This is a select list of people who were famous or important during the 1980s.

• 
  Meryl Streep
• 
  Eddie Murphy
• 
  Tom Cruise
• 
  Sigourney Weaver
• 
  Patrick Swayze

• 
  Prince
• 
  George Michael
• 
  Poison
• 
  Talking Heads
• 
  U2

• 
  Chris Evert
• 
  Kirby Puckett
• 
  Hulk Hogan
• 
  Carl Lewis
• 
  Diego Maradona

• The greatest actor of the 1980s, according to science. Far Out. 17 December 2024.
• The 32 greatest '80s actors. gamesradar. 25 January 2024.
• The 11 Biggest Movie Stars of the '80s, Ranked. Collider. 31 December 2024.
• 32 Character Actors Who Were Everywhere In The '80s and '90s. Cinemablend. 23 May 2024.
• The Most Popular Actors of the 1980s, Ranked. Movieweb. 13 February 2023.

• The best footballers of the 80s. FourFourTwo. 21 December 2023.
• Lawrence Taylor, Dan Marino among top 20 players of the 1980s. NFL. 19 June 2014.
• The 24 Best NBA Players From The 1980s. TheSportster. 7 November 2024.
• These 1980s Athletes Cashed the Biggest Checks of the Decade. 24/7 Wall St. 15 August 2024.

• The 20 Best Artists And Bands Of The 80s. Forbes. 5 March 2024.
• 11 musicians from the 1980s that helped shaped the charts today - including Madonna and Depeche Mode. The Yorkshire Post. 8 October 2024.