1981 in film

The top ten films released in 1981 by box office gross in North America are as follows:

• January 19 – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movie Heaven's Gate, a major factor in the decision of owner Transamerica to sell it.
• March 30 - The 53rd Academy Awards are postponed due to the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan earlier that day. They are held the following day with a message from the President recorded for the ceremony prior to the assassination attempt.
• 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 three sequels.
• August 21 – An American Werewolf in London is released and becomes a landmark in Visual Effects and Makeup.
• 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 – Natalie Wood drowns in a boating accident off Santa Catalina Island.

Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):

Man of Iron (Człowiek z żelaza), directed by Andrzej Wajda, Poland

Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival):

Marianne and Juliane (Die Bleierne Zeit), directed by Margarethe von Trotta, W. Germany

Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):

Faster, Faster (Deprisa, deprisa / Vivre vite), directed by Carlos Saura, Spain / France

United States unless stated

• January 6
  • Rinko Kikuchi, Japanese actress and director
  • Jérémie Renier, Belgian actor
• January 8 – Genevieve Cortese, American actress
• January 21 – Izabella Miko, Polish actress and dancer
• January 22 – Beverley Mitchell, American actress
• January 28 – Elijah Wood, American actor
• January 31 – Justin Timberlake, American singer and actor
• February 9 – Tom Hiddleston, English actor
• February 11 – Kelly Rowland, American singer and actress
• February 12 - Lauri Lagle, Estonian actor, director and screenwriter
• February 17 – Joseph Gordon-Levitt, American actor
• February 19 – Beth Ditto, American singer-songwriter
• February 22 – Elodie Yung, French actress
• February 23 – Josh Gad, American actor and comedian
• March 2 – Bryce Dallas Howard, American actress
• March 6 – Ellen Muth, American actress
• March 11 – David Anders, American actor
• March 28 – Julia Stiles, American actress
• March 29 – Alexander Fehling, German actor
• April 10
  • Laura Bell Bundy, American actress
  • Michael Pitt, American actor
• April 13 – Courtney Peldon, American actress
• April 19
  • Hayden Christensen, Canadian actor
  • Catalina Sandino Moreno, Colombian actress
• April 28 – Jessica Alba, American actress
• May 5
  • Danielle Fishel, American actress
  • Farid Kamil, Malaysian actor and film director
• May 11 – Austin O'Brien, American actor
• May 12 – Rami Malek, American actor
• May 15 – Jamie-Lynn Sigler, American actress
• May 28 – Laura Bailey, American voice actress
• June 1 – Amy Schumer, American actress and comedian
• June 7 – Larisa Oleynik, American actress
• June 9 – Natalie Portman, Israeli-American actress
• June 10 – Jonathan Bennett, American actor
• June 13 – Chris Evans, American actor
• June 14 – Chauncey Leopardi, American actor
• June 20 – Alisan Porter, American former actress
• July 24 – Summer Glau, American actress
• July 30
  • Lisa Wilhoit, American actress
  • Brandon Scott, American 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 Markle, American actress and model
  • Abigail Spencer, American actress
• August 8 – Meagan Good, American actress
• August 20 – Ben Barnes, English actor
• August 24 – Chad Michael Murray, American actor
• August 25 – Rachel Bilson, American actress
• August 27 – Patrick J. Adams, Canadian actor
• September 4 – Beyoncé Knowles, American singer and actress
• September 8 – Jonathan Taylor Thomas, American actor
• September 12 – Jennifer Hudson, American singer and actress
• September 16 – Alexis Bledel, 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, Canadian former child actress (d. 2007)
• October 1 – Rupert Friend, English actor
• October 3 – Seth Gabel, American actor
• October 9 – Zachery Ty Bryan, American actor
• October 12 – Tom Guiry, American actor
• October 22 – Michael Fishman, American actor
• November 9 – Scottie Thompson, American actress
• November 16 – Caitlin Glass, American voice actress
• November 18 – Nasim Pedrad, Iranian-American actress and comedian
• November 20 – Andrea Riseborough, English actress
• December 2 – Britney Spears, American singer and actress
• December 3 – Liza Lapira, American actress
• December 13 – Amy Lee, American singer-songwriter (Evanescence)
• December 16 – Krysten Ritter, American actress
• December 18 – Josh Dallas, American actor
• December 27 – Emilie de Ravin, Australian actress
• December 28 – Sienna Miller, English actress

• Ben Affleck – The Dark End of the Street
• Jason Alexander – The Burning
• Christina Applegate – Jaws of Satan
• Kim Basinger – Hard Country
• Bart the Bear – Windwalker
• Kenneth Branagh – Chariots of Fire
• Gabriel Byrne – Excalibur
• James Cameron (director) – Piranha II: The Spawning
• Dana Carvey – Halloween II
• Kevin Costner – Malibu Hot Summer
• Tom Cruise – Endless Love
• Jeff Daniels – Ragtime
• Dennis Farina – Thief
• Stephen Fry – Chariots of Fire
• Jami Gertz – Endless Love
• Bob Gunton – Rollover
• Glenne Headly – Four Friends
• Holly Hunter – The Burning
• Ciarán Hinds – Excalibur
• Jennifer Jason Leigh – Eyes of a Stranger
• Peter MacNicol – Dragonslayer
• Alfred Molina – Raiders of the Lost Ark
• Bill Nighy – Eye of the Needle
• Chris Noth – Waitress!
• Demi Moore – Choices
• Sean Penn – Taps
• Ron Perlman – Quest for Fire
• Amanda Plummer – Cattle Annie and Little Britches
• Geoffrey Rush – Hoodwink
• Meg Ryan – Rich and Famous
• Vinessa Shaw – Home Sweet Home
• Mindy Sterling – The Devil and Max Devlin
• Fisher Stevens – The Burning
• Madeleine Stowe – Gangster Wars
• Henry Thomas – Raggedy Man
• Kathleen Turner – Body Heat
• Diane Venora – Wolfen
• Hugo Weaving – ...Maybe This Time

• List of American films of 1981
• British films of 1981
• French films of 1981
• List of German films: 1980s
• Bollywood films of 1981
• Italian films of 1981
• Japanese films of 1981
• Swedish films of the 1980s