Editing 1981 in film (section)

== Film debuts ==
{{Column list|
*[[Ben Affleck]] – ''The Dark End of the Street''
*[[Jason Alexander]] – ''[[The Burning (1981 film)|The Burning]]''
*[[Christina Applegate]] – ''[[Jaws of Satan]]''
*[[Javier Bardem]] – ''El poderoso influjo de la luna''
*[[Kim Basinger]] – ''[[Hard Country (film)|Hard Country]]''
*[[Xander Berkeley]] – ''[[Mommie Dearest (film)|Mommie Dearest]]''
*[[Kenneth Branagh]] – ''[[Chariots of Fire]]''
*[[Rodger Bumpass]] – ''[[Heavy Metal (film)|Heavy Metal]]''
*[[Robert John Burke]] – ''[[The Chosen (1981 film)|The Chosen]]''
*[[Gabriel Byrne]] – ''[[Excalibur (film)|Excalibur]]''
*[[James Cameron]] (director) – ''[[Piranha II: The Spawning]]''
*[[Bruce Campbell]] – ''[[The Evil Dead]]''
*[[Jeffrey Combs]] – ''[[Honky Tonk Freeway]]''
*[[Kevin Costner]] – ''[[Malibu Hot Summer]]''
*[[Tom Cruise]] – ''[[Endless Love (1981 film)|Endless Love]]''
*[[Charles Dance]] – ''[[For Your Eyes Only (film)|For Your Eyes Only]]''
*[[Jeff Daniels]] – ''[[Ragtime (film)|Ragtime]]''
*[[Robert Davi]] – ''[[Gangster Wars]]''
*[[Loretta Devine]] – ''[[Will (1981 film)|Will]]''
*[[Dennis Farina]] – ''[[Thief (film)|Thief]]''
*[[Nicholas Farrell]] – ''Chariots of Fire''
*[[Colin Friels]] – ''[[Hoodwink (1981 film)|Hoodwink]]''
*[[Stephen Fry]] – ''Chariots of Fire''
*[[Lee Garlington]] – ''[[King of the Mountain (film)|King of the Mountain]]''
*[[Gina Gershon]] – ''Beatlemania: The Movie''
*[[Jami Gertz]] – ''Endless Love''
*[[Bob Gunton]] – ''[[Rollover (film)|Rollover]]''
*[[James Handy]] – ''[[Taps (film)|Taps]]''
*[[Anthony Head]] – ''[[Lady Chatterley's Lover (1981 film)|Lady Chatterley's Lover]]''
*[[Glenne Headly]] – ''[[Four Friends (1981 film)|Four Friends]]''
*[[Ciarán Hinds]] – ''Excalibur''
*[[Holly Hunter]] – ''The Burning''
*[[John Kapelos]] – ''Thief''
*[[Dan Lauria]] – ''C.O.D.''
*[[Peter MacNicol]] – ''[[Dragonslayer (1981 film)|Dragonslayer]]''
*[[John Mahoney]] – ''Hudson Taylor''
*[[Rik Mayall]] – ''[[Eye of the Needle (film)|Eye of the Needle]]''
*[[Maria de Medeiros]] – ''Silvestre''
*[[Steve Miner]] (director) – ''[[Friday the 13th Part 2]]''
*[[Alfred Molina]] – ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]''
*[[Demi Moore]] – ''Choices''
*[[Chris Noth]] – ''[[Waitress!]]''
*[[Bill Nunn]] – ''[[Sharky's Machine]]''
*[[Michael O'Neill (actor)|Michael O'Neill]] – ''[[Ghost Story (1981 film)|Ghost Story]]''
*[[Sean Penn]] – ''Taps''
*[[Ron Perlman]] – ''[[Quest for Fire (film)|Quest for Fire]]''
*[[Ethan Phillips]] – ''Ragtime''
*[[Robert Picardo]] – ''[[The Howling (film)|The Howling]]''
*[[Martha Plimpton]] – ''[[Rollover (film)|Rollover]]''
*[[Amanda Plummer]] – ''[[Cattle Annie and Little Britches (film)|Cattle Annie and Little Britches]]''
*[[Jon Polito]] – ''Gangster Wars''
*[[Geoffrey Rush]] – ''Hoodwink''
*[[Meg Ryan]] – ''[[Rich and Famous (1981 film)|Rich and Famous]]''
*[[Kōichi Satō (actor)|Kôichi Satô]] – ''[[The Gate of Youth (1981 film)|The Gate of Youth]]''
*[[Glenn Shadix]] – ''[[The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981 film)|The Postman Always Rings Twice]]''
*[[Vinessa Shaw]] – ''[[Home Sweet Home (1981 film)|Home Sweet Home]]''
*[[Mindy Sterling]] – ''[[The Devil and Max Devlin]]''
*[[Fisher Stevens]] – ''The Burning''
*[[Madeleine Stowe]] – ''Gangster Wars''
*[[Barbara Sukowa]] – ''[[Lola (1981 film)|Lola]]''
*[[Henry Thomas]] – ''[[Raggedy Man]]''
*[[Frank C. Turner]] – ''[[Silence of the North]]'' 
*[[Kathleen Turner]] – ''[[Body Heat]]''
*[[Reginald VelJohnson]] – ''[[Wolfen (film)|Wolfen]]''
*[[Diane Venora]] – ''Wolfen'' 
*[[Denzel Washington]] – ''[[Carbon Copy (film)|Carbon Copy]]''
*[[Vernon Wells (actor)|Vernon Wells]] – ''[[Mad Max 2]]''
*[[Celia Weston]] – ''Honky Tonk Freeway''
*[[Amanda Wyss]] – ''[[Force: Five]]''
}}