List of Famous people who died in 1981

Dorothy McCullough Lee was an American politician and attorney in the U.S. state of Oregon. She was the first female mayor of Portland, Oregon; she also served in the Oregon Legislative Assembly, on the Multnomah County Commission, and on the United States Parole Commission.

Ilo Wallace was the wife of Henry A. Wallace, the 33rd U.S Vice President. She was the Second Lady of the United States from 1941 until 1945. She was the sponsor of the battleship USS Iowa.

Joan Benham was an English actress best known for her portrayal of Lady Prudence Fairfax in the ITV period drama series Upstairs, Downstairs. She was born in London and was the first cousin of Hollywood actress Olive Sturgess.

Curtis Bernhardt was a German film director born in Worms, Germany, under the name Kurt Bernhardt.

George Moon was an English stage, film and television actor.

Hira Vallabh Tripathi was an Indian politician. He was a Member of Parliament, representing Uttar Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha the upper house of India's Parliament representing the Indian National Congress.

Franjo Šeper was a Croatian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from 1968 to 1981, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1965.

Duarte António Borges Coutinho, 4th Marquess of Praia e Monforte, commonly known simply as Borges Coutinho, was the 26th president of Portuguese sports club S.L. Benfica.

Bud Green was an American songwriter.