The Movies of 1980
Trivia, Word Search, and a Quiz
The year 1980 saw the release of The Empire Strikes Back, which easily became the highest grossing movie for the year. This sequel to the epic Star Wars (1977) actually grossed twice as much as either Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 or Richard Pryor's Stir Crazy, which finished second and third.
Here's some more trivia from the world of cinema in 1980:
- Actors and actresses born this year include Zooey Deschanel, Jason Segel, Christina Ricci, Charlie Hunnam, Channing Tatum, Jason Schwartzman, and Jessica Simpson.
- William Hurt and Drew Barrymore both made their big screen debuts in the sci-fi horror movie Altered States, as did Pierce Brosnan in the crime thriller The Long Good Friday, Willem Dafoe in the western Heaven's Gate, Michael J. Fox in the family flick Midnight Madness, Tom Hanks in the slasher He Knows You're Alone, Julie Hagerty and Robert Hayes in the hilarious Airplane!, Linda Hunt in the fun Popeye, Jeremy Irons in the biographical Nijinsky, Juliette Lewis in the comedy-drama Bronco Billy, William H. Macy in the romantic Somewhere In Time, and Cynthia Nixon in the teen drama Little Darlings.
- Stand-up comedian and actor Richard Pryor accidently sets himself on fire while intoxicated on June 9.
- The Blues Brothers, released on June 20, becomes the first feature film based on Saturday Night Live characters.
- Alfred Hitchcock, director of Hollywood classics like Vertigo (1958) and Psycho (1960), dies on April 29 at the age of 80. Also dying this year are Jimmy Durante and Mae West.
1980 Movies Word Search
The movies in the following two word searches were movies released in 1980. Just like all the movies on this page (unless otherwise noted).
The first word search is easy: 20 movie titles hidden in a small 22 × 20 letter grid. The second is more challenging: 36 movie titles in a large 34 × 32 letter grid.
So load your printer with standard 8.5" × 11" paper, download, hit print and start solving. Our PDF files print out beautifully and are always free to download on our site.
More Word Searches
These word search puzzles are on particular movies from 1980. They each have 36 terms hidden in a large 34 × 32 letter grid.
The Empire Strikes Back Stir Crazy The Blues Brothers Nine to Five
10 Question Quiz on 1980 Movies
How well do you know what came out on the Silver Screen in 1980? Take our quiz and find out. There's no time limit and no scoring. Just have fun!
1. What was the name of the fictional hotel in Jack Nicholson's The Shining?
2. What sport was depicted in Raging Bull?
3. Which animal antagonized the groundskeeper Carl Spackler, played by Bill Murray, in the golf comedy Caddyshack?
4. Louis Lane, played by Margot Kidder in the first movie, was played by what actress in the sequel Superman II?
5. What continent was The Gods Must Be Crazy filmed on?
6. What is the name of the killer in Friday the 13th?
7. Which actress was NOT in John Carpenter's The Fog?
8. Which country singer's life is depicted in Coal Miner's Daughter?
9. What was the name of Clint Eastwood's orangutan in Any Which Way You Can?
10. All four of the following stars tested and/or auditioned for the musical Fame, but only one was successful in landing a role. Who was this person?
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