1981 (people)


 * January - Actor Esmond Webb died.
 * 2 January - Actor Victor Carin died.
 * 30 January - Actor Oliver Mellor was born.
 * 21 February - Doctor Who theme composer Ron Grainer died.
 * 26 February - Actor Gerald Cross died.
 * 5 March - Actor Miranda Borman was born.
 * 28 March - Actor Gareth David-Lloyd was born.
 * 5 April - Actor Tom Riley was born.
 * 13 April - Actor Gemma Whelan was born.
 * 26 April - Actor Amit Shah was born.
 * 28 April - Actor Ben Loyd-Holmes was born.
 * 8 May - Actor Ayesha Antoine was born.
 * 27 May - Writer Kit Pedler died.
 * 29 May - Actor Ramsay Williams died.
 * 31 May - Composer Jamie Robertson was born.
 * 5 June - Documentary Producer Chris Chapman was born.
 * 25 June - Actor Sheridan Smith was born.
 * 27 June - Actor Sam Hoare was born.
 * 30 June - Actor John Heffernan was born.
 * 10 July - Writer Juno Dawson was born.
 * 5 August - Actor James Murray died.
 * 20 August - Singer Jim Moray was born.
 * 1 September - Actor Will Stampe died.
 * 9 September - Actor Connie Georges died.
 * 11 September - Actor Lachlan Nieboer was born.
 * 25 September - Actor Eric Elliot died.
 * 30 September - Writer Cecelia Ahern was born.
 * 24 October - Actor Jemima Rooper was born.
 * 1 December - Actor Kathryn Drysdale was born.
 * 18 December - Actor Joshua Dallas was born.
 * Unknown - Actor Steven Scott died.