1981 in film

The following is an overview of events in 1981 in film, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies and festivals, a list of films released and notable deaths.

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Highest-grossing films (U.S.)

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

Highest-grossing films of 1981[1]

Rank	Title	Distributor	Box-office gross
1	Raiders of the Lost Ark	Paramount	$212,222,025
2	On Golden Pond	Universal	$119,285,432
3	Superman II	Warner Bros.	$108,185,706
4	Arthur		$95,461,682
5	Stripes	Columbia	$85,297,000
6	The Cannonball Run	Fox	$72,179,579
7	Chariots of Fire	Warner Bros.	$58,972,904
8	For Your Eyes Only	United Artists	$54,812,802
9	The Four Seasons	Universal	$50,427,646
10	Time Bandits	Embassy	$42,365,581

Events

• May 16 – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movie Heaven's Gate, a major factor in the decision of owner Transamerica to sell it.
• 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 – Actress Natalie Wood drowns in a boating accident off Santa Catalina Island.

Awards

Category/Organization	39th Golden Globe Awards January 30, 1982		35th BAFTA Awards March 18, 1982	54th Academy Awards March 29, 1982
	Drama	Musical or Comedy
Best Film	On Golden Pond	Arthur	Chariots of Fire
Best Director	Warren Beatty Reds		Louis Malle Atlantic City	Warren Beatty Reds
Best Actor	Henry Fonda On Golden Pond	Dudley Moore Arthur	Burt Lancaster Atlantic City	Henry Fonda On Golden Pond
Best Actress	Meryl Streep The French Lieutenant's Woman	Bernadette Peters Pennies from Heaven	Meryl Streep The French Lieutenant's Woman	Katharine Hepburn On Golden Pond
Best Supporting Actor	John Gielgud Arthur		Ian Holm Chariots of Fire	John Gielgud Arthur
Best Supporting Actress	Joan Hackett Only When I Laugh		N/A	Maureen Stapleton Reds
Best Screenplay, Adapted	Ernest Thompson On Golden Pond		Bill Forsyth Gregory's Girl	Ernest Thompson On Golden Pond
Best Screenplay, Original				Colin Welland Chariots of Fire
Best Original Score	N/A		Carl Davis The French Lieutenant's Woman	Vangelis Chariots of Fire
Best Original Song	"Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" Arthur		N/A	"Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" Arthur
Best Foreign Language Film	Chariots of Fire		N/A	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

Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):

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

Notable films released in 1981

United States unless stated

A

• Absence of Malice, directed by Sydney Pollack, starring Paul Newman, Sally Field, Bob Balaban, Melinda Dillon
• All Night Long, starring Barbra Streisand, Gene Hackman, Diane Ladd, Dennis Quaid
• ...All the Marbles, starring Peter Falk, Vicki Frederick and Laurene Landon
• The Amateur, starring John Savage, Christopher Plummer, Marthe Keller
• American Pop, an animated rotoscope musical by Ralph Bakshi and starring Ron Thompson
• An American Werewolf in London, directed by John Landis, starring David Naughton, Griffin Dunne, Jenny Agutter – (US/UK)
• Amy, starring Jenny Agutter and Barry Newman
• Arthur, starring Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, John Gielgud, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Stephen Elliott, Jill Eikenberry
• The Aviator's Wife (La femme de l'aviateur), directed by Éric Rohmer – (France)

B

• Back Roads, directed by Martin Ritt, starring Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones
• Beau-père, directed by Bertrand Blier – (France)
• Die Berührte, directed by Helma Sanders-Brahms – (West Germany)
• Betrayal (Løperjenten) – (Norway)
• Bianco, rosso e Verdone – (Italy)
• Blind Chance (Przypadek) – (Poland)
• The Blood of Hussain – (Pakistan)
• Blood Wedding (Bodas de sangre), directed by Carlos Saura – (Spain)
• Blow Out, directed by Brian De Palma, starring John Travolta, Nancy Allen, Dennis Franz, John Lithgow
• The Boat Is Full (Das Boot ist voll) – (Switzerland)
• Body and Soul, starring Jayne Kennedy, Leon Isaac Kennedy, Michael V. Gazzo
• Body Heat, directed by Lawrence Kasdan, starring William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Ted Danson, Richard Crenna, J. A. Preston, Mickey Rourke
• Das Boot (Released in the U.S. in 1982), directed by Wolfgang Petersen, starring Jürgen Prochnow – (West Germany)
• Buddy Buddy, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau
• Buriki no kunsho – (Japan)
• The Burning, starring Brian Matthews – (United States/Canada)
• The Bushido Blade
• Bustin' Loose, starring Richard Pryor and Cicely Tyson

C

• The Cannonball Run, directed by Hal Needham, starring Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Adrienne Barbeau
• Carbon Copy, starring George Segal, Denzel Washington, Susan Saint James, Jack Warden
• Cattle Annie and Little Britches, starring Burt Lancaster, Rod Steiger, John Savage, Diane Lane, Amanda Plummer
• Caveman, directed by Carl Gottlieb, starring Ringo Starr, Dennis Quaid, Shelley Long
• Chariots of Fire, directed by Hugh Hudson, starring Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nigel Havers, Ian Holm – (U.K.)
• Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen, starring Peter Ustinov, Lee Grant, Angie Dickinson
• Charlotte – (Netherlands)
• The Chosen, starring Robby Benson, Barry Miller, Maximilian Schell, Rod Steiger
• Christiane F. – We Children from Bahnhof Zoo, directed by Uli Edel, starring Natja Brunckhorst – (West Germany)
• Chu Chu and the Philly Flash, directed by David Lowell Rich, starring Carol Burnett and Alan Arkin
• Circle of Deceit (Die Fälschung), directed by Volker Schlöndorff, starring Bruno Ganz, Hanna Schygulla and Jerzy Skolimowski – (West Germany)
• Clash of the Titans, starring Harry Hamlin, Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Ursula Andress – (US/UK)
• Condorman, starring Michael Crawford, Oliver Reed, Barbara Carrera – (U.K.)
• Le confort et l'indifférence (Comfort and Indifference) – (Canada)
• Continental Divide, starring John Belushi, Blair Brown, Allen Garfield
• Coup de torchon, directed by Bertrand Tavernier, starring Philippe Noiret and Isabelle Huppert – (France)
• Cutter's Way, starring Jeff Bridges, Lisa Eichhorn, John Heard

D

• Dance Craze, concert documentary featuring Madness, The Beat, The Specials and others – (U.K.)
• Dark Night of the Scarecrow
• Dead & Buried, starring James Farentino
• Deadly Blessing. starring Sharon Stone and Ernest Borgnine
• Death Hunt, starring Charles Bronson, Lee Marvin, Andrew Stevens, Carl Weathers, Angie Dickinson
• The Decline of Western Civilization, a documentary film
• Deprisa, Deprisa (Hurry, Hurry!), directed by Carlos Saura – (Spain) – Golden Bear winner
• The Devil and Max Devlin, starring Elliott Gould and Bill Cosby
• Diva, directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix – (France)
• Docteur Jekyll et les femmes, directed by Walerian Borowczyk and starring Udo Kier and Marina Pierro – (France)
• Do You Remember Dolly Bell? (Sjecas li se Doli Bel?) – (Yugoslavia)
• Dragonslayer, starring Peter MacNicol
• Dreszcze (Shivers) – (Poland)

E

• Eijanaika (Why Not?), directed by Shohei Imamura – (Japan)
• Ek Duuje Ke Liye (Made for Each Other) – (India)
• Endless Love, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, starring Brooke Shields and Martin Hewitt
• The Entity, starring Barbara Hershey, Ron Silver, Margaret Blye
• Escape from New York, directed by John Carpenter, starring Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Isaac Hayes, Adrienne Barbeau
• Escape to Victory (aka Victory), directed by John Huston, starring Michael Caine, Sylvester Stallone, Max von Sydow, Pelé
• The Evil Dead, directed by Sam Raimi, starring Bruce Campbell
• Excalibur, directed by John Boorman, starring Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicol Williamson, Nicholas Clay, Liam Neeson
• An Eye for an Eye, starring Chuck Norris
• Eye of the Needle, starring Donald Sutherland and Kate Nelligan – (U.K.)
• Eyewitness, directed by Peter Yates, starring William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Christopher Plummer, James Woods

F

• The Fan, directed by Edward Bianchi, starring Lauren Bacall, James Garner, Maureen Stapleton and Michael Biehn
• Fear No Evil, directed by Frank LaLoggia
• Fever (Gorączka), directed by Agnieszka Holland – (Poland)
• First Monday in October, starring Walter Matthau and Jill Clayburgh
• For Your Eyes Only, starring Roger Moore (as James Bond), with Carole Bouquet, Lynn-Holly Johnson – (U.K.)
• Fort Apache, The Bronx, directed by Daniel Petrie, starring Paul Newman, Ed Asner, Ken Wahl
• Four Friends, directed by Arthur Penn, starring Craig Wasson and Jodi Thelen
• The Four Seasons, directed by and starring Alan Alda, with Carol Burnett, Rita Moreno, Sandy Dennis, Len Cariou, Jack Weston
• The Fox and the Hound, with the voices of Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell, Pearl Bailey
• The French Lieutenant's Woman, directed by Karel Reisz, starring Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons – (U.K.)
• Friday the 13th Part II, directed by Steve Miner, starring Amy Steel, John Furey and Adrienne King
• Full Moon High, starring Adam Arkin
• The Funhouse, directed by Tobe Hooper

G

• Gallipoli, directed by Peter Weir, starring Mel Gibson – (Australia)
• Gangster Wars, starring Michael Nouri, Joe Penny, Brian Benben, Madeleine Stowe
• Garde à Vue, starring Romy Schneider and Michel Serrault – (France)
• Gas, starring Susan Anspach, Sterling Hayden, Helen Shaver – (Canada)
• Ghost Story, starring Fred Astaire, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Melvyn Douglas, John Houseman
• The Girl with the Red Hair (Het meisje met het rode haar) – (Netherlands)
• Going Ape!, starring Tony Danza, Stacey Nelkin, Jessica Walter, Danny DeVito
• Goodbye Pork Pie – (New Zealand)
• Graduation Day, starring Christopher George
• The Great Muppet Caper, directed by Jim Henson – (US/UK)
• Gregory's Girl, directed by Bill Forsyth – (U.K.)
• Grendel Grendel Grendel, starring Peter Ustinov – (Australia)

H

• Halloween II, directed by Rick Rosenthal, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence
• The Hand, directed by Oliver Stone, starring Michael Caine
• Hands Up!, (Ręce do góry), directed by Jerzy Skolimowski – (Poland) – originally made in 1967 but withheld
• Happy Birthday to Me, starring Melissa Sue Anderson and Glenn Ford – (Canada)
• Hard Country, starring Jan-Michael Vincent and Kim Basinger
• Hardly Working, directed by and starring Jerry Lewis
• Harry's War, starring Edward Herrmann
• Heartbeeps, directed by Allan Arkush, starring Andy Kaufman and Bernadette Peters
• Heavy Metal, starring John Candy – (Canada)
• Hell Night, starring Linda Blair
• History of the World, Part I, directed by and starring Mel Brooks, with Gregory Hines, Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, Harvey Korman
• Honky Tonk Freeway, starring William Devane, Beau Bridges, Teri Garr, Beverly D'Angelo, Howard Hesseman, Jessica Tandy
• The Hound of the Baskervilles (Priklyucheniya Sherloka Kholmsa i doktora Vatsona: Sobaka Baskerviley) – (U.S.S.R.)
• The Howling, directed by Joe Dante, starring Dee Wallace and Patrick Macnee

I-J

• I Love You (Eu Te Amo), starring Sônia Braga – (Brazil)
• The Incredible Shrinking Woman, starring Lily Tomlin, Charles Grodin and Ned Beatty
• Inseminoid, starring Judy Geeson, Stephanie Beacham, Victoria Tennant – (U.K.)
• The Inventor (Der Erfinder) – (Switzerland/West Germany)
• Just Another Missing Kid, winner of Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature – (Canada)

K

• Killing Heat (Gräset Sjunger), starring Karen Black – (Sweden/Zambia)
• The Killing of Angel Street – (Australia)
• Knightriders, starring Ed Harris
• Kranti (Revolution), starring Dilip Kumar, Manoj Kumar, Shashi Kapoor – (India)

L

• Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains, starring Diane Lane and Laura Dern
• Lady Chatterley's Lover, starring Sylvia Kristel and Nicholas Clay
• The Land of Hunger (Aakali Rajyam) – (India)
• The Last Chase, starring Lee Majors
• Lawaaris, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Zeenat Aman – (India)
• The Legend of the Lone Ranger, starring Klinton Spilsbury, winner of a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor
• Light Years Away (Les Années lumière), starring Trevor Howard – (France)
• Lili Marleen, directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, starring Hanna Schygulla – (West Germany)
• Lion of the Desert, starring Anthony Quinn – (Libya)
• The Little Fox (Vuk) – (Hungary)
• Lola, a German film directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, starring Barbara Sukowa and Armin Mueller-Stahl – (West Germany)
• Looker, directed by Michael Crichton, starring Albert Finney, James Coburn, Susan Dey
• Looks and Smiles, directed by Ken Loach – (U.K.)
• The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie
• Loophole, starring Albert Finney and Martin Sheen

M

• Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, starring Mel Gibson – (Australia)
• Man of Iron (Człowiek z żelaza), directed by Andrzej Wajda – (Poland) – Palme d'Or winner
• Mandala – (South Korea)
• Marianne and Juliane (Die bleierne Zeit), directed by Margarethe von Trotta, starring Barbara Sukowa - Golden Lion winner – (West Germany)
• Il Marchese del Grillo, directed by Mario Monicelli, starring Alberto Sordi – (Italy)
• Masada, TV miniseries, starring Peter O'Toole, Peter Strauss, Barbara Carrera, David Warner
• The Melody Haunts My Memory (Samo jednom se ljubi) – (Yugoslavia)
• Mephisto, directed by István Szabó, starring Klaus Maria Brandauer – (Hungary/West Germany/Austria)
• Il minestrone, starring Roberto Benigni – (Italy)
• Modern Romance, directed by and starring Albert Brooks, with Kathryn Harrold and Bruno Kirby
• Mommie Dearest, starring Faye Dunaway, Diana Scarwid, Steve Forrest – winner of five Golden Raspberry Awards including Worst Picture and Worst Actress (Dunaway)
• Montenegro, starring Susan Anspach and Erland Josephson – (Sweden)
• Ms. 45, directed by Abel Ferrara
• Muzhiki! – (U.S.S.R.)
• My Bloody Valentine – (Canada)
• My Dinner with Andre, starring Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory
• The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians (Tajemství hradu v Karpatech) – (Czechoslovakia)
• The Mystery of the Third Planet (Tayna tretyey planety) – (U.S.S.R.)

N

• Naseeb (Destiny), starring Amitabh Bachchan – (India)
• National Heritage (Patrimonio nacional), directed by Luis García Berlanga – (Spain)
• Neighbors, starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd
• The Nesting, starring Bill Rowley, Gloria Grahame
• Nice Dreams, a Cheech & Chong film
• Nighthawks, starring Sylvester Stallone, Rutger Hauer, Billy Dee Williams, Lindsay Wagner, Persis Khambatta, Nigel Davenport
• The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia, starring Kristy McNichol, Dennis Quaid, Mark Hamill
• Nobody's Perfekt, starring Gabe Kaplan, Alex Karras, Robert Klein

O

• The Oil, the Baby and the Transylvanians (Pruncul, petrolul şi ardelenii) – (Romania)
• Omen III: The Final Conflict, starring Sam Neill, Rossano Brazzi – (US/UK)
• On Golden Pond, directed by Mark Rydell, starring Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda
• On the Right Track, starring Gary Coleman
• Only When I Laugh, starring Marsha Mason, Kristy McNichol, James Coco, Joan Hackett
• Outland, directed by Peter Hyams, starring Sean Connery and Peter Boyle – (U.K.)

P

• Passion of Love (Passione d'amore), directed by Ettore Scola – (Italy)
• Paternity, directed by David Steinberg, starring Burt Reynolds and Beverly D'Angelo
• La Pelle (The Skin), directed by Liliana Cavani, starring Marcello Mastroianni and Claudia Cardinale – (Italy)
• Pennies from Heaven, starring Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, Jessica Harper, Christopher Walken – based on the TV series by Dennis Potter
• Pixote, directed by Héctor Babenco – (Brazil)
• Polyester, directed by John Waters, starring Divine
• Le Pont du Nord, directed by Jacques Rivette – (France)
• Porky's, directed by Bob Clark, starring Dan Monahan, Wyatt Knight, Kim Cattrall, Boyd Gaines, Alex Karras, Susan Clark
• Possession, starring Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill – (France/West Germany)
• The Postman Always Rings Twice, directed by Bob Rafelson, starring Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange
• Priest of Love, starring Ian McKellen, Janet Suzman, Ava Gardner – (UK)
• Prince of the City, directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Treat Williams and Jerry Orbach
• Private Lessons, starring Sylvia Kristel, Howard Hesseman, Ed Begley Jr.
• The Prodigal Son (Bai ga jai), directed by and starring Sammo Hung – (Hong Kong)
• The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper, starring Treat Williams, Robert Duvall, Kathryn Harrold

Q

• Quartet, directed by James Ivory, starring Alan Bates, Maggie Smith, Isabelle Adjani – (U.K.)
• Quest for Fire (aka La Guerre du feu), directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud – (Canada/France/United States)

R

• Race for the Yankee Zephyr, starring Ken Wahl, Lesley Ann Warren, George Peppard – (New Zealand)
• Raggedy Man, starring Sam Shepard and Sissy Spacek
• Ragtime, directed by Miloš Forman, starring James Cagney, Howard E. Rollins Jr., Elizabeth McGovern, Mandy Patinkin, Mary Steenburgen, Brad Dourif
• Raiders of the Lost Ark, directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Harrison Ford and Karen Allen
• Reds, directed by and starring Warren Beatty, with Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Maureen Stapleton, Gene Hackman, Paul Sorvino
• Rich and Famous, directed by George Cukor, starring Jacqueline Bisset and Candice Bergen
• Roar, directed by Noel Marshall, starring Tippi Hedren and Melanie Griffith
• Ritam zločina – (Yugoslavia)
• Roadgames, directed by Richard Franklin, starring Stacy Keach and Jamie Lee Curtis – (Australia)
• Rollover, directed by Alan J. Pakula, starring Jane Fonda and Kris Kristofferson
• Ruckus, starring Dirk Benedict, Linda Blair, Richard Farnsworth

S

• S.O.B., directed by Blake Edwards, starring Julie Andrews, William Holden, Robert Preston, Richard Mulligan
• The Salamander, starring Anthony Quinn, Franco Nero, Eli Wallach, Claudia Cardinale
• Saturday the 14th, starring Paula Prentiss and Richard Benjamin
• Scanners, directed by David Cronenberg – (Canada)
• Sharky's Machine, directed by and starring Burt Reynolds, with Rachel Ward, Henry Silva, Vittorio Gassman, Charles Durning, Earl Holliman
• Shaukeen, starring Ashok Kumar – (India)
• Shikake-nin Baian – (Japan)
• Shock Treatment, starring Jessica Harper and Cliff DeYoung
• Short Working Day, directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski – (Poland)
• Shaolin and Wu Tang (Shao Lin yu Wu Dang), Directed by Liu Chia-Hui, starring Adam Cheng, Gordon Liu and Wang Lung-wei – (Hong Kong)
• Silence of the North, directed by Allan King, Tom Skerritt, Gordon Pinsent and Ellen Burstyn – (Canada)
• The Simple-Minded Murderer (Den Enfaldige Mördaren), starring Stellan Skarsgård – (Sweden)
• The Sixth (Shestoy) – (U.S.S.R.)
• Smash Palace, directed by Roger Donaldson – (New Zealand)
• Sogni d'oro (Golden Dreams), directed by and starring Nanni Moretti – (Italy)
• Southern Comfort, directed by Walter Hill, starring Keith Carradine, Powers Boothe and Fred Ward
• Sphinx, starring Lesley-Anne Down and Frank Langella
• Station (Eki Station) – (Japan)
• Strange Affair (Une étrange affaire), starring Michel Piccoli – (France)
• Strange Behavior, starring Michael Murphy and Louise Fletcher – (New Zealand)
• Stripes, directed by Ivan Reitman, starring Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates, John Larroquette, John Candy
• Student Bodies
• Suddenly at Midnight (Gipeun bam, gapjagi) – (South Korea)

T

• Take This Job and Shove It, starring Robert Hays, Barbara Hershey, Art Carney
• Tales of Ordinary Madness (Storie di ordinaria follia), starring Ben Gazzara and Ornella Muti – (Italy/France)
• Taps, directed by Harold Becker, starring Timothy Hutton, George C. Scott, Ronny Cox, Sean Penn, Tom Cruise
• Tarzan, the Ape Man, starring Bo Derek and Richard Harris
• Tattoo, starring Bruce Dern and Maud Adams
• Taxi zum Klo (Taxi to the Toilet) – (West Germany)
• Teheran 43, starring Alain Delon – (U.S.S.R./France/Switzerland)
• They All Laughed, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, starring Audrey Hepburn and Ben Gazzara
• Thief aka Violent Streets, directed by Michael Mann, starring James Caan, Tuesday Weld, James Belushi, Robert Prosky
• This Is Elvis, a documentary
• Three Brothers (Tre fratelli), directed by Francesco Rosi – (Italy)
• Threshold, directed by Richard Pearce, starring Donald Sutherland, Jeff Goldblum, Mare Winningham – (Canada)
• Ticket to Heaven, starring Nick Mancuso, Saul Rubinek, Meg Foster – (Canada)
• Time Bandits, directed by Terry Gilliam, starring John Cleese, Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall – (U.K.)
• Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man (La tragedia di un uomo ridicolo), directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, starring Ugo Tognazzi and Anouk Aimée – (Italy)
• Tree of Knowledge (Kundskabens træ) – (Denmark)
• True Confessions, directed by Ulu Grosbard, starring Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Charles Durning, Burgess Meredith, Kenneth McMillan
• The True Story of Ah Q (Ā Q zhèng zhuàn) – (China)
• Tuck Everlasting

U-V

• Under the Rainbow, starring Chevy Chase, Carrie Fisher and Billy Barty
• Les Uns et les Autres, directed by Claude Lelouch – (France)
• Útlaginn (Outlaw: The Saga of Gisli) – (Iceland)
• Variola Vera – (Yugoslavia)
• Vernon, Florida, a documentary

W

• Whose Life Is It Anyway?, directed by John Badham, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Bob Balaban, Christine Lahti, John Cassavetes
• Will, starring Robert Conrad
• Winter of Our Dreams, directed by John Duigan, starring Judy Davis, Brian Brown, and Baz Luhrmann – (Australia)
• Wolfen, starring Albert Finney, Diane Venora and Gregory Hines
• The Woman Next Door (La Femme d'à côté), directed by François Truffaut, starring Gérard Depardieu and Fanny Ardant – (France)
• Woman Who Exposes Herself (Misetagaru onna) – (Japan)

Z

• Zoot Suit, starring Edward James Olmos
• Zorro, The Gay Blade, starring George Hamilton, Lauren Hutton, Brenda Vaccaro, Ron Leibman

1981 Wide-release movies

January–March

Opening		Title	Studio	Cast and crew	Genre	Medium
J A N U A R Y	7	Scream	Cal-Com	Byron Quisenberry (director/screenplay); Pepper Martin, Hank Worden, Ethan Wayne, Alvy Moore, Bobby Diamond, Woody Strode, Ann Bronston, Julie Marine, Nancy St. Marie, Joseph Alvarado, John Nowak, Joe Allaine, Cynthia Faria, Bella Bluck, Dee Cooper, Bob Macgonigal, Gino Difirelli, Gregg Palmer	Slasher	Live action
	14	Scanners	AVCO Embassy Pictures	David Cronenberg (director/screenplay); Stephen Lack, Jennifer O'Neill, Patrick McGoohan, Lawrence Dane, Michael Ironside, Robert Silverman, Mavor Moore, Anthony Sherwood, Fred Doederlein, Victor Désy, Louis Del Grande, Alex Stevens, William Hope, Christopher Britton, Leon Herbert, Neil Affleck	Sci-Fi, Horror	Live action
	28	Blood Beach	Compass International Pictures / The Jerry Gross Organization	Jeffrey Bloom (director/screenplay); David Huffman, Marianna Hill, Burt Young, John Saxon, Stefan Gierasch, Harriet Medin, Otis Young, Darrell Fetty, Lena Pousette, Mickey Fox, Marleta Giles, Pamela McMyler, Eleanor Zee, Laura Burkett, Jacqueline Randall	Horror	Live action
		Zombi 2	Variety Film	Lucio Fulci (director); Elisa Briganti, Dardano Sacchetti (screenplay); Tisa Farrow, Ian McCulloch, Richard Johnson, Al Cliver, Auretta Gay, Stefania D'Amario, Olga Karlatos	Zombie	Live action
	30	Earthbound	Taft International Pictures	James L. Conway (director); Michael Fisher (screenplay); Burl Ives, Todd Porter, Christopher Connelly, Meredith MacRae, Joseph Campanella, Marc Gilpin, John Schuck, Joey Forman, Stuart Pankin, H.M. Wynant, Doodles Weaver, Anne Lockhart, Mindy Dow, Elissa Leeds, Peter Isacksen, Jesse Bennett, Cindy Bertagnolli, Allen Tatomer, Scottie Anderson	Comedy, Sci-Fi	Live action
		The Incredible Shrinking Woman	Universal Pictures	Joel Schumacher (director); Jane Wagner (screenplay); Lily Tomlin, Charles Grodin, Ned Beatty, Henry Gibson, Elizabeth Wilson, Mark Blankfield, Maria Smith, Pamela Bellwood, John Glover, Nicholas Hormann, James McMullan, Shelby Balik, Justin Dana, Rick Baker, Frank Welker, Mike Douglas, Dick Wilson, Sally Kirkland, Pat Ast, Marneen Fields	Sci-Fi, Comedy	Live action
F E B R U A R Y	6	Fort Apache, The Bronx	20th Century Fox / Producers Circle / Time-Life Films	Daniel Petrie (director); Heywood Gould (screenplay); Paul Newman, Ed Asner, Ken Wahl, Danny Aiello, Rachel Ticotin, Pam Grier, Kathleen Beller, Tito Goya, Miguel Piñero, Jaime Tirelli, Clifford David, Sully Boyar, Dominic Chianese, Michael Higgins, Paul Gleason, Randy Jurgensen, Gilbert Lewis, Cleavant Derricks, Reynaldo Medina, Norman Matlock	Crime, Drama	Live action
	11	My Bloody Valentine	Paramount Pictures / Canadian Film Development Corporation / Secret Film Company	George Mihalka (director); John Beaird (screenplay); Paul Kelman, Lori Hallier, Neil Affleck, Don Francks, Cynthia Dale, Alf Humphreys, Keith Knight, Patricia Hamilton, Terry Waterland, Thomas Kovacs, Helene Udy, Rob Stein, Gina Dick, Larry Reynolds, Jim Murchison, Carl Marotte, Jack Van Evera, Peter Cowper	Slasher	Live action
		Sphinx	Orion Pictures / Warner Bros.	Franklin J. Schaffner (director); John Byrum (screenplay); Lesley-Anne Down, Frank Langella, Maurice Ronet, John Gielgud, Vic Tablian, Martin Benson, John Rhys-Davies, Nadim Sawalha, Tutte Lemkow, Saeed Jaffrey, Eileen Way, William Hootkins, James Cossins, Victoria Tennant, Behrouz Vossoughi	Adventure	Live action
	13	American Pop	Columbia Pictures / Bakshi Productions	Ralph Bakshi (director); Ronni Kern (screenplay); Ron Thompson, Lisa Jane Persky, Jeffrey Lippa, Marya Small, Beatrice Colen, Frank Dekova, Roz Kelly, Richard Moll, Joey Camen, Elsa Raven, Vincent Schiavelli, Leonard Stone, Eric Taslitz, Lynda Wiesmeier, Elya Baskin, Lee Ving, Ralph Bakshi, Richard Singer, Jerry Holland, Hilary Beane, Robert Beecher, Gene Borkan, Ben Frommer, Amy Levitt	Musical, Drama	Adult animation
		Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen	American Cinema Productions / Jerry Sherlock Productions	Clive Donner (director); Stan Burns, David Axelrod (screenplay); Peter Ustinov, Lee Grant, Angie Dickinson, Richard Hatch, Brian Keith, Roddy McDowall, Rachel Roberts, Michelle Pfeiffer, Paul Ryan, Johnny Sekka	Comedy, Mystery	Live action
		Eyewitness	20th Century Fox	Peter Yates (director); Steve Tesich (screenplay); William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Christopher Plummer, James Woods, Irene Worth, Kenneth McMillan, Pamela Reed, Steven Hill, Morgan Freeman, Alice Drummond, Keone Young	Neo-Noir, Thriller	Live action
M A R C H	6	All Night Long	Universal Pictures	Jean-Claude Tramont (director); W.D. Richter (screenplay); Gene Hackman, Barbra Streisand, Dennis Quaid, Diane Ladd, Kevin Dobson, William Daniels, Hamilton Camp, Terry Kiser, Charles Siebert, Vernee Watson, Annie Girardot, Ann Doran, Raleigh Bond, Jim Nolan, Judy Kerr, Marlyn Gates	Romance, Comedy	Live action
		The Devil and Max Devlin	Buena Vista Distribution / Walt Disney Productions	Steven Hilliard Stern (director); Mary Rodgers (screenplay); Elliott Gould, Bill Cosby, Susan Anspach, Adam Rich, Julie Budd, Sonny Shroyer, David Knell, Chuck Shamata, Ronnie Schell, Reggie Nalder	Fantasy, Comedy	Live action
		Maniac	Analysis Film Releasing Corporation / Magnum Motion Pictures Inc.	William Lustig (director); C.A. Rosenberg, Joe Spinell (screenplay); Joe Spinell, Caroline Munro, Gail Lawrence, Tom Savini, Sharon Mitchell, William Lustig, Kelly Piper, Rita Montone, Hyla Marrow, James Brewster, Linda Lee Walter, Tracie Evans, Carol Henry, Neila Bacmeister, Louis Jawitz, Denise Spagnuolo, Billy Spagnuolo, Frank Pesce	Slasher	Live action
		On the Right Track	20th Century Fox	Lee Philips (director); Avery Buddy, Richard Moses, Tina Pine (screenplay); Gary Coleman, Maureen Stapleton, Norman Fell, Michael Lembeck, Lisa Eilbacher, Bill Russell, Herb Edelman, Nathan Davis, Fern Persons, Mike Genovese, Harry Gorsuch, Page Hannah, Jami Gertz, Chelcie Ross, Mike Bacarella, Jack Wasserman, Arthur Smith, Corin Rogers, George Barrow, David Selburg	Comedy	Live action
	13	Back Roads	Warner Bros. / CBS Theatrical Films	Martin Ritt (director); Gary DeVore (screenplay); Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, David Keith, Michael V. Gazzo, Barbara Babcock, Miriam Colon, M. Emmet Walsh	Romance, Comedy	Live action
		The Funhouse	Universal Pictures / Mace Neufeld Productions	Tobe Hooper (director); Larry Block (screenplay); Elizabeth Berridge, Cooper Huckabee, Largo Woodruff, Miles Chapin, Kevin Conway, Sylvia Miles, William Finley, Wayne Doba, Shawn Carson, Rebuka Hoye, Jack McDermott, Jeanne Austin	Slasher	Live action
		Modern Romance	Columbia Pictures	Albert Brooks (director/screenplay); Monica Johnson (screenplay); Albert Brooks, Kathryn Harrold, Bruno Kirby, James L. Brooks, George Kennedy, Albert Henderson	Comedy, Romance	Live action
	20	Amy	Buena Vista Distribution / Walt Disney Productions	Vincent McEveety (director); Noreen Stone (screenplay); Jenny Agutter, Barry Newman, Kathleen Nolan, Chris Robinson, Lou Fant, Margaret O'Brien, Nanette Fabray, Lance LeGault, Lucille Benson, Jonathan Daly, Lonny Chapman, Norman Burton, Ronnie Scribner, Seamon Glass, Brian Frishman, Jane Daly, Dawn Jeffory, Peggy McCay, Len Wayland, Virginia Vincent, Otto Rechenberg, David Hollander, Cory 'Bumper' Yothers, Alban Branton, Michelle Downey, Carson Sipes, Diana Boyd, Flavia Fleischer, David Jacob Weiss, Oscar Arturo Aguilar, Kevin van Wieringen, Nancy Jeris, Randy Morton, Lance Gordon, John Arndt, Rick Foster, Elisha Rapson	Drama	Live action
		Cutter's Way	United States	Ivan Passer (director); Jeffrey Alan Fiskin (screenplay); Jeff Bridges, John Heard, Lisa Eichhorn, Ann Dusenberry, Stephen Elliott, Arthur Rosenberg, Francis X. McCarthy, Nina van Pallandt, Julia Duffy, Billy Drago, Jonathan Terry, Ted White, Patricia Donahue, Paul Thomas	Neo noir, Thriller	Live action
		Omen III: The Final Conflict	20th Century Fox / Mace Neufeld Productions	Graham Baker (director); Andrew Birkin (screenplay); Sam Neill, Rossano Brazzi, Don Gordon, Lisa Harrow, Barnaby Holm, Leueen Willoughby, Marc Boyle, Milos Kirek, Tommy Duggan, Louis Mahoney, Richard Oldfield, Tony Vogel, Hugh Moxey, Mason Adams, Robert Arden, Ruby Wax, Hazel Court	Horror	Live action
		The Postman Always Rings Twice	Paramount Pictures / Lorimar Productions / Northstar International	Bob Rafelson (director); David Mamet (screenplay); Jack Nicholson, Jessica Lange, John Colicos, Michael Lerner, John P. Ryan, Anjelica Huston, William Traylor, Ron Flagge, William Newman, Chuck Liddell, Albert Henderson, Christopher Lloyd	Neo-Noir, Thriller	Live action
	23	Inseminoid (UK)	Butcher's Film Service / Jupiter Film Productions	Norman J. Warren (director); Nick Maley, Gloria Maley (screenplay); Judy Geeson, Robin Clarke, Jennifer Ashley, Stephanie Beacham, Steven Grives, Barrie Houghton, Rosalind Lloyd, Victoria Tennant, Trevor Thomas, Heather Wright, David Baxt, Dominic Jephcott, John Segal, Kevin O'Shea, Robert Pugh	Sci-Fi, Horror	Live action
	27	Eyes of a Stranger	Warner Bros. / Georgetown Productions Inc.	Ken Wiederhorn (director); Mark Jackson (screenplay); Lauren Tewes, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Luke Halpin, John DiSanti, Peter DuPre, Gwen Lewis, Kitty Lunn, Timothy Hawkins, Ted Richert, Toni Crabtree, Bob Small, Stella Rivera, Dan Fitzgerald, José Bahamande, Rhonda Flynn	Slasher	Live action
		Thief	United Artists	Michael Mann (director/screenplay); James Caan, Tuesday Weld, Robert Prosky, Willie Nelson, Jim Belushi, Dennis Farina, William Petersen, Gavin MacFadyen, Chuck Adamson, Tom Signorelli, Nick Nickeas, W.R. Bill Brown, Norm Tobin, John Santucci, Sam Cirone, Spero Anast, Hal Frank, Patti Ross	Neo-Noir, Action, Thriller	Live action

April–June

Opening		Title	Studio	Cast and crew	Genre	Medium
A P R I L	3	Alice in Wonderland (re-release)	Walt Disney Productions / RKO Radio Pictures	Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske (directors); Aldous Huxley (screenplay); Kathryn Beaumont, Ed Wynn, Richard Haydn, Sterling Holloway, Jerry Colonna, Verna Felton, J. Pat O'Malley, Bill Thompson, Heather Angel, Joseph Kearns, Larry Grey, Queenie Leonard, Dink Trout, Doris Lloyd, James MacDonald, The Mellomen, Don Barclay, Lucille Bliss, Pinto Colvig, Tommy Luske, Marni Nixon, Norma Zimmer	Musical, Fantasy, Adventure	Animation
		Atlantic City	Paramount Pictures / Selta Films / ICC / Cine-Neighbor / Famous Players Ltd. / Canadian Film Development Corporation	Louis Malle (director); John Guare (screenplay); Burt Lancaster, Susan Sarandon, Kate Reid, Robert Joy, Hollis McLaren, Michel Piccoli, Al Waxman, Sean Sullivan, Angus MacInnes, Moses Znaimer, Wallace Shawn, Harvey Atkin, Norma Dell'Agnese, Louis Del Grande, Cec Linder, Sean McCann, Robert Goulet	Romance, Crime	Live action
		Hardly Working	20th Century Fox	Jerry Lewis (director/screenplay); Michael Janover (screenplay); Jerry Lewis, Susan Oliver, Roger C. Carmel, Deanna Lund, Harold J. Stone, Steve Franken, Buddy Lester, Leonard Stone	Comedy	Live action
	4	This Is Elvis	Warner Bros.	Malcolm Leo, Andrew Solt (directors/screenplay); Priscilla Presley, Vernon Presley, Gladys Presley, Joe Esposito, Linda Thompson, Ral Donner	Documentary	Live action
		Nighthawks	Universal Pictures / Martin Poll Productions / The Production Company	Bruce Malmuth (director); David Shaber (screenplay); Sylvester Stallone, Billy Dee Williams, Lindsay Wagner, Persis Khambatta, Nigel Davenport, Rutger Hauer, Hilary Thompson, Joe Spinell, Walter Mathews	Neo-Noir, Action, Thriller	Live action
	10	Excalibur	Orion Pictures / Warner Bros. Pictures	John Boorman (director/screenplay); Rospo Pallenberg (screenplay); Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicholas Clay, Cherie Lunghi, Paul Geoffrey, Nicol Williamson, Corin Redgrave, Patrick Stewart, Keith Buckley, Clive Swift, Liam Neeson, Gabriel Byrne, Robert Addie, Charley Boorman, Katrine Boorman, Ciarán Hinds, Niall O'Brien, Kay McLaren, Barbara Byrne	Epic, Fantasy	Live action
		Going Ape!	Paramount Pictures	Jeremy Joe Kronsberg (director/screenplay); Tony Danza, Stacey Nelkin, Jessica Walter, Danny DeVito, Art Metrano, Frank Sivero, Rick Hurst, Howard Mann, Joseph Maher	Comedy	Live action
		The Howling	Embassy Pictures	Joe Dante (director); John Sayles, Terence H. Winkless (screenplay); Dee Wallace, Patrick Macnee, Dennis Dugan, Christopher Stone, Belinda Balaski, Kevin McCarthy, John Carradine, Slim Pickens, Elisabeth Brooks, Robert Picardo, Noble Willingham, Jim McKrell, Kenneth Tobey, Dick Miller, Meshach Taylor, Margie Impert, James Murtaugh, Don McLeod	Horror	Live action
		Knightriders	United Film Distribution Company / Laurel Entertainment	George A. Romero (director/screenplay); Ed Harris, John Amplas, Gary Lahti, Tom Savini, Amy Ingersoll, Patricia Tallman, Brother Blue, Ken Foree, Scott Reiniger, Martin Ferrero, Michael P. Moran, Donald Rubinstein, Stephen King, Warner Shook, Randy Kovitz, Harold Wayne Jones, Albert Amerson, Christine Forrest, Greg Besnak, Gary Davis	Drama	Live action
	17	Caveman	United Artists / Turman-Foster Company	Carl Gottlieb (director/screenplay); Rudy De Luca (screenplay); Ringo Starr, Barbara Bach, Dennis Quaid, Shelley Long, Jack Gilford, Cork Hubbert, Evan C. Kim, Carl Lumbly, John Matuszak, Avery Schreiber, Richard Moll, Mark King, Paco Morayta, Ed Greenberg, Jack Scalici, Anaís de Melo, Miguel Ángel Fuentes, Gerardo Zepeda, Hector Moreno	Slapstick, Comedy	Live action
	24	Cattle Annie and Little Britches	Universal Pictures / Hemdale Film Corporation	Lamont Johnson (director); David Eyre, Robert Ward (screenplay); Burt Lancaster, John Savage, Rod Steiger, Amanda Plummer, Diane Lane, Scott Glenn, Redmond Gleeson, William Russ, Ken Call, Buck Taylor, Roger Cudney Jr., Michael Conrad, John Quade, Perry Lang, Steven Ford, Chad Hastings, Yvette Sweetman	Drama, Western	Live action
		The Hand	Orion Pictures / Warner Bros.	Oliver Stone (director/screenplay); Michael Caine, Andrea Marcovicci, Annie McEnroe, Bruce McGill, Viveca Lindfors, Rosemary Murphy, Mara Hobel, Pat Corley, Charles Fleischer	Horror	Live action
		Ms. 45	Rochelle Films / Navaron Films	Abel Ferrara (director); Nicholas St. John (screenplay); Zöë Tamerlis, Steve Singer, Jack Thibeau, Peter Yellen, Abel Ferrara, Editta Sherman, Albert Sinkys, Darlene Stuto, Helen McGara, Nike Zachmanoglou, Vincent Gruppi, James Albanese	Thriller	Live action
		Night School	Paramount Pictures / Lorimar / Resource Productions	Ken Hughes (director); Ruth Avergon (screenplay); Leonard Mann, Rachel Ward, Drew Snyder, Joseph R. Sicari, Nicholas Cairis, Karen MacDonald, Annette Miller, Bill McCann, Margo Skinner, Kevin Fennessy, Elizabeth Barnitz, Holly Hardman, Meb Boden, Leonard Corman, Belle McDonald, Ed Higgins	Thriller, Slasher	Live action
		Take This Job and Shove It	Avco Embassy Pictures / Cinema Group Ventures	Gus Trikonis (director); Barry Schneider (screenplay); Robert Hays, Art Carney, Barbara Hershey, David Keith, Tim Thomerson, Martin Mull, Eddie Albert, Penelope Milford, David Allan Coe, Lacy J. Dalton, Royal Dano, Virgil Frye, James Karen, Len Lesser, Suzanne Kent, Joan Prather, George Lindsey, Johnny Paycheck, Charlie Rich, Fran Ryan, Stephan Meyers, Bob Chandler	Comedy	Live action
M A Y	1	Friday the 13th Part 2	Paramount Pictures / Georgetown Productions	Steve Miner (director); Ron Kurz (screenplay); Amy Steel, John Furey, Adrienne King, Steve Daskewisz, Stu Charno, Lauren-Marie Taylor, Marta Kober, Tom McBride, Bill Randolph, Kirsten Baker, Russell Todd, Walt Gorney, Betsy Palmer, Jack Marks, Cliff Cudney, Warrington Gillette	Slasher	Live action
		Graduation Day	IFI/Scope III	Herb Freed (director/screenplay); Anne Marisse (screenplay); Christopher George, Patch Mackenzie, Michael Pataki, E. Danny Murphy, E. J. Peaker, Linnea Quigley, Denise Cheshire, Billy Hufsey, Tom Hintnaus, Vanna White, Karen Abbott, Linda Shayne, Carmen Argenziano, Virgil Frye, Richard Balin, Carl Rey, Erica Hope, Beverly Dixon, Hal Bokar	Slasher	Live action
		King of the Mountain	Universal Pictures / PolyGram Pictures	Noel Nosseck (director); Leigh Chapman, H.R. Christian (screenplay); Harry Hamlin, Joseph Bottoms, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, Richard Cox, Seymour Cassel, Dennis Hopper	Drama	Live action
	3	Image of the Beast
	8	The Burning	Filmways Pictures / Cropsy Venture / Miramax Films	Tony Maylam (director); Bob Weinstein, Peter Lawrence (screenplay); Brian Matthews, Lou David, Leah Ayres, Brian Backer, Larry Joshua, Jason Alexander, Ned Eisenberg, Fisher Stevens, Holly Hunter, Willie Reale, Carrick Glenn, Carolyn Houlihan, Shelley Bruce, Sarah Chodoff, Bonnie Deroski, Kevi Kendall, J.R. McKechnie, George Parry, Ame Segull, Bruce Kluger, John Roach, James Van Verth	Slasher	Live action
		Lady Chatterley's Lover	Cannon Films / Columbia Pictures	Just Jaeckin (director/screenplay); Marc Behm, Christopher Wicking (screenplay); Sylvia Kristel, Nicholas Clay, Shane Briant, Ann Mitchell, Elizabeth Spriggs, Pascale Rivault, Peter Bennett, Anthony Head, Frank Moorey, Bessie Love, John Tynan, Michael Huston, Fran Hunter, Ryan Michael, Mark Colleano	Romance, Drama	Live action
	15	The Fan	Paramount Pictures	Edward Bianchi (director); Priscilla Chapman, John Hartwell (screenplay); Lauren Bacall, James Garner, Maureen Stapleton, Michael Biehn, Héctor Elizondo, Anna Maria Horsford, Reed Jones, Dana Delany, Dwight Schultz, Griffin Dunne, Liz Smith, Kurt Johnson, Feiga Martinez, Kaiulani Lee	Thriller	Live action
	21	Death Hunt	20th Century Fox / Golden Harvest	Peter R. Hunt (director); Michael Grais, Mark Victor (screenplay); Charles Bronson, Lee Marvin, Andrew Stevens, Carl Weathers, Ed Lauter, Angie Dickinson, Scott Hylands, Henry Beckman, William Sanderson, Jon Cedar, James O'Connell, Len Lesser, Maury Chaykin, August Schellenberg, Dick Davalos	Western, Action	Live action
	22	Bustin' Loose	Universal Pictures / Omar Productions / Northwest Film and Television Consultants / Universal Clearances	Oz Scott (director); Lonne Elder III, Richard Pryor, Roger L. Simon (screenplay); Richard Pryor, Cicely Tyson, Robert Christian, George Coe, Earl Billings, Bill Quinn, Fred Carney, Peggy McCay, Roy Jenson, Angel Ramirez, Nick Dimitri, Gary Goetzman, Paul Mooney, Vern Taylor, Alphonso Alexander, Kia Cooper, Edwin de Leon, Jimmy Hughes, Edwin Kinter, Tami Luchow, Janet Wong, Morgan Roberts, Inez Pedroza	Comedy, Drama	Live action
		The Four Seasons	Universal Pictures	Alan Alda (director/screenplay); Alan Alda, Carol Burnett, Len Cariou, Sandy Dennis, Rita Moreno, Jack Weston, Bess Armstrong, Elizabeth Alda, Beatrice Alda	Romance, Comedy	Live action
		The Legend of the Lone Ranger	Universal Pictures / Associated Film Distribution / Eaves Movie Ranch / ITC Entertainment / Wrather Productions	William A. Fraker (director); Ivan Goff, Ben Roberts, William Roberts, Michael Kane, Gerald B. Derloshon (screenplay); Klinton Spilsbury, Michael Horse, Christopher Lloyd, Matt Clark, Juanin Clay, Jason Robards, John Bennett Perry, John Hart, Richard Farnsworth, Ted Flicker, Buck Taylor, Tom Laughlin, Merle Haggard, Lincoln Tate, James Keach	Western	Live action
		Outland	Warner Bros. / The Ladd Company	Peter Hyams (director/screenplay); Sean Connery, Peter Boyle, Frances Sternhagen, James B. Sikking, Kika Markham, Nicholas Barnes, Clarke Peters, Steven Berkoff, John Ratzenberger, Manning Redwood, Angus MacInnes, Eugene Lipinski, Sharon Duce, P.H. Moriarty, Angelique Rockas, Doug Robinson	Sci-Fi, Thriller	Live action
	29	Dead & Buried	AVCO Embassy Pictures	Gary Sherman (director); Ronald Shusett, Dan O'Bannon (screenplay); James Farentino, Melody Anderson, Jack Albertson, Dennis Redfield, Nancy Locke, Lisa Blount, Robert Englund, Bill Quinn, Michael Currie, Christopher Allport, Macon McCalman, Barry Corbin, Michael Pataki, Lisa Marie, Joseph G. Medalis, Estelle Omens	Slasher	Live action
		The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia	AVCO Embassy Pictures	Ronald F. Maxwell (director); Bob Bonney (screenplay); Kristy McNichol, Dennis Quaid, Mark Hamill, Sunny Johnson, Don Stroud, Barry Corbin, Arlen Dean Snyder, Ellen Saland	Musical, Drama	Live action
		Polyester	New Line Cinema / Dreamland / Michael White Productions	John Waters (director/screenplay); Divine, Tab Hunter, Edith Massey, Mink Stole, Stiv Bators, Susan Lowe, Cookie Mueller, Mary Vivian Pearce, Jean Hill, George Figgs, David Samson, Ken King, Mary Garlington, Joni Ruth White, Hans Kramm, Rick Breitenfeld, George Hulse, Marina Melin	Comedy	Live action
J U N E	5	Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams	Columbia Pictures / C & C Brown Production	Tommy Chong (director); Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong, Stacy Keach, Paul Reubens, Evelyn Guerrero, Peter Jason, Tim Rossovich, Timothy Leary, Sandra Bernhard, Tony Cox, Michael Winslow, Cheryl Smith, Linnea Quigley	Action, Adventure, Comedy	Live action
		Final Exam	Motion Picture Marketing	Jimmy Huston (director/screenplay); Cecile Bagdadi, Joel S. Rice, DeAnna Robbins, Sherry Willis-Burch, Timothy L. Raynor, Jerry Rushing, Ralph Brown, John Fallon, Terry W. Farren, Sam Kilman, Don Hepner, Mary Ellen Withers, R.C. Nanney	Slasher	Live action
		Tuck Everlasting	One Pass Media	Frederick King Keller (director/screenplay); Fred A. Keller (screenplay); Margaret Chamberlain, Paul Fleesa, Fred A. Keller, James McGuire, Sonia Raimi, Marvin Macnow, Bruce D'Auria, Joel Chaney		Live action
	12	Clash of the Titans	United Artists	Desmond Davis (director); Beverley Cross (screenplay); Harry Hamlin, Laurence Olivier, Judi Bowker, Maggie Smith, Burgess Meredith, Ursula Andress, Siân Phillips, Claire Bloom, Pat Roach, Susan Fleetwood, Tim Pigott-Smith, Jack Gwillim, Neil McCarthy, Vida Taylor, Donald Houston, Flora Robson, Anna Manahan, Freda Jackson	Fantasy, Monster, Adventure	Live action
		Freaky Friday (re-release)	Walt Disney Productions / Buena Vista Distribution	Gary Nelson (director); Mary Rodgers (screenplay); Jodie Foster, Barbara Harris, John Astin, Patsy Kelly, Dick Van Patten, Vicki Schreck, Sorrell Booke, Alan Oppenheimer, Ruth Buzzi, Kaye Ballard, Sparky Marcus, Marc McClure, Charlene Tilton, Al Molinaro, Jack Sheldon, Laurie Main, Dermott Downs, James Van Patten	Fantasy, Comedy	Live action
		Herbie Goes Bananas (re-release)	Walt Disney Productions / Buena Vista Distribution	Vincent McEveety (director); Don Tait (screenplay); Cloris Leachman, Harvey Korman, Charles Martin Smith, Stephan W. Burns, John Vernon, Elyssa Davalos, Joaquin Garay III, Richard Jaeckel, Alex Rocco, Fritz Feld, Vito Scotti, Jose Gonzales-Gonzales, Allan Hunt, Iris Adrian, Jack Perkins, Alma Beltran, Don Diamond, Buddy Joe Hooker, Steve Boyum	Comedy, Adventure	Live action
		Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (re-release)	Walt Disney Productions / Buena Vista Distribution	Vincent McEveety (director); Arthur Alsberg, Don Nelson (screenplay); Dean Jones, Don Knotts, Julie Sommars, Jacques Marin, Roy Kinnear, Bernard Fox, Eric Braeden, Xavier Saint-Macary, Alan Caillou, Laurie Main, Johnny Haymer, Gérard Jugnot, Richard Warlock, Carey Loftin, Katia Tchenko, Josiane Balasko, François Lalande, Mike Kulcsar	Comedy, Adventure	Live action
		History of the World, Part I	20th Century Fox / Brooksfilms	Mel Brooks (director/screenplay); Mel Brooks, Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman, Cloris Leachman, Ron Carey, Gregory Hines, Pamela Stephenson, Shecky Greene, Sid Caesar, Mary-Margaret Humes, Orson Welles, Carl Reiner, Howard Morris, Charlie Callas, Paul Mazursky, Henny Youngman, Hugh Hefner, Barry Levinson, John Myhers, John Hurt, Bea Arthur, Ronny Graham, Pat McCormick, Andreas Voutsinas, Spike Milligan, John Hillerman, Andrew Sachs, Fiona Richmond, Nigel Hawthorne, Bella Emberg	Comedy	Live action
		Raiders of the Lost Ark	Paramount Pictures / Lucasfilm Ltd.	Steven Spielberg (director); Lawrence Kasdan (screenplay); Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliott, Wolf Kahler, Anthony Higgins, Don Fellows, William Hootkins, George Harris, Fred Sorenson, Frank Marshall, Pat Roach, Vic Tablian, Alfred Molina, Terry Richards	Action, Adventure	Live action
	19	The Cannonball Run	20th Century Fox / Golden Harvest	Hal Needham (director); Brock Yates (screenplay); Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Adrienne Barbeau, Tara Buckman, Jamie Farr, Terry Bradshaw, Mel Tillis, Jackie Chan, Michael Hui, George Furth, Peter Fonda, Bert Convy, Jack Elam, Rick Aviles, Alfie Wise, John Fiedler, Molly Picon, Lois Hamilton, Johnny Yune, Bianca Jagger, Valerie Perrine, Robert Tessier, Warren Berlinger, Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder, Joe Klecko, Brock Yates, Hal Needham, Ken Squier, June Foray	Action, Comedy	Live action
		Herbie Rides Again (re-release)	Walt Disney Productions / Buena Vista Distribution	Robert Stevenson (director); Bill Walsh (screenplay); Helen Hayes, Ken Berry, Stefanie Powers, Keenan Wynn, John McIntire, Huntz Hall, Ivor Barry, Vito Scotti, Liam Dunn, Elaine Devry, Chuck McCann, Richard X. Slattery, Don Pedro Colley, Larry J. Blake, Iggie Wolfington, Jack Manning, Hal Baylor, Herb Vigran, Norm Grabowski, Burt Mustin, John Myhers, John Stephenson, Robert Carson, Raymond Bailey, Arthur Space, John Hubbard, Fritz Feld, Alvy Moore, John Zaremba, Alan Carney, Ken Sansom, Hal Williams	Comedy	Live action
		Superman II	Warner Bros. / Dovemead Ltd. / International Film Production	Richard Lester (director); Mario Puzo (screenplay); Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Sarah Douglas, Margot Kidder, Jack O'Halloran, Valerie Perrine, Susannah York, Clifton James, E.G. Marshall, Marc McClure, Terence Stamp	Superhero	Live action
		Swiss Family Robinson (re-release)	Walt Disney Productions / Buena Vista Distribution	John McKimson, Ken Annakin (directors); Lowell S. Hawley (screenplay); John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, James MacArthur, Janet Munro, Sessue Hayakawa, Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran, Cecil Parker, Andy Ho, Milton Reid, Larry Taylor	Adventure	Live action
	26	Dragonslayer	Paramount Pictures / Walt Disney Productions	Matthew Robbins (director/screenplay); Hal Barwood (screenplay); Peter MacNicol, Caitlin Clarke, Ralph Richardson, John Hallam, Peter Eyre, Sydney Bromley, Chloe Salaman, Ian McDiarmid, Albert Salmi, Norman Rodway, Emrys James, Roger Kemp	Fantasy	Live action
		For Your Eyes Only	United Artists / Eon Productions	John Glen (director); Richard Maibaum, Michael G. Wilson (screenplay); Roger Moore, Carole Bouquet, Topol, Lynn-Holly Johnson, Julian Glover, Michael Gothard, Cassandra Harris, John Wyman, Desmond Llewelyn, Jill Bennett, Jack Hedley, Lois Maxwell, Geoffrey Keen, James Villiers, John Moreno, Walter Gotell, Toby Robins, Jack Klaff, Stefan Kalipha, Charles Dance, Eva Reuber-Staier, Janet Brown, John Hollis, Robert Rietti, Bob Simmons	Spy	Live action
		The Great Muppet Caper	Universal Pictures / Associated Film Distribution / ITC Films / Henson Associates	Jim Henson (director); Tom Patchett, Jay Tarses, Jerry Juhl, Jack Rose (screenplay); Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Louise Gold, Kathryn Mullen, Caroll Spinney, Charles Grodin, Diana Rigg, John Cleese, Peter Ustinov, Jack Warden, Peter Falk, Robert Morley, Joan Sanderson, Michael Robbins, Peter Hughes, Peggy Aitchison, Tommy Godfrey, Erica Creer, Kate Howard, Della Finch	Musical, Heist, Comedy	Live action
		Stripes	Columbia Pictures	Ivan Reitman (director); Dan Goldberg, Harold Ramis (screenplay); Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates, P.J. Soles, Sean Young, John Candy, John Larroquette, Roberta Leighton, John Voldstad, John Diehl, Lance LeGault, Conrad Dunn, Judge Reinhold, Joe Flaherty, Dave Thomas, Timothy Busfield, Robert J. Wilke, Bill Paxton, Antone Pagán	War, Comedy	Live action

July–September

Opening		Title	Studio	Cast and crew	Genre	Medium
J U L Y	1	S.O.B.	Paramount Pictures / Lorimar Productions	Blake Edwards (director/screenplay); Julie Andrews, William Holden, Richard Mulligan, Stuart Margolin, Larry Hagman, Robert Vaughn, Marisa Berenson, Robert Webber, Shelley Winters, Robert Preston, Loretta Swit, Craig Stevens, Robert Loggia, Jennifer Edwards, Rosanna Arquette, John Lawlor, John Pleshette, Ken Swofford, Hamilton Camp, Paul Stewart, Benson Fong, Larry Storch, Virginia Gregg, Joe Penny, Erica Yohn, Colleen Brennan, Charles Lampkin, Gene Nelson, Mimi Davis, David Young, Byron Kane, Herb Tanney, Bert Rosario	Comedy	Live action
	10	Escape from New York	AVCO Embassy Pictures / International Film Investors / Goldcrest Films International / City Films	John Carpenter (director/screenplay); Nick Castle (screenplay); Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence, Isaac Hayes, Harry Dean Stanton, Adrienne Barbeau, Tom Atkins, Season Hubley, Charles Cyphers, Frank Doubleday, John Strobel, Nancy Stephens, George Buck Flower, Ox Baker, Jamie Lee Curtis	Sci-Fi, Action	Live action
		The Fox and the Hound	Walt Disney Productions / Buena Vista Distribution	Ted Berman, Richard Rich, Art Stevens (directors); Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell, Pearl Bailey, Jack Albertson, Sandy Duncan, Jeanette Nolan, Pat Buttram, John Fiedler, John McIntire, Dick Bakalyan, Paul Winchell, Keith Mitchell, Corey Feldman	Musical, Buddy, Drama	Animation
	17	Arthur	Orion Pictures / Warner Bros.	Steve Gordon (director/screenplay); Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, John Gielgud, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Jill Eikenberry, Stephen Elliott, Thomas Barbour, Ted Ross, Barney Martin, Paul Gleason, Phyllis Somerville, Lou Jacobi, Justine Johnston, Lawrence Tierney, Mark Margolis, Irving Metzman, Anne De Salvo, Gordon Press	Comedy	Live action
		Endless Love	Universal Pictures / PolyGram Pictures	Franco Zeffirelli (director); Judith Rascoe (screenplay); Brooke Shields, Martin Hewitt, Shirley Knight, Don Murray, Richard Kiley, Penelope Milford, Beatrice Straight, James Spader, Tom Cruise, Ian Ziering, Jami Gertz, Jeff Marcus, Walt Gorney	Romance, Drama	Live action
		Zorro, The Gay Blade	20th Century Fox	Peter Medak (director); Johnston McCulley, Hal Dresner, Greg Alt, Don Moriarty (screenplay); George Hamilton, Lauren Hutton, Ron Leibman, Brenda Vaccaro, Donovan Scott, James Booth, Helen Burns, Clive Revill, Carolyn Seymour, Eduardo Noriega, Pilar Pellicer, Frank Welker, Jorge Russek, Eduardo Alcaraz, Carlos Bravo y Fernández, Roberto Dumont, Jorge Bolio	Swashbuckler, Comedy	Live action
	24	Blow Out	Filmways Pictures / Viscount Associates	Brian De Palma (director/screenplay); John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow, Dennis Franz, John McMartin, Robin Sherwood, Michael Tearson, Peter Boyden, Curt May, John Aquino	Neo-Noir, Thriller	Live action
		Eye of the Needle	United Artists / Kings Road Entertainment	Richard Marquand (director); Stanley Mann (screenplay); Donald Sutherland, Kate Nelligan, Ian Bannen, Christopher Cazenove, Stephen MacKenna, Philip Martin Brown, George Belbin, Faith Brook, Barbara Graley, Arthur Lovegrove, Barbara Ewing, Patrick Connor, David Hayman, Alex McCrindle, John Bennett, Sam Kydd, John Paul, Bill Nighy, Jonathan and Nicholas Haley (twins), Allan Surtees, Rik Mayall	Spy	Live action
		Wolfen	Orion Pictures / Warner Bros.	Michael Wadleigh (director/screenplay); David M. Eyre, Jr. (screenplay); Albert Finney, Diane Venora, Edward James Olmos, Gregory Hines, Tom Noonan, Dick O'Neill, Dehl Berti, Peter Michael Goetz, Reginald VelJohnson, James Tolkan, Donald Symington, Tom Waits	Crime, Horror	Live action
	31	Escape to Victory	Paramount Pictures / Lorimar	John Huston (director); Evan Jones, Yabo Yablonsky, Djordje Milićević, Jeff Maguire (screenplay); Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine, Max von Sydow, Carole Laure, Benoît Ferreux, Clive Merrison, Maurice Roëves, Michael Cochrane, Zoltán Gera, Tim Pigott-Smith, Daniel Massey, Jean-François Stévenin, Julian Curry, Pelé, Bobby Moore, John Wark, Osvaldo Ardiles, Kazimierz Deyna, Søren Lindsted, Paul Van Himst, Mike Summerbee, Hallvar Thoresen, Russell Osman, Kevin O'Callaghan, Co Prins, Amidou, George Mikell, Gary Waldhorn, Werner Roth, Laurie Sivell, Arthur Brauss, Michael Wolf, David Shawyer	Sports, War	Live action
		Under the Rainbow	Orion Pictures / Warner Bros.	Steve Rash (director); Pat McCormick, Harry Hurwitz, Martin Smith, Fred Bauer, Pat Bradley (screenplay); Chevy Chase, Carrie Fisher, Eve Arden, Joseph Maher, Robert Donner, Billy Barty, Mako, Cork Hubbert, Pat McCormick, Adam Arkin, Zelda Rubinstein, Jerry Maren, Peter Issacksen, Tony Cox, Phil Fondacaro, Debbie Lee Carrington	Comedy	Live action
A U G U S T	7	Condorman	Walt Disney Productions / Buena Vista Distribution	Charles Jarrott (director); Mickey Rose, Marc Stirdivant (screenplay); Michael Crawford, Oliver Reed, Barbara Carrera, James Hampton, Jean-Pierre Kalfon, Dana Elcar, Vernon Dobtcheff, Robert Arden	Adventure, Comedy, Superhero	Live action
		Gallipoli	Roadshow Film Distributors / Paramount Pictures / Associated R&R Films	Peter Weir (director/screenplay); David Williamson (screenplay); Mark Lee, Mel Gibson, Bill Kerr, Harold Hopkins, Charles Yunupingu, Ron Graham, Gerda Nicolson, Robert Grubb	War, Drama	Live action
		Heavy Metal	Columbia Pictures / Guardian Trust Company / Canadian Film Development Corporation / Famous Players / Potterton Productions	Gerald Potterton (director); Daniel Goldberg, Len Blum (screenplay); Rodger Bumpass, Jackie Burroughs, John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Don Francks, Martin Lavut, Marilyn Lightstone, Eugene Levy, Alice Playten, Harold Ramis, Susan Roman, Richard Romanus, August Schellenberg, John Vernon, Zal Yanovsky, Percy Rodriguez, Harvey Atkin, Al Waxman, Douglas Kenney, George Touliatos, Warren Munson, Thor Bishopric, Mavor Moore, Cedric Smith, Vlasta Vrána	Sci-Fi, Fantasy	Adult animation
		Student Bodies	Paramount Pictures	Mickey Rose (director/screenplay); Kristen Riter, Matt Goldsby, Cullen Chambers, Richard Belzer, Joe Flood, Joe Talarowski, Mimi Weddell, Dario Jones, Carl Jacobs, Peggy Cooper, Janice E. O'Malley, Kevin Mannis, Sara Eckhardt, Oscar James, Kay Ogden, Patrick "The Stick" Boone Varnell, Brian Batytis, Joan Browning Jacobs, Angela Bressler, Keith Singleton	Parody, Slasher	Live action
	14	Deadly Blessing	United Artists / PolyGram Pictures / Inter Planetary	Wes Craven (director/screenplay); Glenn M. Benest, Matthew Barr (screenplay); Maren Jensen, Lisa Hartman, Sharon Stone, Susan Buckner, Jeff East, Colleen Riley, Douglas Barr, Lois Nettleton, Ernest Borgnine, Michael Berryman, Kevin Cooney	Slasher	Live action
		An Eye for an Eye	Embassy Pictures / Adams Apple Production Company / South Street Films / Westcom Barber International	Steve Carver (director); James Bruner, William Gray (screenplay); Chuck Norris, Christopher Lee, Richard Roundtree, Matt Clark, Mako, Maggie Cooper, Rosalind Chao, Professor Toru Tanaka, Stuart Pankin, Terry Kiser, Mel Novak, Nigel Davenport, J.E. Freeman, Robert Behling, Harry Wong, Sam Hiona, Earl Nichols	Action, Neo-Noir, Crime	Live action
		They All Laughed	PSO / Moon Pictures / Time-Life Films	Peter Bogdanovich (director/screenplay); Blaine Novak (screenplay); Ben Gazzara, Audrey Hepburn, John Ritter, Colleen Camp, Patti Hansen, Dorothy Stratten, George Morfogen, Blaine Novak, Sean Ferrer, Linda MacEwen	Romance, Comedy	Live action
	21	An American Werewolf in London	Universal Pictures / PolyGram Pictures / The Guber-Peters Company	John Landis (director/screenplay); David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne, John Woodvine, Brian Glover, Lila Kaye, David Schofield, Paul Kember, Frank Oz, Don McKillop, Rik Mayall, Sean Baker, Sydney Bromley, Frank Singuineau, Will Leighton, Michael Carter, Anne-Marie Davies, Albert Moses, Alan Ford, Christine Hargreaves, Linzi Drew, Nina Carter, Vic Armstrong, John Landis	Horror, Comedy	Live action
		First Monday in October	Paramount Pictures	Ronald Neame (director); Jerome Lawrence, Robert Edwin Lee (screenplay); Walter Matthau, Jill Clayburgh, Barnard Hughes, Jan Sterling, James Stephens, Joshua Bryant, Wiley Harker, Charles Lampkin, F.J. O'Neil, Lew Palter, Richard McMurray, Herb Vigran	Comedy, Drama	Live action
		Honky Tonk Freeway	Universal Pictures / Associated Film Distribution / EMI Films / Honky Tonk Freeway Company / Kendon Films	John Schlesinger (director); Edward Clinton (screenplay); Howard Hesseman, Teri Garr, Peter Billingsley, Beau Bridges, Beverly D'Angelo, Daniel Stern, Celia Weston, Deborah Rush, Geraldine Page, George Dzundza, Joe Grifasi, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Frances Lee McCain, William Devane, Jerry Hardin, John Ashton, Frances Bay, Anne Ramsey	Comedy	Live action
		Prince of the City	Orion Pictures / Warner Bros.	Sidney Lumet (director/screenplay); Jay Presson Allen (screenplay); Treat Williams, Jerry Orbach, Richard Foronjy, Lindsay Crouse, Bob Balaban, Kenny Marino, Carmine Caridi, Paul Roebling, James Tolkan, Steve Inwood, Matthew Laurance, Ron Karabatsos, Robert Christian, Lee Richardson, Lane Smith, Cosmo Allegretti, Bobby Alto, Conrad Fowkes, Peter Friedman, Peter Michael Goetz, Lance Henriksen, Eddie Jones, Cynthia Nixon, Ron Perkins, Walter Brooke, Alan King, Bruce Willis, Don Billett, Tony Page, Norman Parker, Tony Turco, Ron Maccone, Tony DiBenedetto, Tony Munafo, Michael Beckett, Burton Collins, Henry Ferrentino, Carmine Foresta, Don Leslie, Dana Lorge, Harry Madsen, E.D. Miller, Lionel Pina, José Angel Santana, Ilana Rapp	Neo-Noir, Crime, Drama	Live action
	28	Body Heat	Warner Bros. / The Ladd Company	Lawrence Kasdan (director/screenplay); William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Richard Crenna, Ted Danson, J.A. Preston, Mickey Rourke, Kim Zimmer, Jane Hallaren, Lanna Saunders, Carola McGuinness, Michael Ryan	Neo-Noir, Erotic Thriller	Live action
		Chu Chu and the Philly Flash	20th Century Fox / Melvin Simon Productions	David Lowell Rich (director); Barbara Dana (screenplay); Alan Arkin, Carol Burnett, Jack Warden, Ruth Buzzi, Adam Arkin, Danny Aiello, Danny Glover, Sid Haig, Vincent Schiavelli, Vito Scotti, Lou Jacobi	Comedy	Live action
		Hell Night	Compass International Pictures	Tom DeSimone (director); Randy Feldman (screenplay); Linda Blair, Vincent Van Patten, Peter Barton, Kevin Brophy, Suki Goodwin, Jimmy Sturtevant, Jenny Neumann	Slasher	Live action
		Private Lessons	Jensen Farley Pictures / Cinema Epoch	Alan Myerson (director); Dan Greenburg (screenplay); Sylvia Kristel, Howard Hesseman, Eric Brown, Patrick Piccininni, Ed Begley Jr., Pamela Bryant, Meridith Baer, Ron Foster, Peter Elbling, Dan Greenburg, Dan Barrows, Marian Gibson, Judy Helden	Comedy	Live action
S E P T E M B E R	18	Continental Divide	Universal Pictures / Amblin Entertainment	Michael Apted (director); Lawrence Kasdan (screenplay); John Belushi, Blair Brown, Allen Garfield, Carlin Glynn, Tony Ganios, Bruce Jarchow	Romance, Comedy	Live action
		The French Lieutenant's Woman	United Artists	Karel Reisz (director); Harold Pinter (screenplay); Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons, David Warner, Hilton McRae, Emily Morgan, Charlotte Mitchell, Lynsey Baxter, Peter Vaughan, Colin Jeavons, Liz Smith, Patience Collier, John Barrett, Leo McKern, Penelope Wilton, Alun Armstrong, Gérard Falconetti, Jean Faulds	Romance, Drama	Live action
		Mommie Dearest	Paramount Pictures	Frank Perry (director/screenplay); Robert Getchell, Tracy Hotchne, Frank Yablans (screenplay); Faye Dunaway, Diana Scarwid, Steve Forrest, Howard Da Silva, Mara Hobel, Rutanya Alda, Harry Goz, Michael Edwards, Jocelyn Brando, Priscilla Pointer, Xander Berkeley, Belita Moreno, Alice Nunn, Jeremy Scott Reinbolt, Carolyn Coates, Margaret Fairchild	Biography, Drama	Live action
		Raggedy Man	Universal Pictures	Jack Fisk (director); William D. Wittliff (screenplay); Sissy Spacek, Eric Roberts, Sam Shepard, R.G. Armstrong, William Sanderson, Henry Thomas, Tracey Walter, Carey Hollis	Drama	Live action
	23	Only When I Laugh	Columbia Pictures / Rastar	Glenn Jordan (director); Neil Simon (screenplay); Marsha Mason, Kristy McNichol, James Coco, Joan Hackett, David Dukes, John Bennett Perry, Guy Boyd, Ed Moore, Peter Coffield, Mark Schubb, Venida Evans, John Vargas, Dan Monahan, Jane Atkins, Kevin Bacon, Phillip Lindsay	Comedy, Drama	Live action
		Rich and Famous	United Artists / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer	George Cukor (director); Gerald Ayres (screenplay); Jacqueline Bisset, Candice Bergen, David Selby, Hart Bochner, Steven Hill, Michael Brandon, Meg Ryan, Nicole Eggert, Matt Lattanzi, Daniel Faraldo, Fay Kanin, Nina Foch, Dick Cavett, Ray Bradbury, Merv Griffin, Marsha Hunt, Christopher Isherwood, Gavin Lambert, Roger Vadim, Paul Morrissey, Frank De Felitta, Frances Bergen, Alan Berliner, Randal Kleiser	Drama	Live action
	25	The Boogens	Jensen Farley Pictures / Taft International Pictures	James L. Conway (director); David O'Malley, Bob Hunt (screenplay); Rebecca Balding, Fred McCarren, Anne-Marie Martin, Jeff Harlan, John Crawford, Med Flory, Jon Lormer, Scott Wilkinson	Monster	Live action
		Carbon Copy	AVCO Embassy Pictures / Hemdale Film Corporation / RKO Pictures / First City	Michael Schultz (director); Stanley Shapiro (screenplay); George Segal, Denzel Washington, Susan Saint James, Jack Warden, Dick Martin, Paul Winfield, Macon McCalman, Vicky Dawson	Comedy, Drama	Live action
		So Fine	Warner Bros.	Andrew Bergman (director/screenplay); Ryan O'Neal, Jack Warden, Mariangela Melato, Richard Kiel, Fred Gwynne, Mike Kellin, David Rounds, Tony Sirico, Michael Lombard, Jessica James, Michael LaGuardia, Angela Pietropinto, Judith Cohen	Comedy	Live action
		True Confessions	United Artists	Ulu Grosbard (director); Joan Didion, John Gregory Dunne (screenplay); Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Burgess Meredith, Charles Durning, Ed Flanders, Cyril Cusack, Kenneth McMillan, Ed Flanders, Dan Hedaya, Rose Gregorio, Jeanette Nolan	Neo-Noir, Crime	Live action

October–December

Opening		Title	Studio	Cast and crew	Genre	Medium
O C T O B E R	2	Enter the Ninja	The Cannon Group / Golan-Globus Productions	Menahem Golan (director); Dick Desmond (screenplay); Franco Nero, Susan George, Sho Kosugi, Christopher George, Alex Courtney, Will Hare, Zachi Noy, Constantine Gregory, Dale Ishimoto, Joonee Gamboa, Leo Martinez, Ken Metcalfe, Subas Herrero, Alan Amiel, Doug Ivan	Martial Arts	Live action
		Paternity	Paramount Pictures	David Steinberg (director); Charlie Peters (screenplay); Burt Reynolds, Beverly D'Angelo, Lauren Hutton, Norman Fell, Paul Dooley, Elizabeth Ashley, Juanita Moore, Peter Billingsley, Susanna Dalton	Comedy	Live action
		Zoot Suit	Universal Pictures	Luis Valdez (director/screenplay); Daniel Valdez, Edward James Olmos, Rose Portillo, Charles Aidman, Tyne Daly, John Anderson, Abel Franco, Bernadette Colognne, Mike Gomez, Alma Martinez, Frank McCarthy, Lupe Ontiveros, Marco Rodríguez, Kelly Ward, Kurtwood Smith, Dennis Stewart, Robert Beltran	Drama, Musical	Live action
	9	Full Moon High	Filmways Pictures / Larco Productions	Larry Cohen (director/screenplay); Adam Arkin, Ed McMahon, Roz Kelly, Joanne Nail, Bill Kirchenbauer, Kenneth Mars, Elizabeth Hartman, Alan Arkin, Louis Nye, Demond Wilson, Cheryl Lockett Alexander, Jim J. Bullock, Tom Aldredge, Tom Clancy, Laurene Landon, John Blyth Barrymore, Bob Saget, Pat Morita, Julius Harris, Armando G. Fernandez	Comedy, Horror	Live action
		Tattoo	20th Century Fox	Bob Brooks (director); Joyce Buñuel (screenplay); Bruce Dern, Maud Adams, Leonard Frey, John Getz, Cynthia Nixon, Patricia Roe, John Snyder, Rikke Borge, Peter Iacangelo, Alan Leach, Trish Doolan, Anthony Mannino, Lex Monson, Jane Hoffman, Robert Burr	Erotic Thriller	Live action
		The Watcher in the Woods	Walt Disney Productions / Buena Vista Distribution	John Hough (director); Brian Clemens, Harry Spalding, Rosemary Anne Sisson (screenplay); Bette Davis, Carroll Baker, David McCallum, Lynn-Holly Johnson, Kyle Richards, Ian Bannen, Richard Pasco, Frances Cuka, Benedict Taylor, Eleanor Summerfield, Georgina Hale, Katharine Levy	Horror	Live action
	11	My Dinner with Andre	New Yorker Films	Louis Malle (director); Andre Gregory, Wallace Shawn (screenplay); Andre Gregory, Wallace Shawn	Comedy, Drama	Live action
	14	Just Before Dawn	Picturmedia / Oakland Productions	Jeff Lieberman (director/screenplay); Mark Arywitz, Jonas Middleton (screenplay); George Kennedy, Chris Lemmon, Gregg Henry, Jamie Rose, Mike Kellin, Deborah Benson, Ralph Seymour, John Hunsaker, Katie Powell, Charles Bartlett, Hap Oslund, Barbara Spencer	Slasher	Live action
	15	The Evil Dead	New Line Cinema / Renaissance Pictures	Sam Raimi (director/screenplay); Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Betsy Baker, Theresa Tilly, Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert, Bob Dorian	Horror	Live action
	16	All the Marbles	United Artists	Robert Aldrich (director); Rich Eustis, Mel Frohman (screenplay); Peter Falk, Vicki Frederick, Laurene Landon, Richard Jaeckel, Burt Young, John Hancock, Faith Minton, Chick Hearn	Comedy, Drama	Live action
	23	Galaxy of Terror	United Artists / New World Pictures	Bruce D. Clark (director/screenplay); Marc Siegler (screenplay); Edward Albert, Erin Moran, Ray Walston, Taaffe O'Connell, Bernard Behrens, Zalman King, Robert Englund, Sid Haig, Grace Zabriskie	Horror, Sci-Fi	Live action
		Nightmare	21st Century Film Corporation	Romano Scavolini (director/screenplay); Baird Stafford, Sharon Smith, C.J. Cooke, Mike Cribben, Danny Ronan, Tammy Patterson, Kim Patterson, Kathleen Ferguson	Slasher	Live action
		The Pit (Canada)	Amulet Pictures / Ambassador Film Distributors / New World Pictures / Embassy Home Entertainment	Lew Lehman (director); Ian A. Stuart (screenplay); Sammy Snyders, Jeannie Elias, Sonja Smits, Laura Hollingsworth, Richard Alden, John Auten, Laura Press, Paul Grisham, Wendy Schmidt, Allison Tye	Horror	Live action
		Silence of the North	Universal Pictures	Allan King (director); Patricia Louisianna Knop (screenplay); Ellen Burstyn, Tom Skerritt, Gordon Pinsent, Colin Fox, David Fox, Frank C. Turner, Thomas Hauff, Robert Clothier, Murray Westgate, Kay Hawtrey, Booth Savage, Sean Sullivan, Chapelle Jaffe, Janet Amos, Sean McCann, Jennifer McKinney, Donna Dobrijevic, Jeff Banks, Richard Farrell, Larry Reynolds, Freddie Lang, Dennis Robinson, Leah Marie Hopkins, Kenneth Pogue, Frank Adamson, Lynn Mason Green	Biography	Live action
	30	Halloween II	Universal Pictures / Dino De Laurentiis Corporation	Rick Rosenthal (director); John Carpenter, Debra Hill (screenplay); Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence, Charles Cyphers, Lance Guest, Pamela Susan Shoop, Hunter von Leer, Tawny Moyer, Ana Alicia, Nancy Stephens, Gloria Gifford, Leo Rossi, Ford Rainey, Dick Warlock, Nick Castle, Tony Moran, Jeffrey Kramer, Cliff Emmich, John Zenda, Anne Bruner, Lucille Benson, Catherine Bergstrom, Anne-Marie Martin, Dana Carvey, Billy Warlock, Nancy Loomis, Kyle Richards, Brian Andrews, Jonathan Prince, Jack Verbois, Nichole Drucker, Adam Gunn	Slasher	Live action
		Looker	Warner Bros. / The Ladd Company	Michael Crichton (director/screenplay); Albert Finney, James Coburn, Susan Dey, Leigh Taylor-Young, Dorian Harewood, Darryl Hickman, Terri Welles, Terry Kiser	Sci-Fi, Thriller, Horror	Live action
N O V E M B E R	1	Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story	NBC / Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution / Wilcox Productions / MGM Television	Gabrielle Beaumont (director); Donald E. Stewart (screenplay); Jamie Lee Curtis, Bruce Weitz, Robert Reed, Mitchell Ryan, Bibi Besch, Tracy Reed, Gloria Gifford, Hugh Gillin, Luca Bercovici, Kale Browne, Mark Withers, Robert Clotworthy	Biopic, Drama	Live action
	6	The Prowler	Sandhurst / Graduation Films	Joseph Zito (director); Neal Barbera, Glenn Leopold (screenplay); Vicky Dawson, Christopher Goutman, Cindy Weintraub, Farley Granger, Lawrence Tierney, Thom Bray, Carleton Carpenter, Lisa Dunsheath, David Sederholm, Diane Rode, Bryan Englund, Donna Davis, Joy Glaccum, Timothy Wahrer, John Seitz, Bill Hugh Collins, Dan Lounsbery, Douglas Stevenson, Susan Monts, Bill Nunnery	Slasher	Live action
		Fantasies		John Derek (director/screenplay); Bo Derek, Peter Hooten, Phaedon Georgitsis, Anna Alexiadis, Nikos Pashalidis, Kostas Baladimas, Therese Bohlin, Boucci Simis, Viennoula Koussathana	Drama	Live action
		Time Bandits	AVCO Embassy Pictures / HandMade Films / Janus Films	Terry Gilliam (director/screenplay); Michael Palin (screenplay); John Cleese, Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, Michael Palin, Ralph Richardson, Peter Vaughan, David Warner, David Rappaport, Kenny Baker, Jack Purvis, Mike Edmonds, Tiny Ross, Craig Warnock, Jim Broadbent, Malcolm Dixon, Derek Deadman, Jerold Wells, David Daker, Sheila Fearn, Tony Jay, Terence Bayler, Preston Lockwood, Derrick O'Connor, Neil McCarthy, Frank Converse, Myrtle Devenish, Ian Muir	Fantasy, Adventure	Live action
	13	Porky's	20th Century Fox / Astral Films	Bob Clark (director/screenplay); Kim Cattrall, Scott Colomby, Kaki Hunter, Nancy Parsons, Alex Karras, Susan Clark, Dan Monahan, Mark Herrier, Wyatt Knight, Roger Wilson, Cyril O'Reilly, Tony Ganios, Boyd Gaines, Doug McGrath, Art Hindle, Wayne Maunder, Chuck Mitchell, Eric Christmas, Jack Mulcahy, Will Knickerbocker, Bill Hindman	Teen, Comedy	Live action
		The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper	Universal Pictures / PolyGram Filmed Entertainment	Roger Spottiswoode (director); Jeffrey Alan Fiskin (screenplay); Robert Duvall, Treat Williams, Kathryn Harrold, Ed Flanders, Paul Gleason, R.G. Armstrong, Dorothy Fielding, Nicolas Coster, Cooper Huckabee, Howard K. Smith, Christopher Curry	Crime, Thriller	Live action
	20	The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie	Warner Bros.	Friz Freleng (director/screenplay); Mel Blanc, June Foray, Frank Welker, Bea Benaderet, Stan Freberg, Ralph James, Frank Nelson	Package	Animation
		Ragtime	Paramount Pictures	Miloš Forman (director); Michael Weller (screenplay); James Cagney, Howard E. Rollins, Jr., Brad Dourif, Elizabeth McGovern, Moses Gunn, Mary Steenburgen, James Olson, Kenneth McMillan, Pat O'Brien, Mandy Patinkin, Donald O'Connor, Fran Drescher, Richard Griffiths, Norman Mailer, Robert Joy, Jeff Daniels, Debbie Allen, Jeffrey DeMunn, Edwin Cooper, Frankie Faison, Alan Gifford, Richard Oldfield, George Harris, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Jeter, Andreas Katsulas, Joe Praml, Calvin Levels, Bessie Love, Christopher Malcolm, Stuart Milligan, John Ratzenberger, Zack Norman, Ethan Phillips, Barry Dennen, Jack Nicholson	Drama	Live action
		Whose Life Is It Anyway?	United Artists / Cinema International Corporation / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer	John Badham (director); Brian Clark, Reginald Rose (screenplay); Richard Dreyfuss, John Cassavetes, Christine Lahti, Bob Balaban, Thomas Carter, Kaki Hunter, Kenneth McMillan, Janet Eilber	Drama	Live action
D E C E M B E R	4	On Golden Pond	Universal Pictures / Associated Film Distribution / IPC Films / ITC Entertainment	Mark Rydell (director); Ernest Thompson (screenplay); Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda, Doug McKeon, Dabney Coleman, William Lanteau, Chris Rydell	Drama	Live action
		Reds	Paramount Pictures / Barclays Mercantile / Industrial Finance / JRS Productions	Warren Beatty (director/screenplay); Trevor Griffiths (screenplay); Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Edward Herrmann, Jerzy Kosinski, Jack Nicholson, Gene Hackman, Paul Sorvino, Maureen Stapleton, Nicolas Coster, William Daniels, M. Emmet Walsh, Ian Wolfe, Bessie Love, Max Wright, George Plimpton, Kathryn Grody, Dolph Sweet, Dave King, Roger Sloman, Jan Triska, Harry Ditson, Leigh Curran, Nancy Duiguid, Stuart Richman, Oleg Kerensky, John J. Hooker	Epic, Historical, Drama	Live action
	11	Buddy Buddy	United Artists	Billy Wilder (director/screenplay); I.A.L. Diamond (screenplay); Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Paula Prentiss, Klaus Kinski, Dana Elcar, Miles Chapin, Ed Begley Jr., Michael Ensign, Joan Shawlee, Ben Lessy, John Schubeck, Myrna Dell, Fil Formicola, C.J. Hunt, Bette Raya, Ronnie Sperling, Suzie Galler, Frank Farmer, Tom Kindle, Biff Manard	Comedy	Live action
		Dawn of the Mummy	Harmony Gold USA / Goldfrab Distribution	Frank Agrama (director/screenplay); Ronald Dobrin, Daria Price (screenplay); Ahmed Rateb, Brenda King, Barry Sattels, George Peck, John Salvo, Ibrahim Khan, Joan Levy, Ellen Faison, Dianne Beatty, Ali Gohar, Bahar Saied, Ali Azab, Ahamed Labab, Laila Nasr, Kandarp Raval	Horror	Live action
		Four Friends	Filmways Pictures	Arthur Penn (director); Steve Tesich (screenplay); Craig Wasson, Jodi Thelen, Michael Huddleston, Jim Metzler, Miklos Simon, Elizabeth Lawrence, Julia Murray, Reed Birney, James Leo Herlihy, Lois Smith, Glenne Headly	Comedy, Drama	Live action
		Pennies from Heaven	United Artists	Herbert Ross (director); Dennis Potter (screenplay); Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, Christopher Walken, Jessica Harper, Vernel Bagneris, John McMartin, John Karlen, Jay Garner, Tommy Rall, Nancy Parsons, Duke Stroud, Will Hare, Robert Fitch, Eliska Krupka, Raleigh Bond	Musical, Romance, Drama	Live action
		Rollover	Warner Bros.	Alan J. Pakula (director); David Shaber (screenplay); Jane Fonda, Kris Kristofferson, Hume Cronyn, Josef Sommer, Bob Gunton	Thriller	Live action
	18	Absence of Malice	Columbia Pictures / Mirage Enterprises	Sydney Pollack (director); Kurt Luedtke (screenplay); Paul Newman, Sally Field, Bob Balaban, Melinda Dillon, Luther Adler, Barry Primus, Josef Sommer, Wilford Brimley, Don Hood	Drama, Neo-Noir, Thriller	Live action
		Cinderella (re-release)	Walt Disney Productions / RKO Radio Pictures	Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, Wilfred Jackson (directors); Ken Anderson, Perce Pearce, Winston Hibler, Bill Peet, Ted Sears, Maurice Rapf, Homer Brightman, Erdman Penner, Harry Reeves, Joe Rinaldi (screenplay); Ilene Woods, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton, Rhoda Williams, Lucille Bliss, William Phipps, Jimmy MacDonald, Luis van Rooten, Don Barclay, June Foray, Mike Douglas, Betty Lou Gerson	Animation, Musical, Fantasy	Animation
		Ghost Story	Universal Pictures	John Irvin (director); Lawrence D. Cohen (screenplay); Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., John Houseman, Craig Wasson, Patricia Neal, Alice Krige, Jacqueline Brookes, Miguel Fernandes, Lance Holcomb, Brad Sullivan, Michael O'Neill, Guy Boyd, Robin Curtis, James Greene, Tim Choate, Mark Chamberlin, Ken Olin, Kurt Johnson	Horror	Live action
		Neighbors	Columbia Pictures	John G. Avildsen (director); Larry Gelbart (screenplay); John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Cathy Moriarty, Kathryn Walker, Tim Kazurinsky, Tino Insana, Henry Judd Baker, Lauren-Marie Taylor, Bernie Friedman, Igors Gavon, Dru-Ann Chuckran, P.L. Brown, Sherman G. Lloyd, Bert Kittel, J.B. Friend	Black Comedy	Live action
		Sharky's Machine	Orion Pictures / Deliverance Productions	Burt Reynolds (director); Gerald Di Pego (screenplay); Burt Reynolds, Vittorio Gassman, Brian Keith, Charles Durning, Earl Holliman, Bernie Casey, Henry Silva, Darryl Hickman, Richard Libertini, Rachel Ward, John Fiedler, Hari Rhodes, Joseph Mascolo, Carol Locatell, Tony King, Suzee Pai, Val Avery, Dar Robinson, James O'Connell, Aarika Wells	Neo-Noir, Action, Thriller	Live action
	20	Chariots of Fire	Warner Bros. / The Ladd Company / Allied Stars Ltd / Goldcrest Films / Enigma Productions	Hugh Hudson (director); Colin Welland (screenplay); Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nigel Havers, Cheryl Campbell, Alice Krige, Lindsay Anderson, Dennis Christopher, Nigel Davenport, Brad Davis, Peter Egan, John Gielgud, Ian Holm, Patrick Magee, Nicholas Farrell, Struan Rodger, David Yelland, Daniel Gerroll, Richard Griffiths	Historical, Drama	Live action
		Taps	20th Century Fox	Harold Becker (director); Robert Mark Kamen, James Lineberger, Darryl Ponicsan (screenplay); George C. Scott, Timothy Hutton, Ronny Cox, Sean Penn, Tom Cruise, Brendan Ward, Evan Handler, John P. Navin Jr., Billy Van Zandt, Giancarlo Esposito	Drama	Live action
	25	Modern Problems	20th Century Fox	Ken Shapiro (director/screenplay); Tom Sherohman, Arthur Sellers (screenplay); Chevy Chase, Patti D'Arbanville, Mary Kay Place, Brian Doyle-Murray, Nell Carter, Dabney Coleman, Mitch Kreindel	Fantasy, Comedy	Live action

Births

• 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 24 – Carrie Coon, American actress
• January 28 – Elijah Wood, American actor
• January 31 – Justin Timberlake, American singer and actor
• February 9 – Tom Hiddleston, English actor
• February 10 - Stephanie Beatriz, Argentine actress
• 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
• March 30 - Katy Mixon, American actress
• 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 4 – T.J. Miller, American actor, stand-up comedian, producer and writer
• June 7 – Larisa Oleynik, American actress
• June 9 – Natalie Portman, Israeli-American actress
• June 10 – Jonathan Bennett, American actor
• June 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
  • Brandon Scott, American actor
  • Lisa Wilhoit, American actress
• 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 6 – Leslie Odom Jr., American actor
• 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 15 - Ben Schwartz, American actor, voice actor, comedian, improviser, writer, director and producer
• 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, American-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 18 – Graham Moore, American screenwriter
• October 22 – Michael Fishman, American actor
• November 1 - Matt Jones, American actor, voice artist, comedian, rapper and singer
• 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

Notable deaths

Month	Date	Name	Age	Country	Profession	Notable films
January	10	Katharine Alexander	82	US	Actress	Enchanted April John Loves Mary
	10	Richard Boone	63	US	Actor	The Tall T Hombre
	11	Beulah Bondi	91	US	Actress	It's a Wonderful Life Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
	12	Isobel Elsom	87	UK	Actress	Ladies in Retirement The Unseen
	16	Bernard Lee	73	UK	Actor	Dr. No Goldfinger
February	1	Wanda Hendrix	52	US	Actress	Prince of Foxes Captain Carey, U.S.A.
	2	Louise Lorraine	76	US	Actress	The Adventures of Tarzan Near the Rainbow's End
	4	Mario Camerini	85	Italy	Director, Screenwriter	Ulysses Like the Leaves
	11	Ketti Frings	71	US	Screenwriter	Come Back, Little Sheba Foxfire
	12	Jean Dixon	84	US	Actress	My Man Godfrey Holiday
	21	Ron Grainer	58	Australia	Composer	The Mouse on the Moon To Sir, with Love
	22	Curtis Bernhardt	81	Germany	Director	A Stolen Life Possessed
	28	Virginia Huston	55	US	Actress	Out of the Past Tarzan's Peril
March	4	Torin Thatcher	76	UK	Actor	Houdini The Robe
	5	Brenda de Banzie	71	UK	Actress	Hobson's Choice The Man Who Knew Too Much
	14	Eleanor Perry	66	US	Screenwriter	Diary of a Mad Housewife The Swimmer
	15	René Clair	82	France	Director, Screenwriter	It Happened Tomorrow I Married a Witch
	17	Dorothy Dwan	74	US	Actress	Kid Speed The Wizard of Oz
April	7	Norman Taurog	82	US	Director, Screenwriter	Skippy Boys Town
	14	Sergio Amidei	76	Italy	Screenwriter	Shoeshine Paisan
	26	Madge Evans	71	US	Actress	Pennies from Heaven Army Girl
	26	Jim Davis	71	US	Actor	The Big Sky The Maverick Queen
	26	Herb Voland	62	US	Actor	Another Nice Mess With Six You Get Eggroll
May	9	Margaret Lindsay	70	US	Actress	The House of the Seven Gables Jezebel
	18	Richard Hale	88	US	Actor	Friendly Persuasion To Kill a Mockingbird
	18	Arthur O'Connell	73	US	Actor	Anatomy of a Murder Picnic
	22	Boris Sagal	57	Russia	Director	The Omega Man Girl Happy
	23	George Jessel	83	US	Producer, Actor	The Dolly Sisters Beau James
June	5	Miguel Torres	81	Mexico	Director	The Mad Empress Pancho Villa Returns
	9	Russell Hayden	68	US	Actor	Trail of the Mounties Seven Were Saved
	12	Eleanor Hunt	71	US	Actress	Blue Steel Yellow Cargo
	12	Evalyn Knapp	74	US	Actress	The Perils of Pauline His Private Secretary
	19	Alfred Santell	85	US	Director	Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm Internes Can't Take Money
	22	Lola Lane	75	US	Actress	Four Daughters Four Wives
	23	Zarah Leander	74	Sweden	Actress	The Blue Fox Back Then
July	1	George Voskovec	76	Czech Republic	Actor	12 Angry Men The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
	2	Edward Killy	78	US	Director	West of the Pecos Wagon Train
	3	Ross Martin	61	Poland	Actor	Experiment in Terror The Great Race
	27	William Wyler	79	Germany	Director, Producer	Ben-Hur Roman Holiday
August	1	Paddy Chayefsky	58	US	Screenwriter	Network Marty
	4	Melvyn Douglas	80	US	Actor	Being There Hud
	12	Shirley Grey	79	US	Actress	Texas Cyclone Girl in Danger
	18	Anita Loos	93	US	Screenwriter	Gentlemen Prefer Blondes The Women
	19	Jessie Matthews	74	UK	Actress, Singer	There Goes the Bride It's Love Again
	30	Vera-Ellen	60	US	Actress, Dancer	White Christmas On the Town
September	1	Ann Harding	79	US	Actress	Holiday It Happened on Fifth Avenue
	6	Maria Palmer	64	Austria	Actress	Lady on a Train The Web
	11	Frank McHugh	83	US	Actor	Going My Way Manpower
	15	Sara Haden	81	US	Actress	The Shop Around the Corner The Bishop's Wife
	23	Chief Dan George	82	Canada	Actor	Little Big Man The Outlaw Josey Wales
	24	Patsy Kelly	71	US	Actress	The Cowboy and the Lady Rosemary's Baby
	27	Robert Montgomery	77	US	Actor, Director	Here Comes Mr. Jordan Night Must Fall
October	4	Dorothy Dare	70	US	Actress	Clothes and the Woman High Hat
	5	Gloria Grahame	54	US	Actress	In a Lonely Place The Bad and the Beautiful
	19	Nils Asther	84	Denmark	Actor	The Bitter Tea of General Yen Bluebeard
	24	Edith Head	83	US	Costume Designer	The Ten Commandments The Sting
	26	Glenn Anders	92	US	Actor	The Lady from Shanghai M
November	3	Jean Eustache	42	France	Director	The Mother and the Whore My Little Loves
	12	William Holden	63	US	Actor	Stalag 17 Sunset Boulevard
	16	Morgan Conway	78	US	Actor	Dick Tracy Dick Tracy vs. Cueball
	21	Ejner Federspiel	85	Denmark	Actor	Ordet Story of Barbara
	21	Harry von Zell	75	US	Actor	The Saxon Charm Son of Paleface
	25	Jack Albertson	74	US	Actor	The Subject Was Roses The Poseidon Adventure
	27	Lotte Lenya	83	Austria	Actress	From Russia with Love The Threepenny Opera
	29	Natalie Wood	43	US	Actress	West Side Story Rebel Without a Cause
December	5	Charles Barton	79	US	Director	Africa Screams The Shaggy Dog
	17	Ada Kramm	82	Norway	Actress	The White God Arven
	27	Hoagy Carmichael	82	US	Actor, Composer	To Have and Have Not The Best Years of Our Lives
	28	Allan Dwan	96	Canada	Director	Sands of Iwo Jima Heidi

Film debuts

• 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
• Steve Miner (director) – Friday the 13th Part 2
• Alfred Molina – Raiders of the Lost Ark
• Demi Moore – Choices
• Bill Nighy – Eye of the Needle
• Chris Noth – Waitress!
• 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
• Denzel Washington - Carbon Copy
• Hugo Weaving – ...Maybe This Time

See also

• 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

Notes

References

1. "1981 Domestic Grosses". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 7 April 2014.