1980 in film

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v t e

The following is an overview of events in 1980 in film, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies and festivals, a list of films released and notable deaths.

The top ten 1980 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

The following table lists known worldwide gross revenue figures for several high-grossing films that originally released in 1980. Note that this list is incomplete and is therefore not representative of the highest-grossing films worldwide in 1980.

• April 29 – Sir Alfred Hitchcock, known as "the Master of Suspense", dies at his home in Bel Air, California, at the age of 80.
• May 21 – The Empire Strikes Back is released and is the highest-grossing film of the year (just as its predecessor, Star Wars, was three years prior).
• June 9 – Richard Pryor sets himself on fire while free-basing cocaine and drinking 151-proof rum. Pryor ran down his street in Northridge, California, until subdued by police.
• June 20 – The Blues Brothers is released, and in addition to becoming one of the top-grossing films of the year, it also became the first feature film to be based on characters created on Saturday Night Live.
• November 4 – Former Screen Actors Guild president and film actor Ronald Reagan wins the 1980 United States presidential election in a landslide victory.

November 7- Legendary actor Steve McQueen dies at the age of 50 after surgery to remove tumours in his neck after previously been diagnosed with lung cancer.

• November 19 – Heaven's Gate becomes one of the biggest box office bombs of all-time and its colossal failure bankrupts United Artists.
• Allied Artists is sold to Lorimar Productions.

Industry professionals predicted comedy films and upbeat entertainment to dominate theaters in 1980. This was a response to poor morale in a nation suffering through economic recession, which generally increased theatrical visits as audiences sought escapism and ignored romantic films and depictions of blue-collar life.^[6][7] The financial success and low cost of production cost of comedies such as Blazing Saddles (1974) and Animal House (1978), had further driven demand for comedies; Airplane!, The Blues Brothers, Caddyshack, and The Jerk, were all scheduled for release that year. The average cost of making films had risen to $6 million which had reduced the number of films being made for niche audiences. Some studios continued to release a wide variety of films, hoping that few significant successes would compensate for other failures.^[7]

A surge of interest in science-fiction following Star Wars' release had led to many low-budget entries in the genre attempting to profit by association, and big budget entries such as Star Trek: The Motion Picture and The Black Hole, both of which were released in late 1979, just months before The Empire Strikes Back.^[8]

Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):

All That Jazz, directed by Bob Fosse, United States

Kagemusha, 影武者 (Shadow Warrior), directed by Akira Kurosawa, Japan

Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival):

Atlantic City, directed by Louis Malle, US / Canada / France

Gloria, directed by John Cassavetes, United States

Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):

Heartland, directed by Richard Pearce, United States

Palermo or Wolfsburg (Palermo oder Wolfsburg), directed by Werner Schroeter, West Germany

United States unless stated

• 9 to 5, directed by Colin Higgins, starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, Dabney Coleman

• Agency, starring Robert Mitchum, Lee Majors, Valerie Perrine – (Canada)
• Airplane!, starring Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Leslie Nielsen, Peter Graves, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
• Alien Dead, directed by Fred Olen Ray, starring Buster Crabbe
• Alligator, directed by Lewis Teague, starring Robert Forster, Robin Riker, and Michael Gazzo
• Altered States, directed by Ken Russell, starring William Hurt and Blair Brown
• American Gigolo, directed by Paul Schrader, starring Richard Gere, Lauren Hutton and Héctor Elizondo
• Antropophagus, directed by Joe D'Amato, starring George Eastman, Tisa Farrow, Zora Kerova, Saverio Vallone, and Serena Grandi (Italy)
• Any Which Way You Can, directed by Buddy Van Horn, starring Clint Eastwood, Geoffrey Lewis, William Smith, Barry Corbin, Ruth Gordon
• Arrebato (Rapture), directed by Ivan Zulueta, starring Eusebio Poncela, and Cecilia Roth (Spain)
• Atlantic City (Released in the U.S. in 1981), directed by Louis Malle, starring Burt Lancaster and Susan Sarandon – (Canada/France) – Golden Lion winner
• The Awakening, starring Charlton Heston, Susannah York and Stephanie Zimbalist – (U.K.)

• Babylon, starring Brinsley Forde – (U.K.)
• A Bad Son (un mauvais fils), directed by Claude Sautet – (France)
• Bad Timing, directed by Nicolas Roeg, starring Art Garfunkel, Theresa Russell, Denholm Elliott, Harvey Keitel – (U.K.)
• The Baltimore Bullet, starring James Coburn
• Berlin Alexanderplatz, a TV mini-series directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, starring Gunther Lamprecht, Hanna Schygulla, Barbara Sukowa – (West Germany)
• The Big Brawl, starring Jackie Chan – (Hong Kong/United States)
• The Big Red One, directed by Samuel Fuller, starring Lee Marvin, Mark Hamill, Robert Carradine
• Bizalom (Confidence), directed by István Szabó – (Hungary)
• The Black Marble, directed by Harold Becker, starring Robert Foxworth, Paula Prentiss, Harry Dean Stanton
• The Blood of Hussain, directed by Jamil Dehlavi – (Pakistan)
• The Blue Lagoon, starring Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins
• The Blues Brothers, directed by John Landis, starring John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Cab Calloway, Carrie Fisher, John Candy, Henry Gibson
• Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!)
• Borderline, directed by Jerrold Freedman, starring Charles Bronson, Wilford Brimley, Bruno Kirby, Ed Harris, Kenneth McMillan, John Ashton
• Breaker Morant, directed by Bruce Beresford, starring Edward Woodward – (Australia)
• Bronco Billy, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, with Sondra Locke, Geoffrey Lewis, Sam Bottoms, Scatman Crothers
• Brubaker, directed by Stuart Rosenberg, starring Robert Redford, David Keith, Jane Alexander, Yaphet Kotto

• Caboblanco, directed by J. Lee Thompson, starring Charles Bronson, Jason Robards, Dominique Sanda
• Caddyshack, directed by Harold Ramis, starring Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Michael O'Keefe, Cindy Morgan, Bill Murray
• The Candidate (Der Kandidat), directed by Volker Schlöndorff – (West Germany)
• Cannibal Holocaust, directed by Ruggero Deodato, starring Robert Kerman – (Italy)
• Can't Stop the Music, directed by Nancy Walker, starring Valerie Perrine, Caitlyn Jenner, Steve Guttenberg, Village People
• Carny, starring Jodie Foster, Gary Busey and Robbie Robertson
• Chann Pardesi, starring Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Om Puri – (India)
• A Change of Seasons, starring Shirley MacLaine, Anthony Hopkins, Bo Derek
• The Changeling, starring George C. Scott – (Canada)
• Cheech & Chong's Next Movie
• Children's Island (Barnens ö) – (Sweden)
• La Cicala (The Cicada), starring Anthony Franciosa and Virna Lisi – (Italy)
• City of Women (La città delle donne), directed by Federico Fellini, starring Marcello Mastroianni – (Italy)
• The Club, starring Jack Thompson – (Australia)
• Coal Miner's Daughter, starring Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones
• The Competition, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Amy Irving, Lee Remick, Sam Wanamaker
• The Constant Factor (Constans) – (Poland)
• The Crime of Cuenca (El crimen de Cuenca) – (Spain)
• Cruising, directed by William Friedkin, starring Al Pacino
• Cutting It Short (Postřižiny), directed by Jiří Menzel – (Czechoslovakia)

• Dadar Kirti (Deeds of My Elder Brother) – (India)
• Death Watch (La Mort en direct), directed by Bertrand Tavernier, starring Romy Schneider and Harvey Keitel – (France)
• Delusion directed by Alan Beattie, starring Patricia Pearcy and Joseph Cotten
• Die Laughing, starring Robby Benson and Bud Cort
• Dinosaurs, directed by Will Vinton
• The Dogs of War, starring Christopher Walken – (US/UK)
• Dostana (Friendship), starring Amitabh Bachchan – (India)
• Dressed to Kill, directed by Brian De Palma, starring Michael Caine, Nancy Allen, Keith Gordon, Angie Dickinson

• Elisita – (Spain)
• The Elephant Man, directed by David Lynch, starring John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins – (US/UK)
• The Empire Strikes Back, directed by Irvin Kershner, starring Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams
• Encounters of the Spooky Kind (Gui da gui), directed by and starring Sammo Hung – (Hong Kong)
• Every Man for Himself (Sauve qui peut (la vie)), directed by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Jacques Dutronc and Isabelle Huppert – (France)
• The Exterminator, starring Robert Ginty and Samantha Eggar

• Fade to Black, starring Dennis Christopher
• The Falls, directed by Peter Greenaway – (U.K.)
• Fame, directed by Alan Parker, starring Irene Cara
• Fatso, directed by and starring Anne Bancroft, with Dom DeLuise
• The Final Countdown, starring Kirk Douglas, Katharine Ross, Martin Sheen
• The First Deadly Sin, starring Frank Sinatra, David Dukes, Martin Gabel, Brenda Vaccaro, Faye Dunaway
• First Family, directed by Buck Henry, starring Bob Newhart, Madeline Kahn, Gilda Radner
• Flash Gordon, directed by Mike Hodges, starring Sam J. Jones, Melody Anderson, Chaim Topol – (US/UK)
• The Fog, directed by John Carpenter, starring Adrienne Barbeau and Jamie Lee Curtis
• Foolin' Around, starring Gary Busey, Annette O'Toole, Eddie Albert, Cloris Leachman
• The Formula, starring George C. Scott and Marlon Brando
• Foxes, directed by Adrian Lyne, starring Jodie Foster, Cherie Currie, Scott Baio and Adam Faith
• Friday the 13th, directed by Sean S. Cunningham, starring Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King and Harry Crosby

• The Gamekeeper, directed by Ken Loach – (U.K.)
• Gamera: Super Monster (Uchu Kaijū Gamera) – (Japan)
• Germany, Pale Mother (Deutschland bleiche Mutter), starring Eva Mattes – (West Germany)
• Gilda Live, starring Gilda Radner, Father Guido Sarducci
• Gloria, directed by John Cassavetes, starring Gena Rowlands – Golden Lion winner
• The Gods Must Be Crazy, directed by Jamie Uys, starring N!xau, Sandra Prinsloo and Marius Weyers – (South Africa)
• Good Riddance (Les Bons débarras) – (Canada)
• The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, a mockumentary directed by Julien Temple, featuring The Sex Pistols and Malcolm McLaren – (U.K.)

• Hangar 18, starring Darren McGavin and Robert Vaughn
• Health, a.k.a. H.E.A.L.T.H., directed by Robert Altman, starring Carol Burnett, Lauren Bacall, Glenda Jackson, James Garner
• Heart Beat, starring Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek, John Heard
• He Knows You're Alone, starring Don Scardino and Caitlin O'Heaney
• Heaven's Gate, directed by Michael Cimino, starring Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, Isabelle Huppert, John Hurt, Sam Waterston, Jeff Bridges
• Herbie Goes Bananas, directed by Vincent McEveety, starring Cloris Leachman, Harvey Korman and Charles Martin Smith
• Hero at Large, starring John Ritter and Anne Archer
• Hey Babe!, starring Yasmine Bleeth and Buddy Hackett – (Canada)
• Hirak Rajar Deshe (Kingdom of Diamonds), directed by Satyajit Ray – (India)
• The Hit (Trhák) – (Czechoslovakia)
• Home Movies, directed by Brian De Palma, starring Kirk Douglas, Vincent Gardenia, Gerrit Graham, Nancy Allen
• Hopscotch, directed by Ronald Neame, starring Walter Matthau and Glenda Jackson
• How to Beat the High Cost of Living, starring Susan Saint James, Jessica Lange, Jane Curtin, Dabney Coleman, Richard Benjamin
• Humanoids from the Deep, starring Vic Morrow, Doug McClure, Ann Turkel
• The Hunter, starring Steve McQueen (in his final film), Kathryn Harrold, LeVar Burton, Ben Johnson, Eli Wallach

• The Idolmaker, directed by Taylor Hackford, starring Ray Sharkey and Peter Gallagher
• Inferno, directed by Dario Argento – (Italy)
• Inside Moves, directed by Richard Donner, starring John Savage, David Morse, Diana Scarwid
• The Island, directed by Michael Ritchie, starring Michael Caine
• It's My Turn, directed by Claudia Weill, starring Jill Clayburgh, Michael Douglas, Charles Grodin

• The Jazz Singer, starring Neil Diamond, Lucie Arnaz, Laurence Olivier
• Just Tell Me What You Want, directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Ali MacGraw, Alan King, Peter Weller, Myrna Loy

• Karz (In Debt), starring Rishi Kapoor – (India)
• Kagemusha, directed by Akira Kurosawa, starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kenichi Hagiwara – (Japan) – Palme d'Or winner
• Khubsoorat, starring Ashok Kumar and Rekha – (India)
• Klondike Fever, starring Jeff East, Rod Steiger, Angie Dickinson, Gordon Pinsent – (Canada)

• Ladies' Choice (Dami Kanyat), directed by Ivan Andonov, starring Stefan Danailov – (Bulgaria)
• The Last Flight of Noah's Ark, starring Elliott Gould, Geneviève Bujold, Ricky Schroder
• The Last Married Couple in America, starring Natalie Wood, George Segal, Valerie Harper, Richard Benjamin
• The Last Metro (Le dernier metro), directed by François Truffaut, starring Catherine Deneuve and Gérard Depardieu – (France)
• The Last Witness (Choehuui jeungin) – (South Korea)
• The Lathe of Heaven, starring Bruce Davison
• Legend of Tianyun Mountain (Tiān yún shān chuán qí) – (China)
• The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter, a documentary film
• Little Darlings, starring Tatum O'Neal, Kristy McNichol, Armand Assante and Matt Dillon
• Little Miss Marker, starring Walter Matthau, Julie Andrews, Tony Curtis, Bob Newhart
• The Long Good Friday, directed by John Mackenzie, starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren – (U.K.)
• The Long Riders, directed by Walter Hill, starring the Keach brothers, Carradine brothers and Quaid brothers
• Loulou, starring Isabelle Huppert and Gérard Depardieu – (France)
• Loving Couples, directed by Jack Smight, starring Shirley MacLaine, James Coburn, Stephen Collins, Susan Sarandon

• The Magician of Lublin, starring Alan Arkin, Valerie Perrine, Louise Fletcher
• The Man with Bogart's Face, starring Robert Sacchi, Misty Rowe, Victor Buono, Yvonne De Carlo, Herbert Lom
• Manila by Night – (Philippines)
• McVicar, directed by Tom Clegg, starring Roger Daltrey, Adam Faith, Cheryl Campbell – (U.K.)
• Melvin and Howard, directed by Jonathan Demme, starring Paul Le Mat, Jason Robards, Mary Steenburgen
• Midnight Madness, directed by Michael Nankin and David Wechter, starring David Naughton, Debra Clinger, Stephen Furst, Eddie Deezen, Maggie Roswell, Brad Wilkin, Michael J. Fox, Alan Solomon
• The Mirror Crack'd, directed by Guy Hamilton, starring Angela Lansbury, Elizabeth Taylor, Kim Novak, Tony Curtis, Rock Hudson – (U.K.)
• Mon oncle d'Amérique, directed by Alain Resnais, starring Gérard Depardieu – (France) – Cannes Special Jury Prize
• Motel Hell, starring Rory Calhoun
• The Mountain Men, starring Charlton Heston and Brian Keith
• My Bodyguard, directed by Tony Bill, starring Matt Dillon, Adam Baldwin, Chris Makepeace, Martin Mull

• The Nest (El Nido) – (Spain)
• Nightkill, starring Robert Mitchum
• Nijinsky, starring George de la Peña and Alan Bates
• The Ninth Configuration, directed by William Peter Blatty, starring Stacy Keach, Scott Wilson, Jason Miller

• O Megalexandros (Alexander the Great), directed by Theodoros Angelopoulos – (Greece)
• Oh, God! Book II, starring George Burns
• One Trick Pony, written by and starring Paul Simon, with Blair Brown, Joan Hackett, Rip Torn
• The Orchestra Conductor (Dyrygent), directed by Andrzej Wajda, starring John Gielgud – (Poland)
• Ordinary People, directed by Robert Redford, starring Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Timothy Hutton, Judd Hirsch, Elizabeth McGovern
• Out of the Blue, directed by and starring Dennis Hopper, with Linda Manz, Raymond Burr – (Canada)

• Pepi, Luci, Bom, directed by Pedro Almodóvar – (Spain)
• Palermo or Wolfsburg – (West Germany) – Golden Bear winner
• Permanent Vacation, directed by Jim Jarmusch
• The Pilot, directed by and starring Cliff Robertson, with Diane Baker and Gordon MacRae
• Playing for Time, directed by Daniel Mann, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Jane Alexander
• Popeye, directed by Robert Altman, starring Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall
• Pray TV, starring Dabney Coleman
• Private Benjamin, directed by Howard Zieff, starring Goldie Hawn, Eileen Brennan, Armand Assante, Robert Webber, Harry Dean Stanton
• The Private Eyes, starring Tim Conway and Don Knotts
• Prom Night, starring Leslie Nielsen and Jamie Lee Curtis

• Qurbani (Sacrifice), directed by and starring Feroz Khan – (India)

• Raging Bull, directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty
• Resurrection, starring Ellen Burstyn and Eva Le Gallienne
• The Return of the King, animated film, voices of Orson Bean, John Huston, William Conrad
• Return of the Secaucus 7, directed by John Sayles
• El Retorno del Hombre Lobo (Return of the Werewolf) – (Spain)
• Roadie, directed by Alan Rudolph, starring Meat Loaf and Kaki Hunter
• Le Roi et l'oiseau (The King and the Mocking Bird), animated film – (France)
• Rockshow, concert film featuring Paul McCartney and Wings – (U.K.)
• Rough Cut, directed by Don Siegel, starring Burt Reynolds, Lesley-Anne Down, David Niven
• Rude Boy, a rockumentary featuring The Clash – (U.K.)

• Sällskapsresan (The Charter Trip), directed by and starring Lasse Åberg – (Sweden)
• Saturn 3, directed by Stanley Donen, starring Farrah Fawcett, Kirk Douglas, Harvey Keitel
• The Sea Wolves, starring Gregory Peck, David Niven, Roger Moore – (UK/US/Switzerland)
• See You in the Next War (enja u sledećem ratu) – (Yugoslavia)
• Seems Like Old Times, starring Goldie Hawn, Chevy Chase and Charles Grodin
• Serial, starring Martin Mull, Tuesday Weld, Christopher Lee, Bill Macy, Sally Kellerman, Tom Smothers
• The Shining, directed by Stanley Kubrick, starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers
• Simon, starring Alan Arkin
• A Small Circle of Friends, starring Brad Davis and Karen Allen
• Smokey and the Bandit II, directed by Hal Needham, starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed and Dom DeLuise
• Solo Sunny – (East Germany)
• Somewhere in Time, starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour
• Special Treatment (Poseban tretman) – (Yugoslavia)
• Stardust Memories, directed by and starring Woody Allen, with Charlotte Rampling and Jessica Harper
• Stir Crazy, directed by Sidney Poitier, starring Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder
• Stalker, directed by Andrei Tarkovsky and released in 1979 but later released in 1980
• The Stunt Man, directed by Richard Rush, starring Peter O'Toole, Barbara Hershey, Steve Railsback
• Sunday Lovers, starring Gene Wilder, Roger Moore, Lino Ventura
• Superman II, starring Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Terence Stamp

• Terror Train, starring Ben Johnson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Hart Bochner
• La terrazza (The Terrace), starring Marcello Mastroianni, Vittorio Gassman, Ugo Tognazzi – (Italy)
• That Sinking Feeling, directed by Bill Forsyth, starring John Gordon Sinclair – (U.K.)
• Those Lips, Those Eyes, starring Frank Langella, Glynnis O'Connor, Tom Hulce
• Times Square, directed by Allen Moyle, starring Robin Johnson, Trini Alvarado, Tim Curry
• To Love the Damned (Maledetti vi amerò) – (Italy)
• Tom Horn, starring Steve McQueen, Richard Farnsworth, Linda Evans
• Tribute, starring Jack Lemmon – (Canada)
• Twelve Months (Sekai Meisaku Douwa Mori wa Ikiteiru / Dvenadtsat mesyatsev) – (Japan/U.S.S.R.)

• The Unseen, starring Barbara Bach and Stephen Furst
• Up the Academy, directed by Robert Downey Sr.
• Urban Cowboy, directed by James Bridges, starring John Travolta, Debra Winger, Scott Glenn, Madolyn Smith, Barry Corbin
• Used Cars, directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Kurt Russell, Jack Warden, Deborah Harmon and Gerrit Graham

• Virus (Fukkatsu no hi), starring Sonny Chiba and Glenn Ford – (Japan)
• Le Voyage en douce, starring Dominique Sanda and Geraldine Chaplin – (France)

• Waiter, Scarper! (Vrchní, prchni!) – (Czechoslovakia)
• The Watcher in the Woods, starring Bette Davis – (UK/US)
• When Time Ran Out, starring Paul Newman, Jacqueline Bisset, William Holden, Burgess Meredith, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons
• Where the Buffalo Roam, directed by Art Linson, starring Bill Murray and Peter Boyle
• Wholly Moses!, starring Dudley Moore, Laraine Newman, Paul Sand, Dom DeLuise
• Who's Singin' Over There? (Ko to tamo peva) – (Yugoslavia)
• Why Would I Lie?, starring Treat Williams, Lisa Eichhorn, Valerie Curtin
• Willie & Phil, directed by Paul Mazursky, starring Margot Kidder, Ray Sharkey, Michael Ontkean
• Windows, starring Talia Shire and Elizabeth Ashley
• Witches' Brew, starring Teri Garr and Richard Benjamin

• Xanadu, starring Olivia Newton-John, Michael Beck, Gene Kelly

• The Young Master (Shi di chu ma), directed by and starring Jackie Chan – (Hong Kong)
• Yūgure made – (Japan)

• Zigeunerweisen (Gypsy Airs), directed by Seijun Suzuki – (Japan)

• January 2 - David Gyasi, British actor
• January 4
  • June Diane Raphael, American actress and comedian
  • D'Arcy Carden, American actress and comedian
  • Greg Cipes, voice actor
• January 7
  • Hele Kõrve, Estonian actress and singer
  • Simon Woods, English actor and writer
• January 8
  • Rachel Nichols, American actress and model
  • Sam Riley, English actor and singer
• January 10
  • Katie Dippold, American actress, writer and screenwriter
  • Sarah Shahi, American actress and former model
• January 16 – Lin-Manuel Miranda, American singer-songwriter and actor^[9]
• January 17 – Zooey Deschanel, American singer-songwriter and actress^[10]
• January 18
  • Estelle, British singer, songwriter, record producer and actress
  • Jason Segel, American actor, comedian, screenwriter, singer, songwriter, author and producer
• January 19
  • Luke Macfarlane, American actor
• January 21
  • Nana Mizuki, Japanese singer and voice actress
  • Kim Sharma, Indian actress
• January 29 - Jason James Richter, American actor and musician
• January 30 – Wilmer Valderrama, American actor
• February 2 – Zhang Jingchu, Chinese actress
• February 3 - Ben Turner, British-Iranian actor
• February 6 - Ben Lawson, Australian actor
• February 8
  • William Jackson Harper, American actor
  • Sinead Matthews, English actress
• February 11 – Matthew Lawrence, American actor^[11]
• February 12
  • Christina Ricci, American actress^[12]
  • Enver Gjokaj, American actor
  • Sarah Lancaster, American actress
• February 14 – Michelle Ye, Hong Kong actress and producer
• February 17 - Jason Ritter, American actor, voice actor and producer^[13]
• February 21 - Brendan Sexton III, American actor
• February 25
  • Chris Knowings, American actor
  • Christy Knowings, American actress and comedian
  • Rashaan Nall, American writer, director, screenwriter and actor
• February 28
  • Denise Gough, Irish actress
  • Charles Halford, American actor
• February 29
  • Steven Cree, Scottish actor
  • Peter Scanavino, American actor
• March 2 - Rebel Wilson, Australian actress, comedian, writer and producer^[14]
• March 3
  • Meiling Melançon, American actress and screenwriter
  • Katherine Waterston, American actress^[15]
• March 7
  • Laura Prepon, American actress
  • Mart Toome, Estonian actor
• March 9 – Matthew Gray Gubler, American actor
• March 13 - Nathan Phillips, Australian actor
• March 18 - Sophia Myles, English actress
• March 20 - Mikey Day, American actor and comedian
• March 23 - Itay Tiran, Israeli actor and director
• March 25 - Tinsel Korey, Canadian actress and singer-songwriter
• March 30 - Fiona Gubelmann, American actress
• March 31
  • Kate Micucci, American actress
  • Maaya Sakamoto, Japanese singer and voice actress
• April 4 - Collette Wolfe, American actress
• April 8
  • Carrie Savage, American voice actress
  • Katee Sackhoff, American actress
• April 10 – Charlie Hunnam, British actor and screenwriter
• April 11 - Julia Chantrey, Canadian actress
• April 13
  • Colleen Clinkenbeard, American voice actress
  • Kelli Giddish, American actress
• April 14
  • Tom Franco, American actor
  • Claire Coffee, American actress
• April 15 - Arian Moayed, Iranian-born American actor, writer and director
• April 17
  • Nicholas D'Agosto, American actor
  • Samantha Soule, American actress
• April 22 - Rodrigo Hilbert, Brazilian television presenter, actor, and former model
• April 25 - Daniel MacPherson, Australian actor and television presenter
• April 26
  • Jordana Brewster, American actress
  • Anna Mucha, Polish actress
  • Channing Tatum, American actor^[16]
• April 29
  • Jo Martin, British actress
  • Damien Dante Wayans, American actor, screenwriter, producer and director
• April 30 - Sam Heughan, Scottish actor
• May 2 - Ellie Kemper, American actress and comedian^[17]
• May 5 - Zach McGowan, American actor
• May 8
  • Jasen Fisher, American former child actor
  • Kimberlee Peterson, American actress
• May 14 - Sérgio Guizé, Brazilian actor
• May 18 - Matt Long, American actor
• May 20 - Cauã Reymond, Brazilian actor
• May 22
  • Nazanin Boniadi, British actress
  • Lucy Gordon, English actress and model (died 2009)
  • Evelin Võigemast, Estonian actress
• May 23
  • D. J. Cotrona, American actor
  • Chris Gethard, American actor, comedian and writer
• May 25 - Will Janowitz, American actor
• May 27 - Ben Feldman, American actor and producer
• May 29 - Adam Brown, English actor and comedian
• June 3 - Billy Slaughter, American actor
• June 10 - Jessica DiCicco, American film, television and voice actress
• June 15 - Candace Brown, American actress and comedian
• June 16 – Sibel Kekilli, German actress
• June 18 - David Giuntoli, American actor
• June 19 - Neil Brown Jr., American actor
• June 20 - Tika Sumpter, American actress, singer, producer, television host and model
• June 21 - Preeya Kalidas, British singer and actress
• June 23
  • Heath Freeman, American actor (died 2021)
  • Melissa Rauch, American actress and comedian
• June 24 – Minka Kelly, American actress
• June 26 - Jason Schwartzman, American actor, producer and musician
• July 1 - Fortune Feimster, American writer, comedian and actress
• July 3 – Olivia Munn, American actress
• July 4 - Max Elliott Slade, American former child actor
• July 6 – Eva Green, French actress
• July 7 - Marika Domińczyk, Polish-American actress
• July 10
  • James Rolfe, American filmmaker, actor, YouTuber and online personality
  • Jessica Simpson, American singer and actress
  • Thomas Ian Nicholas, American actor
  • Aaron Staton, American actor
• July 12 - Kristen Connolly, American actress
• July 15 – Jasper Pääkkönen, Finnish actor and film producer
• July 17 – Brett Goldstein, British actor and comedian
• July 18 – Kristen Bell, American actress
• July 19
  • Mark Webber, American actor, screenwriter and director
  • Chris Sullivan, American actor
• July 27 - Ewen Leslie, Australian actor
• July 29 - Rachel Miner, American actress
• July 30 - April Bowlby, American actress
• August 3
  • Hannah Simone, Canadian actress
  • Teuku Rifnu Wikana, Indonesian actor
• August 5 - Sophie Winkleman, English actress
• August 6
  • Monique Ganderton, Canadian stunt performer and actress
  • Rory Scovel, American actor and comedian
• August 8 – Marisa Quintanilla, American actress
• August 9 - Stephen Schneider, American actor
• August 10
  • Pua Magasiva, New Zealand actor (died 2019)^[18]
• August 11 - Merritt Wever, American actress
• August 12 - Dominique Swain, American actress and producer
• August 13 - Álex González, Spanish actor
• August 15 - Natalie Press, English actress
• August 18 – Preeti Jhangiani, Indian actress
• August 19
  • Adam Campbell, English actor
  • Aaron Horvath, American animator, screenwriter, producer and director
• August 21 - John Brotherton, American actor
• August 23 - Joanne Froggatt, English actress
• August 25 – Jackie Tohn, American actress and singer
• August 26
  • Macaulay Culkin, American actor^[19]
  • Chris Pine, American actor^[20]
• August 31 - Leo Bill, English actor
• September 1 - Lara Pulver, English actress
• September 7
  • J. D. Pardo, American actor
  • Alex Hassell, English actor
• September 9 – Michelle Williams, American actress
• September 12 - Hiroyuki Sawano, Japanese music composer
• September 13 – Ben Savage, American actor
• September 13 – Cristiana Capotondi, Italian actress
• September 18 - Charity Wakefield, English actress
• September 19 - Benjamin Davies, Scottish actor
• September 21
  • Kareena Kapoor, Indian actress
  • Autumn Reeser, American actress
• September 25
  • T.I., American actor and rapper
  • Chris Owen, American actor
• September 29
  • Zachary Levi, American actor and singer
  • Chrissy Metz, American actress
• September 30 - Toni Trucks, American actress
• October 1 - Sarah Drew, American actress
• October 3 - Daniel DeSanto, Canadian actor and voice actor
• October 4
  • Nick Mohammed, English actor, comedian and writer
  • Morgan Spector, American actor
• October 6
  • David Alpay, Canadian actor, musician and producer
  • Jenny Wade, American actress
• October 8
  • Nick Cannon, American comedian, rapper and television host
  • Nathan Head, British actor
• October 14 – Ben Whishaw, English actor
• October 18
  • Erin Dean, American former actress
  • Natasha Rothwell, American writer, actress and comedian
• October 19 – Benjamin Salisbury, American actor
• October 21
  • Kim Kardashian, American media personality, model and actress
  • Lino Musella, Italian actor
• October 23 - Robert Belushi, American actor
• October 24
  • Casey Wilson, American actress and comedian
  • Monica, American singer-songwriter, producer and actress
• October 25 - Mehcad Brooks, American actor
• October 28 - Wes Ball, American film director and artist
• October 29 – Ben Foster, American actor
• October 30 - Sarah Carter, Canadian actress
• October 31
  • Samaire Armstrong, American actress
  • Eddie Kaye Thomas, American actor
• November 1 - Dani Rovira, Spanish comedian and actor
• November 2 - Kim So-yeon, South Korean actress
• November 5 - Luke Hemsworth, Australian actor
• November 8 - Brooke Lyons, American actress
• November 9 - Vanessa Lachey, American actress, fashion model and television host
• November 10 - Alberta Mayne, Canadian actress
• November 12
  • Ryan Gosling, Canadian actor
  • Gustaf Skarsgård, Swedish actor
• November 13 - Monique Coleman, American actress
• November 18 - Mathew Baynton, English actor, writer, comedian, singer and musician
• November 29 - Jason Griffith, American actor and voice actor
• December 3
  • Anna Chlumsky, American actress
  • Jenna Dewan, American actress and dancer
• December 5 - Jessica Paré, Canadian actress
• December 9 – Simon Helberg, American actor and comedian
• December 13 - Satoshi Tsumabuki, Japanese actor
• December 15 - Yuri Kolokolnikov, Russian actor
• December 16 - Michael Jibson, English actor, director, writer and voice over artist
• December 18
  • Christina Aguilera, American singer, songwriter, actress and television personality
  • Neil Fingleton, English actor (died 2017)
• December 19
  • Jake Gyllenhaal, American actor
  • Marla Sokoloff, American actress
• December 22 - Chris Carmack, American actor
• December 26 - Jared Van Snellenberg, American former actor
• December 27 - Elizabeth Rodriguez, American actress
• December 30 – Eliza Dushku, American actress
• December 31 – Rosanne Mulholland, Brazilian actress

• List of American films of 1980
• List of Argentine films of 1980
• List of Australian films of 1980
• List of Bangladeshi films of 1980
• List of British films of 1980
• List of Canadian films of 1980
• List of French films of 1980
• List of Hong Kong films of 1980
• List of Indian films of 1980
  • List of Hindi films of 1980
  • List of Kannada films of 1980
  • List of Malayalam films of 1980
  • List of Marathi films of 1980
  • List of Tamil films of 1980
  • List of Telugu films of 1980
• List of Japanese films of 1980
• List of Mexican films of 1980
• List of Pakistani films of 1980
• List of South Korean films of 1980
• List of Soviet films of 1980
• List of Spanish films of 1980

• List of action films of 1980
• List of animated feature films of 1980
• List of avant-garde films of 1980
• List of comedy films of 1980
• List of drama films of 1980
• List of horror films of 1980
• List of science fiction films of 1980
• List of thriller films of 1980
• List of western films of 1980

• List of 1980 films at IMDb
• 1980 Domestic Grosses at Box Office Mojo
• List of 1980 deaths at IMDb
• List of 1980 births at IMDb