List of Famous people who died in 1980

Herschel Goldberg, better known as Harry Grey, was a Russian-American writer. His first book, The Hoods (1952), was the model for the film, Once Upon a Time in America by Sergio Leone, where his part was played by Robert De Niro. This was one of the few autobiographies of real gangsters. It is believed that the real name of the author was Goldberg and that his memoir, partially factual, partially subconsciously altered, and partially fictional, was written when Goldberg was incarcerated in the Sing-Sing prison.

Bernhard Eichhorn (1904–1980) was a German composer who produced a number of film scores.

Leonard Clarence Strong was an American character actor specializing in playing Asian roles.

Fredric Whitney Ellsworth was an American comic book editor and sometime writer and artist for DC Comics during the period known to historians and fans as the Golden Age of Comic Books. He was also DC's "movie studio contact", becoming both a producer and story editor on the TV series The Adventures of Superman.