1981 Film Year: Oscar Winners & Nominees
The AwardWentTo archive contains 101 Academy Award records for the 1981 film year, covering 42 films and including 23 wins.
Years follow the source film eligibility/dataset year, which may differ from the ceremony calendar year. Counts describe film-linked archive records, including historical and special-award context where supplied.
Best Picture result
- ★ Chariots of FireDavid Puttnam, Producer
5 Best Picture award records for this film year. See the full result · Best Picture history
Acting category results
Leading winning films
Ranked by winning records in this film-year selection.
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
5 wins from 9 award records
- Chariots of Fire
4 wins from 7 award records
- Reds
3 wins from 12 award records
- On Golden Pond
3 wins from 10 award records
- Arthur
2 wins from 4 award records
- An American Werewolf in London
1 win from 1 award record
Category winners
Select a category to explore its history, or jump to this year's full records.
Nominations and award records by category
Showing 101 of 101 archive records. Gold stars mark winning records.
Best Picture
- ★ Chariots of Fire IMDB — David Puttnam, Producer
- Atlantic City IMDB — Denis Heroux and John Kemeny, Producers
- On Golden Pond IMDB — Bruce Gilbert, Producer
- Raiders of the Lost Ark IMDB — Frank Marshall, Producer
- Reds IMDB — Warren Beatty, Producer
Best Actor
- ★ On Golden Pond IMDB — Henry FondaNorman Thayer, Jr.
- Reds IMDB — Warren BeattyJohn 'Jack' Reed
- Atlantic City IMDB — Burt LancasterLou
- Arthur IMDB — Dudley MooreArthur Bach
- Absence of Malice IMDB — Paul NewmanMichael Gallagher
Best Supporting Actor
- ★ Arthur IMDB — John GielgudHobson
- Only When I Laugh IMDB — James CocoJimmy Perry
- Chariots of Fire IMDB — Ian HolmSam Mussabini
- Reds IMDB — Jack NicholsonEugene O'Neill
- Ragtime IMDB — Howard E. Rollins, Jr.Coalhouse Walker, Jr.
Best Actress
- ★ On Golden Pond IMDB — Katharine HepburnEthel Thayer
- Reds IMDB — Diane KeatonLouise Bryant
- Only When I Laugh IMDB — Marsha MasonGeorgia
- Atlantic City IMDB — Susan SarandonSally
- The French Lieutenant's Woman IMDB — Meryl StreepSara Woodruff/Anna
Best Supporting Actress
- ★ Reds IMDB — Maureen StapletonEmma Goldman
- Absence of Malice IMDB — Melinda DillonTeresa
- On Golden Pond IMDB — Jane FondaChelsea Thayer Wayne
- Only When I Laugh IMDB — Joan HackettToby Landau
- Ragtime IMDB — Elizabeth McGovernEvelyn Nesbit
Art Direction
- ★ Raiders of the Lost Ark IMDB — Art Direction: Norman Reynolds, Leslie Dilley; Set Decoration: Michael Ford
- The French Lieutenant's Woman IMDB — Art Direction: Assheton Gorton; Set Decoration: Ann Mollo
- Heaven's Gate IMDB — Art Direction: Tambi Larsen; Set Decoration: Jim Berkey
- Ragtime IMDB — Art Direction: John Graysmark, Patrizia Von Brandenstein, Anthony Reading; Set Decoration: George de Titta, Sr., George de Titta, Jr., Peter Howitt
- Reds IMDB — Art Direction: Richard Sylbert; Set Decoration: Michael Seirton
Cinematography
Costume Design
Best Director
Documentary Feature
- ★ Genocide IMDB — Arnold Schwartzman and Rabbi Marvin Hier, Producers
- Against Wind and Tide: A Cuban Odyssey IMDB — Suzanne Bauman, Paul Neshamkin and Jim Burroughs, Producers
- Brooklyn Bridge IMDB — Ken Burns, Producer
- Eight Minutes to Midnight: A Portrait of Dr. Helen Caldicott IMDB — Mary Benjamin, Susanne Simpson and Boyd Estus, Producers
- El Salvador: Another Vietnam IMDB — Glenn Silber and Tete Vasconcellos, Producers
Documentary Short Subject
- ★ Close Harmony IMDB — Nigel Noble, Producer
- Americas in Transition IMDB — Obie Benz, Producer
- Journey for Survival IMDB — Dick Young, Producer
- See What I Say IMDB — Linda Chapman, Pam LeBlanc and Freddi Stevens, Producers
- Urge to Build IMDB — Roland Hallé and John Hoover, Producers
Film Editing
- ★ Raiders of the Lost Ark IMDB — Michael Kahn
- Chariots of Fire IMDB — Terry Rawlings
- The French Lieutenant's Woman IMDB — John Bloom
- On Golden Pond IMDB — Robert L. Wolfe
- Reds IMDB — Dede Allen, Craig McKay
International Feature Film
- ★ Mephisto IMDB — Hungary
- The Boat Is Full IMDB — Switzerland
- Man of Iron IMDB — Poland
- Muddy River IMDB — Japan
- Three Brothers IMDB — Italy
Makeup and Hairstyling
Original Score
Original Song
- ★ Arthur IMDB — Music and Lyric by Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Christopher Cross and Peter AllenArthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)
- Endless Love IMDB — Music and Lyric by Lionel RichieEndless Love
- The Great Muppet Caper IMDB — Music and Lyric by Joe RaposoThe First Time It Happens
- For Your Eyes Only IMDB — Music by Bill Conti; Lyric by Mick LeesonFor Your Eyes Only
- Ragtime IMDB — Music and Lyric by Randy NewmanOne More Hour
Animated Short Film
- ★ Crac IMDB — Frédéric Back, Producer
- The Creation IMDB — Will Vinton, Producer
- The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin IMDB — Janet Perlman, Producer
Live Action Short Film
- ★ Violet IMDB — Paul Kemp and Shelley Levinson, Producers
- Couples and Robbers IMDB — Christine Oestreicher, Producer
- First Winter IMDB — John N. Smith, Producer
Sound Mixing
- ★ Raiders of the Lost Ark IMDB — Bill Varney, Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker, Roy Charman
- On Golden Pond IMDB — Richard Portman, David Ronne
- Outland IMDB — John K. Wilkinson, Robert W. Glass, Jr., Robert M. Thirlwell, Robin Gregory
- Pennies from Heaven IMDB — Michael J. Kohut, Jay M. Harding, Richard Tyler, Al Overton
- Reds IMDB — Dick Vorisek, Tom Fleischman, Simon Kaye
Special Achievement Award (Sound Effects Editing)
- ★ Raiders of the Lost Ark IMDB — Ben Burtt, Richard L. Anderson
Visual Effects
- ★ Raiders of the Lost Ark IMDB — Richard Edlund, Kit West, Bruce Nicholson, Joe Johnston
- Dragonslayer IMDB — Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett, Ken Ralston, Brian Johnson
Adapted Screenplay
- ★ On Golden Pond IMDB — Ernest Thompson
- The French Lieutenant's Woman IMDB — Harold Pinter
- Pennies from Heaven IMDB — Dennis Potter
- Prince of the City IMDB — Jay Presson Allen, Sidney Lumet
- Ragtime IMDB — Michael Weller
Original Screenplay
- ★ Chariots of Fire IMDB — Colin Welland
- Absence of Malice IMDB — Kurt Luedtke
- Arthur IMDB — Steve Gordon
- Atlantic City IMDB — John Guare
- Reds IMDB — Warren Beatty, Trevor Griffiths
Nominated films and other recorded entries
42 films represented in the 1981 archive selection.
- Absence of Malice
- Against Wind and Tide: A Cuban Odyssey
- Americas in Transition
- An American Werewolf in London
- Arthur
- Atlantic City
- Brooklyn Bridge
- Chariots of Fire
- Close Harmony
- Couples and Robbers
- Crac
- Dragonslayer
- Eight Minutes to Midnight: A Portrait of Dr. Helen Caldicott
- El Salvador: Another Vietnam
- Endless Love
- Excalibur
- First Winter
- For Your Eyes Only
- Genocide
- Heartbeeps
- Heaven's Gate
- Journey for Survival
- Man of Iron
- Mephisto
- Muddy River
- On Golden Pond
- Only When I Laugh
- Outland
- Pennies from Heaven
- Prince of the City
- Ragtime
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Reds
- See What I Say
- The Boat Is Full
- The Creation
- The French Lieutenant's Woman
- The Great Muppet Caper
- The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin
- Three Brothers
- Urge to Build
- Violet
About these award records
This independent archive groups film-linked award records by film, credited name, category and eligibility year. The film year can differ from the year the ceremony took place. Ceremony numbers are shown where supplied by the records.
Each distinct performance, song or award credit remains a separate record, even when it belongs to the same film. Shared credits stay together. A person's page covers the name shown, without combining aliases or shared credits into a complete career total.
Totals can include honorary, special and historical awards alongside competitive nominations. Awards without a linked film are outside these page totals. Source notes and uncertain records are retained; category comparisons omit groups with unresolved notes, ties or conflicting identities.
For the official record, search the Academy Awards Database (opens in a new tab). Award Went To is an independent exploration tool and is not affiliated with the Academy.