1985 in film
The following is an overview of events in 1985 in film, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies and festivals, a list of films released and notable deaths.
Highest-grossing films (U.S.)
The top ten 1985 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:Rank | Title | Distributor | Box-office gross |
1 | Back to the Future | Universal Pictures | $210,609,762 |
2 | TriStar Pictures / Carolco Pictures | $150,415,432 | |
3 | Rocky IV | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | $127,873,716 |
4 | The Color Purple | Warner Bros. | $94,175,854 |
5 | Out of Africa | Universal Pictures | $87,071,205 |
6 | Cocoon | 20th Century Fox | $76,113,124 |
7 | The Jewel of the Nile | 20th Century Fox | $75,973,200 |
8 | Witness | Paramount Pictures | $68,706,993 |
9 | The Goonies | Warner Bros. | $61,389,680 |
10 | Spies Like Us | Warner Bros. | $60,088,980 |
Events
- June 5 – The Chicago Cubs play the Atlanta Braves in a baseball game at Wrigley Field. Excerpts from the broadcast later pin this date as the day featured in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
- December 3 – Roger Moore steps down from the role of James Bond after twelve years and seven films. He is replaced by Timothy Dalton.
Awards
Golden Lion :
Golden Bear :
Notable films released in 1985
unless stated#
- 28 Up, a documentary film -
A
- Adieu Bonaparte, directed by Youssef Chahine, starring Michel Piccoli -
- The Adventures of Mark Twain, starring James Whitmore
- After Hours, directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, Catherine O'Hara, Teri Garr, Linda Fiorentino, John Heard, Verna Bloom, Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong
- Agnes of God, directed by Norman Jewison; starring Jane Fonda, Anne Bancroft, Meg Tilly
- Alamo Bay, directed by Louis Malle, starring Ed Harris and Amy Madigan
- Alice in Wonderland, TV film, starring Natalie Gregory, Sid Caesar, Carol Channing, Sammy Davis, Jr., Telly Savalas, Ringo Starr
- The Alley Cat -
- American Flyers, starring Kevin Costner, David Marshall Grant, Rae Dawn Chong, Alexandra Paul
- American Ninja, starring Michael Dudikoff
- Angry Harvest, starring Armin Mueller-Stahl -
- Anne of Green Gables, starring Megan Follows -
- Arjun, starring Sunny Deol and Dimple Kapadia -
- The Assam Garden, starring Deborah Kerr and Madhur Jaffrey -
- Asterix Versus Caesar -
- The Aviator, starring Christopher Reeve, Rosanna Arquette, Jack Warden
B
- , starring Sean Young, William Katt and Patrick McGoohan
- Back to the Future, directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, Thomas F. Wilson
- Bad Medicine, starring Steve Guttenberg, Julie Hagerty and Alan Arkin
- Better Off Dead, starring John Cusack
- Black Arrow, starring Oliver Reed and Fernando Rey
- The Black Cauldron, directed by Ted Berman and Richard Rich, with the voices of Grant Bardsley, Susan Sheridan, Freddie Jones, Nigel Hawthorne, Phil Fondacaro and John Hurt
- Bliss -
- The Blue Yonder
- The Boys Next Door, starring Maxwell Caulfield and Charlie Sheen
- Brazil, directed by Terry Gilliam, starring Jonathan Pryce and Robert De Niro -
- The Breakfast Club, directed by John Hughes, starring Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Anthony Michael Hall, Paul Gleason
- Brewster's Millions, starring Richard Pryor and John Candy
- The Bride, starring Sting and Jennifer Beals -
- The Burmese Harp, directed by Kon Ichikawa, a remake of Ichikawa's 1956 film -
- Butterfly and Flowers -
C
- Calamari Union, directed by Aki Kaurismäki -
- Came a Hot Friday -
- Cat's Eye, an anthology film starring Drew Barrymore, James Woods, Alan King, Kenneth McMillan, Robert Hays
- The Care Bears Movie, starring Mickey Rooney -
- Cavegirl
- Chicken with Vinegar, directed by Claude Chabrol -
- A Chorus Line, directed by Richard Attenborough, starring Michael Douglas and Alyson Reed
- Clue, starring Tim Curry, Eileen Brennan, Michael McKean, Lesley Ann Warren, Christopher Lloyd, Madeline Kahn, Martin Mull, Colleen Camp
- The Coca-Cola Kid, starring Eric Roberts and Greta Scacchi
- Cocoon, directed by Ron Howard, starring Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley, Hume Cronyn, Brian Dennehy, Steve Guttenberg, Barret Oliver, Maureen Stapleton, Jessica Tandy, Gwen Verdon, Tahnee Welch
- Code of Silence, directed by Andrew Davis, starring Chuck Norris and Molly Hagan
- Colonel Redl, directed by István Szabó, starring Klaus Maria Brandauer -
- The Color Purple, directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, Margaret Avery, Adolph Caesar, Rae Dawn Chong, Oprah Winfrey
- Come and See -
- Commando, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rae Dawn Chong, Vernon Wells, Dan Hedaya, Bill Duke, David Patrick Kelly, Alyssa Milano
- Compromising Positions, directed by Frank Perry, starring Susan Sarandon, Raúl Juliá, Judith Ivey, Joe Mantegna
- Crime Wave -
- Crimewave, directed by Sam Raimi, starring Bruce Campbell
D
- D.A.R.Y.L., starring Barret Oliver, Mary Beth Hurt, Michael McKean, Josef Sommer and Colleen Camp
- Dance with a Stranger, directed by Mike Newell, starring Rupert Everett and Miranda Richardson -
- Day of the Dead, directed by George A. Romero - the final part of Romero's zombie trilogy
- Death in a French Garden -
- Death of a Salesman, directed by Volker Schlöndorff, starring Dustin Hoffman and John Malkovich -
- Death Wish 3, starring Charles Bronson
- Defence of the Realm, starring Gabriel Byrne and Greta Scacchi -
- Déjà Vu, directed by Anthony B. Richmond, starring Jaclyn Smith, Claire Bloom, Nigel Terry and Shelley Winters
- Desert Hearts, starring Patricia Charbonneau, Helen Shaver, Audra Lindley
- Desperately Seeking Susan, directed by Susan Seidelman, starring Rosanna Arquette, Madonna, Aidan Quinn, Laurie Metcalf
- , directed by Wayne Wang
- Dissolved and Effused -
- Dreamchild, starring Ian Holm, Coral Browne, Peter Gallagher -
E
- Eleni, directed by Peter Yates, starring John Malkovich, Kate Nelligan, Linda Hunt, Glenne Headly
- The Emerald Forest, directed by John Boorman, starring Powers Boothe, Meg Foster, Charley Boorman -
- Enemy Mine, directed by Wolfgang Petersen, starring Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett, Jr. -
- Eoudong -
- , starring Wilford Brimley and Warwick Davis
- Explorers, directed by Joe Dante, starring Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix and Jason Presson
F
- The Falcon and the Snowman, directed by John Schlesinger, starring Timothy Hutton and Sean Penn
- Family Life -
- Fandango, starring Kevin Costner and Judd Nelson
- Festa di laurea -
- Fever Pitch, directed by Richard Brooks, starring Ryan O'Neal, Giancarlo Giannini, Chad Everett, Catherine Hicks
- Final Justice, starring Joe Don Baker
- Fire Festival -
- Flesh and Blood, directed by Paul Verhoeven, starring Rutger Hauer and Jennifer Jason Leigh -
- Fletch, starring Chevy Chase
- Fool for Love, directed by Robert Altman, starring Sam Shepard and Kim Basinger
- Fran -
- , directed by Danny Steinmann, starring Melanie Kinnaman and John Shepherd
- Fright Night, starring William Ragsdale, Chris Sarandon, Roddy McDowall, Amanda Bearse
G
- Ghoulies, starring Peter Liapis, Lisa Pelikan, Michael Des Barres, Scott Thompson
- Ghulami, starring Dharmendra and Naseeruddin Shah -
- Girls Just Want to Have Fun, starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Helen Hunt
- Give the Devil His Due -
- Goodbye, New York, starring Julie Hagerty
- The Goonies, directed by Richard Donner, starring Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen, Corey Feldman, Kerri Green, Jonathan Ke Quan, Martha Plimpton
- Gotcha!, starring Anthony Edwards and Linda Fiorentino
- Grace Quigley, starring Katharine Hepburn and Nick Nolte
- La Gran Fiesta -
- Guest from the Future -
- Gymkata, starring Kurt Thomas, Tetchie Agbayani, Richard Norton
H
- Hail Mary, directed by Jean-Luc Godard -
- -
- Heaven Help Us, starring Andrew McCarthy and Mary Stuart Masterson
- Here Come the Littles -
- The Holcroft Covenant, starring Michael Caine, Anthony Andrews, Victoria Tennant, Lilli Palmer
- The Home and the World, directed by Satyajit Ray -
- Hour of the Star -
- How Poets are Losing Their Illusions -
I
- De IJssalon -
- Insignificance, directed by Nicolas Roeg, starring Theresa Russell, Tony Curtis, Gary Busey -
- Into the Night, starring Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Pfeiffer
- Invasion U.S.A., starring Chuck Norris
J
- Jagged Edge, directed by Richard Marquand, starring Glenn Close, Jeff Bridges, Robert Loggia, Peter Coyote
- The Jewel of the Nile, directed by Lewis Teague, starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito
- Joshua Then and Now, starring James Woods and Alan Arkin -
- The Journey of Natty Gann, starring Meredith Salenger and John Cusack
- Just One of the Guys, starring Joyce Hyser
K
- King David, starring Richard Gere -
- King Solomon's Mines, starring Richard Chamberlain and Sharon Stone
- Kiss of the Spider Woman, directed by Héctor Babenco, starring William Hurt, Raúl Juliá, Sônia Braga -
- Krush Groove, starring Blair Underwood, Run–D.M.C., Sheila E.
L
- Ladyhawke, starring Matthew Broderick, Michelle Pfeiffer and Rutger Hauer
- The Last Dragon, starring Taimak, Faith Prince
- The Last Polka, starring John Candy and Eugene Levy -
- Latino, directed by Haskell Wexler
- Leave All Fair, starring John Gielgud and Jane Birkin
- Legend, directed by Ridley Scott, starring Tom Cruise, Mia Sara, Tim Curry -
- The Legend of Billie Jean, starring Helen Slater, Keith Gordon, Peter Coyote, Christian Slater, Yeardley Smith
- The Legend of Suram Fortress, directed by Sergei Parajanov
- Letter to Brezhnev, starring Peter Firth and Alexandra Pigg -
- Lifeforce, starring Steve Railsback, Mathilda May, Peter Firth, Frank Finlay and Patrick Stewart, directed by Tobe Hooper
- Lonely Heart -
- Lost in America, directed by and starring Albert Brooks, with Julie Hagerty
- Lust in the Dust, directed by Paul Bartel, starring Divine, Tab Hunter, Lainie Kazan
M
- Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, starring Mel Gibson and Tina Turner -
- The Man with One Red Shoe, starring Tom Hanks, Carrie Fisher, Lori Singer, Dabney Coleman
- Manevri na petiya etazh -
- Marie, starring Sissy Spacek, Jeff Daniels, Fred Dalton Thompson
- Mask, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, starring Eric Stoltz, Cher and Sam Elliott
- Mask of Murder, starring Rod Taylor and Valerie Perrine -
- The Mass Is Ended, directed by and starring Nanni Moretti -
- Maxie, starring Glenn Close, Mandy Patinkin, Ruth Gordon, Valerie Curtin
- The Mean Season, starring Kurt Russell, Mariel Hemingway and Richard Jordan
- Meri Jung, starring Anil Kapoor -
- The Midnight Hour
- Mirch Masala, starring Naseeruddin Shah, Smita Patil, Om Puri -
- , directed by Paul Schrader, starring Ken Ogata -
- Movers & Shakers, directed by William Asher, starring Walter Matthau, Charles Grodin, Gilda Radner
- Mr. Vampire -
- Murphy's Romance, directed by Martin Ritt, starring Sally Field, James Garner, Brian Kerwin, Corey Haim
- My Beautiful Laundrette, directed by Stephen Frears, starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Gordon Warnecke -
- My Life as a Dog, directed by Lasse Hallström - - Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film
- My Science Project
- My Sweet Little Village, directed by Jiří Menzel -
N
- National Lampoon's European Vacation, starring Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo
- No End, directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski -
- No Surrender, starring Michael Angelis and Bernard Hill -
- Nothing Left to Do But Cry, directed by and starring Roberto Benigni and Massimo Troisi -
O
- The Official Story - - Academy and Golden Globe Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- Once Bitten, starring Lauren Hutton and Jim Carrey
- One Magic Christmas, starring Mary Steenburgen and Harry Dean Stanton -
- Ordeal by Innocence, starring Donald Sutherland, Faye Dunaway, Christopher Plummer -
- Out of Africa, directed by Sydney Pollack, starring Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Klaus Maria Brandauer - Academy and Golden Globe Awards
P
- Padre nuestro, starring Victoria Abril -
- Pale Rider, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, with Michael Moriarty and Carrie Snodgress
- Pas în doi -
- The Peanut Butter Solution -
- Pee-wee's Big Adventure, directed by Tim Burton, starring Paul Reubens
- Perfect, directed by James Bridges, starring John Travolta and Jamie Lee Curtis
- Phenomena, directed by Dario Argento -
- Pizza Connection, directed by Damiano Damiani -
- Plenty, directed by Fred Schepisi, starring Meryl Streep, Sam Neill, Charles Dance, Tracey Ullman, Ian McKellen, Sting -
- Police, starring Gérard Depardieu and Sophie Marceau -
- , starring Steve Guttenberg, George Gaynes, Colleen Camp, Bubba Smith
- Police Story, directed by and starring Jackie Chan -
- Private Resort, starring Johnny Depp, Rob Morrow, Andrew Dice Clay
- Prizzi's Honor, directed by John Huston, starring Jack Nicholson, Kathleen Turner, Anjelica Huston, Robert Loggia, William Hickey - Golden Globe for Best Picture
- The Protector, starring Jackie Chan and Danny Aiello -
- The Purple Rose of Cairo, directed by Woody Allen, starring Mia Farrow, Jeff Daniels, Danny Aiello
Q
- The Quiet Earth -
R
- Radioactive Dreams, starring Michael Dudikoff and Lisa Blount -
- Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer -
- ', starring Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Charles Napier, Julia Nickson
- Ran, directed by Akira Kurosawa, starring Tatsuya Nakadai and Mieko Harada -
- Re-Animator, starring Jeffrey Combs
- Real Genius, starring Val Kilmer, Gabe Jarret, William Atherton and Michelle Meyrink
- Red Kiss -
- Red Sonja, starring Brigitte Nielsen, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sandahl Bergman
- ', starring Fred Ward, Kate Mulgrew, Joel Grey
- Rendez-vous, starring Juliette Binoche and Jean-Louis Trintignant -
- Restless Natives, directed by Michael Hoffman -
- The Return of the Living Dead, directed by Dan O'Bannon
- Return to Oz, starring Fairuza Balk, Piper Laurie, Jean Marsh
- Revolution, directed by Hugh Hudson, starring Al Pacino, Donald Sutherland, Nastassja Kinski -
- Rocky IV, directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone, with Talia Shire, Dolph Lundgren, Carl Weathers, Brigitte Nielsen, Burt Young
- A Room with a View, directed by James Ivory, starring Maggie Smith and Helena Bonham Carter -
- Runaway Train, directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, starring Jon Voight, Eric Roberts, Rebecca De Mornay
- The Runner -
- Rustlers' Rhapsody'', directed by Hugh Wilson, starring Tom Berenger, Marilu Henner, Sela Ward, Andy Griffith, Patrick Wayne
S
- ', starring Dudley Moore -
- Scorpio Nights -
- Secret Admirer, starring C. Thomas Howell, Lori Loughlin, Kelly Preston, Fred Ward
- The Secret of the Sword
- Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird
- Shaker Run, starring Cliff Robertson, Leif Garrett, Lisa Harrow
- Shoah -
- The Shooting Party, starring James Mason and John Gielgud -
- Silver Bullet, starring Gary Busey, Corey Haim, Megan Follows, Everett McGill
- Silverado, directed by Lawrence Kasdan, starring Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Danny Glover, Kevin Costner, Jeff Goldblum, Brian Dennehy, John Cleese, Rosanna Arquette, Linda Hunt
- A Simple Death -
- The Slugger's Wife, directed by Hal Ashby, starring Michael O'Keefe and Rebecca De Mornay
- Smooth Talk, starring Laura Dern and Treat Williams
- Spies Like Us, starring Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase
- St. Elmo's Fire, directed by Joel Schumacher, starring Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Mare Winningham, Andie MacDowell, Martin Balsam, Jenny Wright, Joyce Van Patten
- '
- Stick, directed by and starring Burt Reynolds, with Candice Bergen, Charles Durning, George Segal
- Subway, directed by Luc Besson, starring Isabelle Adjani and Christopher Lambert -
- Summer Rental, directed by Carl Reiner, starring John Candy, Rip Torn, Richard Crenna
- The Supergrass, starring Adrian Edmondson, Jennifer Saunders, Robbie Coltrane -
- The Sure Thing, directed by Rob Reiner, starring John Cusack, Daphne Zuniga, Nicollette Sheridan, Viveca Lindfors, Anthony Edwards
- Sweet Dreams, a biopic of Patsy Cline, starring Jessica Lange and Ed Harris
T
- Taipei Story -
- Tampopo -
- Target, starring Gene Hackman and Matt Dillon
- Tea in the Harem -
- Teen Wolf, starring Michael J. Fox
- That Was Then... This Is Now, starring Emilio Estevez, Craig Sheffer
- That's Dancing!, featuring Gene Kelly, Liza Minnelli, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Sammy Davis, Jr. and others
- Thirteen at Dinner, starring Peter Ustinov, Faye Dunaway, Lee Horsley, Bill Nighy
- Three Men and a Cradle -
- The Time of the Hero -
- The Time to Live and the Time to Die -
- To Live and Die in L.A., directed by William Friedkin, starring William Petersen and Willem Dafoe
- Trancers
- Transylvania 6-5000, starring Jeff Goldblum, Ed Begley, Jr., Joseph Bologna, Teresa Ganzel, Geena Davis
- Treasure Island -
- The Trip to Bountiful, starring Geraldine Page, John Heard, Rebecca De Mornay
- Trouble in Mind, directed by Alan Rudolph, starring Kris Kristofferson, Lori Singer, Geneviève Bujold, Keith Carradine
- Tuff Turf, starring James Spader
- Turk 182!, starring Timothy Hutton, Robert Urich, Kim Cattrall
- Turtle Diary, starring Glenda Jackson and Ben Kingsley -
- Twice in a Lifetime, starring Gene Hackman, Ellen Burstyn, Ann-Margret, Amy Madigan, Ally Sheedy, Brian Dennehy
- The Two Lives of Mattia Pascal, starring Marcello Mastroianni and Senta Berger -
U-V
- UFOria, starring Fred Ward, Harry Dean Stanton, Cindy Williams
- The Unknown Soldier -
- Vagabond, directed by Agnès Varda - - Golden Lion award
- Vampire Hunter D -
- Vampires in Havana -
- La vaquilla, directed by Luis García Berlanga -
- A View to a Kill, starring Roger Moore with Christopher Walken, Tanya Roberts, Grace Jones -
- Vision Quest, starring Matthew Modine and Linda Fiorentino
- Volunteers, starring Tom Hanks, John Candy, Rita Wilson, Tim Thomerson, George Plimpton
W
- Walking the Edge, starring Robert Forster and Nancy Kwan
- Water, starring Michael Caine, Billy Connolly, Valerie Perrine -
- Wetherby, directed by David Hare, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Ian Holm - - Golden Bear award
- Weird Science, directed by John Hughes, starring Kelly Le Brock, Anthony Michael Hall, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, Bill Paxton
- Wild Geese II, starring Scott Glenn, Barbara Carrera, Edward Fox, Laurence Olivier -
- When Father Was Away on Business - - Palme d'Or award
- White Nights, directed by Taylor Hackford, starring Mikhail Baryshnikov, Gregory Hines, Helen Mirren
- Witness, directed by Peter Weir, starring Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Lukas Haas
- The Woman and the Stranger - - Golden Bear award
XYZ
- Year of the Dragon, directed by Michael Cimino, starring Mickey Rourke and John Lone
- Yes, Madam, starring Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock -
- Young Sherlock Holmes, directed by Barry Levinson, starring Nicholas Rowe, Alan Cox, Anthony Higgins
- A Zed & Two Noughts, directed by Peter Greenaway -
Wide-release films
January–March
- January 1985
- *January 8
- **The Mutilator
- **Rockin' Road Trip
- *January 11
- **Too Scared to Scream
- **Walking the Edge
- *January 17
- **Avenging Angel
- **Tuff Turf
- *January 18
- **The New Kids
- **That's Dancing!
- *January 27
- **The Falcon and the Snowman
- **Fandango
- February 1985
- *February 8
- **Heaven Help Us
- **Mischief
- **Witness
- *February 15
- **The Breakfast Club
- **Fast Forward
- **Into the Night
- **The Mean Season
- **Turk 182
- **Vision Quest
- *February 20
- **Brazil
- March 1985
- *March 1
- **Certain Fury
- **Lust in the Dust
- **The Purple Rose of Cairo
- **The Sure Thing
- *March 2
- **Ghoulies
- **'
- *March 8
- **Mask
- *March 15
- **Lost in America
- **Sylvester
- *March 22
- **'
- **'
- **The Last Dragon
- **Porky's Revenge!
- **The Secret of the Sword
- *March 24
- **The Care Bears Movie
- *March 29
- **Desperately Seeking Susan
- **King David
- **'
- **Robbery Under Arms
- **The Slugger's Wife
April–June
- April 1985
- *April 3
- **Alamo Bay
- *April 10
- **Private Resort
- *April 12
- **Cat's Eye
- **Girls Just Want to Have Fun
- **Ladyhawke
- *April 25
- **Crimewave
- *April 26
- **Just One of the Guys
- **Stick
- May 1985
- *May 3
- **Code of Silence
- **Gotcha!
- **Gymkata
- *May 8
- **Creature
- *May 10
- **Rustlers' Rhapsody
- *May 17
- **Ordeal by Innocence
- *May 22
- **Brewster's Millions
- **
- **A View to a Kill
- *May 31
- **Fletch
- June 1985
- *June 7
- **The Goonies
- **Perfect
- *June 13
- **Prizzi's Honor
- **Warriors of the Wind
- *June 14
- **Secret Admirer
- **The Stuff
- *June 21
- **Cocoon
- **Return to Oz
- *June 26
- **Pale Rider
- *June 28
- **St. Elmo's Fire
July–September
- July 1985
- *July 3
- **Back to the Future
- **Red Sonja
- *July 5
- **The Lift
- *July 10
- **Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
- *July 12
- **Explorers
- **Silverado
- *July 19
- **Day of the Dead
- **The Legend of Billie Jean
- **The Man with One Red Shoe
- *July 24
- **The Black Cauldron
- *July 26
- **The Heavenly Kid
- **Kiss of the Spider Woman
- **National Lampoon's European Vacation
- August 1985
- *August 2
- **Fright Night
- **Follow That Bird
- **Weird Science
- *August 7
- **Real Genius
- *August 9
- **My Science Project
- **Pee-wee's Big Adventure
- **Summer Rental
- **Pray for Death
- *August 16
- **American Flyers
- **The Return of the Living Dead
- **Volunteers
- **Year of the Dragon
- *August 21
- **Agnes of God
- *August 23
- **Better Off Dead
- **Godzilla 1985
- **Teen Wolf
- *August 30
- **American Ninja
- **Compromising Positions
- September 1985
- *September 10
- **Plenty
- **Smooth Talk
- *September 13
- **After Hours
- *September 27
- **Invasion U.S.A.
- **The Journey of Natty Gann
- **Maxie
October–December
- October 1985
- *October 4
- **Commando
- **Jagged Edge
- **Sweet Dreams
- *October 11
- **'
- **Silver Bullet
- *October 18
- **Re-Animator
- *October 23
- **Twice in a Lifetime
- November 1985
- *November 1
- **Death Wish 3
- **'
- **To Live and Die in L.A.
- *November 8
- **Target
- **That Was Then... This Is Now
- **Transylvania 6-5000
- *November 15
- **Once Bitten
- **Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer
- *November 22
- **Bad Medicine
- **Fever Pitch
- **King Solomon's Mines
- **One Magic Christmas
- **'
- **White Nights
- *November 27
- **Rocky IV
- **'
- December 1985
- *December 4
- **Young Sherlock Holmes
- *December 6
- **Fool for Love
- **Runaway Train
- **Spies Like Us
- *December 11
- **The Jewel of the Nile
- *December 13
- **A Chorus Line
- **Clue
- **Legend
- *December 18
- **The Color Purple
- **Out of Africa
- *December 20
- **Enemy Mine
- *December 25
- **Murphy's Romance
- **Revolution
- **The Trip to Bountiful
- *December 27
- **Joey
Births
- January 3 - Nicole Beharie, American actress
- January 19 - Damien Chazelle, American film director
- February 7 - Tina Majorino, American actress
- March 13 - Emile Hirsch, American actor
- March 15
- *Eva Amurri, American actress
- *Kellan Lutz, American actor
- March 26
- *Jonathan Groff, American actor and singer
- *Keira Knightley, English actress
- April 16 - Rhiana Griffith, Australian actress
- April 17 - Rooney Mara, American actress
- April 23 - Rachel Skarsten, Canadian actress
- April 27 - Sheila Vand, American actress
- April 30 - Gal Gadot, Israeli actress and model
- May 10 - Odette Annable, American actress
- May 28 - Tao Okamoto, Japanese actress
- May 28 - Carey Mulligan, English actress
- May 29 - Blake Foster, American actor
- May 30 - Sam Gifaldi, American actor
- June 2 - Miyuki Sawashiro, Japanese voice actress
- June 12
- * Dave Franco, American actor
- * Liisa Pulk, Estonian actress
- June 15 - Maxey Whitehead, American voice actress
- June 21 - Lana Del Rey, American singer and songwriter
- July 1 - Léa Seydoux, French actress
- July 2 - Ashley Tisdale, American actress and singer
- July 18 - Chace Crawford, American actor
- July 21 - Vanessa Lengies, Canadian actress and singer
- August 9 - Anna Kendrick, American actress and singer
- August 23 - Juss Haasma, Estonian actor
- September 4 - Morgan Garrett, American voice actress
- September 10 - Elyse Levesque, Canadian actress
- September 16 - Madeline Zima, American actress
- September 22 - Tatiana Maslany, Canadian actress
- September 24 - Jessica Lucas, Canadian actress and singer
- October 11 - Michelle Trachtenberg, American actress
- October 28 - Troian Bellisario, American actress
- October 31 - Kether Donohue, American actress and singer
- November 2 - Josh Grelle, American voice actor
- November 10 - Giovonnie Samuels, American actress
- November 20 - Dan Byrd, American actor
- November 30 - Kaley Cuoco, American actress
- December 3 - Amanda Seyfried, American actress and singer
- December 5 - Frankie Muniz, American actor
- December 10 - Raven-Symoné, American actress and singer
Notable deaths
Film debuts
- Joan Allen - Compromising Positions
- Sean Astin - The Goonies
- Fairuza Balk - Return to Oz
- Josh Brolin - The Goonies
- Tim Burton - Pee Wee's Big Adventure
- Helena Bonham Carter - A Room with a View
- Don Cheadle - Moving Violations
- Patrick Dempsey - Heaven Help Us
- Linda Fiorentino - Vision Quest
- Whoopi Goldberg - The Color Purple
- Ethan Hawke - Explorers
- John Hawkes - Future-Kill
- Richard Jenkins - Silverado
- Elias Koteas - One Magic Christmas
- LL Cool J - Krush Groove
- Stephen Lang - Twice in a Lifetime
- Hugh Laurie - Plenty
- Joey Lawrence - Summer Rental
- John Leguizamo - Mixed Blood
- Melissa Leo - Always
- Tom Lister, Jr. - Runaway Train
- Dolph Lundgren - A View to a Kill
- Madonna - Vision Quest
- Lesley Manville - Dance with a Stranger
- Alyssa Milano - Commando
- Rob Morrow - Private Resort
- Viggo Mortensen - Witness
- Brigitte Nielsen - Red Sonja
- River Phoenix - Explorers
- Keanu Reeves - One Step Away
- Miranda Richardson - Dance with a Stranger
- Mia Sara - Legend
- Kyra Sedgwick - War and Love
- Christian Slater - The Legend of Billie Jean
- Yeardley Smith - Heaven Help Us
- Danny Trejo - Runaway Train
- Stanley Tucci - Prizzi's Honor
- Blair Underwood - Krush Groove
- Thomas F. Wilson - Back to the Future
- Oprah Winfrey - The Color Purple
- Noah Wyle - Lust in the Dust
- Billy Zane - Back to the Future