List of Famous people who are 81

Thomas W. Gaehtgens is a German art historian with special interest in French and German art and art history from the 18th to the 20th century. He was the founding director of the Deutsches Forum für Kunstgeschichte in Paris and was director of the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles, California.

Boaventura de Sousa Santos is a Professor at the School of Economics at the University of Coimbra, Distinguished Legal Scholar at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School, Global Legal Scholar at the University of Warwick and Director of the Centre for Social Studies (CES) at the University of Coimbra.

Susan Harris is an American television writer and producer, creator of Emmy Award-winning sitcoms Soap (1977–81) and The Golden Girls (1985–92). Between 1975 and 1998, Harris was one of the most prolific television writers, creating 13 comedy series. In 2011, she was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.

Olivier Picard is a French Hellenist. He was director of the French School at Athens and is a member of the Institut de France.

Maria Franca Fissolo is a Monaco-based Italian billionaire, the widow of Michele Ferrero, and the owner of Ferrero SpA, Europe's second-largest confectionery company.