# 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.

## 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 :
| 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 | Warner Bros. | $95,461,682 |
| 5 | Stripes | Columbia | $85,297,000 |
| 6 | The Cannonball Run | 20th Century 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

* January 20 – Former Governor of California and film actor Ronald Reagan is inaugurated president.
* 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.
* 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.
* June 8 – Marvin Davis acquires 20th Century Fox for $720 million.
* June 12 – Raiders of the Lost Ark is released by Paramount Pictures. It became Paramount's highest-grossing film of all time and set a major standard for many action-adventure movies to date and spawned four sequels.
* August 21 – An American Werewolf in London is released and becomes a landmark in Visual Effects and Makeup.
* October 1 – MGM president and chief operating officer David Begelman becomes chairman and chief executive officer of United Artists.
* November 1 – United International Pictures is created to handle international distribution of films for United Artists, MGM, Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures to replace Cinema International Corporation following MGM's acquisition of UA.
* November 25 – Norman Lear and his partner Jerry Perenchio agree to buy Avco Embassy for $25 million.
* November 29 – Actress Natalie Wood drowns in a boating accident off Santa Catalina Island.

## Awards

| Category/Organization | 39th Golden Globe Awards January 30, 1982 | 39th Golden Globe Awards January 30, 1982 | 35th BAFTA Awards March 18, 1982 | 54th Academy Awards March 29, 1982 |
| Category/Organization | Drama | Musical or Comedy | 35th BAFTA Awards March 18, 1982 | 54th Academy Awards March 29, 1982 |
| Best Film | On Golden Pond | Arthur | Chariots of Fire | Chariots of Fire |
| Best Director | Warren Beatty Reds | 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 | John Gielgud Arthur | Ian Holm Chariots of Fire | John Gielgud Arthur |
| Best Supporting Actress | Joan Hackett Only When I Laugh | Joan Hackett Only When I Laugh | N/A | Maureen Stapleton Reds |
| Best Screenplay, Adapted | Ernest Thompson On Golden Pond | Ernest Thompson On Golden Pond | Bill Forsyth Gregory's Girl | Ernest Thompson On Golden Pond |
| Best Screenplay, Original | Ernest Thompson On Golden Pond | Ernest Thompson On Golden Pond | Bill Forsyth Gregory's Girl | Colin Welland Chariots of Fire |
| Best Original Score | N/A | 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 | "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 | 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

## 1981 films
### By country/region

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

### By genre/medium

* List of action films of 1981
* List of animated feature films of 1981
* List of avant-garde films of 1981
* List of comedy films of 1981
* List of drama films of 1981
* List of horror films of 1981
* List of science fiction films of 1981
* List of thriller films of 1981
* List of western films of 1981

## Births

* January 1 - Eden Riegel, American actress
* January 6
** Betty Gabriel, American actress
** Rinko Kikuchi, Japanese actress and director
** Jérémie Renier, Belgian actor
* January 8 – Genevieve Cortese, American actress
* January 15 - Pitbull, American rapper and actor
* January 17
** Scott Mechlowicz, American actor
** Diogo Morgado, Portuguese actor
* January 18 - Antje Traue, German actress
* January 20
** Daniel Cudmore, Canadian actor
** Crystal Lowe, Canadian actress and director
* January 21
** Amanda Aday, American actress
** Izabella Miko, Polish actress and dancer
** David F. Sandberg, Swedish filmmaker
* January 22
** O. T. Fagbenle, British actor, writer and director
** Willa Ford, American singer, songwriter, model, television personality and actress
** Beverley Mitchell, American actress
* January 23 - Julia Jones, American actress
* January 24 – Carrie Coon, American actress
* January 25 - Charlie Bewley, English actor and producer
* January 28
** Gen Hoshino, Japanese actor and singer
** Elijah Wood, American actor
* January 29 - Tenoch Huerta, Mexican actor
* January 30 – Chieko Higuchi, Japanese voice actress
* January 31 – Justin Timberlake, American singer and actor
* February 2 - Emily Rose, American actress
* February 5
** Lee Eon, South Korean actor and model (d. 2008)
** Sara Foster, American actress
** Nora Zehetner, American actress
* February 8 – Jim Parrack, American actor
* February 9 – Tom Hiddleston, English actor
* February 10
** Uzo Aduba, American actress
** Stephanie Beatriz, Argentine actress
* February 11
** Sonia Rolland, French-Rwandan actress
** Kelly Rowland, American singer and actress
* February 12
** Jesse Hutch, Canadian actor
** Lauri Lagle, Estonian actor, director and screenwriter
* February 14 - Patrick Heusinger, American actor
* February 17 –
** Joseph Gordon-Levitt, American actor
** Paris Hilton, American media personality, singer and actress
* February 19 – Beth Ditto, American singer-songwriter
* February 20 - Majandra Delfino, American actress and singer
* February 22 – Elodie Yung, French actress
* February 23
** Josh Gad, American actor and comedian
** Mai Nakahara, Japanese voice actress
* February 25 - Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Mexican actor
* February 26 - Demetrius Grosse, American actor and producer
* February 27 - Josh Groban, American singer-songwriter and actor
* March 2
** Amos Crawley, Canadian actor
** Bryce Dallas Howard, American actress
* March 3
** Austin Highsmith Garces, American actress
** Eugene, South Korean actress and singer
* March 5 - Hanna Alström, Swedish actress
* March 6 – Ellen Muth, American actress
* March 11
** David Anders, American actor
** Matthias Schweighöfer, German actor and filmmaker
* March 17 - Nicky Jam, American singer and actor
* March 18 - Chris Geere, English actor
* March 20 - Jake Hoffman, American actor and writer
* March 21 - Rini Bell, American actress
* March 22 - Tiffany Dupont, American actress
* March 23 - Luciana Carro, Canadian actress
* March 24 - Philip Winchester, American actor
* March 27 - Quim Gutiérrez, Spanish actor
* March 28 – Julia Stiles, American actress
* March 29
** Alexander Fehling, German actor
** Alain Moussi, Canadian/Gabonese actor and stuntman
* March 30 - Katy Mixon, American actress
* March 31 – Ryōko Shintani, Japanese voice actress
* April 1 - Hannah Spearritt, English actress and singer
* April 8 - Taylor Kitsch, Canadian actor and model
* April 10
** Laura Bell Bundy, American actress
** Michael Pitt, American actor
* April 13 – Courtney Peldon, American actress
* April 17 - Charlie Hofheimer, American actor
* April 19
** Hayden Christensen, Canadian actor
** Catalina Sandino Moreno, Colombian actress
* April 23 – Gemma Whelan, English actress
* April 26
** Mariana Ximenes, Brazilian actress
** Luke Ford, Canadian-Australian actor
** Amit Shah, English actor
* April 28
** Jessica Alba, American actress
** Toby Leonard Moore, Australian actor
** Catherine Reitman, Canadian-American actress, producer and writer
* April 29 - Alex Vincent, American actor and writer
* April 30
** Kunal Nayyar, British actor
** Emma Pierson, English actress
** Rose Rollins, American actress
* May 2 – Rina Satō, Japanese voice actress
* May 3 – Natalie Tong, Hong Kong actress and model
* May 5
** Danielle Fishel, American actress
** Farid Kamil, Malaysian actor and film director
* May 10 – Qurrat Ann Kadwani, American actress
* May 11
** JP Karliak, American actor, voice actor and comedian
** Austin O'Brien, American actor
* May 12 – Rami Malek, American actor
* May 13 - Ryan Piers Williams, American actor, director and writer
* May 15 – Jamie-Lynn Sigler, American actress
* May 16 - Joseph Morgan, English actor
* May 18 - Allen Leech, Irish actor
* May 28 – Laura Bailey, American voice actress
* May 29
** Justin Chon, American actor, director and YouTube personality
** Anders Holm, American actor, comedian, writer and producer
* June 1
** Johnny Pemberton, American actor, comedian and podcaster
** Amy Schumer, American 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 12
** Jeremy Howard, American actor
** Malachi Pearson, American actor
* June 13 – Chris Evans, American actor
* June 14 – Chauncey Leopardi, American actor
* June 20 – Alisan Porter, American former actress
* June 23 - Joe Taslim, Indonesian actor and martial artist
* June 26 - Jimmy Ray Bennett, American actor
* June 28 - Jon Watts, American filmmaker
* June 30
** Tom Burke, English actor
** Anna Slotky, American former actress
* July 1 - Amanda Lucas, American retired professional mixed martial artist and actress
* July 3 - Rebecca Honig, American voice actress
* July 4 - Tahar Rahim, French actor
* July 5 - Ryan Hansen, American actor and comedian
* July 13
** Fran Kranz, American actor and director
** Michael Mando, Canadian actor
* July 17 - Michiel Huisman, Dutch actor
* July 21
** Davide Perino, Italian actor and voice actor
** Romeo Santos, American singer-songwriter and actor
* July 22 - Josh Lawson, Australian actor and filmmaker
* July 24
** Mohammed Amer, Palestinian-American stand-up comedian and actor
** Summer Glau, American actress
** Lauren Miller Rogen, American actress, comedian, screenwriter and director
* July 28 - Neil Casey, American actor, writer and comedian
* July 30 – Lisa Wilhoit, American actress
* July 31 - Eric Lively, American former actor
* August 1 – Taylor Fry, American former child actress
* August 3 – Travis Willingham, American voice actor
* August 4
** Marques Houston, American singer and actor
** Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, American former actress and model
** Valerie LaPointe, American storyboard artist and director
** Abigail Spencer, American actress
* August 5 - Jesse Williams, American actor, director and producer
* August 6 – Leslie Odom Jr., American actor
* August 8
** Tongayi Chirisa, Zimbabwean actor and singer
** Meagan Good, American actress
* August 10 - Jon Prescott, American actor
* August 20 – Ben Barnes, English actor
* August 22
** Ross Marquand, American impressionist, actor and producer
** Takumi Saito, Japanese actor
* August 24 – Chad Michael Murray, American actor
* August 25 – Rachel Bilson, American actress
* August 27
** Patrick J. Adams, Canadian actor
** Sugar Lyn Beard, Canadian actress and radio personality
* August 29 - Émilie Dequenne, Belgian actress (d. 2025)
* September 1
** Michael Adamthwaite, Canadian actor
** Boyd Holbrook, American actor
* September 3 - Evgeniya Brik, Russian actress (d. 2022)
* September 4 – Beyoncé Knowles, American singer and actress
* September 8 – Jonathan Taylor Thomas, American actor
* September 9 - Julie Gonzalo, Argentine-American actress
* September 12
** Jennifer Hudson, American singer and actress
** Elle LaMont, American actress
* September 14 - Miyavi, Japanese guitarist, singer-songwriter and actor
* September 15 - Ben Schwartz, American actor, voice actor, comedian, improviser, writer, director and producer
* September 16
** Fan Bingbing, Chinese actress, model, producer and singer
** Alexis Bledel, American actress
* September 17 - Griff Furst, American actor, producer and director
* September 18 - Jennifer Tisdale, American actress and singer
* September 22 - Ashley Eckstein, American actress
* September 23 – Misti Traya, American actress
* September 26 – Christina Milian, American singer and actress
* September 29 – Shay Astar, American singer and actress
* September 30 – Ashleigh Aston Moore, American-Canadian former child actress (d. 2007)
* October 1 – Rupert Friend, English actor
* October 3
** Seth Gabel, American actor
** Giselle Itié, Mexican-born Brazilian actress
* October 9 – Zachery Ty Bryan, American actor
* October 12
** Tom Guiry, American actor
** Brian J. Smith, American actor
* October 17 - Liam Garrigan, English actor
* October 18 – Graham Moore, American screenwriter
* October 22 – Michael Fishman, American actor
* October 23 - Jackie Long, American actor, writer, musician, director and producer
* October 30
** Fiona Dourif, American actress and producer
** Shaun Sipos, Canadian actor
* November 1 - Matt Jones, American actor, voice artist, comedian, rapper and singer
* November 2 - Katharine Isabelle, Canadian actress
* November 6 – Lee Dong-wook, South Korean actor
* November 7 - Lotta Losten, Swedish actress
* November 9 – Scottie Thompson, American actress
* November 10 – Perla Liberatori, Italian voice actress
* November 14 - Vanessa Bayer, American actress and comedian
* November 15 - Sammy Sheik, Egyptian-American actor
* November 16 – Caitlin Glass, American voice actress
* November 17 - Bojana Novakovic, Serbian-Australian actress
* November 18
** Nasim Pedrad, Iranian-American actress and comedian
** Christina Vidal, American actress and singer
* November 20 – Andrea Riseborough, English actress
* November 23 - John Lavelle, American actor and playwright
* December 2 – Britney Spears, American singer and actress
* December 3
** Maddy Curley, American actress
** Liza Lapira, American actress
* December 5
** Adan Canto, Mexican actor (d. 2024)
** Lydia Leonard, British actress
* December 8 - Dov Tiefenbach, Canadian actor and musician
* December 13 – Amy Lee, American singer-songwriter (Evanescence)
* December 15
** Brendan Fletcher, Canadian actor, screenwriter and producer
** Victoria Summer, English actress, model and singer
* December 16 – Krysten Ritter, American actress
* December 27
** Emilie de Ravin, Australian actress
** Jay Ellis, American actor
* December 28 – Sienna Miller, English actress
* December 29 - Charlotte Riley, English actress
* December 30
** Gina Beck, British actress and singer
** Leila Farzad, British actress

## Deaths

| Month | Date | Name | Age | Country | Profession | Notable films |
| January | 10 | Katharine Alexander | 82 | US | Actress | Enchanted AprilJohn Loves Mary |
| January | 10 | Richard Boone | 63 | US | Actor | The Tall THombre |
| January | 11 | Beulah Bondi | 91 | US | Actress | It's a Wonderful LifeMr. Smith Goes to Washington |
| January | 12 | Isobel Elsom | 87 | UK | Actress | My Fair LadyThe Unseen |
| January | 16 | Bernard Lee | 73 | UK | Actor | Dr. NoGoldfinger |
| January | 21 | Allyn Joslyn | 79 | US | Actor | The Jazz SingerHeaven Can Wait |
| February | 1 | Wanda Hendrix | 52 | US | Actress | Prince of FoxesCaptain Carey, U.S.A. |
| February | 2 | Louise Lorraine | 76 | US | Actress | The Adventures of TarzanNear the Rainbow's End |
| February | 4 | Mario Camerini | 85 | Italy | Director, Screenwriter | UlyssesLike the Leaves |
| February | 11 | Ketti Frings | 71 | US | Screenwriter | Come Back, Little ShebaFoxfire |
| February | 12 | Jean Dixon | 84 | US | Actress | My Man GodfreyHoliday |
| February | 21 | Bernard B. Brown | 82 | US | Sound Engineer, Composer | The Wolf ManShadow of a Doubt |
| February | 21 | Ron Grainer | 58 | Australia | Composer | The Mouse on the MoonTo Sir, with Love |
| February | 22 | Curtis Bernhardt | 81 | Germany | Director | A Stolen LifePossessed |
| February | 28 | Virginia Huston | 55 | US | Actress | Out of the PastTarzan's Peril |
| February | 28 | Robert L. Wolfe | 52 | US | Film Editor | All the President's MenOn Golden Pond |
| March | 4 | Torin Thatcher | 76 | UK | Actor | HoudiniWitness for the Prosecution |
| March | 5 | Brenda de Banzie | 71 | UK | Actress | Hobson's ChoiceThe Man Who Knew Too Much |
| March | 6 | E.Y. Harburg | 84 | US | Lyricist | The Wizard of OzGay Purr-ee |
| March | 14 | Eleanor Perry | 66 | US | Screenwriter | David and LisaDiary of a Mad Housewife |
| March | 15 | René Clair | 82 | France | Director, Screenwriter | It Happened TomorrowI Married a Witch |
| March | 17 | Dorothy Dwan | 74 | US | Actress | Kid SpeedThe Wizard of Oz |
| March | 27 | Oliver A. Unger | 66 | US | Producer | Force 10 from NavaroneSandy the Seal |
| March | 31 | Hank Henry | 74 | US | Actor | Pal JoeyRobin and the 7 Hoods |
| April | 7 | Norman Taurog | 82 | US | Director | SkippyBoys Town |
| April | 14 | Sergio Amidei | 76 | Italy | Screenwriter | ShoeshinePaisan |
| April | 26 | Madge Evans | 71 | US | Actress | Pennies from HeavenArmy Girl |
| April | 26 | Jim Davis | 71 | US | Actor | The Big SkyThe Maverick Queen |
| April | 26 | Herb Voland | 62 | US | Actor | Another Nice MessWith Six You Get Eggroll |
| May | 1 | Marlin Skiles | 74 | US | Composer, Musical Director | GildaTonight and Every Night |
| May | 9 | Margaret Lindsay | 70 | US | Actress | The House of the Seven GablesJezebel |
| May | 17 | Hugo Friedhofer | 80 | US | Composer | The Best Years of Our LivesAn Affair to Remember |
| May | 18 | Richard Hale | 88 | US | Actor | Friendly PersuasionTo Kill a Mockingbird |
| May | 18 | Arthur O'Connell | 73 | US | Actor | Anatomy of a MurderPicnic |
| May | 22 | Boris Sagal | 57 | Ukraine | Director | The Omega ManGirl Happy |
| May | 23 | George Jessel | 83 | US | Actor, Producer | Beau JamesNightmare Alley |
| May | 28 | Henry Blanke | 79 | US | Producer | The Treasure of the Sierra MadreThe Nun's Story |
| June | 5 | Miguel Torres | 81 | Mexico | Director | The Mad EmpressPancho Villa Returns |
| June | 9 | Russell Hayden | 68 | US | Actor | Trail of the MountiesSeven Were Saved |
| June | 10 | Jenny Maxwell | 39 | US | Actress | Blue HawaiiTake Her, She's Mine |
| June | 12 | Eleanor Hunt | 71 | US | Actress | Blue SteelYellow Cargo |
| June | 12 | Evalyn Knapp | 74 | US | Actress | The Perils of PaulineHis Private Secretary |
| June | 17 | Lou Forbes | 78 | US | Composer | IntermezzoBrewster's Millions |
| June | 19 | Alfred Santell | 85 | US | Director | Rebecca of Sunnybrook FarmInternes Can't Take Money |
| June | 22 | Lola Lane | 75 | US | Actress | Four DaughtersHollywood Hotel |
| June | 23 | Zarah Leander | 74 | Sweden | Actress | The Blue FoxBack Then |
| July | 1 | George Voskovec | 76 | Czech Republic | Actor | 12 Angry MenThe Spy Who Came in from the Cold |
| July | 2 | Edward Killy | 78 | US | Director | West of the PecosWagon Train |
| July | 3 | Ross Martin | 61 | Poland | Actor | The Great RaceExperiment in Terror |
| July | 7 | Keefe Brasselle | 58 | US | Actor | The Eddie Cantor StoryA Place in the Sun |
| July | 20 | Dale Hennesy | 54 | US | Production Designer, Art Director | Fantastic VoyageAnnie |
| July | 25 | Gerardo de Leon | 67 | Philippines | Director, Actor | The Moises Padilla StoryFe, Esperanza, Caridad |
| July | 27 | William Wyler | 79 | Germany | Director, Producer | Ben-HurRoman Holiday |
| August | 1 | Paddy Chayefsky | 58 | US | Screenwriter | NetworkMarty |
| August | 4 | Melvyn Douglas | 80 | US | Actor | Being ThereHud |
| August | 12 | Shirley Grey | 79 | US | Actress | Texas CycloneGirl in Danger |
| August | 16 | Robert Krasker | 68 | Australia | Cinematographer | The Third ManEl Cid |
| August | 18 | Anita Loos | 93 | US | Screenwriter | The WomenI Married an Angel |
| August | 19 | Jessie Matthews | 74 | UK | Actress, Singer | There Goes the BrideIt's Love Again |
| August | 21 | Eddie Byrne | 70 | Ireland | Actor | Star WarsIsland of Terror |
| August | 30 | Vera-Ellen | 60 | US | Actress, Dancer | White ChristmasOn the Town |
| September | 1 | Ann Harding | 79 | US | Actress | HolidayIt Happened on Fifth Avenue |
| September | 6 | Maria Palmer | 64 | Austria | Actress | Lady on a TrainThe Web |
| September | 11 | Frank McHugh | 83 | US | Actor | Going My WayManpower |
| September | 15 | Sara Haden | 81 | US | Actress | The Shop Around the CornerThe Bishop's Wife |
| September | 22 | Harry Warren | 87 | US | Composer | 42nd StreetHello, Frisco, Hello |
| September | 23 | Chief Dan George | 82 | Canada | Actor | Little Big ManThe Outlaw Josey Wales |
| September | 24 | Patsy Kelly | 71 | US | Actress | The Cowboy and the LadyRosemary's Baby |
| September | 27 | Robert Montgomery | 77 | US | Actor, Director | Here Comes Mr. JordanNight Must Fall |
| October | 4 | Dorothy Dare | 70 | US | Actress | Clothes and the WomanHigh Hat |
| October | 5 | Gloria Grahame | 54 | US | Actress | In a Lonely PlaceThe Bad and the Beautiful |
| October | 15 | Frank de Kova | 71 | US | Actor | The Ten CommandmentsThe Mechanic |
| October | 19 | Nils Asther | 84 | Denmark | Actor | The Bitter Tea of General YenBluebeard |
| October | 24 | Edith Head | 83 | US | Costume Designer | Roman HolidayThe Sting |
| October | 26 | Glenn Anders | 92 | US | Actor | The Lady from ShanghaiM |
| November | 2 | Ghislain Cloquet | 57 | France | Cinematographer | TessThe Young Girls of Rochefort |
| November | 3 | Jean Eustache | 42 | France | Director | The Mother and the WhoreMy Little Loves |
| November | 12 | William Holden | 63 | US | Actor | Stalag 17Sunset Boulevard |
| November | 16 | Morgan Conway | 78 | US | Actor | Dick TracyJack London |
| November | 21 | Ejner Federspiel | 85 | Denmark | Actor | OrdetStory of Barbara |
| November | 21 | Harry von Zell | 75 | US | Actor | The Saxon CharmSon of Paleface |
| November | 25 | Jack Albertson | 74 | US | Actor | The Subject Was RosesWilly Wonka & the Chocolate Factory |
| November | 27 | Lotte Lenya | 83 | Austria | Actress | From Russia with LoveThe Threepenny Opera |
| November | 29 | Natalie Wood | 43 | US | Actress | West Side StoryRebel Without a Cause |
| November | 30 | Robert H. Harris | 70 | US | Actor | How to Make a MonsterValley of the Dolls |
| December | 5 | Charles Barton | 79 | US | Director | Africa ScreamsThe Shaggy Dog |
| December | 15 | Karl Struss | 95 | US | Cinematographer | Sunrise: A Song of Two HumansThe Great Dictator |
| December | 17 | Ada Kramm | 82 | Norway | Actress | The White GodArven |
| December | 27 | Hoagy Carmichael | 82 | US | Actor, Composer | To Have and Have NotThe Best Years of Our Lives |
| December | 28 | Allan Dwan | 96 | Canada | Director | Sands of Iwo JimaHeidi |

## Film debuts

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