1980 in film
Events
- April 30 - The Roger Daltrey film, McVicar, opens in London.
- Sharon Stone makes her film debut in the Woody Allen movie Stardust Memories (released September 26 in USA)
Top grossing films
- North America
- Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
- Kramer vs. Kramer
- The Jerk
- Airplane!
- Smokey and the Bandit II
- Coal Miner's Daughter
- Private Benjamin, starring Goldie Hawn
- The Blues Brothers, starring Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi
- The Electric Horseman
- The Shining, starring Jack Nicholson
- The Blue Lagoon
- The Black Hole
Academy Awards
- Best Picture: Ordinary People - Wildwood, Paramount
- Best Director: Robert Redford - Ordinary People
- Best Actor: Robert De Niro - Raging Bull
- Best Actress: Sissy Spacek - Coal Miner's Daughter
Deaths
- January 29 - Jimmy Durante, actor
- February 13 - David Janssen, actor
- March 5 - Jay Silverheels, actor (Tonto)
- March 28 - Dick Haymes, actor, singer
- April 29 - Alfred Hitchcock, director
- July 6 - Gail Patrick, actress
- July 24 - Peter Sellers, actor
- July 31 - Bobby Van, actor, dancer
- August 14 - Dorothy Stratten, actress, Playboy Magazine model
- August 25 - Gower Champion, actor, dancer, choreographer
- October 6 - Hattie Jacques, actress
- November 7 - Steve McQueen, actor
- November 22 - Mae West, actress
- November 24 - George Raft, actor
- November 26 - Rachel Roberts, actress
- December 8 - John Lennon, singer/songwriter
- December 31 - Raoul Walsh, director
Other movies released
- Caddyshack, starring Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight and others
- The Elephant Man
- Ordinary People
- Raging Bull
- Nine to Five, starring Dolly Parton
- Stir Crazy, starring Richard Pryor
- Any Which Way You Can
- Urban Cowboy
- Friday the 13th
- Mon oncle d'Amérique, Cannes Special Jury Prize
- Kagemusha, Palme d'Or winner
- All That Jazz, Palme d'Or winner
- Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears Academy Award for Best Foreign -Language Film
- Gloria, Golden Lion winner
- Atlantic City, Golden Lion winner
- Heartland, Golden Bear winner
- Palmero oder Wolsfburg, Golden Bear winner
- Loulou
- Tess
- The Stunt Man
- The Great Santini
- Fame
- Yanks
- Flash Gordon
- No Child's Land
- O Megalexandros
- The Constant Factor