26 February 2016 |website=The Criterion Collection |publisher=[[The Criterion Collection]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=28 October 2014 |title=Frame by Frame |publisher=Wadham College, University of Oxford |url=https://www.wadham.ox.ac.uk/news/2014/october/frame-by-frame |url-status=dead |access-date=27 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009214529/https://www.wadham.ox.ac.uk/news/2014/october/frame-by-frame |archive-date=9 October 2016}}</ref>

'''Live-action films'''
[[File:Arnold Schwarzenegger on Capitol Hill (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Action movie]] star [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] rose to international fame this decade with ''[[The Terminator]]'' (1984)]]

The 1980s saw the golden age of [[teen film]]s. ''[[Class (film)|Class]]'', ''[[Fast Times at Ridgemont High]]'', ''[[Risky Business]]'', ''[[Mannequin (1987 film)|Mannequin]]'', ''[[Porky's]]'', ''[[Valley Girl (1983 film)|Valley Girl]]'', and [[John Hughes (filmmaker)|John Hughes]] directed or written ''[[Sixteen Candles]]'', ''[[The Breakfast Club]]'', ''[[Weird Science (film)|Weird Science]]'', ''[[Ferris Bueller's Day Off]]'', ''[[Pretty in Pink]]'' and ''[[Some Kind of Wonderful (film)|Some Kind of Wonderful]]'', were popular teen comedies, and their stars include [[Emilio Estevez]], [[Anthony Michael Hall]], [[Jennifer Jason Leigh]], [[Andrew McCarthy]], [[Rob Lowe]], [[Judd Nelson]], [[Molly Ringwald]], [[Ally Sheedy]], [[Matthew Broderick]], [[Tom Cruise]], [[Rebecca De Mornay]], [[Sean Penn]] and [[Nicolas Cage]]. Other youth dramas include ''[[Stand by Me (film)|Stand by Me]]'' and [[Francis Ford Coppola]] directed ''[[The Outsiders (film)|The Outsiders]]'' and ''[[Rumble Fish]]''. Their stars include [[River Phoenix]] and [[Mickey Rourke]]. The [[Brat Pack (actors)|Brat Pack]] films are said to include ''The Breakfast Club'' and ''[[St. Elmo's Fire (film)|St. Elmo's Fire]]''. Musical dance films include ''[[Footloose (1984 film)|Footloose]]'', ''[[Dirty Dancing]]'' and ''[[Flashdance]]'', and their stars include [[Kevin Bacon]] and [[Patrick Swayze]]. Other musicals include ''[[Annie (1982 film)|Annie]]''.

Horror films were a popular genre during the decade. Among the most popular horror franchises of the 1980s were the ''[[Friday the 13th (franchise)|Friday the 13th]]'', ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise)|A Nightmare on Elm Street]]'', ''[[Halloween (franchise)|Halloween]]'', ''[[Child's Play (film series)|Child's Play]]'', ''[[Hellraiser (franchise)|Hellraiser]]'', and ''[[Poltergeist (film series)|Poltergeist]]'' franchises. Their casts include [[Jamie Lee Curtis]], [[Robert Englund]], [[Catherine Hicks]], [[Chris Sarandon]] and [[Brad Dourif]]. ''[[The Shining (film)|The Shining]]'' was initially met with mixed reviews from critics, and even from the [[Stephen King|author]] of the [[The Shining (novel)|book]], and was moderately financially successful, but later became very popular and critically acclaimed. The concept of the [[B movie|B horror film]] gave rise to many horror films that went on to earn cult status, such as ''[[The Evil Dead]]'', which was directed by [[Sam Raimi]]. Comedy horror films included ''[[Beetlejuice]]'', ''[[Gremlins]]'', ''[[Little Shop of Horrors (1986 film)|Little Shop of Horrors]]'' and ''[[The Lost Boys]]''. Their stars include [[Alec Baldwin]], [[Geena Davis]], [[Winona Ryder]], [[Zach Galligan]], [[Phoebe Cates]], [[Corey Feldman]], [[Corey Haim]] and [[Kiefer Sutherland]].

Comedies included ''[[The Blues Brothers (film)|The Blues Brothers]]'', ''[[Caddyshack]]'', ''[[Stir Crazy (film)|Stir Crazy]]'', ''[[Private Benjamin (1980 film)|Private Benjamin]]'', ''[[9 to 5 (film)|9 to 5]]'', ''[[Trading Places]]'', ''[[Splash (film)|Splash]]'', ''[[Jumpin' Jack Flash (film)|Jumpin' Jack Flash]]'', ''[[Three Men and a Baby]]'', ''[[Harry and the Hendersons]]'', ''[[Throw Momma from the Train]]'', ''[[Planes, Trains and Automobiles]]'', ''[[Twins (1988 film)|Twins]]'', ''[[The 'Burbs]]'' and two [[Ghostbusters (franchise)|Ghostbusters]] films, and their stars included [[Dan Aykroyd]], [[Chevy Chase]], [[Gene Wilder]], [[Richard Pryor]], [[Goldie Hawn]], [[Jane Fonda]], [[Tom Hanks]], [[Whoopi Goldberg]], [[Ted Danson]], [[Steve Guttenberg]], [[Tom Selleck]], [[John Lithgow]], [[Danny DeVito]], [[Billy Crystal]], [[Ernie Hudson]], [[Rick Moranis]], [[Steve Martin]] and [[John Candy]]. Romcoms include ''[[Look Who's Talking]]'', starring [[John Travolta]]. ''[[Good Morning, Vietnam]]'' is a war comedy starring [[Robin Williams]] and [[Forest Whitaker]]. Action comedies include ''[[48 Hrs.]]'', ''[[Romancing the Stone]]'' and ''[[The Jewel of the Nile]]''. Their stars include [[Nick Nolte]] and [[Kathleen Turner]].

The most popular action film franchises introduced during the 1980s were the ''[[Indiana Jones]]'', ''[[Die Hard (franchise)|Die Hard]]'', ''[[Lethal Weapon (film series)|Lethal Weapon]]'', and ''[[Rambo (film series)|Rambo]]'' franchises. Other popular action films from the decade include ''[[The Terminator]]'', ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]'', ''[[Mad Max 2]]'', ''[[Escape from New York]]'', ''[[Red Dawn]]'', ''[[Predator (film)|Predator]]'',  ''[[RoboCop]]'', the Dirty Harry film ''[[Sudden Impact]]'' and ''[[Cobra (1986 film)|Cobra]]''. Stars of these films included [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]], [[Bruce Willis]], [[Alan Rickman]], [[Sigourney Weaver]], [[Mel Gibson]], [[Danny Glover]], [[Joe Pesci]], [[Charlie Sheen]], [[Linda Hamilton]], [[Michael Biehn]], [[Lance Henriksen]], [[Gary Busey]], [[Harrison Ford]], [[Karen Allen]], [[Peter Weller]], [[Nancy Allen (actress)|Nancy Allen]], [[Kurt Russell]], [[Clint Eastwood]], [[Sylvester Stallone]], [[Brigitte Nielsen]] and [[Brian Dennehy]]. [[Hong Kong action cinema]] and [[martial arts film]]s were revolutionized by a new wave of inventive filmmakers that included [[Jackie Chan]], [[Sammo Hung]], [[Tsui Hark]], and [[John Woo]]. American martial arts films had actors such as [[Chuck Norris]], [[Jean-Claude Van Damme]] and [[Steven Seagal]], and included ''[[The Karate Kid]]''. Sports drama included [[The Natural (film)|The Natural]] and the two ''[[Rocky (franchise)|Rocky]]'' films, whose stars included [[Carl Weathers]] and [[Dolph Lundgren]].

Five more [[James bond films|James Bond films]] were released, with [[Roger Moore]] continuing in the role in ''[[For Your Eyes Only (film)|For Your Eyes Only]]'', ''[[Octopussy (film)|Octopussy]]'', and ''[[A View to a Kill (film)|A View To A Kill]]'', before handing over the role to [[Timothy Dalton]] who starred in ''[[The Living Daylights (film)|The Living Daylights]]'' and ''[[Licence to Kill (film)|Licence To Kill]]''.

The post-2000 popularity of blockbuster [[superhero film]]s is attributed in part to the start such blockbuster films gained in the 1980s, starting with [[Superman in film#Salkind/Cannon film series (1978–1987)|Salkind's ''Superman'' film series]] 1978–1987 and bookended at the end of the decade with [[Tim Burton]]'s 1989 ''[[Batman (1989 film)|Batman]]''.<ref name=Vulture24Oct2016>{{cite web |url=https://www.vulture.com/2016/10/2016-why-are-we-obsessed-with-the-80s.html |title=It's 2016. Why Are We Still Obsessed With the '80s? |last=Chaney |first=Jen |date=2016-10-24 |website=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]] |access-date=2024-06-05}}</ref> Their stars include [[Christopher Reeve]], [[Gene Hackman]], [[Michael Keaton]], [[Kim Basinger]] and [[Jack Nicholson]].

The popularity of [[List of science fiction films of the 1980s|science fiction films in the 1980s]] is attributable to the popularity of the [[Star Wars original trilogy]] (1977–1983).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/how-star-wars-revolutionized-entertainment |title=How Star Wars Revolutionized Entertainment |last=Weitekamp |first=Margaret |date=2019-12-19  |publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]] |access-date=2024-06-07 |quote=The success of science fiction and fantasy movies in the 1980s and beyond owes much to ''Star Wars''}}</ref> Science fiction films include ''[[Blade Runner]]'', ''[[Outland (film)|Outland]]'', ''[[The Return of Godzilla]]'', ''[[The Dead Zone (film)|The Dead Zone]]'', ''[[The Fly (1986 film)|The Fly]]'', ''[[The Abyss]]'', ''[[The Running Man (1987 film)|The Running Man]]'', ''[[Flash Gordon (film)|Flash Gordon]]'', ''[[Innerspace]]'', ''[[Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure]]'' and ''[[Back to the Future]]''. Their stars include [[Mark Hamill]], [[Carrie Fisher]], [[Alec Guinness]], [[James Earl Jones]], [[Rutger Hauer]], [[Daryl Hannah]], [[Jeff Goldblum]], [[Max von Sydow]], [[Dennis Quaid]], [[Meg Ryan]], [[Michael J. Fox]], [[Christopher Lloyd]], [[Lea Thompson]] and [[Keanu Reeves]]. Sword and sorcery films include ''[[Excalibur (film)|Excalibur]]'' and ''[[Conan the Barbarian (1982 film)|Conan the Barbarian]]''. Other fantasy films include ''[[Time Bandits]]'', ''[[The Dark Crystal]]'', ''[[The NeverEnding Story (film)|The NeverEnding Story]]'' and ''[[The Witches of Eastwick (film)|The Witches of Eastwick]]'', starring [[Michelle Pfeiffer]] and [[Susan Sarandon]].

Westerns include ''[[Urban Cowboy]]'', ''[[The Man from Snowy River (1982 film)|The Man from Snowy River]]'' and ''[[Mother Lode]]''. Period dramas include ''[[The Bostonians (film)|The Bostonians]]''. Historical epics include ''[[The Right Stuff (film)|The Right Stuff]]'', ''[[Kagemusha]]'' and ''[[Ran (film)|Ran]]''. War films include ''Platoon'', ''[[Full Metal Jacket]]'' and ''[[Das Boot]]''. Their stars include [[Tom Berenger]], [[Willem Dafoe]], [[Matthew Modine]] and [[Jürgen Prochnow]]. Romances include ''[[An Officer and a Gentleman]]'', starring [[Richard Gere]], [[Debra Winger]] and [[Louis Gossett Jr.]]

Neo-noir films include ''[[Blow Out]]'' and ''[[Blue Velvet (film)|Blue Velvet]]''. Mob films include ''[[Once Upon a Time in America]]'', ''[[Scarface (1983 film)|Scarface]]'' and ''[[The Untouchables (film)|The Untouchables]]''. Their stars include [[Al Pacino]] and [[Kevin Costner]].

''[[Sailor Suit and Machine Gun (film)|Sailor Suit and Machine Gun]]'' is a satirical yakuza film. Other [[w:ja:1981年の映画#各国ランキング|popular]] Japanese films included ''[[Imperial Navy (film)|Imperial Navy]]'', ''[[Antarctica (1983 film)|Antarctica]]'', ''[[Legend of the Eight Samurai]]'', ''[[The Burmese Harp (1985 film)|The Burmese Harp]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Milo and Otis]]'', ''[[Hachikō Monogatari]]'' and ''[[The Silk Road (film)|The Silk Road]]''.

[[Gérard Depardieu]] starred in the French films ''[[La Chèvre]]'', ''[[The Last Metro]]'', ''[[Danton (1983 film)|Danton]]'', ''[[Police (1985 film)|Police]]'' and ''[[Jean de Florette]]''. [[Luc Besson]] directed ''[[The Big Blue]]''. [[Jean-Jacques Annaud]] directed ''[[Quest for Fire (film)|Quest for Fire]]'' and ''[[The Bear (1988 film)|The Bear]]''.

'''Animated films'''

After leaving [[Disney]] in 1979, [[Don Bluth]] formed [[Don Bluth Productions|his own studio]] and went on direct ''[[The Secret of NIMH]]'', ''[[An American Tail]]'', ''[[The Land Before Time (film)|The Land Before Time]]'' and ''[[All Dogs Go To Heaven]]''. [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|The Disney studio]] was almost bankrupted after ''[[The Black Cauldron (film)|The Black Cauldron]]'' bombed at the box office. They began to recover with the modest success of [[Ron Clements]] and [[John Musker]] directed ''[[The Great Mouse Detective]]''. The live-action animated hybrid [[Robert Zemeckis]] directed ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit]]'' co-produced with Steven Spielberg was successful, and the [[Disney Renaissance]] began with ''[[The Little Mermaid (1989 film)|The Little Mermaid]]'', starring [[Jodi Benson]].

Animated films based on popular works include ''[[Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!)]]'',  ''[[Heavy Metal (film)|Heavy Metal]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Mark Twain (1985 film)|The Adventures of Mark Twain]]'', ''[[The Care Bears Movie]]'', ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' and ''[[The Chipmunk Adventure]]''; while original films include ''[[The Last Unicorn (film)|The Last Unicorn]]'', ''[[The Plague Dogs (film)|The Plague Dogs]]'', ''[[Rock & Rule]]'', ''[[Fire and Ice (1983 film)|Fire and Ice]]'', ''[[Abra Cadabra (film)|Abra Cadabra]]'', ''[[The Brave Little Toaster]]'', ''[[The BFG (1989 film)|The BFG]]'', and the first Wallace & Gromit film, ''[[A Grand Day Out]]''.

The 1980s also saw a surge of [[Anime|Japanese anime films]]: [[Hayao Miyazaki]]'s ''[[The Castle of Cagliostro]]'' and ''[[Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (film)|Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind]]'' were successful and led to the foundation of [[Studio Ghibli]], which produced the successful ''[[Castle in the Sky]]'', ''[[My Neighbor Totoro]]'', ''[[Grave of the Fireflies]]'' and ''[[Kiki's Delivery Service]]'' in the 1980s. Other well-known anime films of that decade include ''[[Golgo 13: The Professional]]'', ''[[Macross: Do You Remember Love?]]'', ''[[Lensman (1984 film)|Lensman]]'', ''[[Vampire Hunter D (1985 film)|Vampire Hunter D]]'', ''[[Akira (1988 film)|Akira]]'', ''[[Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland]]'' and the ''[[Urusei Yatsura (film series)|Urusei Yatsura film series]]''. The first theatrical animated franchise, [[List of Doraemon films|the Doraemon film series]] began in 1980 with the release of ''[[Doraemon: Nobita's Dinosaur]]''.

===Television===
{{Main|1980s in television}}
Music video channel [[MTV]] was launched in the United States in 1981 and had a profound impact on the [[music industry]] and [[popular culture]], especially in the 1980s and early 1990s.

The 1980s was a decade of transformation in television. [[Cable television]] became more accessible and therefore, more popular. By the middle of the decade, almost 70% of the US population had cable television and over 85% were paying for cable services such as [[HBO]] or [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]].<ref>[http://eightiesclub.tripod.com/id13.htm The Politics and Pop Culture of the 1980s] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318100759/http://eightiesclub.tripod.com/id13.htm |date=2009-03-18 }} The Eighties Club. Retrieved on 2010-03-08</ref> People who lived in rural areas where cable TV service was not available could still access cable channels through a large (and expensive) [[satellite dish]], which, by the mid-1990s, was phased out in favor of the small rooftop dishes that offer [[DirecTV]] and [[Dish Network]] services.

[[CNN]] and [[Bravo (American TV network)|Bravo]] began in 1980; [[Channel 4]], [[Rete 4]] and [[Italia 1]] in 1982; [[RTL (German TV channel)|RTL]] and [[Canal+ (French TV channel)|Canal+]] in 1984; [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] in 1986; [[M6 (TV channel)|M6]] in 1987; [[Turner Network Television]] in 1988; [[CNBC]] and [[ProSieben]] in 1989.

New [[prime-time television|prime-time]] [[soap opera]]s  included ''[[Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]'', its spin-off ''[[Knots Landing]]'', ''[[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]'', ''[[Falcon Crest]]'', ''[[EastEnders]]'' and ''[[Neighbours]]''. Their stars included [[Larry Hagman]], [[Linda Gray]], [[Patrick Duffy]], [[Victoria Principal]], [[John Forsythe]], [[Joan Collins]], [[Linda Evans]] and [[Heather Locklear]].

During the 1980s, sitcoms were popular, including ''[[Bosom Buddies]]'', ''[[Family Ties]]'', ''[[Newhart]]'', ''[[Too Close for Comfort]]'', ''[[The Cosby Show]]'', ''[[Night Court]]'', ''[[Full House]]'', ''[[The Wonder Years]]'' and ''[[Married... with Children]]''. Sitcom ''[[Cheers]]'' starred [[Kirstie Alley]], [[Woody Harrelson]], [[Shelley Long]], [[Rhea Perlman]], [[John Ratzenberger]], [[George Wendt]]. ''[[Taxi (TV series)|Taxi]]'' starred [[Marilu Henner]], [[Judd Hirsch]], [[Tony Danza]] and [[Andy Kaufman]]. ''[[Who's the Boss?]]'' starred [[Judith Light]] and [[Alyssa Milano]]. ''[[The Golden Girls]]'', was the first comedy ever to feature four older women in title TV roles. ''[[Designing Women]]'' starred [[Dixie Carter]], [[Annie Potts]] and [[Delta Burke]]. [[Marla Gibbs]] starred in ''[[The Jeffersons]]'' and ''[[227 (TV series)|227]]'', which also starred [[Jackée Harry]]. Other sitcoms included [[Growing Pains]] and the British ''[[Blackadder]]'', ''[['Allo 'Allo!]]'', ''[[The Young Ones (TV series)|The Young Ones]]'' and ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]''.

Sketch comedy and variety show ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' experienced turbulence for much of the 1980s. Its cast members included [[Jim Belushi]], [[Bill Murray]], [[Eddie Murphy]], [[Martin Short]], and [[Julia Louis-Dreyfus]]. Other comedy sketch shows included ''[[Not the Nine O'Clock News]]'', ''[[The Kenny Everett Television Show]]'' and the influential and popular ''{{ill|Oretachi Hyokinzoku|ja|オレたちひょうきん族}}'' (sometimes called "We Are Wild and Crazy Guys").<ref>Janet Ashby, "Oretachi Hyokinzoku" in "Time Out Japanese". [[The Japan Times]]. 10 August 1990. No 32878. p 13.</ref>

[[Legal drama]]s included ''[[Matlock (1986 TV series)|Matlock]]'', which starred [[Andy Griffith]] as Matlock,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stransky |first=Tanner  |date=July 3, 2012 |title=Andy Griffith dies |url=https://ew.com/article/2012/07/03/andy-griffith-dies |access-date=May 7, 2018 |website=EW.com}}</ref> and also starred [[Nancy Stafford]] and [[Clarence Gilyard Jr.]]. Cop shows included ''[[Dempsey and Makepeace]]'', ''[[Miami Vice]]'', ''[[Cagney & Lacey]]'', ''[[21 Jump Street]]'', ''[[Hill Street Blues]]'' and ''[[The Bill]]''. Other crime shows included ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]''. Their stars included [[Don Johnson]], [[Philip Michael Thomas]], [[Tyne Daly]], [[Sharon Gless]], [[Johnny Depp]] and [[Angela Lansbury]].

Science fiction included ''[[Blake's 7]]'', ''[[V (franchise)|V]]'', ''[[Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series)|Buck Rogers]]'', ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' (starring [[Patrick Stewart]]), ''[[Red Dwarf]]'', [[ALF (TV series)|''ALF'']], ''[[Airwolf]]'', ''[[Knight Rider (1982 TV series)|Knight Rider]]'' and ''[[Quantum Leap (1989 TV series)|Quantum Leap]]''. Adventure series included  ''[[The A-Team]]'', ''[[Robin of Sherwood]]'', ''[[The Dukes of Hazzard]]'' and ''[[Remington Steele]]''.

Musicals included ''[[Fame (1982 TV series)|Fame]]''. Television magicians included [[David Copperfield (illusionist)|David Copperfield]] and [[Paul Daniels]]. Stand-up comedians included [[Steven Wright]], [[Andrew Dice Clay]] and [[Sam Kinison]]. Dancers included [[Gregory Hines]].

TV talk shows expanded in popularity; ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]'' remained popular into its third decade, and some of the most viewed newer shows were hosted by [[Geraldo Rivera]], [[Arsenio Hall]] and [[David Letterman]].<ref>[http://abc80s.com/sunshine80stv.htm An overview on 80s Television] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100316165254/http://abc80s.com/sunshine80stv.htm |date=2010-03-16 }} Retrieved on 2010-03-08</ref>

TV documentary shows of the 1980s that were popular included ''[[Frontline (American TV program)|Frontline]]'', ''[[Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days]]'', ''[[Unsolved Mysteries]]'' with [[Robert Stack]], and ''[[Rescue 911]]'' with [[William Shatner]].

The [[Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer]] was watched by an estimated global television audience of 750 million people in 1981.

Scandal rocked TV evangelism when in 1987 evangelist [[Jim Bakker]], founder of [[The PTL Club|PTL]] and [[Heritage USA]], was defrocked for having an [[affair]] years earlier and later sent to prison for [[fraud]]. One year later, evangelist [[Jimmy Swaggart]] was defrocked for allegedly having sexual relations with a [[prostitute]].

The 1980s was prominent for spawning popular animated shows such as ''[[The Smurfs (1981 TV series)|The Smurfs]]'', ''[[ThunderCats (1985 TV series)|ThunderCats]]'', ''[[The Transformers (TV series)|The Transformers]]'', ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]]'', ''[[Henry's Cat]]'', ''[[Danger Mouse (1981 TV series)|Danger Mouse]]'', ''[[Count Duckula]]'', ''[[Alias the Jester]]'', ''[[Yakari (1983 TV series)|Yakari]]'', ''[[Lucky Luke (1984 TV series)|Lucky Luke]]'', ''[[Heathcliff (1984 TV series)|Heathcliff]]'' ([[Mel Blanc]]'s final series), ''[[Masters of the Universe]]'', ''[[Inspector Gadget (1983 TV series)|Inspector Gadget]]'', ''[[Alvin and the Chipmunks (1983 TV series)|Alvin and the Chipmunks]]'', ''[[Bananaman (TV series)|Bananaman]]'', ''[[Thomas & Friends]]'', ''[[Muppet Babies (1984 TV series)|Muppet Babies]]'', ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 series)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'', ''[[Babar (TV series)|Babar]]'', ''[[The Raccoons]]'', ''[[DuckTales (1987 TV series)|DuckTales]]'', ''[[Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (TV series)|Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers]]'', ''[[Dennis the Menace (1986 TV series)|Dennis the Menace]]'', ''[[M.A.S.K. (TV series)|M.A.S.K.]]'', ''[[Care Bears (TV series)|Care Bears]]'', ''[[Rainbow Brite (1984 TV series)|Rainbow Brite]]'', ''[[Garfield and Friends]]'', ''[[Pingu]]'', ''[[Postman Pat]]'' and ''[[Fireman Sam]]''.

The earliest ''[[The Simpsons shorts]]'' aired on ''[[The Tracey Ullman Show]]'', and the earliest series of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' appeared. In 1980, ''[[Astro Boy (1980 TV series)|Astro Boy]]'' was remade in color. Other anime series from the 1980s include ''[[Wowser (TV series)|Wowser]]'', ''[[Ulysses 31]]'', ''[[The Mysterious Cities of Gold]]'', ''[[Dominion (manga)|Dominion]]'', ''[[Voltron (1984 TV series)|Voltron]]'', ''[[Super Dimension Fortress Macross]]'', ''[[Fist of the North Star]]'', ''[[Gundam]]'' and ''[[Star Blazers]]''.

===Sports===
{{multiple image
| align             =
| image1            = Larry Bird Lipofsky.jpg
| alt1              = Bird
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| image2            = Magic Lipofsky.jpg
| alt2              = Magic
| caption2          =
| total_width       = 300
| footer_align      = center
| footer            = [[Larry Bird]] (left) and [[Magic Johnson]], the two most popular NBA players of the 1980s.<ref>{{YouTube|ahUN2g0WyYo|The 80s: SPORTS – A Pop Culture Special}}</ref>
}}
* The [[1980 Summer Olympics]] in Moscow were [[1980 Summer Olympics boycott|boycotted]] by 65 countries led by the United States in protest of the 1979 [[Soviet invasion of Afghanistan]].
* A young United States team famously defeated the heavily favored Soviet team in the [[Miracle on Ice]] game, and went on to win the gold medal for ice hockey, at the [[1980 Winter Olympics]].
* The [[New York Islanders]] won the [[Stanley Cup]] for 4 straight years in [[1980 Stanley Cup Finals|1980]], [[1981 Stanley Cup Finals|1981]], [[1982 Stanley Cup Finals|1982]], and [[1983 Stanley Cup Finals|1983]]. The Islanders also became the second [[National Hockey League|NHL]] expansion team after the [[Philadelphia Flyers]] to win the Cup. Since their last Cup win in 1983, they were the third NHL team to win 4 consecutive championships and hold the NHL record for most consecutive playoff series' wins at 19 (stretching from the [[1980 Stanley Cup playoffs|1980 Playoffs]] to the [[1984 Stanley Cup Finals|1984 Playoffs]]).
* The [[Edmonton Eskimos]] of the [[Canadian Football League]] won the first three [[Grey Cup]] championships of the decade (having won the last two of the previous decade), adding one more in 1987.
* India won the [[1983 Cricket World Cup]]. Australia won [[1987 Cricket World Cup]].
* The [[1984 Winter Olympics]] were held in [[Sarajevo]], [[Yugoslavia]] (now Sarajevo, [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]). Yugoslavia became the second communist country to host the [[Olympic Games]], but unlike the Soviet Union in 1980, there were no boycotts of the Games by Western countries.
* The [[1984 Summer Olympics]] in Los Angeles were boycotted by the Soviet Union and most of the Communist world (China, Romania, and Yugoslavia participated in the games) in retaliation for the boycott of the 1980 Games in Moscow.
* The [[Jamaica national bobsled team]] received major media attention and stunned the world at the [[1988 Winter Olympics]] in [[Calgary|Calgary, Alberta]], Canada for its unexpected good performance. The events surrounding the Jamaica bobsled team in 1988 would lead to the creation of the [[Disney]] movie ''[[Cool Runnings]]'' five years later.
* The [[1988 Summer Olympics]] were held in [[Seoul]], South Korea. Attempts to include North Korea in the games were unsuccessful and it boycotted along with six other countries, but with 160 nations participating, it had the highest attendance of any Olympics to date.
[[File:Audi Sport Quattro S1-E2 Sachs Franken Classic 2018 P5190483.jpg|thumb|[[Audi Sport Quattro]] S1 E2]]
* [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile|FIA]] banned [[Group B]] [[rallying]] after a series of deaths and injuries took place in the 1986 season.
* Canadian hockey player [[Wayne Gretzky]]'s rise to fame in the NHL coincided with the [[Edmonton Oilers]]' first four Stanley Cup championships ([[1984 Stanley Cup Finals|1984]], [[1985 Stanley Cup Finals|1985]], [[1987 Stanley Cup Finals|1987]], and [[1988 Stanley Cup Finals|1988]]) and becoming the second NHL [[dynasty (sports)|dynasty]] team of the 1980s.
* On 9 August 1988, in what became the biggest trade in NHL history (also known as "The Trade Of The Century"), Wayne Gretzky was traded along with teammates [[Marty McSorley]] and [[Mike Krushelnyski]] from Edmonton to the [[Los Angeles Kings]] in exchange for [[Martin Gélinas]], [[Jimmy Carson]], three first round [[draft (sports)|draft]] picks, and US$15 million cash (approximately $18 million [[Canadian dollar|CAD]] in 1988).
* American basketball player [[Michael Jordan]] joined the [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] during the mid-1980s, raising the sport's popularity. He started his [[professional sports|professional]] career alongside the likes of [[Hakeem Olajuwon]], [[Charles Barkley]], [[Alvin Robertson]], and [[John Stockton]] in what is considered one of the greatest drafts in the league's history, the [[1984 NBA draft]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0903/nba.best.draft.classes/content.1.html|title=1984 - NBA's Best Draft Classes - Photos - SI.com|date=May 28, 2011|access-date=27 September 2023|archive-date=January 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112014425/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0903/nba.best.draft.classes/content.1.html|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/2015/news/hca/06/15/the-list-top-five-draft-classes/|title=The List: Top five draft classes in NBA history|website=NBA|author=Joe Boozell|access-date=2016-06-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160621002834/http://www.nba.com/2015/news/hca/06/15/the-list-top-five-draft-classes|archive-date=2016-06-21|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cbssports.com/nba/photos/the-best-nba-draft-picks-ever|title=25 of the best NBA Draft picks ever|website=CBSSports.com|date=18 August 2015 |access-date=2016-06-15}}</ref>
* On 26 November 1986, [[Mike Tyson]] became the youngest boxing Heavyweight Champion in history at age 20.
* The [[1980s professional wrestling boom]] was in full effect.
* In 1985, the [[WWE|WWF]] presented the [[WrestleMania I]] at [[Madison Square Garden]] in New York City with an attendance of 19,121.
* In 1987, [[WrestleMania III]] had a record attendance of 93,173, the largest recorded attendance for a live indoor sporting event in North America until 2010. This also remained the WrestleMania attendance record until [[WrestleMania 32]] in 2016
* In 1988, the live broadcast of WWF's ''[[The Main Event I]]'' drew a 15.2 [[Nielsen rating]] and 33 million viewers, both records for American televised wrestling.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/Wrestlemania20/WrestleMania3.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629102306/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/Wrestlemania20/WrestleMania3.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 June 2012|title=Steamboat&nbsp;— Savage rule WrestleMania 3|last=Powell|first=John|publisher=SLAM! Wrestling|access-date=14 October 2007}}</ref>
* West Germany won the [[UEFA Euro 1980|1980 UEFA championship]].
* Italy won the [[1982 FIFA World Cup]] in Spain.
* France hosted and won the [[UEFA Euro 1984|1984 UEFA championship]].
* [[File:Maradona-Mundial 86 con la copa.JPG|thumb|[[Diego Maradona]] raising the [[FIFA World Cup Trophy|World Cup Trophy]] after [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]] won the final in 1986]]Argentina won the [[1986 FIFA World Cup]] in Mexico. [[Diego Maradona]] produces the [[Goal of the Century]] and [[the hand of God]] goal.
* The Netherlands won the [[UEFA Euro 1988|1988 UEFA championship]].
* [[Hawthorn Football Club]] dominated Australian football, reaching seven successive VFL Grand Finals and winning the premiership in 1983, 1986, 1988, and 1989
* [[Liverpool F.C.]] were the most successful club side of the era, becoming English champions on six occasions (1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, and 1988) and winning two European Cups (1981, 1984). They also won the FA Cup in 1986, completing the first double in their history, and four consecutive [[League Cup]] titles from 1981 to 1984.
* Other highly successful club sides of the 1980s include [[Juventus]] (7 major honours won), [[Real Madrid]] (ten major honours won), [[Bayern Munich]] (nine titles won) [[PSV Eindhoven]] (four times Dutch champions and European Cup winners in 1988), and [[Clube de Regatas do Flamengo|Flamengo]] (four times Brazilian champions, South American and International Cup winners in 1981).
* In the [[National Football League|NFL]], the [[San Francisco 49ers]] became the dynasty of the decade, winning four Super Bowls under the leadership of [[Joe Montana]]; the [[Chicago Bears]] won [[Super Bowl XX]] in January 1986, in which the team has been widely remembered for their [[1985 Chicago Bears season|defense]]; and the [[Washington Redskins]] also enjoyed success throughout the decade, winning two of their three Super Bowls under the leadership of head coach [[Joe Gibbs]].
* [[Magic Johnson]] and [[Larry Bird]] became the two most popular NBA players during the decade while even facing against each other in three [[NBA Finals]] ([[1984 NBA Finals|1984]], [[1985 NBA Finals|1985]], and [[1987 NBA Finals|1987]]) continuing the storied [[Celtics-Lakers rivalry]].
* [[Major League Baseball]] experienced parity and tense championship moments during the decade. The [[Philadelphia Phillies]] won their first World Series championship in [[1980 World Series|1980]], the [[Kansas City Royals]] won their first World Series championship in a dramatic manner in [[1985 World Series|1985]], the [[New York Mets]] won their second World Series championship in [[1986 World Series|1986]] in a dramatic manner, and the [[Minnesota Twins]] won their first World Series in [[1987 World Series|1987]]. The [[1988 World Series|1988]] and [[1989 World Series]] are remembered for [[Kirk Gibson's 1988 World Series home run|Kirk Gibson's home run]] and the [[Loma Prieta Earthquake]], respectively.
* [[Ultimate (sport)|Disc ultimate]] league play is introduced to Canada in 1980 by [[Ken Westerfield]] starting the first [[Ultimate Canada#History|disc ultimate league (TUC)]], in Toronto.

====Sportspeople====
* Athletes: [[Sergey Bubka]], [[Florence Griffith Joyner]], [[Stefka Kostadinova]], [[Carl Lewis]]
* Association footballers: [[Diego Maradona]], [[Michel Platini]], [[Paolo Rossi]], [[Hugo Sánchez]], [[Marco van Basten]], [[Zico (footballer)|Zico]]
* Baseballers: [[Wade Boggs]], [[George Brett]], [[Rickey Henderson]], [[Don Mattingly]], [[Kirby Puckett]], [[Cal Ripken Jr.]], [[Pete Rose]], [[Nolan Ryan]], [[Mike Schmidt]], [[Ozzie Smith]], [[Darryl Strawberry]], [[Fernando Valenzuela]]
* Basketballers: [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]], [[Michael Cooper]], [[Julius Erving]], [[Nick Galis]], [[A.C. Green]], [[Moses Malone]], [[Kevin McHale (basketball)|Kevin McHale]], [[Dražen Petrović]], [[Oscar Schmidt]], [[Byron Scott]], [[Isiah Thomas]], [[Dominique Wilkins]], [[James Worthy]]
* Bowlers: [[Bong Coo]], [[Paeng Nepomuceno]]
* Boxers: [[Roberto Durán]], [[Marvelous Marvin Hagler]], [[Thomas Hearns]], [[Larry Holmes]], [[Sugar Ray Leonard]], [[Aaron Pryor]], [[Michael Spinks]]
* Chess players: [[Garry Kasparov]], [[Anatoly Karpov]]
* Cricketers: [[Wasim Akram]], [[Waqar Younis]]
* Cyclists: [[Greg LeMond]]
* Gymnasts: [[Vladimir Artemov]], [[Dmitry Bilozerchev]], [[Svetlana Boginskaya]], [[Alexander Dityatin]], [[Yuri Korolyov]], [[Li Ning]], [[Yelena Shushunova]], [[Daniela Silivaş]]
* Ice hockey players: [[Mario Lemieux]], [[Mark Messier]]
* NFL players: [[Eric Dickerson]], [[John Elway]], [[Dan Marino]], [[Walter Payton]], [[Jerry Rice]], [[Mike Singletary]], [[Lawrence Taylor]]
* Racing drivers: [[Derek Bell (racing driver)|Derek Bell]], [[Stefan Bellof]], [[Gerhard Berger]], [[Dale Earnhardt]], [[Richard Petty]], [[Juha Kankkunen]] [[Niki Lauda]], [[Nigel Mansell]], [[Didier Pironi]], [[Riccardo Patrese]], [[Nelson Piquet]], [[Alain Prost]], [[Carlos Reutemann]], [[Walter Röhrl]], [[Ayrton Senna]], [[Ari Vatanen]], [[Gilles Villeneuve]], [[Darrell Waltrip]], 
* Motorcyclists: [[Eddie Lawson]], [[Freddie Spencer]]
* Skaters: [[Katarina Witt]], [[Torvill and Dean]].
* Swimmers and divers: [[Matt Biondi]], [[Greg Louganis]], [[Kristin Otto]]
* Tennis players: [[Boris Becker]], [[Jimmy Connors]], [[Stefan Edberg]], [[Chris Evert]], [[Steffi Graf]], [[Ivan Lendl]], [[John McEnroe]], [[Martina Navratilova]], [[Yannick Noah]], [[Mats Wilander]]
* Volleyballers: [[Hugo Conte]], [[Renan Dal Zotto]], [[Karch Kiraly]], [[Lang Ping]], [[Sinjin Smith]], [[Randy Stoklos]], [[Steve Timmons]]
* Wrestlers: [[Hulk Hogan]]

===Video gaming===
{{See also|1980s in video gaming}}

Popular video games include ''[[Pac-Man]]'', ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'', ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'', ''[[Final Fantasy (video game)|Final Fantasy]]'', [[Castlevania (1986 video game)|''Castlevania'']], ''[[Metroid (video game)|Metroid]]'', [[Mega Man (1987 video game)|''Mega Man'']], ''[[Donkey Kong (arcade game)|Donkey Kong]]'', ''[[Frogger]]'', ''[[Dig Dug]]'', and ''[[Tetris]]''.
''Pac-Man'' was the first game to achieve widespread popularity in mainstream culture and the first game character to be popular in his own right.

Handheld [[History of video games#Handheld LCD games|electronic LCD games]] was introduced into the youth market segment. The primary gaming computers of the 1980s emerged in 1982: the [[Commodore 64]] and [[ZX Spectrum]].
[[Nintendo]] finally decided in 1985 to release its Famicom (released in 1983 in Japan) in the United States under the name [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] (NES). It was bundled with ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' and it suddenly became a success. The NES dominated the American and Japanese market until the rise of the next generation of consoles in the early 1990s, causing some to call this time the ''[[Nintendo era]]''. [[Sega]] released its 16-bit console, [[Mega Drive|Mega Drive/Genesis]], in 1988 in Japan and in North America in 1989.
In 1989, Nintendo released the [[Game Boy]], a monochrome handheld console.
{{Clear}}

<gallery widths="190" perrow="5">
File:PacmanUserbox.gif|The game ''[[Pac-Man]]'' (1980) became immensely popular and an icon of 1980s popular culture
File:Game & Watch WS- Snoopy Tennis.jpg|[[Game & Watch]] was the popular mobile game during the decade until it was replaced in the early 1990s with more advanced [[Game Boy]].
File:Kingman - micro computer game by Tomy.jpg|Micro computer game by [[Tomy]]
</gallery>

===Fashion===
{{Main|1980s in fashion}}
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1984-1018-012, Berlin, Modeausblick.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A German couple in 1985]]
The beginning of the decade saw the continuation of the clothing styles of the [[1970s in fashion|late 1970s]] and evolved into [[heavy metal fashion]] by the end. However,  fashion became more extravagant during the 1980s. The 1980s included  teased and colourfully-dyed hair, ripped jeans, neon clothing and many colours and different designs which at first were not accepted.

Significant hairstyle trends of the 1980s include the [[Perm (hairstyle)|perm]], the [[Mullet (haircut)|mullet]], the [[Jheri curl]], the [[hi-top fade]], [[big hair]] and the [[Seiko-chan cut]].

Significant clothing trends of the 1980s include [[Shoulder pads (fashion)#1980s|shoulder pads]], [[Denim|jean jackets]], [[leather]] pants, leather [[aviator jacket]]s, [[jumpsuit]]s, [[Members Only (fashion brand)|Members Only jackets]], [[Slim-fit pants#The 1980s|skin-tight acid-washed jeans]], [[Izod Lacoste]] and "preppy" [[polo shirt]]s, [[leggings]] and [[leg warmer]]s (popularized in the film ''[[Flashdance]]''), off-the-shoulder shirts, and cut sweatshirts (popularized in the same film).

[[Miniskirt]]s returned to mainstream fashion in the mid-1980s after a ten-year absence, mostly made of [[denim]] material. From that point on, miniskirts and minidresses have remained in mainstream fashion to this day.

Makeup on the 1980s was aggressive, shining and colourful. Women emphasised their lips, eyebrows and cheeks with makeup. They used much [[Rouge (cosmetics)|blush]] and [[Eye liner|eyeliner]].

Additional trends of the 1980s include athletic [[headband]]s, [[Ray-Ban Aviator]] sunglasses (popularized in the film ''[[Top Gun]]''), [[Ray-Ban Wayfarer|Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses]] (popularized in the films ''[[Risky Business]]'' and ''[[The Blues Brothers (film)|The Blues Brothers]]'' and the TV series ''[[Miami Vice]]'') and [[Swatch#A fashion statement|Swatch watches]]. Girls and women also wore jelly shoes, large crucifix necklaces, and brassieres all inspired by Madonna's "[[Like a Virgin (song)|Like a Virgin]]" music video.

The [[New Romantic]] movement was a British style in fashion and music influenced by futurist [[disco]].<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|title=London Calling: What's Next as the New Romantics Fade Away?|last=Loder|first=Kurt|author-link=Kurt Loder|date=10 November 1983|quote=Midge Ure and Billy Currie, of Ultravox, the seminal New Romantic band, cranked out the cool, new Eurodisco sounds that oiled the scene.|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/london-calling-52852/}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|title=Dress Right!|last=Loder|first=Kurt|author-link=Kurt Loder|date=23 July 1981|quote=Midge, Rusty and Steve weren't discouraged; they had already hatched a plan to recruit some of their favorite musicians from other bands and record a whole album of electro-disco tracks.|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/dress-right-67985/5/}}</ref> 

<gallery widths="190px" perrow="5">
File:Thompson-twins-tom2.jpg|[[Tom Bailey (musician, born 1956)|Tom Bailey]] of the [[Thompson Twins]] in 1986 with the trendy [[Big hair]] style achieved with liberal applications of [[Hair mousse|mousse]] and hairspray
File:RayBanAviator.jpg|[[Ray-Ban]] sunglasses
File:1980s fashion - acid-washed jeans.jpeg|Trendy 1980s pleated acid-washed jeans
File:Cher live 1981.jpg|Globally popular musician and actress [[Cher]] was a prominent fashion icon of the era
File:Journalist Lucy Morgan with video camera and phone (7026619371).jpg|Journalist [[Lucy Morgan]] holding one of the first brick mobile phones, as well as a 1980s video camera
File:Vintage Care Bears Character Watch By Bradley Time, Manual Wind, Copyright 1983 By American Greetings (16846118291).jpg|In the 1980s, [[Care Bears]] were popular for children and seen on greeting cards, clothing items, accessories and other merchandise.
File:Mournblade, London Hammersmith odeon 1988.jpg|Heavy metal fashion, like this worn [[Mournblade (band)|Mournblade]], emerged in the 1980s, inspired by bands like [[Metallica]].
</gallery>

===Toys===
The [[Rubik's Cube]] became a popular fad throughout the decade. Toys include [[G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero]].

<gallery widths="190px" perrow="5">
File:Rubik-Wuerfel.jpg|[[Rubik's Cube]] was a popular toy during the decade
</gallery>

===Cultural start and end of the decade===
Some sources claim the existence of a "long 1980s".<ref>Jelfs. [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Uj619QZyMi4C The Argument about Things in the 1980s]. 2018. p 7.</ref><ref>Connell. Black Handsworth. 2019. [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=nHt8DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA5#v=onepage&q&f=false p 5].</ref> Dates given include, for example, mid 1970s to early 1990s,<ref>Ezcurra. Touched Bodies. 2019. [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=5T-DEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA5#v=onepage&q&f=false p 5].</ref> 1976 to 1993<ref>[https://www.thetimes.com/magazines/the-sunday-times-magazine/article/photographing-1980s-britain-pictures-from-the-tates-new-show-gb7fbl9lz Photographing 1980s Britain]. The Sunday Times Magazine. 10 November 2024.</ref> or 1994,<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2024/nov/19/the-80s-photographing-britain-review-tate-britain The 80s: Photographing Britain review]. The Guardian. 19 November 2024.</ref> and 1979 to 1990<ref>{{cite web | last=Cowley | first=Jason | title=The 1980s: 'England was convulsed by a social and political revolution' | website=the Guardian | date=2009-04-18 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/apr/19/1980s-cultural-history | access-date=2025-02-26}}</ref> or 1991<ref>Davis. [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=cnGPDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT9#v=onepage&q&f=false "Introduction"]. The Global 1980s. 2019.</ref> or after 2000.<ref>La Berge. Scandals and Abstraction. 2015.[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=HYMjBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA5#v=onepage&q&f=false p 5].</ref> 

The [[Chicago Sun-Times]] declared the 1977 ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' as the first movie of the eighties.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kramer |first=Peter |editor-last=Tasker |editor-first=Yvonne |date=2004-08-19 |title=The Action and Adventure Cinema |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DKOBAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA366 |publisher=Routledge |page=366 |isbn=9781134564941 |quote=For the Chicago Sun-Times it was immediately clear that Star Wars heralded a new era; it was '[t]he first movie of the 1980s'}}</ref> A shift in television happened in the late 1970s as well: of the top shows considered to be "shows of the 1980s", more began 1978{{ndash}}1979 than began 1980{{ndash}}1981.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/list/80s-shows-ranked |title=The 80 Best TV Shows of the 1980s |last=Jackson |first=Josh |date=2024-04-01 |work=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]] |access-date=2024-07-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Cullen |first=Jim |date=2023 |title=1980: America's Pivotal Year |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TuWCEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA113 |publisher=[[Rutgers University Press]] |page=113 |quote=[Dallas, begun in 1978,] was at the leading edge of cultural change |isbn=9781978831179}}</ref> 1977 also saw<ref>{{cite AV media |date=2024-08-21 |title=The Great Timeline of Consoles: 25 Years of Retro Gaming (1977-2006) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AirDZX4HIk |access-date=2024-08-21 |quote=1977 marked the beginning of the golden age, not only for computers with the Apple II, but also for consoles}}</ref> the introduction of [[ROM]] cartridge-based [[video game console]]s, with the Atari Video Computer System, the [[Fairchild Channel F]], and the [[Bally Astrocade]], as well as seeing the introduction of the first [[Mass production|mass-produced]] home computers, with the Apple II, the [[TRS-80]], and the [[Commodore PET]].

Some consider the 1980s to have ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989,<ref>Laist. The '80s Resurrected. 2023. [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Hy-zEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q&f=false p 1].</ref> or with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.<ref>C Jon Delogu. Fascism, Vulnerability, and the Escape from Freedom. 2022. [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ObWbEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA228#v=onepage&q&f=false p 228].</ref> Reagan's last day in office 20 January 1989, marked the "end of an era".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/88-facts-summer-1988/ |title=88 Facts About the Summer of 1988 |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=ultimateclassicrock.com |date=15 August 2023 |access-date=2024-06-12 |quote=You could see the end of an era in 1988 – the '90s were visible on the horizon; the Reagan presidency was winding down; retirement was looming for Dirty Harry; Bruce Springsteen's marriage ended; the great Louis L'Amour went to the big second-hand bookstore in the sky. Accepted norms were falling. MTV put a hip-hop show on its regular schedule – unthinkable not so long before}}</ref> Music saw a change, with the premier of ''[[Yo! MTV Raps]]'' on 6 August 1988, which was coincidentally the same date as the last broadcast of [[Casey Kasem]] hosting ''[[American Top 40]]''. On the religious front, 1988 also saw the "unraveling of the decade's conservative dominance" with the release of ''[[The Last Temptation of Christ (film)|The Last Temptation of Christ]]'' and the three [[Televangelism|televangelist]] scandals of [[Jim Bakker#PTL|Jim Bakker]], [[Jimmy Swaggart#1988 prostitution scandal|Jimmy Swaggart]], and [[Oral Roberts#Ministry and university|Oral Roberts]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Grist |first=Leighton |date=2013-01-30 |title=The Films of Martin Scorsese, 1978-99: Authorship and Context II |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D8eNDTy4M9QC&pg=PA182 |publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]] |page=182 |isbn=9781137302045}}</ref> The years 1988–1993 were a cultural bridge between the politically conservative 1980s and the [[History of the World Wide Web|Internet boom]] of the 1990s, which was kicked off by the release of [[Mosaic (web browser)|Mosaic]] in 1993.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://brentellesmith.medium.com/dark-neon-the-neighties-277321460b0f |title=Dark Neon: The Neighties: A Micro-Era Invisible to the Cultural Eye |last=Smith |first=Brent |date=2023-05-18 |publisher=[[Medium (website)|Medium]] |access-date=2024-06-12}}</ref>