1985
| 1985 by topic |
| Subject: Archaeology – Architecture – Art – Aviation – Comics – Film – Home video – Literature (Poetry) – Meteorology – Music (Country, Metal) – Rail transport – Radio – Science – Sports – Television – Video gaming |
| Countries: Australia – Canada – People's Republic of China – Ecuador – France – Germany – Greece – India – Ireland – Israel – Italy – Japan – Luxembourg – Malaysia – Mexico – New Zealand – Norway – Pakistan – Philippines – Singapore – South Africa– Soviet Union – UK – USA – Zimbabwe |
| Leaders: Sovereign states – State leaders – Religious leaders – Law |
| Categories: Births – Deaths – Works – Introductions – Establishments – Disestablishments – Awards |
|
1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year that started on a Tuesday, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. The year 1985 was declared International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events of 1985
January
February
March
- March 3 – An 8.0 on the Richter magnitude scale earthquake hits Santiago and Valparaíso leaving 177 dead, 2,575 hurt, 142,489 destroyed houses and about a million people houseless
- March 4 – The Food and Drug Administration approves a blood test for AIDS, used since then to screen all blood donations in the United States.
- March 8 – A car bomb planted in Beirut by CIA mercenaries attempts to kill Islamic cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah and kills more than 80 people, injuring 200.
- March 11
- March 14 – Five lionesses at the Singapore Zoo are put on birth control after the lion population increases from 2 to 16.
- March 15 – Vice-President Jose Sarney takes the oath as the first civilian president of Brazil in 21 years, as the elected president Tancredo Neves had become severely ill on the day before.
- March 16 – Associated Press newsman Terry Anderson is taken hostage in Beirut (he is eventually released on December 4, 1991).
- March 17 – Expo '85, a World's Fair, is held in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan, until September 16.
- March 21 – Canadian paraplegic athlete and activist Rick Hansen sets out on his 40,000 km, 26 month Man in Motion tour which raises $26M for spinal cord research and quality of life initiatives.
- March 23 – OCAM dissolved.
- March 25 – The 57th Academy Awards are held at in Los Angeles, California with Amadeus winning Best Picture.
- March 31 – WrestleMania debuts at Madison Square Garden.
April
- April 1
- April 11 – The USS Coral Sea collides with the Ecuadorian tanker ship Napo off the coast of Cuba.
- April 12: 1985 El Descanso bombing: A terrorist bombing attributed to the Islamic Jihad Organization in the El Descanso restaurant near Madrid, Spain, mostly attended by U.S. personnel of the Torrejon Air Force Base, causes 18 dead (all Spaniards) and 82 injured.
- April 15 – South Africa ends its ban on interracial marriages.
- April 18 – The United Kingdom has its first ever national Glow-worm day.
- April 19 – The U.S.S.R performs a nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan.
- April 21 – Brazilian President Tancredo Neves dies, he is succeeded by Jose Sarney.
- April 23 – Coca-Cola changes its formula and releases New Coke. (The response is overwhelmingly negative, and the original formula is back on the market in less than 3 months.)
- April 28 – The Australian Nuclear Disarmament Party (NDP) splits.
May
Fire engulfs a wooden stand in the Valley Parade stadium in Bradford, England during a football match, killing 56.
June
- June 13 – In Auburn, Washington, police defuse a Unabomber bomb sent to Boeing.
- June 14 – TWA Flight 847, carrying 153 passengers from Athens to Rome, is hijacked by a Hezbollah fringe group. One passenger, U.S. Navy Petty Officer Robert Stethem, is killed.
- June 17 – John Hendricks launches the Discovery Channel in the United States.
- June 23 – Air India Flight 182, a Boeing 747, blows up 31,000 feet (9,500 m) above the Atlantic Ocean, south of Ireland, killing all 329 aboard.
- June 24 – STS-51-G: Space Shuttle Discovery completes its mission, best remembered for having Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the first Arab and first Muslim in space, as a Payload Specialist.
- June 25 – Irish police foil a Provisional Irish Republican Army-sponsored 'mainland bombing campaign' which targeted luxury vacationing resorts.
- June 27 – U.S. Route 66 is officially decommissioned.
July
August
September
- September 6 – Midwest Express Airlines Flight 105, a Douglas DC-9, crashes just after takeoff from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, killing 31.
- September 19 – An 8.1 Richter scale earthquake strikes Mexico City. Around 10,000 people are killed, 30,000 injured, and 95,000 left homeless.
- September 22 – The Plaza Accord is signed by 5 nations.
- September 23 – Italian crime reporter Giancarlo Siani is killed by Camorra.
- September 28 – The 1985 Brixton race riots are sparked with the shooting of Dorothy 'Cherry' Groce by the Metropolitan Police in Brixton, an area of South London, England.
October
November
- November 5 – Mark Kaylor defeats Errol Christie to become the middleweight boxing champion, after the two brawl in front of the cameras at the weigh-in.
- November 12 – A total solar eclipse occurs over Antarctica at 14:11:22 UTC.
- November 13 – Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupts, killing an estimated 23,000 people, including 21,000 killed by lahars in the town of Armero, Colombia.
- November 15 – In separate events, mail bombs kill 2 people in Salt Lake City, Utah; a third bomb explodes the next day, injuring career counterfeiter Mark Hofmann. The ensuing police investigation leads to the arrest of Hofmann for the 2 murders.
- November 18 – The comic strip Calvin and Hobbes debuts in 35 newspapers.
- November 19 – Cold War: In Geneva, U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev meet for the first time.
- November 20 – Microsoft Corporation releases the first version of Windows, Windows 1.0.
- November 23 – EgyptAir Flight 648 is hijacked by the Abu Nidal group and flown to Malta, where Egyptian commandos storm the plane; 60 are killed by gunfire and explosions.
- November 26 – U.S. President Ronald Reagan sells the rights to his autobiography to Random House for a record US$3 million.
- November 29
- Gerard Hoarau, exiled political leader from the Seychelles, is assassinated in London.
- The SM City North EDSA shopping mall is the country's first SM Supermall owned by Henry Sy.
December
Undated
Environmental
Ongoing
The Cold War
World population
| World population |
|
1985 |
1980 |
1990 |
 World |
4,830,979,000 |
4,434,682,000 |
 396,297,000 |
5,263,593,000 |
432,614,000 |
 Africa |
541,814,000 |
469,618,000 |
72,196,000 |
622,443,000 |
80,629,000 |
 Asia |
2,887,552,000 |
2,632,335,000 |
255,217,000 |
3,167,807,000 |
280,255,000 |
 Europe |
706,009,000 |
692,431,000 |
13,578,000 |
721,582,000 |
15,573,000 |
 Latin America |
401,469,000 |
361,401,000 |
40,068,000 |
441,525,000 |
40,056,000 |
 Northern America |
269,456,000 |
256,068,000 |
13,388,000 |
283,549,000 |
14,093,000 |
 Oceania |
24,678,000 |
22,828,000 |
1,850,000 |
26,687,000 |
2,009,000 |
Births
January
- January 1 – Steven Davis, Northern Irish footballer
- January 1 – Lopez Lomong, American Olympic runner, born in Sudan
- January 1 – Deivson Rogerio da Silva, Brazilian footballer
- January 2 – Heather O'Reilly, US Women's national soccer player
- January 2 – Jennifer Heard, Australian actress
- January 2 – Teng Haibin, Chinese gymnast
- January 3 – John David Booty, American football quarterback, USC
- January 3 – Linas Kleiza, Lithuanian basketball player
- January 4 – Al Jefferson, American Basketball player
- January 4 – Fernando Rees, Brazilian racecar driver
- January 5 – Diego Vera, Uruguayan footballer
- January 7 – Lewis Hamilton, British Formula 1 Driver
- January 8 – Rachael Lampa, American singer
- January 11 – Rie fu, Japanese singer and songwriter
- January 16 – Joe Flacco, American football player
- January 16 – Gintaras Janusevicius, Lithuanian pianist
- January 17 – Simone Simons, Dutch singer
- January 17 – Kang-In, Korean singer (Super Junior)
- January 19 – Rika Ishikawa, Japanese singer and host of television and radio programs
- January 23 – Doutzen Kroes, Dutch supermodel
- January 21 – Sasha Pivovarova, Russian model
- January 22 – Orianthi Panagaris, Australian Guitarist and Singer
- January 29 – Bosh Berlin, American Drummer for the band Living Things
February
- February 1 – Dean Shiels, Northern Irish footballer
- February 2 – Fontel Mines, American Football player
- February 4 – Bug Hall, American actor
- February 5 – Cristiano Ronaldo, Portuguese footballer
- February 5 – Laurence Maroney, American football player
- February 6 – Joji Kato, Japanese speedskater
- February 7 – Tina Majorino, American actress
- February 9 – David Gallagher, American actor
- February 9 – Rachel Melvin, American actress
- February 10 – Anette Sagen, Norwegian ski jumper
- February 11 – William Beckett, American singer and songwriter
- February 14 – Karima Adebibe, English actress and model
- February 14 – Miki Yeung, actress and singer from Hong Kong
- February 18 – Lee Boyd Malvo, American serial killer
- February 18 – Todd Lasance, Australian actor
- February 19 – Haylie Duff, American actress and singer
- February 20 – Yulia Volkova, Russian singer
- February 22 – Hameur Bouazza, Fulham F.C. footballer
- February 25 – Benji Marshall, Australian rugby league player
- February 25 – Joakim Noah, American basketball player
- February 26 – Miki Fujimoto, Japanese singer
- February 28 – FeFe Dobson, Canadian singer
- February 28 – Jelena Janković, Serbian tennis player
- February 28 – Diego Ribas da Cunha Brazilian soccer player
March
- March 2 – Reggie Bush, American football player
- March 3 – Sam Morrow, Northern Irish footballer
- March 8 – Ewa Sonnet, Polish model
- March 9 – Brent Burns, Canadian hockey player
- March 10 – Lassana Diarra, French footballer
- March 10 – Nathalie Kelley, Australian actress
- March 11 – Paul Bissonnette, Canadian ice hockey player
- March 11 – Ajantha Mendis, Sri Lankan cricketer
- March 11 – Nikolai Topor-Stanley, Australian soccer player
- March 13 – Emile Hirsch, American actor
- March 14 – Eva Angelina, American pornographic actress
- March 15 – Curtis Davies, English Football Player
- March 15 – Antti Autti, Finnish snowboarder
- March 19 – E. J. Viso, Venezuelan race car driver
- March 21 – Ryan Callahan, American hockey player
- March 21 – Adrian L. Peterson, American football player
- March 22 – Luke Dormehl, British writer and filmmaker
- March 24 – Haruka Ayase, Japanese actress and model
- March 25 – Carmen Rasmusen, American singer
- March 26 – Keira Knightley, English actress
- March 26 – Jonathan Groff, American actor, singer, and dancer
- March 27 – Danny Vukovic, Australian soccer player
- March 27 – Alison Carroll, English Actress and Model
April
- April 3 – Leona Lewis, English singer
- April 9 – Tomohisa Yamashita, Japanese singer and actor
- April 10 – Dion Phaneuf NHL hockey player
- April 10 – Wang Meng, Chinese short track skater
- April 12 – Hitomi Yoshizawa, Japanese singer and actor
- April 15 – Amy Reid, German pornographic actress
- April 16 – Benjamin Rojas, Argentine famous singer
- April 17 – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, French tennis player
- April 18 – Łukasz Fabiański, Polish footballer
- April 22 – Camille Lacourt, French swimmer
- April 26 – Nam Gyu-Ri, Korean singer, former member of See Ya
- April 30 – Ashley Alexandra Dupree, American prostitute, R & B singer-songwriter
May
- May 2 – Sarah Hughes, American figure skater
- May 2- Kyle Busch, American race car driver
- May 2 – Lily Allen, British singer
- May 6 – Chris Paul, American basketball player
- May 9 – Neha Bamb, Indian Actress
- May 9 – Audrina Partridge, American television personality
- May 12 – Dániel Tőzsér, Hungarian footballer
- May 12 – Yoh Asakura, Shaman King Character
- May 14 – Sally Martin, New Zealand actress
- May 15 – Derek Hough, American dancer and choreographer
- May 15 – Cristiane, Brazilian footballer
- May 17 – Christine Nesbitt, Canadian speed skater
- May 21 – Mutya Buena, British singer and songwriter (formerly of Sugababes)
- May 22 – Marc-Antoine Pouliot, Canadian ice hockey player
- May 25 – Luciana Abreu, Portuguese singer and actress
- May 27 – Chien-Ming Chiang, Taiwanese baseball player
- May 28 – Colbie Caillat, American acoustic-folk singer-songwriter
- May 30 – Turk McBride, National Football League player
June
- June 1 – Tirunesh Dibaba, Ethiopian long distance track athlete
- June 4 – Evan Lysacek, American figure skater
- June 4 – Lukas Podolski, German soccer player
- June 4 – Ana Carolina Reston, Brazilian fashion model (d.2006)
- June 7 – Charlie Simpson, English musician (Fightstar)
- June 9 – Sebastian Telfair, American basketball player
- June 10 – Andy Schleck, Luxembuergian road cyclist
- June 10 – Rok Perko, Slovenian professional skier
- June 12 – Tasha-Ray Evin, Canadian singer/guitarist (Lillix)
- June 12 – Blake Ross, American software developer
- June 12 – Kendra Wilkinson, American model
- June 13 – Danny Syvret, Canadian ice hockey player
- June 15 – Nadine Coyle, Irish singer (Girls Aloud)
- June 17 – Marcos Baghdatis, Cypriot tennis player
- June 19 – Ai Miyazato, Japanese golfer
- June 20 – Darko Milicic, Serbian basketball player
- June 21 – Kris Allen, 8th American Idol winner, singer-songwriter
- June 25 – Annaleigh Ashford, American actress and singer
- June 26 – Urgyen Trinley Dorje, Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader
- June 27 – Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russian tennis player
- June 27 – Nico Rosberg, German Formula One driver
- June 28 – Phil Bardsley, English footballer
- June 30 – Michael Phelps, American swimmer
- June 30 – Cody Rhodes, American professional wrestler
July
- July 2 – Ashley Tisdale, American actress and singer
- July 3 – Minami Keisuke, Japanese singer and actor
- July 5 – Stephanie McIntosh, Australian actress (Neighbours)
- July 5 – Nick O'Malley, British musician (Arctic Monkeys)
- July 9 – Paweł Korzeniowski, Polish swimmer
- July 9 – Cathy Leung, Hong Kong singer
- July 10 – Mario Gomez, German footballer
- July 10 – Park Chu-Young South Korean footballer
- July 12 – Emil Hegle Svendsen, Norwegian biathlete
- July 13- Guillermo Ochoa, Mexican footballer
- July 17 – Tom Fletcher, British musician (McFly)
- July 18 – Chace Crawford, American actor
- July 22 – Takudzwa Ngwenya, American rugby union player
- July 23 – Scott Chandler, American football player
- July 23 – Ólafur Hannesson, Icelandic television personality
- July 24 – Teagan Presley, American porn star
- July 25 – James Lafferty, American actor and athlete
- July 25 – Nelson Piquet, Jr., Brazilian Formula One driver
- July 28 – Dustin Milligan, Canadian actor
August
- August 2 – Britt Nicole (Brittany Nicole Waddell), Christian rock artist.
- August 3 – Sonny Bill Williams Rugby League player
- August 5 – Salomon Kalou, Ivory Coast footballer
- August 5 – Sam Smith, New Zealand writer/performer/dentist
- August 9 – Hayley Peirsol, American swimmer
- August 14 – Ashlynn Brooke, American pornographic actress
- August 21 – Melissa M, French singer
- August 27 – Alexandra Nechita, American artist
- August 29 – Jeffrey Licon, American actor. David Chakmakjian, Native Chicagoan
- August 30 – Eamon Sullivan, Australian swimmer
- August 30 – Leisel Jones, Australian swimmer
September
- September 8 – Denny Morrison, Canadian speed skater
- September 11 – Jake Cole, English footballer
- September 13 – Emi Suzuki, Chinese-born Japanese female model
- September 14 – Aya Ueto, Japanese actress
- September 16 – Madeline Zima, American actress
- September 17 – Alexander Ovechkin, Russian hockey player
- September 17 – Jon Walker, American Musician, (Panic at the Disco)
- September 21 – Maryam Hassouni, Dutch actress
- September 23 – Maki Goto, Japanese singer and actress
- September 24 – Eric Adjetey Anang, Ghanaian sculptor
- September 24 – Kimberley Nixon, Welsh actress
- September 28 – Shindong, Korean singer (Super Junior)
- September 29 – Dani Pedrosa, Spanish motorcycle racer
October
- October 1 – Tirunesh Dibaba, Ethiopian long distance runner
- October 5 – Brooke Valentine, American Singer
- October 5 – Nicola Roberts, British singer (Girls Aloud)
- October 7 – Evan Longoria, professional baseball player
- October 8 – Kimberly Kevon Williams, American actress
- October 10 – Dominique Cornu, Belgian professional cyclist
- October 10 -Aaron Himelstein, American actor
- October 11 – Michelle Trachtenberg, American actress
- October 14 – Sherlyn, Mexican actress
- October 14 – Daniel Clark, Canadian actor
- October 16 – Casey Stoner, Australian motorcycle racer
- October 18 – Lindsey Kildow, American alpine skier
- October 20 – Jennifer Freeman, American actress
- October 22 – Zac Hanson, American musician
- October 24 – Wayne Rooney, English footballer
- October 25 – Ciara, American singer
- October 26 – Andrea Bargnani, professional basketball player
- October 26 – Asin Thottumkal, Indian actress
November
- November 3 – Tyler Hansbrough, American basketball player
- November 5 – Kate DeAraugo, Australian Idol 2005
- November 8 – Jack Osbourne, English television personality
- November 10 – Giovonnie Samuels, American actress
- November 10 -Ricki-Lee Coulter, former Australian Idol contestant and singer
- November 11 – Kalan Porter, Canadian singer
- November 11 – Raquel Guerra, Portuguese singer and actress
- November 11 – Robin Uthappa, Indian cricketer
- November 13 – Simo-Pekka Olli, Finnish volleyball player
- November 22 – Asamoah Gyan, Ghanan football player
- November 23 – Ahn Hyun-Soo, South Korean short track skater
- November 25 – Marcus Hellner, Swedish cross-country skier
- November 27 – Alison Pill, Canadian actress
- November 28 – Magdolna Rúzsa, Hungarian singer
- November 28 – Ryan Sampson, British actor
- November 30 – Kaley Cuoco, American actress
December
- December 2 – Amaury Leveaux, French swimmer
- December 3 – Amanda Seyfried, American actress
- December 3 – László Cseh, Hungarian swimmer
- December 5 – Frankie Muniz, American actor
- December 6 – Dulce María, Mexican actress
- December 8 – Dwight Howard, American basketball player
- December 10 – Raven-Symoné, American actress and singer
- December 14 – Nonami Takizawa, Japanese actress
- December 14 – Ren Yagami, Japanese singer, model and actor
- December 19 – Christina Loukas, American diver
- December 19 – Lady Sovereign, British rapper
- December 21 – James Stewart Jr., American motorcycle racer
- December 23 – Harry Judd, English drummer (McFly)
- December 23 – Luke O'Loughlin, Australian actor
- December 26 – Yuu Shirota, Japanese actor and singer
- December 31 – Jonathan Horton, American gymnast
Deaths
January–March
- January 4 – Sir Brian Horrocks, British general (b. 1895)
- January 5 – Robert L. Surtees American cinematographer (b. 1906)
- January 13 – Carol Wayne American actress (b. 1942)
- January 14 – Jetta Goudal Dutch-born actress (b. 1891)
- January 22 – Sir Arthur Bryant, British historian (b. 1899)
- January 29 – Chic Murray, Scottish comedian (b. 1919)
- January 31 – Tatsuzō Ishikawa, Japanese novelist (b. 1905)
- February 4 – Jesse Hibbs American film director (b. 1906)
- February 8 – Marvin Miller, American actor (b. 1913)
- February 11 – Henry Hathaway American film director (b. 1898)
- February 12 – Nicholas Colasanto American actor (b. 1924)
- February 18 – Randolph E. Haugan American author, editor and publisher (b. 1902)
- February 20 – Clarence Nash, American actor (b. 1905)
- February 21 – Ina Claire American actress (b. 1893)
- February 21 – Louis Hayward British actor (b. 1909)
- February 22 – Efrem Zimbalist, Russia-born Jewish American violinist (b. 1890)
- February 26 – Tjalling Koopmans, Dutch economist, Nobel Prize laureates (b. 1910)
- February 27 – Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. American politician (b. 1902)
- February 27 – J. Pat O'Malley English actor (b. 1904)
- March 3 – Iosif Shklovsky, Soviet astronomer and astrophysicist (b. 1916)
- March 8 – Edward Andrews American actor (b. 1914)
- March 10 – Konstantin Chernenko, Soviet politician (b. 1911)
- March 10 – Bob Nieman, American baseball player (b. 1927)
- March 12 – Eugene Ormandy, Hungarian conductor (b. 1899)
- March 16 – Eddie Shore, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1902)
- March 21 – Sir Michael Redgrave, English actor (b. 1908)
- March 23 – Doctor Richard Beeching, Chairman of British Rail (b. 1913)
- March 23 – Zoot Sims American jazz saxophonist (b. 1925)
- March 28 – Marc Chagall, Russian-born painter (b. 1887)
- March 29 – Jeanine Deckers, Belgian nun and singer (b. 1933)
- March 30 – Shizuko Kasagi, Japanese singer (b. 1914)
April–June
- April 7 – Carl Schmitt, German jurist, political theorist, and professor of law (b. 1888)
- April 8 – J. Fred Coots, American songwriter (b. 1897)
- April 10 – Vladimir Jankélévitch, French philosopher (b. 1903)
- April 11 – Enver Hoxha, Albanian dictator (b. 1908)
- April 15 – Jack Medica American Olympic swimmer (b. 1914)
- April 16 – Scott Brady American actor (b. 1924)
- April 21 – Tancredo Neves, Brazilian elected president (b. 1910)
- April 22 – Paul H. Emmett, American chemical engineer (b. 1900)
- April 23 – Kent Smith American actor (b. 1907)
- April 25 – Richard Haydn English actor (b. 1905)
- April 26 – Albert Maltz American screenwriter, one of the Hollywood Ten (b. 1908)
- May 1 – Denise Robins (aka Francesca Wright, Ashley French, Harriet Gray, Julia Kane) British romance novelist (b. 1897)
- May 4 – Clarence Wiseman, the 10th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1907)
- May 5 – Sir Donald Bailey, British civil engineer (b. 1901)
- May 6 – Pete Desjardins American Olympic diver (b. 1907)
- May 6 – Julie Vega, Filipino child actress and singer (b. 1968)
- May 7 – Dawn Addams British actress (b. 1930)
- May 8 – Theodore Sturgeon, American writer (b. 1918)
- May 8 – Dolph Sweet American actor (b. 1920)
- May 9 – Edmond O'Brien, American actor (b. 1915)
- May 10 – Chester Gould, American cartoonist (b. 1900)
- May 12 – Jean Dubuffet, French artist (b. 1901)
- May 13 – Selma Diamond American actress (b. 1920)
- May 13 – Leatrice Joy American actress (b. 1893)
- May 15 – Emerson Spencer, American athlete (b. 1906)
- May 16 – Margaret Hamilton, American actress (b. 1902)
- May 17 – Abe Burrows, American songwriter, composer, and writer (b. 1910)
- May 18 – Hedley Bull, Australian professor (b. 1932)
- May 19 – Tapio Wirkkala, Finnish designer (b. 1915)
- May 22 – Wolfgang Reitherman, American animator (b. 1909)
- May 30 – George K. Arthur English actor and producer (b. 1899)
- June 1 – Richard Greene English actor (b. 1918)
- June 7 – Georgia Hale American actress (b. 1905)
- June 9 – Matsutarō Kawaguchi, Japanese novelist (b. 1899)
- June 10 – George Chandler American actor (b. 1898)
- June 11 – Karen Ann Quinlan, American right-to-die cause célèbre (b. 1954)
- June 12 – Hua Luogeng, Chinese mathematician (b. 1910)
- June 15 – Andy Stanfield, American athlete (b. 1927)
- June 17 – Tai Kato, Japanese film director (b. 1916)
- June 28 – James Craig American actor (b. 1912)
July–September
- July 2 – David Purley, British race car driver (b. 1945)
- July 8 – Phil Foster American actor (b. 1913)
- July 8 – Simon Kuznets, American economist (b. 1901)
- July 9 – Jimmy Kinnon, Scottish founder of Narcotics Anonymous (b. 1911)
- July 16 – Heinrich Böll, German writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1917)
- July 17 – Margo Mexican-American actress (b. 1917)
- July 19 – Janusz A. Zajdel, Polish writer (b. 1938)
- July 21 – Alvah Cecil Bessie American screenwriter, one of the Hollywood Ten (b. 1904)
- July 22 – Matti Järvinen Finnish athlete (b. 1909)
- July 23 – Kay Kyser American bandleader (b. 1905)
- July 23 – Mickey Shaughnessy American actor (b. 1920)
- July 25 – Grant Williams American actor (b. 1931)
- July 27 – John Scarne, American magician and card expert (b. 1903)
- August 1 – Helene Engelmann, Austrian figure skater (b. 1898)
- August 2 – Frank Faylen American actor (b. 1905)
- August 6 – Forbes Burnham, President of Guyana (b. 1923)
- August 8 – Louise Brooks American actress (b. 1906)
- August 10 – Kenny Baker American actor and singer (b. 1912)
- August 12 – Manfred Winkelhock, German race car driver (b. 1951)
- August 12 – Kyu Sakamoto, Japanese singer, well known by his most famous song, "Sukiyaki", killed in the crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123 (b. 1941)
- August 14 – Gale Sondergaard, American actor (b. 1899)
- August 15 – Lester Cole American screenwriter, one of the Hollywood Ten (b. 1904)
- August 22 – Paul Peter Ewald, German-born American crystallographer and physicist (b. 1888)
- August 24 – Morrie Ryskind American dramatist (b. 1895)
- August 25 – Samantha Smith, American schoolgirl activist (b. 1972)
- August 28 – Ruth Gordon American actress (b. 1896)
- August 29 – Evelyn Ankers British actress (b. 1918)
- August 30 – Taylor Caldwell Anglo-American writer (b. 1900)
- August 31 – Frank Macfarlane Burnet, Australian biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1899)
- September 1 – Stefan Bellof, race car driver and 1984 World SportsCars (Group C) Champion (b. 1957)
- September 4 – Isabel Jeans British actress (b. 1891)
- September 4 – George O'Brien American actor (b. 1899)
- September 6 – Isabel Cox-Meighen, wife of Canadian prime minister Arthur Meighen (b. 1882)
- September 6 – Little Brother Montgomery, American musician (b. 1906)
- September 7 – Rodney Robert Porter, English biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1917)
- September 8 – John Franklin Enders, American scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1887)
- September 9 – Paul Flory, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1910)
- September 10 – Ernst Öpik, Estonian astronomer and astrophysicist (b. 1893)
- September 11 – William Alwyn, English composer (b. 1905)
- September 11 – Masako Natsume, Japanese actress (b. 1957)
- September 14 – Julian Beck American actor (b. 1925)
- September 17 – Laura Ashley, Welsh designer (b. 1925)
- September 19 – Italo Calvino, Italian writer (b. 1923)
- September 27 – Lloyd Nolan American actor (b. 1902)
- September 30 – Floyd Crosby American cinematographer (b. 1899)
- September 30 – Charles Francis Richter, American seismologist and physicist, creator of the Richter magnitude scale (b. 1900)
- September 30 – Simone Signoret, French actress (b. 1923)
October–December
- October 1 – E.B. White, American writer (b. 1899)
- October 2 – Rock Hudson, American actor (b. 1925)
- October 2 – George Savalas, American actor, brother of Telly Savalas (b. 1924)
- October 6 – John W. Snyder, American businessman and Cabinet Secretary (b. 1895)
- October 8 – Nelson Riddle, American bandleader (b. 1921)
- October 10 – Yul Brynner, American actor (b. 1920)
- October 10 – Orson Welles, American film director (b. 1915)
- October 12 – Johnny Olson, American game show announcer (b. 1910)
- October 12 – Ricky Wilson American guitarist (b. 1953)
- October 14 – Emil Gilels, Soviet pianist (b. 1916)
- October 21 – Masuiyama Daishiro I, Japanese sumo wrestler (b. 1919)
- October 22 – Thomas Townsend Brown, American scientist (b. 1905)
- October 24 – Laszlo Biro, Hungarian inventor of the ballpoint pen (b. 1899
- October 25 – Morton Downey American singer (b. 1901)
- October 29 – John Davis Lodge American actor and politician (b. 1903)
- October 31 – Poul Reichhardt, Danish actor (b. 1913)
- November 1 – Quick Draw Rick McGraw, American professional wrestler (b. 1955)
- November 1 – Ouchiyama Heikichi, Japanese sumo wrestler (b. 1926)
- November 1 – Phil Silvers, American entertainer (b. 1911)
- November 5 – Spencer W. Kimball, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1895)
- November 5 – Arnold Chikobava, Georgian linguist (b. 1898)
- November 8 – Nicolas Frantz, Luxembourgian cyclist (b. 1899)
- November 11 – Pelle Lindbergh, Swedish Professional Hockey goaltender (b. 1959)
- November 13 – William Pereira, American architect (b. 1909)
- November 13 – George Robert Vincent, American sound recording pioneer (b. 1898)
- November 17 – Lon Nol, Prime Minister of Cambodia, President of Khmer Republic (b. 1913)
- November 17 – Jimmy Ritz American actor (b. 1904)
- November 19 – Stepin Fetchit, American actor (b. 1902)
- November 24 – Big Joe Turner, American blues singer (b. 1911)
- November 27 – Fernand Braudel, French historian (b. 1902)
- December 6 – Burr Tillstrom, American puppeteer (b. 1917)
- December 7 – Robert Graves, English writer (b. 1895)
- December 7 – Potter Stewart, American Supreme Court Justice (b. 1915)
- December 12 – Anne Baxter, American actress (b. 1923)
- December 12 – Ian Stewart, Scottish rock musician (b. 1938)
- December 14 – Roger Maris, American baseball player (b. 1934)
- December 15 – Carlos Romulo, Filipino diplomat (b. 1899)
- December 16 – Paul Castellano, Italian-American Mafia boss (b. 1915)
- December 21 – Kamatari Fujiwara, Japanese actor (b. 1905)
- December 22 – D. Boon, American singer and guitarist (b. 1958)
- December 23 – Ferhat Abbas, Algerian nationalist (b. 1899)
- December 23 – Prince Bira, Prince of Siam and Formula one driver (b. 1914)
- December 24 – Kouzou Sasaki, Japanese politician (b. 1900)
- December 26 – Dian Fossey, American biologist (b. 1932)
- December 27 – Harry Hopman, Australian tennis player and coach (b. 1906)
- December 31 – Ricky Nelson, American singer and actor (b. 1940)
- December 31 – Sam Spiegel, Polish-born film producer (b. 1903)
Unknown dates
- Andrej Bicenko – Russian fresco painter and muralist (b. 1886)
Nobel Prizes
Templeton Prize
Right Livelihood Award
- Theo van Boven and Cary Fowler, Pat Mooney, Rajni Kothari, Duna Kör, and Rural Advancement Fund International, Lokayan
Notes
