Editing 1981 in film

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Year nav topic5|1981|film|radio|television|music}}
{{Yearsinfilm}}
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.)==
{{See also|List of 1981 box office number-one films in the United States}}
The top ten films released in 1981 by box office gross in North America are as follows:
<!-- Note: We only link the studios ONCE-->
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:auto; margin:auto;"
|+ Highest-grossing films of 1981<ref>{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=1981&p=.htm|title=1981 Domestic Grosses|work=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=7 April 2014}}</ref>
|-
! Rank!! Title !! Distributor !! Box-office gross 
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 1
| ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]''
| [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]]
| $212,222,025
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 2
| ''[[On Golden Pond (1981 film)|On Golden Pond]]''
| [[Universal Pictures|Universal]]
| $119,285,432
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 3
| ''[[Superman II]]''
|rowspan="2"|[[Warner Bros.]]
| $108,185,706
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 4
| ''[[Arthur (1981 film)|Arthur]]'' 
| $95,461,682
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 5
| ''[[Stripes (film)|Stripes]]''
| [[Columbia Pictures|Columbia]] 
| $85,297,000
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 6
| ''[[The Cannonball Run]]''
| [[20th Century Fox]]
| $72,179,579
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 7
| ''[[Chariots of Fire]]''
| Warner Bros.
| $58,972,904
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 8
| ''[[For Your Eyes Only (film)|For Your Eyes Only]]''
| [[United Artists]]
| $54,812,802 
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 9
| ''[[The Four Seasons (1981 film)|The Four Seasons]]''
| Universal
| $50,427,646
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 10
| ''[[Time Bandits]]''
| [[Embassy Pictures|Embassy]]
| $42,365,581
|}

==Events==
* January 20 – Former [[Governor of California]] and [[Ronald Reagan filmography|film actor]] [[Ronald Reagan]] is [[First inauguration of Ronald Reagan|inaugurated president]].
* March 30 – The [[53rd Academy Awards]] are postponed due to the [[Attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan|attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan]] earlier that day. They are held the following day with a message from the [[President of the United States|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 (film)|Heaven's Gate]]'', a major factor in the decision of owner [[Transamerica Corporation|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, California|Santa Catalina Island]].

== Awards ==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;"
|-
! rowspan="2" style="width:20px;"| Category/Organization !! colspan="2" style="width:250px;"| [[39th Golden Globe Awards]]<br>January 30, 1982 !! rowspan="2" style="width:250px;"| [[35th British Academy Film Awards|35th BAFTA Awards]]<br>March 18, 1982 !! rowspan="2" style="width:250px;"| [[54th Academy Awards]]<br>March 29, 1982
|-
! width=200| Drama !! style="width:200px;"| Musical or Comedy
|-
| Best Film || ''[[On Golden Pond (1981 film)|On Golden Pond]]'' || ''[[Arthur (1981 film)|Arthur]]'' || colspan="2" | ''[[Chariots of Fire]]''
|-
| Best Director || colspan="2" | [[Warren Beatty]]<br>''[[Reds (film)|Reds]]'' || [[Louis Malle]]<br>''[[Atlantic City (1980 film)|Atlantic City]]'' || [[Warren Beatty]]<br>''[[Reds (film)|Reds]]''
|-
| Best Actor || [[Henry Fonda]]<br>''[[On Golden Pond (1981 film)|On Golden Pond]]'' || [[Dudley Moore]]<br>''[[Arthur (1981 film)|Arthur]]'' || [[Burt Lancaster]]<br>''[[Atlantic City (1980 film)|Atlantic City]]'' || [[Henry Fonda]]<br>''[[On Golden Pond (1981 film)|On Golden Pond]]''
|-
| Best Actress || [[Meryl Streep]]<br>''[[The French Lieutenant's Woman (film)|The French Lieutenant's Woman]]'' || [[Bernadette Peters]]<br>''[[Pennies from Heaven (1981 film)|Pennies from Heaven]]'' || [[Meryl Streep]]<br>''[[The French Lieutenant's Woman (film)|The French Lieutenant's Woman]]'' || [[Katharine Hepburn]]<br>''[[On Golden Pond (1981 film)|On Golden Pond]]''
|-
| Best Supporting Actor || colspan="2" | [[John Gielgud]]<br>''[[Arthur (1981 film)|Arthur]]'' || [[Ian Holm]]<br>''[[Chariots of Fire]]'' || [[John Gielgud]]<br>''[[Arthur (1981 film)|Arthur]]''
|-
| Best Supporting Actress || colspan="2" | [[Joan Hackett]]<br>''[[Only When I Laugh (film)|Only When I Laugh]]'' || N/A || [[Maureen Stapleton]]<br>''[[Reds (film)|Reds]]''
|-
| Best Screenplay, Adapted || colspan="2" rowspan="2" | [[Ernest Thompson]]<br>''[[On Golden Pond (1981 film)|On Golden Pond]]'' || rowspan="2" | [[Bill Forsyth]]<br>''[[Gregory's Girl]]'' || [[Ernest Thompson]]<br>''[[On Golden Pond (1981 film)|On Golden Pond]]''
|-
| Best Screenplay, Original || [[Colin Welland]]<br>''[[Chariots of Fire]]''
|-
| Best Original Score || colspan="2" | N/A || [[Carl Davis]]<br>''[[The French Lieutenant's Woman (film)|The French Lieutenant's Woman]]'' || [[Vangelis]]<br>''[[Chariots of Fire]]''
|-
| Best Original Song || colspan="2" | "[[Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)]]"<br>''[[Arthur (1981 film)|Arthur]]'' || N/A || "[[Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)]]"<br>''[[Arthur (1981 film)|Arthur]]''
|-
| Best Foreign Language Film || colspan="2" | ''[[Chariots of Fire]]'' || N/A || ''[[Mephisto (1981 film)|Mephisto]]''
|}

'''[[Palme d'Or]] (Cannes Film Festival):'''
:'''''[[Man of Iron]]''''' (Człowiek z żelaza), directed by [[Andrzej Wajda]], Poland

'''[[Golden Lion]] (Venice Film Festival):'''
:'''''[[Marianne and Juliane]]''''' (''Die Bleierne Zeit''), directed by [[Margarethe von Trotta]], W. Germany

'''[[Berlin Film Festival|Golden Bear]] (Berlin Film Festival):'''
:'''''[[Faster, Faster]]''''' (''Deprisa, deprisa'' / ''Vivre vite''), directed by [[Carlos Saura]], Spain / France

== 1981 films ==
=== By country/region ===
* [[List of American films of 1981]]
* [[List of Argentine films of 1981]]
* [[List of Australian films of 1981]]
* [[List of Bangladeshi films of 1981]]
* [[List of British films of 1981]]
* [[List of Canadian films of 1981]]
* [[List of French films of 1981]]
* [[List of Hong Kong films of 1981]]
* List of Indian films of 1981
** [[List of Hindi films of 1981]]
** [[List of Kannada films of 1981]]
** [[List of Malayalam films of 1981]]
** [[List of Marathi films of 1981]]
** [[List of Tamil films of 1981]]
** [[List of Telugu films of 1981]]
* [[List of Japanese films of 1981]]
* [[List of Mexican films of 1981]]
* [[List of Pakistani films of 1981]]
* [[List of South Korean films of 1981]]
* [[List of Soviet films of 1981]]
* [[List of Spanish films of 1981]]

===By genre/medium===
* [[List of action films of the 1980s#1981|List of action films of 1981]]
* [[List of animated feature films of 1981]]
* [[List of avant-garde films of the 1980s|List of avant-garde films of 1981]]
* [[List of comedy films of the 1980s#1981|List of comedy films of 1981]]
* [[List of drama films of the 1980s#1981|List of drama films of 1981]]
* [[List of horror films of 1981]]
* [[List of science fiction films of the 1980s#1981fc|List of science fiction films of 1981]]
* [[List of thriller films of the 1980s#1981|List of thriller films of 1981]]
* [[List of Western films of the 1980s|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 (rapper)|Pitbull]], American rapper and actor
* January 17
**[[Scott Mechlowicz]], American actor
**[[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 2 - [[Emily Rose (actress)|Emily Rose]], American actress
* February 5
** [[Lee Eon]], South Korean actor and model (d. [[2008 in film|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
**[[Sonia Rolland]], French-Rwandan actress
**[[Kelly Rowland]], American singer and actress
* February 12
**[[Jesse Hutch]], Canadian actor
**[[Lauri Lagle]], Estonian actor, director and screenwriter
* February 14 - [[Patrick Heusinger]], American actor
* February 17 – 
**[[Joseph Gordon-Levitt]], American actor
**[[Paris Hilton]], American media personality, singer and actress
* February 19 – [[Beth Ditto]], American singer-songwriter
* 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<ref>{{Cite book|date=April 2004|title=Japan Voice Producer Directory 2004|volume=1|page=219|publisher=[[Shogakukan]]|isbn=978-4095263014}}</ref>
* 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
**[[Austin Highsmith Garces]], American actress
**[[Eugene (actress)|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 (actor)|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 (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 (actor)|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 16 - [[Joseph Morgan (actor)|Joseph Morgan]], English actor
* May 18 - [[Allen Leech]], Irish actor
* May 28 – [[Laura Bailey (voice actress)|Laura Bailey]], American voice actress
* May 29
**[[Justin Chon]], American actor, director and YouTube personality
**[[Anders Holm]], American actor, comedian, writer and producer
* June 1
**[[Johnny Pemberton]], American actor, comedian and podcaster
**[[Amy Schumer]], American comedian and actress
* June 4 – [[T.J. Miller]], American actor, stand-up comedian, producer and writer 
* June 7 – [[Larisa Oleynik]], American actress
* June 9 – [[Natalie Portman]], Israeli-American actress
* June 10 – [[Jonathan Bennett (actor)|Jonathan Bennett]], American actor
* June 12
**[[Jeremy Howard (actor)|Jeremy Howard]], American actor
**[[Malachi Pearson]], American actor
* June 13 – [[Chris Evans (actor)|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 (actor)|Tom Burke]], English actor
**[[Anna Slotky]], American former actress
* July 1 - [[Amanda Lucas (fighter)|Amanda Lucas]], American retired professional mixed martial artist and actress
* July 3 - [[Rebecca Honig]], American voice actress
* July 4 - [[Tahar Rahim]], French actor
* July 5 - [[Ryan Hansen]], American actor and comedian
* July 13
**[[Fran Kranz]], American actor and director
**[[Michael Mando]], Canadian actor
* July 17 - [[Michiel Huisman]], Dutch actor
* July 21
**[[Davide Perino]], Italian actor and voice actor
**[[Romeo Santos]], American singer-songwriter and actor
* July 22 - [[Josh Lawson]], Australian actor and filmmaker
* July 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 – [[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
**[[Valerie LaPointe]], American storyboard artist and director
**[[Abigail Spencer]], American actress
* August 5 - [[Jesse Williams (actor)|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 (actor)|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 (d. [[2025 in film|2025]])
* September 1
**[[Michael Adamthwaite]], Canadian actor
**[[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
**[[Elle LaMont]], American 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 17 - [[Griff Furst]], American actor, producer and director
* 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 (writer)|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 (actor)|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 (actress)|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
**[[Christina Vidal]], American actress and singer
* November 20 – [[Andrea Riseborough]], English actress
* November 23 - [[John Lavelle (actor)|John Lavelle]], American actor and playwright
* November 30 - [[Jake Szymanski]], American actor, writer, director and producer
* 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 in film|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 22 - [[Nicolas Vaporidis]], Italian actor
* 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
**[[Gina Beck]], British actress and singer
**[[Leila Farzad]], British actress

==Deaths==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%;"
|- style="background:#dae3e7; text-align:center;"
! Month !! Date !! Name !! Age !! Country !! Profession !! Notable films
|-
| rowspan=6 style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;"|  '''January'''
| style="text-align:center;"| ''10'' || [[Katharine Alexander]] || style="text-align:center;| 82 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;| Actress || {{hlist|''[[Enchanted April (1935 film)|Enchanted April]]''| ''[[John Loves Mary]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''10'' || [[Richard Boone]] || style="text-align:center;"| 63 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor || {{hlist|''[[The Tall T]]''| ''[[Hombre (film)|Hombre]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''11'' || [[Beulah Bondi]] || style="text-align:center;"| 91 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress || {{hlist|''[[It's a Wonderful Life]]''| ''[[Mr. Smith Goes to Washington]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''12'' || [[Isobel Elsom]] || style="text-align:center;"| 87 || style="text-align:center;"| UK || style="text-align:center;"| Actress || {{hlist|''[[My Fair Lady (film)|My Fair Lady]]''| ''[[The Unseen (1945 film)|The Unseen]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''16'' || [[Bernard Lee]] || style="text-align:center;"| 73 || style="text-align:center;"| UK || style="text-align:center;"| Actor || {{hlist|''[[Dr. No (film)|Dr. No]]''| ''[[Goldfinger (film)|Goldfinger]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''21'' || [[Allyn Joslyn]] || style="text-align:center;"| 79 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor || {{hlist|''[[The Jazz Singer (1952 film)|The Jazz Singer]]''| ''[[Heaven Can Wait (1943 film)|Heaven Can Wait]]''}}
|-
| rowspan=10 style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;"|  '''February'''
| style="text-align:center;"| ''1'' || [[Wanda Hendrix]] || style="text-align:center;"| 52 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress || {{hlist|''[[Prince of Foxes (film)|Prince of Foxes]]''| ''[[Captain Carey, U.S.A.]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''2'' || [[Louise Lorraine]] || style="text-align:center;"| 76 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress || {{hlist|''[[The Adventures of Tarzan]]''| ''[[Near the Rainbow's End]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''4'' || [[Mario Camerini]] || style="text-align:center;"| 85 || style="text-align:center;"| Italy || style="text-align:center;"| Director, Screenwriter || {{hlist|''[[Ulysses (1954 film)|Ulysses]]''| ''[[Like the Leaves]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''11'' || [[Ketti Frings]] || style="text-align:center;"| 71 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Screenwriter || {{hlist|''[[Come Back, Little Sheba (1952 film)|Come Back, Little Sheba]]''| ''[[Foxfire (1955 film)|Foxfire]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''12'' || [[Jean Dixon]] || style="text-align:center;"| 84 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress || {{hlist|''[[My Man Godfrey]]''| ''[[Holiday (1938 film)|Holiday]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''21'' || [[Bernard B. Brown]] || style="text-align:center;"| 82 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Sound Engineer, Composer || {{hlist|''[[The Wolf Man (1941 film)|The Wolf Man]]''| ''[[Shadow of a Doubt]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''21'' || [[Ron Grainer]] || style="text-align:center;"| 58 || style="text-align:center;"| Australia || style="text-align:center;"| Composer || {{hlist|''[[The Mouse on the Moon]]''| ''[[To Sir, with Love]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''22'' || [[Curtis Bernhardt]] || style="text-align:center;"| 81 || style="text-align:center;"| Germany || style="text-align:center;"| Director || {{hlist|''[[A Stolen Life (1946 film)|A Stolen Life]]''| ''[[Possessed (1947 film)|Possessed]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''28'' || [[Virginia Huston]] || style="text-align:center;"| 55 || style="text-align:center;" | US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress || {{hlist|''[[Out of the Past]]''| ''[[Tarzan's Peril]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''28'' || [[Robert L. Wolfe]] || style="text-align:center;"| 52 || style="text-align:center;" | US || style="text-align:center;"| Film Editor || {{hlist|''[[All the President's Men (film)|All the President's Men]]''| ''[[On Golden Pond (1981 film)|On Golden Pond]]''}}
|-
| rowspan=8 style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;"|  '''March'''
| style="text-align:center;"| ''4'' || [[Torin Thatcher]] || style="text-align:center;"| 76 || style="text-align:center;"| UK || style="text-align:center;"| Actor || {{hlist|''[[Houdini (1953 film)|Houdini]]''| ''[[Witness for the Prosecution (1957 film)|Witness for the Prosecution]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''5'' || [[Brenda de Banzie]] || style="text-align:center;"| 71 || style="text-align:center;"| UK || style="text-align:center;"| Actress || {{hlist|''[[Hobson's Choice (1954 film)|Hobson's Choice]]''| ''[[The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film)|The Man Who Knew Too Much]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''6'' || [[Yip Harburg|E.Y. Harburg]] || style="text-align:center;"| 84 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Lyricist || {{hlist|''[[The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|The Wizard of Oz]]''| ''[[Gay Purr-ee]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''14'' || [[Eleanor Perry]] || style="text-align:center;"| 66 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Screenwriter || {{hlist|''[[David and Lisa]]''| ''[[Diary of a Mad Housewife]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''15'' || [[René Clair]] || style="text-align:center;"| 82 || style="text-align:center;"| France || style="text-align:center;"| Director, Screenwriter || {{hlist|''[[It Happened Tomorrow]]''| ''[[I Married a Witch]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''17'' || [[Dorothy Dwan]] || style="text-align:center;"| 74 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress || {{hlist|''[[Kid Speed]]''| ''[[The Wizard of Oz (1925 film)|The Wizard of Oz]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''27'' || [[Oliver A. Unger]] || style="text-align:center;"| 66 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Producer || {{hlist|''[[Force 10 from Navarone (film)|Force 10 from Navarone]]''| ''[[Sandy the Seal]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''31'' || [[Hank Henry]] || style="text-align:center;"| 74 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor || {{hlist|''[[Pal Joey (film)|Pal Joey]]''| ''[[Robin and the 7 Hoods]]''}}
|-
| rowspan=5 style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;"|  '''April'''
| style="text-align:center;"| ''7'' || [[Norman Taurog]] || style="text-align:center;"| 82 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Director || {{hlist|''[[Skippy (film)|Skippy]]''| ''[[Boys Town (film)|Boys Town]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''14'' || [[Sergio Amidei]] || style="text-align:center;"| 76 || style="text-align:center;"| Italy || style="text-align:center;"| Screenwriter || {{hlist|''[[Shoeshine (film)|Shoeshine]]''| ''[[Paisan]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''26'' || [[Madge Evans]] || style="text-align:center;"| 71 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress || {{hlist|''[[Pennies from Heaven (1936 film)|Pennies from Heaven]]''| ''[[Army Girl]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''26'' || [[Jim Davis (actor)|Jim Davis]] || style="text-align:center;"| 71 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor || {{hlist|''[[The Big Sky (film)|The Big Sky]]''| ''[[The Maverick Queen]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''26'' || [[Herb Voland]] || style="text-align:center;"| 62 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor || {{hlist|''[[Another Nice Mess]]''| ''[[With Six You Get Eggroll]]''}}
|-
| rowspan=8 style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;"|  '''May'''
| style="text-align:center;"| ''1'' || [[Marlin Skiles]] || style="text-align:center;"| 74 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Composer, Musical Director || {{hlist|''[[Gilda (film)|Gilda]]''| ''[[Tonight and Every Night]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''9'' || [[Margaret Lindsay]] || style="text-align:center;"| 70 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress || {{hlist|''[[The House of the Seven Gables (film)|The House of the Seven Gables]]''| ''[[Jezebel (1938 film)|Jezebel]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''17'' || [[Hugo Friedhofer]] || style="text-align:center;"| 80 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Composer || {{hlist|''[[The Best Years of Our Lives]]''| ''[[An Affair to Remember]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''18'' || [[Richard Hale]] || style="text-align:center;"| 88 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor || {{hlist|''[[Friendly Persuasion (1956 film)|Friendly Persuasion]]''| ''[[To Kill a Mockingbird (film)|To Kill a Mockingbird]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''18'' || [[Arthur O'Connell]] || style="text-align:center;"| 73 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor || {{hlist|''[[Anatomy of a Murder]]''| ''[[Picnic (1955 film)|Picnic]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''22'' || [[Boris Sagal]] || style="text-align:center;"| 57 || style="text-align:center;"| Ukraine || style="text-align:center;"| Director || {{hlist|''[[The Omega Man]]''| ''[[Girl Happy]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''23'' || [[George Jessel (actor)|George Jessel]] || style="text-align:center;"| 83 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor, Producer || {{hlist|''[[Beau James]]''| ''[[Nightmare Alley (1947 film)|Nightmare Alley]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''28'' || [[Henry Blanke]] || style="text-align:center;"| 79 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Producer || {{hlist|''[[The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (film)|The Treasure of the Sierra Madre]]''| ''[[The Nun's Story (film)|The Nun's Story]]''}}
|-
| rowspan=9 style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;"|  '''June'''
| style="text-align:center;"| ''5'' || [[Miguel Contreras Torres|Miguel Torres]] || style="text-align:center;"| 81 || style="text-align:center;"| Mexico || style="text-align:center;"| Director || {{hlist|''[[The Mad Empress]]''| ''[[Pancho Villa Returns]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''9'' || [[Russell Hayden]] || style="text-align:center;"| 68 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor || {{hlist|''[[Trail of the Mounties]]''| ''[[Seven Were Saved]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''10'' || [[Jenny Maxwell]] || style="text-align:center;"| 39 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress || {{hlist|''[[Blue Hawaii]]''| ''[[Take Her, She's Mine]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''12'' || [[Eleanor Hunt]] || style="text-align:center;"| 71 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress || {{hlist|''[[Blue Steel (1934 film)|Blue Steel]]''| ''[[Yellow Cargo]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''12'' || [[Evalyn Knapp]] || style="text-align:center;| 74 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress || {{hlist|''[[The Perils of Pauline (1933 serial)|The Perils of Pauline]]''| ''[[His Private Secretary]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''17'' || [[Lou Forbes]] || style="text-align:center;"| 78 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Composer || {{hlist|''[[Intermezzo (1939 film)|Intermezzo]]''| ''[[Brewster's Millions (1945 film)|Brewster's Millions]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''19'' || [[Alfred Santell]] || style="text-align:center;"| 85 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Director || {{hlist|''[[Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1932 film)|Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm]]''| ''[[Internes Can't Take Money]]''}} 
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''22'' || [[Lola Lane]] || style="text-align:center;"| 75 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress || {{hlist|''[[Four Daughters (1938 film)|Four Daughters]]''| ''[[Hollywood Hotel (film)|Hollywood Hotel]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''23'' || [[Zarah Leander]] || style="text-align:center;"| 74 || style="text-align:center;"| Sweden || style="text-align:center;"| Actress || {{hlist|''[[The Blue Fox (1938 film)|The Blue Fox]]''| ''[[Back Then (film)|Back Then]]''}}
|-
| rowspan=7 style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;"|  '''July'''
| style="text-align:center;"| ''1'' || [[George Voskovec]] || style="text-align:center;"| 76 || style="text-align:center;"| Czech Republic || style="text-align:center;"| Actor || {{hlist|''[[12 Angry Men (1957 film)|12 Angry Men]]''| ''[[The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (film)|The Spy Who Came in from the Cold]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''2'' || [[Edward Killy]] || style="text-align:center;"| 78 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Director || {{hlist|''[[West of the Pecos (1945 film)|West of the Pecos]]''| ''[[Wagon Train (film)|Wagon Train]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''3'' || [[Ross Martin]] || style="text-align:center;"| 61 || style="text-align:center;"| Poland || style="text-align:center;"| Actor || {{hlist|''[[The Great Race]]''| ''[[Experiment in Terror]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''7'' || [[Keefe Brasselle]] || style="text-align:center;"| 58 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor || {{hlist|''[[The Eddie Cantor Story]]''| ''[[A Place in the Sun (1951 film)|A Place in the Sun]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''20'' || [[Dale Hennesy]] || style="text-align:center;"| 54 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Production Designer, Art Director || {{hlist|''[[Fantastic Voyage]]''| ''[[Annie (1982 film)|Annie]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''25'' || [[Gerardo de Leon]] || style="text-align:center;"| 67 || style="text-align:center;"| Philippines || style="text-align:center;"| Director, Actor || {{hlist|''[[The Moises Padilla Story]]''| ''[[Fe, Esperanza, Caridad]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''27'' || [[William Wyler]] || style="text-align:center;"| 79 || style="text-align:center;"| Germany || style="text-align:center;"| Director, Producer || {{hlist|''[[Ben-Hur (1959 film)|Ben-Hur]]''| ''[[Roman Holiday]]''}}
|-
| rowspan=8 style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;"|  '''August'''
| style="text-align:center;"| ''1'' || [[Paddy Chayefsky]] || style="text-align:center;"| 58 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Screenwriter || {{hlist|''[[Network (1976 film)|Network]]''| ''[[Marty (film)|Marty]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''4'' || [[Melvyn Douglas]] || style="text-align:center;"| 80 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor || {{hlist|''[[Being There]]''| ''[[Hud (1963 film)|Hud]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''12'' || [[Shirley Grey]] || style="text-align:center;"| 79 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress || {{hlist|''[[Texas Cyclone (film)|Texas Cyclone]]''| ''[[Girl in Danger]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''16'' || [[Robert Krasker]] || style="text-align:center;"| 68 || style="text-align:center;"| Australia || style="text-align:center;"| Cinematographer || {{hlist|''[[The Third Man]]''| ''[[El Cid (film)|El Cid]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''18'' || [[Anita Loos]] || style="text-align:center;"| 93 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Screenwriter || {{hlist|''[[The Women (1939 film)|The Women]]''| ''[[I Married an Angel (film)|I Married an Angel]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''19'' || [[Jessie Matthews]] || style="text-align:center;"| 74 || style="text-align:center;"| UK || style="text-align:center;"| Actress, Singer || {{hlist|''[[There Goes the Bride (1932 film)|There Goes the Bride]]''| ''[[It's Love Again]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''21'' || [[Eddie Byrne]] || style="text-align:center;"| 70 || style="text-align:center;"| Ireland || style="text-align:center;"| Actor || {{hlist|''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]''| ''[[Island of Terror]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''30'' || [[Vera-Ellen]] || style="text-align:center;"| 60 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress, Dancer || {{hlist|''[[White Christmas (film)|White Christmas]]''| ''[[On the Town (film)|On the Town]]''}}
|-
| rowspan=8 style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;"|  '''September'''
| style="text-align:center;"| ''1'' || [[Ann Harding]] || style="text-align:center;"| 79 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress || {{hlist|''[[Holiday (1930 film)|Holiday]]''| ''[[It Happened on Fifth Avenue]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''6'' || [[Maria Palmer]] || style="text-align:center;"| 64 || style="text-align:center;"| Austria || style="text-align:center;"| Actress || {{hlist|''[[Lady on a Train]]''| ''[[The Web (film)|The Web]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''11'' || [[Frank McHugh]] || style="text-align:center;"| 83 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor || {{hlist|''[[Going My Way]]''| ''[[Manpower (1941 film)|Manpower]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''15'' || [[Sara Haden]] || style="text-align:center;"| 81 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress || {{hlist|''[[The Shop Around the Corner]]''| ''[[The Bishop's Wife]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''22'' || [[Harry Warren]] || style="text-align:center;"| 87 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Composer || {{hlist|''[[42nd Street (film)|42nd Street]]''| ''[[Hello, Frisco, Hello]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''23'' || [[Chief Dan George]] || style="text-align:center;"| 82 || style="text-align:center;"| Canada || style="text-align:center;"| Actor || {{hlist|''[[Little Big Man (film)|Little Big Man]]''| ''[[The Outlaw Josey Wales]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''24'' || [[Patsy Kelly]] || style="text-align:center;"| 71 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress || {{hlist|''[[The Cowboy and the Lady (1938 film)|The Cowboy and the Lady]]''| ''[[Rosemary's Baby (film)|Rosemary's Baby]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''27'' || [[Robert Montgomery (actor)|Robert Montgomery]] || style="text-align:center;"| 77 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor, Director || {{hlist|''[[Here Comes Mr. Jordan]]''| ''[[Night Must Fall (1937 film)|Night Must Fall]]''}}
|-
| rowspan=6 style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;"|  '''October'''
| style="text-align:center;"| ''4'' || [[Dorothy Dare]] || style="text-align:center;"| 70 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress || {{hlist|''[[Clothes and the Woman]]''| ''[[High Hat (1937 film)|High Hat]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''5'' || [[Gloria Grahame]] || style="text-align:center;"| 54 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress || {{hlist|''[[In a Lonely Place]]''| ''[[The Bad and the Beautiful]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''15'' || [[Frank de Kova]] || style="text-align:center;"| 71 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor || {{hlist|''[[The Ten Commandments (1956 film)|The Ten Commandments]]''| ''[[The Mechanic (1972 film)|The Mechanic]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''19'' || [[Nils Asther]] || style="text-align:center;"| 84 || style="text-align:center;"| Denmark || style="text-align:center;"| Actor || {{hlist|''[[The Bitter Tea of General Yen]]''| ''[[Bluebeard (1944 film)|Bluebeard]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''24'' || [[Edith Head]] || style="text-align:center;"| 83 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Costume Designer || {{hlist|''[[Roman Holiday]]''| ''[[The Sting]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''26'' || [[Glenn Anders]] || style="text-align:center;"| 92 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor || {{hlist|''[[The Lady from Shanghai]]''| ''[[M (1951 film)|M]]''}}
|-
| rowspan=10 style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;"|  '''November'''
| style="text-align:center;"| ''2'' || [[Ghislain Cloquet]] || style="text-align:center;"| 57 || style="text-align:center;"| France || style="text-align:center;"| Cinematographer || {{hlist|''[[Tess (1979 film)|Tess]]''| ''[[The Young Girls of Rochefort]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''3'' || [[Jean Eustache]] || style="text-align:center;"| 42 || style="text-align:center;"| France || style="text-align:center;"| Director || {{hlist|''[[The Mother and the Whore]]''| ''[[My Little Loves]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''12'' || [[William Holden]] || style="text-align:center;"| 63 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor || {{hlist|''[[Stalag 17]]''| ''[[Sunset Boulevard (film)|Sunset Boulevard]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''16'' || [[Morgan Conway]] || style="text-align:center;"| 78 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor || {{hlist|''[[Dick Tracy (1945 film)|Dick Tracy]]''| ''[[Jack London (film)|Jack London]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''21'' || [[Ejner Federspiel]] || style="text-align:center;"| 85 || style="text-align:center;"| Denmark || style="text-align:center;"| Actor || {{hlist|''[[Ordet]]''| ''[[Story of Barbara]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''21'' || [[Harry von Zell]] || style="text-align:center;"| 75 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor || {{hlist|''[[The Saxon Charm]]''| ''[[Son of Paleface]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''25'' || [[Jack Albertson]] || style="text-align:center;"| 74 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor || {{hlist|''[[The Subject Was Roses (film)|The Subject Was Roses]]''| ''[[Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''27'' || [[Lotte Lenya]] || style="text-align:center;"| 83 || style="text-align:center;"| Austria || style="text-align:center;"| Actress || {{hlist|''[[From Russia with Love (film)|From Russia with Love]]''| ''[[The Threepenny Opera (film)|The Threepenny Opera]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''29'' || [[Natalie Wood]] || style="text-align:center;"| 43 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actress || {{hlist|''[[West Side Story (1961 film)|West Side Story]]''| ''[[Rebel Without a Cause]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''30'' || [[Robert H. Harris]] || style="text-align:center;"| 70 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor || {{hlist|''[[How to Make a Monster (1958 film)|How to Make a Monster]]''| ''[[Valley of the Dolls (film)|Valley of the Dolls]]''}}
|-
| rowspan=5 style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;"|  '''December'''
| style="text-align:center;"| ''5'' || [[Charles Barton (director)|Charles Barton]] || style="text-align:center;"| 79 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Director || {{hlist|''[[Africa Screams]]''| ''[[The Shaggy Dog (1959 film)|The Shaggy Dog]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''15'' || [[Karl Struss]] || style="text-align:center;"| 95 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Cinematographer || {{hlist|''[[Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans]]''| ''[[The Great Dictator]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''17'' || [[Ada Kramm]] || style="text-align:center;"| 82 || style="text-align:center;"| Norway || style="text-align:center;"| Actress || {{hlist|''[[The White God]]''| ''[[Arven (1979 film)|Arven]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''27'' || [[Hoagy Carmichael]] || style="text-align:center;"| 82 || style="text-align:center;"| US || style="text-align:center;"| Actor, Composer || {{hlist|''[[To Have and Have Not (film)|To Have and Have Not]]''| ''[[The Best Years of Our Lives]]''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| ''28'' || [[Allan Dwan]] || style="text-align:center;"| 96 || style="text-align:center;"| Canada || style="text-align:center;"| Director || {{hlist|''[[Sands of Iwo Jima]]''| ''[[Heidi (1937 film)|Heidi]]''}}
|}

== 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]]''
}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=nb}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?title_type=feature,short&release_date=1981-01-01,1981-12-31&adult=include&sort=num_votes,desc List of 1981 films] at [[IMDb]]
* [https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/1981/?grossesOption=calendarGrosses 1981 Domestic Grosses] at [[Box Office Mojo]]
*[https://www.imdb.com/search/name/?death_date=1981-01-01,1981-12-31&adult=include List of 1981 deaths] at [[IMDb]]
* [https://www.imdb.com/search/name/?birth_date=1981-01-01,1981-12-31&adult=include List of 1981 births] at [[IMDb]]

{{1981 films}}

{{Portal bar|1980s|Film}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1981 In Film}}
[[Category:1981 in film| ]]
[[Category:Film by year]]