10 Best Biographical Movies of All Time, According to IMDb

From 'Malcolm X' to 'Braveheart', these figures have certainly left us with quite an impression.

It's in our nature to show interest in prominent figures who have shaped the world we live in today. Whether those people are world leaders, musical prodigies, boxers, or activists, they have influenced and shaped our world in some way, shape, or form.

RELATED: 10 Best Biopic Movies of the 21st Century (So Far)

Over the years, filmmakers have taken a particular interest in retelling the stories of widely-known public figures to those who might not have known about their incredible impact and the stories that lie behind these legends or simply as a tribute to honor them.

‘Amadeus’ (1984) — 8.4/10

Amadeus copy

Released in 1984, Amadeus is a biographical film loosely based on the life of the Austrian musical prodigy , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart . The film focuses on the personal struggles Mozart ( Tom Hulce ) faced in alcoholism, and his marriage, while simultaneously dealing with an envious rival, Antonio Salieri ( F. Murray Abraham ), who wants to destroy him at all costs.

Though there were many dramatized and fictionalized aspects of the film, the rivalry between Mozart and Salieri is loosely based on rumors dating back to the 1770s . Throughout the years, however, many published works suggest that historians have not been able to find any evidence of any signs of rivalry. The film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, of which it won eight, including the highly regarded Best Picture. It also won an additional 32 awards from other associations.

‘Gandhi’ (1982) — 8.1/10

Gandhi

Gandhi is a biographical film based on the events that occurred in the life of the adored Indian leader, Mohandas Gandhi (more commonly known as Mahatma Gandhi). After spending most of his life experiencing India under British rule, Gandhi ( Ben Kingsley ) tries to stand up for his country. Owing to his extensive accomplishments for India and the world, it's no wonder the film has a longer than average running time of 191 minutes (3 hours and 11 minutes).

His non-violent approach through civil disobedience and efforts against the British eventually led to India’s long-awaited independence and earned him an international reputation as one of the most beloved world leaders today. The film was nominated for numerous awards and won many, including eight wins from the Academy Awards.

‘Lawrence of Arabia’ (1962) — 8.3/10

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Lawrence of Arabia tells the story of a British Lieutenant T. E. Lawrence ( Peter O’Toole ), who, with extensive knowledge of Bedouin tribes (nomadic Arab tribes), is sent to Arabia to serve as the link between the Arabs and the British in their battle against the Turks. Against the order of his superior officer, Lawrence, along with Sherif Ali ( Omar Sharif ), commences on a long desert journey with the plan of attacking a Turkish port.

With a running time of nearly four hours (3 hours 42 minutes to be exact), most of the general audience would likely not want to commit to watching the film, but the film's commercial success has that proven wrong. Renowned film critic Roger Ebert noted that despite the lengthy running time, Lawrence of Arabia “is not dense with plot details. It is a spare movie in clean, uncluttered lines, and there is never a moment when we doubt the logistical details of the various campaigns.” The film won many accolades, including seven Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, and more.

RELATED: Elvis: 6 Best Music Biopics To Watch After Baz Luhrmann’s New Film

‘Schindler’s List’ (1993) — 9.0/10

Liam Neeson as Oscar Schindler in Schindler's List

Steven Spielberg ’s epic historical drama Schindler’s List is set in the Polish city of Kraków during World War II. The film is based on the heroic acts of a German industrialist, Oskar Schindler ( Liam Neeson ), and his vigorous attempts to save more than a thousand Polish-Jewish refugees from the Holocaust. When he sees how many refugees are ruthlessly killed by the heartless SS Amon Göth ( Ralph Fiennes ) in Kraków, Schindler begins to employ the Polish-Jewish refugees to work in his factories.

In 2018, The Los Angeles Times published an article titled “Why ‘Schindler’s List’ remains brilliant and troubling 25 years after its release”, noting that despite its brilliance, some were concerned about “whether it’s morally defensible to dramatize unspeakable horror and trauma via the language of mass entertainment.” Many stories, however, are asked to be told in a dramatized way movies are a more approachable and exciting medium for the general population to learn about history.

‘Malcolm X’ (1992) — 7.7/10

Malcolm X staring at the camera surrounded by Black men in Malcolm X.

Spike Lee ’s self-titled biographical film, Malcolm X , is a tribute to the African-American activist Malcolm X (or Malcolm Little). The film explores X’s ( Denzel Washington ) whole life , from growing up in a poor household in rural Michigan to being arrested for performing robberies alongside his friend Shorty (Spike Lee) and a woman named Peg ( Debi Mazar ). While imprisoned, he meets another convict Baines ( Albert Hall ), who becomes a mentor to him and eventually converts him to Islam and consequentially as a member of the religious and political organization, the Nation of Islam.

Malcolm becomes highly invested in the group and idolizes its lifestyle teachings, such as resenting White people for mistreating his race. After being paroled from prison, Malcolm begins preaching and, years later, becomes the spokesperson of the Nation of Islam. However, after speaking out controversial statements and finding out that the group leader Elijah Muhammad ( Al Freeman Jr. ) is somewhat a hypocrite and has numerous children out of wedlock, he announces his loss of faith in Islam. Malcolm becomes the founder of the Organization of Afro-American Unity, which is an organization that focuses on tolerance instead of racial separation.

‘Raging Bull’ (1980) — 8.2/10

Robert De Niro punching a guy in a boxing ring in Raging Bull

The Hollywood biographical classic Raging Bull follows the story of an Italian-American middleweight boxer, Jake LaMotta ( Robert De Niro ). LaMotta's struggles were reflected in his career as a middleweight boxer. At age nineteen in 1941, he fell in love with a fifteen-year-old girl named Vickie ( Cathy Moriarty ), whom he married four years later in 1945.

LaMotta was always worried that Vickie was sleeping with other men, and this anxiety sent him into a downward spiral because that was the start of his uncontrollable rage. Ultimately, his life crumbles, leaving him with nothing but despair. Raging Bull has often been described as one of director Martin Scorsese ’s best directorial works , and the same goes for Robert DeNiro — one of his best performances as an actor.

RELATED: 10 Best Lookalike Actors In Biopics

‘The King’s Speech’ (2010) — 8.0/10

The King's Speech

The King’s Speech is a historical drama film about Prince Albert and his journey to becoming King George VI ( Colin Firth ), who wanted to improve his speech impediment, a stammer. His wife, Queen Elizabeth I ( Helena Bonham Carter ), resorts to an Australian speech and language therapist, Lionel Logue ( Geoffrey Rush ), who she believed was the best person to help her husband.

Throughout the process, many doubted whether anyone would take his throne seriously, but with persistence and trust from the future King and Logue, they defied all odds. The future King finally gave his first radio wartime broadcast speech flawlessly. A first-class script, followed by the strong performances by Firth and Rush, led The King’s Speech to win 70 out of a staggering 185 nominations, including four Academy Awards, seven BAFTAs, and a Golden Globe Award.

‘GoodFellas’ (1990) — 8.7/10

Goodfellas

GoodFellas follows the story of a mob associate named Henry Hill ( Ray Liotta ), who, having grown up in an environment amongst the mobs, becomes one himself. He begins working for a member of the Mafia, Paul Cicero ( Paul Sorvino ), along with his associates, Jimmy “the Gent” Conway ( Robert DeNiro ) and Tommy DeVito ( Joe Pesci ). Hill’s upbringing and those around him perhaps blur his moral values, and despite being a man who enjoys his money and the luxuries that come with it, he chooses to ignore the affliction he has caused others.

His morality worsens after struggling with drug addiction, and his carelessness causes him to lose everything he ever knew and had; money, luxury, self-respect, identity, and family. Master filmmaker Martin Scorsese’s GoodFellas has stood the test of time and earned the reputation of being one of the best gangster films ever made.

‘Braveheart’ (1995) — 8.4/10

A group of warriors preparing for battle

The 1995 biographical film, Braveheart , is based on the history behind the late 13th-century Scottish warrior Sir William Wallace ( Mel Gibson ), who led his fellow Scots in the First War of Scottish Independence against England’s King Edward I ( Patrick McGoohan ). Wallace’s motivation started from a young age when King Edward I conquered Scotland and treated the Scottish disrespectfully. The English King later also executed Wallace's newly-married wife, Murron MacClannough ( Catherine McCormack ), after threatening to expose his soldiers who raped her.

Wallace’s long-pursued battle for Scottish independence led him to become the historic legend he is today. Braveheart went on to win many prestigious awards, including four Academy Awards and a Golden Globe Award.

RELATED: 10 Best Award-Winning Historical Movies of All Time (in Chronological Order)

‘Patton’ (1970) — 7.9/10

Patton

Patton focuses on the life of the controversial American General, George S. Patton ( George C. Scott ). The film explores his accomplishments, starting from his first glory in the Battle of El Guettar in Tunisia and subsequently gaining the respect of the army officials and generals. It was his outspokenness and the controversial statements he made, however, which determined the consequential end to his career. He was removed from command for criticizing the US post-war military strategy and further comparing American politics to Nazism.

The epic historical drama became a cinema classic and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in the United States and the Academy Film Archive. Patton was nominated for ten Academy Awards, of which it won an impressive seven, and many more awards from other respected accolade associations.

KEEP READING: 7 Critically-Acclaimed Movies That People Might Not Realize Are Autobiographical

Best Biopics Ever Made, Ranked

The silver screen is a faithful servant to good biographical films, as the genre is undisputedly the darling of both the Academy Awards and Hollywood.

The silver screen is a faithful and loyal servant to a good biographical film; the genre is undisputedly the darling of both the Academy Awards and Tinsel Town, with over a dozen biographical dramas winning Best Picture and numerous actors winning for their portrayals of real-life historical figures. Biopics are a tried and true style of movie-making that are more often than not slam dunks with both the box office and critics alike. Despite the genre being brought to the big screen more frequently in recent years, their effectiveness and impact remains consistent.

Update August 8, 2023: In honor of the release of Oppenheimer, this list has been updated by Callum Jones with even more great biopics.

Whether depicting the life of an esteemed physicist, Wild West outlaws , or even United States President Abraham Lincoln himself, biopics are the cream of the crop in Hollywood cinema. Many of these films helped skyrocket the careers of both their directors and their actors , serving as stepping stones in their lucrative and successful careers. These are some of the best biopics ever made.

Robert Downey Jr. as Charlie Chaplin in Chaplin

Depicting the fascinating life of worldwide film icon Charlie Chaplin, 1992’s Richard Attenborough biopic Chaplin stars Robert Downey Jr. as “The Little Tramp” in a searing performance. The film features an elderly Chaplin as he recollects his incredible life journey for his autobiography, from his poverty-stricken roots to worldwide success. With a talented supporting cast including Dan Aykroyd, Marissa Tomei, and even Chaplin’s real life daughter Geraldine Chaplin, the movie was released on the fifteenth anniversary of the beloved star’s death.

Despite mixed reviews for the biopic itself, Downey Jr.’s performance was lauded and garnered critical acclaim. It is arguably his finest role to date and won him the BAFTA Award for Best Actor, along with an Academy Award nomination. The Los Angeles Times wrote, “Downey becomes Chaplin, re-creating his character and his chilly soul so precisely that even the comedian’s daughter Geraldine, a featured player here, was both impressed and unnerved.”

14 The Theory of Everything

the theory of everything redmayne thewlis

2014’s critically acclaimed biopic The Theory of Everything is a poignant portrayal of the relationship between renowned physicist Stephen Hawking and his wife, Jane. The film was adapted from Jane Hawking’s 2007 memoir Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen, and she provided input and insight for the script. The Theory of Everything stars Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones as the famous couple, with the former spending six months researching Hawking’s life and mastering his accent and speech patterns. The biopic was a massive hit both commercially and critically, with Redmayne specifically receiving immense praise and winning the Academy Award and BAFTA for Best Leading Actor.

13 Walk the Line

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Telling the story of famous American country musician Johnny Cash, James Mangold 's 2005 biopic, Walk the Line , sees Joaquin Phoenix take on the role of the "Ring of Fire" singer. The film uses two of Cash's autobiographies as the basis for the script - 1975's Man in Black: His Own Story in His Own Words and 1997's Cash: The Autobiography - and details the late singer-songwriter's rise to fame, his two marriages, and his addiction to drugs.

Co-starring Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Robert Patrick, the movie was a box office hit and gained rave reviews from critics. It also earned five Academy Award nominations, with Phoenix taking home the award for Best Actor. Indeed, though the film, in general, is solid, like many biopics, it's the performance of the leading man that makes Walk the Line truly great. Phoenix completely transforms into Cash, even managing to expertly imitate the singer's infamous voice. It is a subtle yet charismatic performance that stands out as among the best of the Phoenix's career .

12 The Elephant Man

John Hurt in The Elephant Man

1980's The Elephant Man tells the real-life story of an English man, Joseph Merrick, who adopted the cruel nickname "The Elephant Man" owing to his severe facial deformities as a result of a rare genetic disease. Set in Victorian London, the film portrays the friendship between Merrick (played by John Hurt) and Frederick Treves, a surgeon who rescues Merrick from a freak show and who sees the disfigured man for the kind-hearted and intelligent person he truly is.

Directed by David Lynch , the film garnered critical acclaim upon its release and went on to receive eight Academy Award nominations at the 53rd annual ceremony. Hurt's performance, in particular, was lauded by critics, with Vincent Canby of The New York Times calling his portrayal "Truly remarkable". The Elephant Man a haunting yet beautifully moving tale of compassion, acceptance, and seeing beyond another's appearance.

11 Straight Outta Compton

The 2015 biographical drama film Straight Outta Compton

When it was released in cinemas in 2015, F. Gary Gray's Straight Outta Compton almost instantly became a financial success and a modern-day classic. Set in Los Angeles in the mid-1980s, the film revolves around the formation and break-up of hip hop group N.W.A, whose members consisted of rappers Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, MC Ren, and DJ Yella. Titled after the group's debut album, it depicts their early success in the music industry, their rise to mainstream popularity, and the feuds, disputes, violence, and deaths that surronded the group.

Related: Best Biopics About Black Music Icons, Ranked

Straight Outta Compton is different from your average musical biopic. In fact, it's better . With N.W.A members Ice Cube and Dr. Dre serving as producers, along with Eazy-E's widow, Tomica Woods-Wright, the film is raw, honest, and provocative, and doesn't shy away from the more unpleasant aspects of hip-hop culture. Ultimately, though, it is acted and superbly directed celebration of the genre.

10 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Paul Newman and Robert Redford in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

Starring two of Hollywood’s most talented and revered actors, Paul Newman and Robert Redford, 1969’s American western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was initially met with a mixed response but, over time has become a distinguished classic. Loosely based on Wild West outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker (Butch Cassidy) and Harry Longabaugh (the “Sundance Kid”), it features the infamous duo on the run from a crack US posse after an extensive string of train robberies. Numerous A-list actors were initially tied to the picture, such as Jack Lemmon, Warren Beatty, and Steve McQueen, but it was Newman and Redford who nabbed the roles and dished up iconic performances as the American legends.

9 Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer Cillian Murphy

Acclaimed director, Christopher Nolan, is no stranger to taking on films that deal with real-life figures or events. After all, he previously directed 2017's Dunkirk , which told the story of the Dunkirk evacuation of World War II, as well as 2006's The Prestige that, although largely a fictional story, featured real-life inventor Nikola Tesla, among its main characters. 2023's Oppenheimer , however, can be classed as Nolan's first true biopic.

Based on the 2005 biography American Prometheus , by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, the film depicts the life and career of theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (played by Cillian Murphy) - the inventor of the nuclear bomb. Told across several different timeframes in a non-linear style, it follows the titular character's early life in academia, his recruitment to the Manhattan Project and the development of the nuclear bomb, the bomb's use in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and subsequent hearings that see Oppenheimer accused of communist sympathies.

A three-hour R-rated biopic about the father of the nuclear bomb should've been alienating to a general audience. However, with Nolan's attachment, an all-star cast , rave reviews, and its link to the social media phenomenon known as "Barbenheimer ," Oppenheimer has become one of the highest-grossing biopics ever. Fortunately, it lives up to the hype.

Gandhi and a few others sit as Gandhi talks to the gathered crowds

Detailing the life of the lawyer who would go on to become the famed leader of the nonviolent revolts against British rule, 1982’s Gandhi stars Ben Kingsley in the titular role. The biopic focuses on Mahatma Gandhi’s life from a defining moment in 1893, in which he was thrown off a South African train for being in a whites-only compartment. The film concludes with his tragic assassination and subsequent funeral in 1948.

The stunning picture was praised for its historical accuracy upon its release, as was Kingsley's outstanding performance and production values. It received 11 Academy Award nominations and won eight, including Best Actor (for Kingsley), Best Picture, and Best Director. Gandhi is a deeply moving and enlightening epic that features an emotionally driven performance by Ben Kingsley and beautifully depicts the civil rights leader’s riveting life.

7 The Social Network

The cast of The Social Network

When David Fincher's The Social Network was released in 2010, the social media platform, Facebook, had only been around for six years. In that time, the website had amassed an impressive 500 million global users and had become the third-largest web company in the US. A film that documented the company's meteoric rise was, therefore, a no-brainer. With a script by Aaron Sorkin , the movie depicts Harvard University student Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg), who initially develops a website called "Facemash" that allows users to rate the attractiveness of female students on campus. This soon grows in popularity, spreading to other colleges and attracting the attention of wealthy investors.

Related: The Social Network: 5 Reasons Why it Should Have Won the Best Picture Oscar

The Social Network is a gripping story that is surprisingly small and contained, given the scale of its subject matter. Though a few artistic liberties were clearly taken, Fincher's direction, Sorkin's script, and Eisenberg's lead performance ensure the film is an expertly crafted and entertaining one, even if it's not always historically accurate. And with an Academy Award-winning score by Nine Inch Nails members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Social Network is undoubtedly one of the best biopics of the twenty-first century that still has a lot of relevance today .

6 Malcolm X

Denzel Washington as Malcolm X

Spike Lee’s epic biography Malcolm X portrays the life of the controversial and highly influential Black Nationalist leader, from his beginnings as a small-time gangster to his ministry as a member of the Nation of Islam. The dynamic Denzel Washington stars as the infamous African-American activist and features the additional talent of Hollywood greats Angela Bassett, Albert Hall, and Al Freeman Jr.

Spike Lee told The New York Times that he never envisioned any other actor in the lead role, saying that Denzel “really captured Malcolm” in his Off-Broadway portrayal of him. Largely based on the 1965 book The Autobiography of Malcolm X, the film earned rave reviews, with famed critic Roger Ebert raving that the biopic was “one of the great screen biographies, celebrating the sweep of an American life that bottomed out in prison before its hero reinvented himself.”

Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln

Heavily regarded as one of the most diverse and gifted actors of all time, Daniel Day-Lewis added another feather to his impressive cap when he starred as United States President Abraham Lincoln. Known famously for his method acting approach, Day-Lewis spent a year preparing for the role, reading over 100 books on Lincoln and speaking in his voice throughout the entire shoot. The dynamic star teamed up with renowned director Stephen Spielberg for Lincoln , which was lauded upon its release, with Day-Lewis and Field garnering particular praise. The actor’s dignified and regal portrayal of the 16th president was impressive and inspiring, and he would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Actor.

4 Goodfellas

The cast of Goodfellas

Martin Scorsese’s masterpiece biographical crime film Goodfellas narrates the rise and fall of mob associate Henry Hill, covering his relationship to wife Karen Hill and his ill-fated ties with mob partners Tommy DeVito and Jimmy Conway. Some of the silver screen’s finest stars headline the film, with Ray Liotta portraying Henry Hill, Joe Pesci as Tommy DeVito, and Robert De Niro as Jimmy Conway.

Depicting 25 years of the mobster’s life from 1955 to 1980, Goodfellas is jam-packed full of suspense, degradation, and intense violence that is critical to the authenticity of the biopic. The powerful performances of its talented cast and Scorsese’s masterful storytelling and directing were celebrated, and Goodfellas is heavily regarded as one of the greatest films ever made.

3 Raging Bull

Robert De Niro in Scorsese's Raging Bull

The biographical sports drama Raging Bull is another Martin Scorsese knockout that is considered the gifted director’s magnum opus. The classic film depicts the life of boxer Jake LaMotta, an Italian-American middleweight whose temper and violence led him to extreme success in the ring but destroyed his life outside it. Robert De Niro iconically leads the drama as LaMotta, and trained extensively with the real-life boxer in preparation for the role.

Related: Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro Movies: A Ranking of Their 9 Collaborations

Frequent future Scorsese collaborator Joe Pesci co-stars as Jake’s younger brother and manager Joey LaMotta; Pesci, at the time, was a struggling actor and was scouted by De Niro himself. Raging Bull debuted to an initial lukewarm response, mostly due to its violent content. Despite such a reception, De Niro’s performance garnered widespread acclaim, and he won the Academy Award for Best Actor.

2 Schindler’s List

A scene from Steven Spielberg's film Schindler's List (1993)

Steven Spielberg’s heart-wrenching 1993 historical drama Schindler’s List is based on the Thomas Keneally novel Schindler’s Ark and follows German industrialist Oskar Schindler, who helped save more than a thousand manly Polish-Jewish refugees from the Holocaust. Spielberg approached Schindler’s List as a documentary and shot the film in black and white, despite his reservations on whether he was mature enough to create such a picture. The esteemed director famously forwent a salary for the project, declaring it “blood money.” Liam Neeson took on the lead role of Oskar Schindler and was cast in part because he was a relative unknown; Spielberg did not want an actor’s star quality to overpower the character.

Schindler’s List received universal critical acclaim with its atmosphere, directing, performances and tone heralded. It was the recipient of seven Academy Awards and is considered one of the best films in cinema history, with The New Yorker calling it a picture that “will take its place in cultural history and remain there.”

1 Lawrence of Arabia

Lawrence of Arabia

The 1962 epic British historical drama Lawrence of Arabia details the life of T.E. Lawrence, an English officer who triumphantly united and led the often tumultuous Arab tribes during World War I. Acting great Peter O’Toole stars as Lawrence, and the film stunningly depicts his emotional struggles with the violence of war and his conflicted allegiance with his home of Britain and his Arabian comrades. Lawrence of Arabia was an adored phenomenon among critics and viewers alike, with its screenplay, visuals, and performance by O’Toole all lauded.

The groundbreaking biopic is considered a cinematic masterpiece and rightfully won seven Academy Awards. It is regarded as one of the most influential films ever crafted, with O’Toole’s portrayal touted as one of the finest in all cinema history, perfectly tapping into what makes a biographical performance great.

The Cinemaholic

15 Best Biopics on Netflix Right Now

Dhruv Sharma of 15 Best Biopics on Netflix Right Now

Biopics have now become a hot genre because there’s something about real-life stories of certain individuals that lure filmmakers. It may be an entire lifetime of a person or just a few crucial years that act as an amazing storyline for a film. It’s no surprise why biopics are able to do so well. Extraordinary stories of successful people or people who had a deeper cause to serve society, all of these inspire us to live a better life. But these stories become more impactful when they are based on the lives of real individuals. Some make us believe in ourselves and our goals while some restore our faith in humanity. The good news is that a great number of these movies are already available on Netflix. So all you have to do is scroll down and choose one of the few biopic movies that we have listed. Here’s the list of really good biopic movies on Netflix that are available to stream right now.

15. Roxanne Roxanne (2017)

top 5 biography movies

Directed and written by Michael Larnell, ‘Roxanne Roxanne’ is an autobiographical musical drama film that stars Chanté Adams, Mahershala Ali, Nia Long, and Elvis Nolasco. Roxanne Shante, a young rapper from New York, has already made her reputation as one of the most feared battle emcees in the 80s. Whoever had seen her perform knew that she was all set to become a hip-hop legend. ‘Roxanne Roxanne’ recounts Shante’s inspiring story as she worked tirelessly to provide for her family and achieved musical success in the process.

14. Come Sunday (2018)

top 5 biography movies

This film is based on an episode of the public radio series called ‘This American Life’. The biopic is about an internationally renowned pastor who went by the name Carton Pearson. When Carton defied the morals of the church and started preaching that there is no hell, he found himself being ostracized by his own church and the Christian community who labeled him as an unorthodox non-conformist. The film has a lot of mixed opinions when it comes to the reviews because it goes against the religious values of a lot of people. But don’t let the reviews fool you, this film is great and has some amazing cinematography with acting.

13. Milk (2008)

top 5 biography movies

Starring Sean Penn and James Franco, ‘Milk’ tells the life story of Harvey Milk starting from his 40th birthday all the way up to his death. The film traces his journey as he struggles to fight for gay rights in the country as an activist and later becomes California’s first gay elected official. The biopic also highlights his relationships with two men along the way and how the death of one really moves him. ‘Milk’ is an extremely moving film and will make you truly feel the struggles of Harvey Milk and all the gay activists of that era.

12. First They Killed My Father (2017)

top 5 biography movies

Directed by Angeline Jolie , this one is the true story of a 5-year-old girl named Loung Ung and her struggles with her family when the Khmer Rouge had taken over Cambodia in the year 1975. Their terrorizing rule led to the death of over 2 million Cambodians. The film shows how Ung and her siblings were sent to Labor Camps and were trained to become soldiers at such a young and delicate age. This film holds a great amount of historical accuracy and clearly, a lot of effort has been into portraying Loung Ung’s story. It does not focus too much on showing the violence and gore prevailing at that time and instead shows the underlying terror and chaos during the time which makes this one a great watch.

11. Christine (2016)

top 5 biography movies

Christine Chubbuck was a TV reporter back in the 70s. This film tells her story by narrating her struggles as a working woman, pressures from her home and also her own depression . This film has been quite under the radar but deserves more appreciation. It tends to get inside your head with its depressing characters and storyline with uncomfortable slow burn throughout. Note that this movie can be triggering for those who are already going through something but overall, it’s a very good movie with some brilliant acting.

10. Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed (2021)

top 5 biography movies

Featuring Bob Ross, Steve Ross, Vicky Ross, and John Thamm, ‘Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed’ is a biographical documentary film directed by Joshua Rofé. As the name suggests, the movie revolves around the rise of the titular protagonist, a brilliant painter and television host, who spread love, joy, and happiness to the millions of viewers glued to his programs on their television screens from around the world. With great success came significant financial burdens. While offering a touching overview of Bob’s inspiring life, the film immediately turns its attention towards the battle for his business empire that saddened and infuriated a lot of his fans.

9. Baggio: The Divine Ponytail (2021)

top 5 biography movies

Written by Ludovica Rampoldi and Stefano Sardo, ‘Baggio: The Divine Ponytail’ is a biographical sports film that stars Andrea Arcangeli, Valentina Bellè, and Thomas Trabacch. The Letizia Lamartire directorial recounts the inspiring life story of Roberto Baggio, a former footballer who dedicated 22 years of his life to the sport. From successes to his failures and regretful mistakes, the movie captures everything. It also introduces viewers to the man behind closed doors and his relationship with his loved ones. Roberto’s affinity to Nichiren Buddhism and his adherence to its philosophy is also deeply discussed.

8. Sergio (2020)

top 5 biography movies

Greg Barker’s ‘Sergio’ is a biographical drama movie produced by Wagner Moura, Brent Travers, and Daniel Dreifuss. The film focuses on Sérgio Vieira de Mello, a United Nations diplomat who, after working tirelessly on several international political programs for more than three decades, decides to do something about the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. Despite warnings not to visit Baghdad in the middle of conflict, Sérgio tries to negotiate the withdrawal of American troops so that the country can achieve freedom. However, his attempts do not go as planned as he gets trapped in the basement of a hotel after a terrorist attack.

7. Mank (2020)

top 5 biography movies

Directed by David Fincher, ‘Mank’ is a black-and-white biographical drama film that revolves around the development of the popular 40s film ‘Citizen Kane’ and its screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz. It is set in the 1930s and offers an exciting insight into the Hollywood of the time. However, the films’ focus remains on the development of the iconic movie and challenges faced by Herman along the way.

6. The Dirt (2019)

top 5 biography movies

Written by Rich Wilkes and Amanda Adelson, ‘The Dirt’ is a biographical comedy-drama film that is based on Neil Strauss’s book ‘The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band.’ After spending several crucial years of his early life with his abusive mother, Frank Carlton Feranna Jr. ventures into the outside world in search of his father and eventually stumbles upon the purpose of his life. When he met Tommy Lee in 1980, the musician shared his plan to form a new band, and the two joined hands to include other members in the team. After the inclusion of Mick Mars and Vince Neil, the Mötley Crüe was formed and, in just a few years’ time, became one of the most popular rock bands on the planet.

5. Dolemite Is My Name (2019)

top 5 biography movies

Featuring stand-out performances by Eddie Murphy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Keegan-Michael Key, Mike Epps, and Craig Robinson, ‘Dolemite Is My Name’ is a biographical comedy film written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. It revolves around a struggling artist named Rudy Ray Moore, who is desperately trying to get his music on the air in the 1970s. Unfortunately, he has had little success, and his future is still clouded in uncertainty. However, on one ordinary night, an unexpected encounter with a homeless man changes Rudy’s life as he discovers his true calling and ends up entertaining the world, albeit in his own humble and small way.

4. A Futile and Stupid Gesture (2018)

top 5 biography movies

Inspired by Josh Karp’s 2006 non-fiction book of the same name, ‘A Futile and Stupid Gesture’ is a biographical comedy-drama film written by John Aboud and Michael Colton. The David Wain directorial follows Douglas Kenney, who, along with his classmate Henry Beard lays the foundations of a monthly magazine named the National Lampoon. The duo leaves the life-transforming opportunity of attending law school for their ambitious goal and, with Douglas’ big vision, manages to change the American comedy scene in innovative ways.

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3. Schumacher (2021)

top 5 biography movies

Directed by Hanns-Bruno Kammertöns, Vanessa Nöcker, and Michael Wech, ‘Schumacher’ is a German sports documentary film that focuses on the inspiring career of the titular protagonist and features Corinna Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, Mika Häkkinen, Jean Todt among many others. The movie offers an intimate understanding of German Formula One racing driver Michael’s personal and professional life using unseen videos, archive footage, and interviews. From his early go-kart career to the struggle with the death of Ayrton Senna, ‘Schumacher’ paints a moving portrait of the legendary racer with an accurate depiction of his failures, successes, and fears.

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2. Barry (2016)

barry-tiff

Directed by Vikram Gandhi, ‘Barry’ is a drama movie that centers upon Barack Obama’s college days and gives viewers a unique perspective on his life. In the early 1980s, the 44th President of the United States reached New York as a 21-year-old exchange student to Columbia University, where he made friends with his roommate, Will. Barack participated in debates about philosophy and American society and took an active interest in political affairs. ‘Barry’ gives viewers an intimate understanding of what Obama was like during his early 20s and offers a closer look at the interests that eventually made him the leader he is today.

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1. The Most Hated Woman in America (2017)

top 5 biography movies

Tommy O’Haver’s ‘The Most Hated Woman in America’ is a biographical drama film that stars Melissa Leo, Peter Fonda, Sally Kirkland, and Rory Cochrane. The film centers upon Madalyn Murray O’Hair, an activist, atheist, and proponent for the separation of church from the state who fiercely advocated for his beliefs despite the challenges in her path. Unfortunately, she gets kidnapped in the mid-90s along with her son Garth and granddaughter Robin by people who detest her ideas which eventually ends tragically.

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Actor Peter O'Toole stars as T. E. Lawrence in the 1962 biopic 'Lawrence of Arabia.'

100 best biopics of all time

The grand sweep of history is perhaps more easily told through a narrower lens, which is one reason why biopics (biographical pictures)—which can tell the story of a movement, era, or idea through one individual's life—have become so popular in recent years. Filmmakers have increasingly preferred to work in the genre over the past several decades, finding that the unique challenges in condensing a life can embolden creativity and experimentation, resulting in extraordinary movies. Take "Persepolis," for example: The 2007 film explores the Iranian revolution through the life of an ordinary teenage girl via cartoons, weaving snapshots of an ordinary lift in the midst of social upheaval to make one of the most impactful and influential films of the decade.

While the genre has turned out some truly excellent films, not all biopics are created equal. The biggest criticism leveled against them is that they often blend fiction with fact in an irresponsible or misleading manner. J.R.R. Tolkien's estate essentially disowned the 2019 film "Tolkien," feeling the author's character and related facts were misrepresented. Another frequent complaint is that the movies trot out only the best-known facts about an individual's life, failing to offer anything new or revelatory, as with the Grace Kelly biopic "Grace of Monaco." So, which movies in this high-risk, high-reward genre are worth a watch?

Stacker compiled data on biopics to come up with a Stacker score—a weighted index split evenly between IMDb and Metacritic scores. To qualify, the film had to be listed as "biography" on IMDb and have a Metascore. Ties were broken by Metascore, and further ties were broken by IMDb user rating. Every film on the list has been considered within the context of the history and development of the genre.

Whether it's a gangster epic like "Goodfellas," a royal family drama like "The Queen," or one of the many chronicles of the lives of artists and musicians like "Endless Poetry" or "Amadeus," biopics offer something for everyone. Click through to discover the best cinematic portraits of extraordinary lives.

#100. Donnie Brasco (1997)

- Director: Mike Newell - Stacker score: 83.6 - Metascore: 76 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 127 minutes

Undercover FBI agent Donnie Brasco (real name Joseph D. Pistone) infiltrates the legendary Bonanno crime family in 1970s New York City in this true crime drama. Starring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp, the film was based on Pistone's book , "Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia." It's believed that Pistone's long career as an undercover agent generated over 200 indictments and 100 convictions of Mafia members.

#99. The Last Emperor (1987)

- Director: Bernardo Bertolucci - Stacker score: 83.6 - Metascore: 76 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 163 minutes

Bernardo Bertolucci's " The Last Emperor " follows the life of Pu Yi, who took the throne when he was 3 years old and abdicated when he was 7. The film, shot entirely on location in China and its ancient Forbidden City palace complex, follows a country's move from feudalism through revolution to a peaceful republic, all through the lens of one man's life.

#98. Philomena (2013)

- Director: Stephen Frears - Stacker score: 83.6 - Metascore: 77 - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Runtime: 98 minutes

Philomena Lee (Judi Dench) spends 50 years searching for her forcibly adopted son with the help of a journalist, Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan). The film won four Oscar nominations and took home several trophies at the 2013 Venice Film Festival. While the film is certainly a tearjerker , it is balanced both by comedic moments and the real Ms. Lee's inspirational fortitude in the face of so much loss and grief.

#97. Lorenzo's Oil (1992)

- Director: George Miller - Stacker score: 83.6 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 129 minutes

In the 1980s, Augusto and Michaela Odone experience every parent's worst nightmare when their son Lorenzo is diagnosed with an incurable nerve disease that will eventually paralyze and kill him. Failing to receive the help they needed from doctors, the Odones begin a desperate search for a cure themselves, eventually stumbling upon an oil they believe could reverse the most devastating effects of their son's illness. Nick Nolte and Susan Sarandon star in this film about one couple's desperate struggle to save their family.

#96. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)

- Director: Marielle Heller - Stacker score: 83.6 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 109 minutes

Tom Hanks stars as one of TV's most beloved personalities, Fred Rogers, in this 2019 biopic. Based on a 1998 Esquire article, the film doesn't delve into Roger's life story but rather focuses on the friendship between Rogers and the troubled journalist Tom Junod (renamed Lloyd Vogel in the film). The real-life Mrs. Joanne Rogers makes a brief cameo in the film, and it's a quote from her that reminds viewers that her late husband wasn't a saint, just an ordinary man who tried very, very hard to be better and kind.

#95. A Beautiful Mind (2001)

- Director: Ron Howard - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 72 - IMDb user rating: 8.2 - Runtime: 135 minutes

John Nash Jr., a Nobel Prize winner, was one of the greatest mathematicians the world has ever seen. He also struggled with schizophrenia. " A Beautiful Mind ," based on an unauthorized biography of the same name written by acclaimed journalist Sylvia Nasar, tells Nash's incredible, inspirational life story. Directed by Ron Howard and starring Russell Crowe, the movie won four Academy Awards including Best Picture and grossed over $313 million at the box office.

#94. Into the Wild (2007)

- Director: Sean Penn - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 73 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 148 minutes

Written, directed, and produced by Sean Penn, "Into the Wild" tells the story of Christopher McCandless, a loner who cashed in his law school fund and took off for the Alaskan wilderness in the 1990s. At first charmed by the slower pace of life, McCandless eventually found himself disillusioned with nature and attempted to return to society before making a grave mistake that would cost him everything. The story is based on a nonfiction book written by Jon Krakauer, as well as information from McCandless' surviving sister, Carine McCandless.

#93. The Sea Inside (2004)

- Director: Alejandro Amenábar - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 74 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 126 minutes

A Spanish-language drama, " The Sea Inside " tells the story of Ramon Sampedro, a man who became a quadriplegic after a diving accident in the 1960s and fought for 30 years for the legal right to end his own life through euthanasia. Javier Bardem stars as Sampedro in an incredibly moving performance that focuses on one individual's definition of dignity. The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film in 2004.

#92. American Gangster (2007)

- Director: Ridley Scott - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 76 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 157 minutes

Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe co-star in " American Gangster ," a film that chronicles the life of Fred Lucas, a gangster who smuggles heroin into the United States, essentially instigating the drug epidemic that swept Harlem and all of New York City in the 1970s. Although the film brought in $266 million at the box office, those who were connected with the case in real life, including Lucas himself , have argued that it takes too many liberties and strays pretty far from the truth.

#91. The Killing Fields (1984)

- Director: Roland Joffé - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 76 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 141 minutes

Nominated for seven Oscars at the 57th Academy Awards, " The Killing Fields " tells the story of two journalists, American Sydney Schanberg and Cambodian Dith Pran, who are covering the country's civil war and find themselves trapped when Pol Pot begins his bloody Year Zero cleansing campaign. Critics loved the film, including Adrian Turner from Radio Times , who wrote, "Few feature films have captured a nation's agony more dramatically."

#90. Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)

- Directors: John Frankenheimer, Charles Crichton - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 76 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 147 minutes

One of the looser retellings on our list, "Birdman of Alcatraz" is about a man (Burt Lancaster) serving a life sentence for murder who becomes an expert on birds while behind bars. The movie was based on Thomas E. Gaddis' book about Robert Stroud, the titular "birdman," and was nominated for four Academy Awards. The real Stroud died a year after the film was released, without ever seeing it .

#89. Endless Poetry (2016)

- Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 78 - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Runtime: 128 minutes

Surrealist filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky tells his own life story in " Endless Poetry ." The second installment of his cinematic memoir, the film is set in 1940s Chile, when Jodorowsky is a young man just breaking into the country's artistic circles. Very experimental in its form, the film doesn't accommodate casual viewing but offers a fascinating story for those willing to pay close attention.

#88. An Angel at My Table (1990)

- Director: Jane Campion - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 79 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 158 minutes

The story of New Zealand author Janet Frame's life, " An Angel at My Table " is based on Frame's three autobiographies and uses three different actresses to portray her at different points in her life, from her impoverished childhood through her time at a mental institution (wrongly diagnosed with schizophrenia) to the beginning of her wildly successful writing career. The film swept awards in New Zealand and won a Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival.

#87. Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)

- Director: Phillip Noyce - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 94 minutes

From 1910 to 1970, Australia had an official child-removal policy that took biracial Aboriginal children from their homes and placed them in state-run schools and indentured servitude. " Rabbit-Proof Fence " tells the true story of three children from the Stolen Generation who escape their school and walk some 1,500 miles home, all while being pursued by police officers and trackers. Peter Gabriel provided the soundtrack for the heart-wrenching film.

#86. Love & Mercy (2014)

- Director: Bill Pohlad - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 121 minutes

For years, Brian Wilson, leader of the Beach Boys, struggled with mental illness , even spending a length of time in a controversial 24-hour therapy program. "Love & Mercy" chronicles Wilson's struggles in a way that Wilson himself called "very factual." Paul Dano and John Cusack both play the musician at different points in his life, and Elizabeth Banks gives an inspired performance as Wilson's second wife, Melinda.

#85. Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)

- Director: George Clooney - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 93 minutes

" Good Night, and Good Luck " demonstrates the immense power for change that journalists are capable of wielding in the United States. Directed by and starring George Clooney, the film is set in the 1950s, when a fear of communism led by Senator Joseph McCarthy was sweeping the nation. It tells the story of heroic reporter Edward R. Murrow and producer Fred W. Friendly, who used their news show to stand up to McCarthy and remove his cancerous lies from the public eye. The film and its message remain incredibly relevant to today's political polarization.

#84. Il Divo (2008)

- Director: Paolo Sorrentino - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 110 minutes

"Il Divo" translates to "The Divine Performer," a fitting title for this 2008 film that explores the life of seven-time Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti, who had alleged ties to the Mafia. The story begins in 1992 as Andreotti is elected for the seventh time, then covers his failed presidency bid and bribe scandal, ultimately ending with his trial in 1995. The Guardian called the movie " a macabre masterpiece ."

#83. The General (1998)

- Director: John Boorman - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 124 minutes

Martin Cahill was an Irish criminal who managed to pull off two incredibly daring robberies (totaling about $60 million), a feat that turned him into a bit of a folk hero. " The General " tells the story of his life, including his murder by a member of the Irish Republican Army after he became involved in politics. While Cahill (played by Brendan Gleeson) was far from a good man, the 1998 movie will make you admire the way he stuck to his morals, even when they were questionable.

#82. Steve Jobs (2015)

- Director: Danny Boyle - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 7.2 - Runtime: 122 minutes

Since his death in 2011, there have been several movies and documentaries about Apple co-founder and tech guru Steve Jobs, but this 2015 biopic is among the best . Michael Fassbender brings the turtleneck-loving visionary to life in the film, which covers three different product launches that took place between 1984 and 1998. Unlike many other Jobs films, this movie also focuses on his relationship with his daughter, Lisa, whom he had with ex-girlfriend Chrisann Brennan and refused to support for many years, despite his massive wealth.

#81. Vincere (2009)

- Director: Marco Bellocchio - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 6.9 - Runtime: 128 minutes

Ida Dalser may be, in many ways, one of history's most important women, but her name and memory have largely been forgotten by the general public. Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's first wife and the mother of his son Benito Albino, Dasler financed a newspaper in which Mussolini shared and expounded on his political views, garnering support for his fascist platform. Although the film occasionally steps away from the facts of the story, it's still a wonderful primer for those who wish to know more about the rise of the politician and those who shaped him.

#80. Rush (2013)

- Director: Ron Howard - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 74 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 123 minutes

The first sports film on our list, " Rush " chronicles the 1970s rivalry between two of Formula One's best-known drivers, James Hunt and Niki Lauda. The real Lauda has publicly stated that the film holds true to the reality of their lives, in spite of the fact that it omits the close friendship the men shared later in life. It also received accolades for the accuracy with which it portrays F1 racing and culture.

#79. Control (2007)

- Director: Anton Corbijn - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 78 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 122 minutes

Joy Division's late singer Ian Curtis is the focus of this 2007 biopic co-produced by his widow, Deborah. The film chronicles the rise of the band as well as Ian and Deborah's relationship, his epilepsy diagnosis, and the fallout from his affair with journalist Annik Honore. Debuting at the Cannes Film Festival, the movie picked up several awards in the festival circuit and took home a British Academy Film Award.

#78. Missing (1982)

- Director: Costa-Gavras - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 78 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 122 minutes

In September 1973, American journalist Charles Horman disappeared during the Chilean coup that disposed of then-president Salvador Allende. " Missing " recounts the desperate search Charles' father and wife undertook to learn of his fate and their eventual realization that the United States government had not only aided the coup but had washed their hands of Horman. The Academy Award-winning drama stars Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek.

#77. Selma (2014)

- Director: Ava DuVernay - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 128 minutes

Ava DuVernay directed this historical film that chronicles the 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery that was led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, and Hosea Williams. Covering a three-month period leading up to the march, the film largely focuses on King's role in the events without discrediting the role the other leaders had in shaping this important piece of American history. The film features the Oscar-winning song "Glory" by John Legend and Common.

#76. The End of the Tour (2015)

- Director: James Ponsoldt - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 106 minutes

" The End of the Tour " tells the famous story of Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky's five-day interview with novelist David Foster Wallace. Based on Lipsky's 2011 book "Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself," the movie is set just after the release of Wallace's epic novel "Infinite Jest," when the duo set off on a road trip. Wallace's estate and many of his living friends objected to the film , saying that it didn't capture the famous writer as he really was.

#75. The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki (2016)

- Director: Juho Kuosmanen - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 83 - IMDb user rating: 7.2 - Runtime: 92 minutes

Immensely talented Finnish boxer Olli Maki has a shot at the World Featherweight title in 1962, something he's been training for his entire life. But when the small-town boy falls in love with a local girl named Raija, he begins to question his dedication to the brutal sport. " The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki ," Finland's entry for the 2016 Academy Awards, features a cameo from the retired fighter and won the Un Certain Regard prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

#74. Catch Me If You Can (2002)

- Director: Steven Spielberg - Stacker score: 85.2 - Metascore: 75 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 141 minutes

A runaway commercial success, " Catch Me If You Can " tells the stranger-than-fiction story of con man turned FBI assistant Frank Abagnale. The Steven Spielberg film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and is based on the con artist's 1980 book, grossed more than $352 million at the box office. Abagnale himself makes a cameo as the officer who arrests DiCaprio's character on Christmas Eve, 1969.

#73. Inherit the Wind (1960)

- Director: Stanley Kramer - Stacker score: 85.2 - Metascore: 75 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 128 minutes

While it changes the names of all of the key players, 1960's " Inherit the Wind " is clearly about the Scopes Monkey Trial, which argued the legality of teaching evolution over creationism. Based on the play of the same name, the film starred veteran actors Spencer Tracy, Gene Kelly, and Fredric March. In spite of the fact that the storyline of the film varies substantially from real-life events, it's had an outsized impact on the general public's opinion and beliefs about the case, inspiring debate over a biopic's obligation to stick to the hard facts of its topic.

#72. Glory (1989)

- Director: Edward Zwick - Stacker score: 85.2 - Metascore: 78 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 122 minutes

A stalwart of high school history classes, " Glory " tells the story of the first all-Black regiment in the Civil War, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. Starring big names like Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, and Morgan Freeman, the movie was an instant success with critics despite a middling performance at the box office. Historians agree that the film, which is based on Captain Robert Gould Shaw's personal letters, adheres pretty closely to the historical record.

#71. The Damned United (2009)

- Director: Tom Hooper - Stacker score: 85.2 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 98 minutes

"The Damned United" is another biopic whose adherence to real events is highly questionable . The film is based on a novel loosely inspired by Brian Clough's 44-day tenure as the manager of English football team Leeds United, and the Clough family has alleged that the film bears little resemblance to reality.

#70. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

- Director: Martin Scorsese - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 75 - IMDb user rating: 8.2 - Runtime: 180 minutes

It's no secret that Wall Street is full of would-be fraudsters and schemers, but few hold a candle to 1990s trader Jordan Belfort, whose company, Stratton Oakmont, engaged in corruption and fraud at never-before-seen levels. Martin Scorsese's smash hit " The Wolf of Wall Street " tells the true story of the unparalleled misconduct laid bare in Belfort's memoir of the same name. An awards season darling, the movie was nominated for five Oscars and won a Golden Globe for star Leonardo DiCaprio.

#69. Pride (2014)

- Director: Matthew Warchus - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 79 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 119 minutes

One of history's more unlikely events, the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners campaign is chronicled in the British drama " Pride ." In the 1980s, both the U.K.'s LGBTQ+ community and its coal miners were being threatened by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her Conservative Party, a fact that inspired them to join together and fight for their rights, an unlikely alliance that paid off for both groups. This film would make an excellent watch for those interested in lesser-known corners of history.

#68. The Fighter (2010)

- Director: David O. Russell - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 79 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 116 minutes

Junior welterweight boxer "Irish" Micky Ward fights his way out from under the shadow of his older, more successful, and troubled brother Dicky Eklund in the sports drama " The Fighter ." The intense flick contains some extraordinary acting, as Mark Wahlberg shines as Micky, while Christian Bale and Amy Adams give Oscar-winning turns as brother Dicky and girlfriend Charlene, respectively.

#67. Frost/Nixon (2008)

- Director: Ron Howard - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 122 minutes

In 1977, three years after he left office, former President Richard Nixon agreed to a single, tell-all interview with British television personality David Frost. It is assumed that Nixon thought he'd be able to outfox the Brit, but he eventually found himself backed into a corner by questions about the Watergate scandal. This 2008 film tells the whole story of the legendary Frost-Nixon interviews and was based on a stage play of the same name, which also starred Frank Langella (Nixon) and Michael Sheen (Frost).

#66. 127 Hours (2010)

- Director: Danny Boyle - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 94 minutes

Academy Award winner Danny Boyle directed "127 Hours," an intense film about a hiker named Aron Ralston who found himself trapped by a boulder in a remote canyon in Utah. Over the course of his ordeal, Ralston examines his life and finds that he is willing to do whatever it takes to escape—even if it means cutting off his own arm. The real-life Ralston (played by James Franco) has said that the movie is incredibly true to his harrowing experience, if a little less gruesome .

#65. First Man (2018)

- Director: Damien Chazelle - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 141 minutes

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. This drama chronicles the decade of Armstrong's life leading to that historical moment, including the loss of his daughter and much of his intense training. Ryan Gosling stars in the film, which was nominated for major awards at the Golden Globes, Academy Awards, Critics Choice Awards, and British Academy Film Awards.

#64. Before Night Falls (2000)

- Director: Julian Schnabel - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 7.2 - Runtime: 133 minutes

An episodic look at the life of Cuban poet, novelist, and Castro supporter-turned-critic Reinaldo Arenas, " Before Night Falls " was based on the man's own autobiography. An openly gay man, Arenas spent much of his life under careful watch by the government and did several stints in jail before managing to escape to the United States in 1980, where he'd eventually die of AIDS. Javier Bardem and Johnny Depp both have leading roles in this visually arresting picture.

#63. Il Postino (1994)

- Directors: Michael Radford, Massimo Troisi - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 108 minutes

A fictional tale peppered with facts, "Il Postino" follows the friendship that develops between a lowly Italian postman and the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, who has been exiled from his home country for political reasons. Massimo Troisi, who played the postman, died of a heart attack the day after the film wrapped and was never able to bask in its critical and commercial success. He was, however, awarded a posthumous Oscar for his work.

#62. Hunger (2008)

- Director: Steve McQueen - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Runtime: 96 minutes

A dramatic retelling of the hunger strike that took place in Northern Ireland's Maze Prison in 1981, " Hunger " follows the final days and death of Bobby Sands, an IRA member and the first prisoner to die in the strike. By turns unflinching and abstract, the film won the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Steve McQueen directed the intense, harrowing picture, with Michael Fassbender starring as Sands.

#61. Henry V (1989)

- Director: Kenneth Branagh - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 83 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 137 minutes

Shakespeare's classic historical play " Henry V '' was brought to the screen in this 1989 film. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also stars as the king, the movie chronicles the events of the 15th-century Battle of Agincourt, in which the English continued their Hundred Years' War against the French.

#60. BlacKkKlansman (2018)

- Director: Spike Lee - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 83 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 135 minutes

In another stranger-than-fiction tale, African American detective Ron Stallworth infiltrated a Colorado Springs branch of the Ku Klux Klan in the late 1970s. Wowed by Stallworth's story , Spike Lee set out to bring it to life, casting John David Washington as the young detective, Adam Driver as his Jewish colleague assisting in the sting, and Topher Grace as Grand Wizard David Duke. The finished project was widely praised by critics and won several prestigious awards, including Cannes' Grand Prix and the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

#59. Seraphine (2008)

- Director: Martin Provost - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 125 minutes

A self-taught French painter who holds down a day job as a housekeeper and walks the line between genius and mentally ill is the subject of this 2008 French film. Today, Seraphine Louis' works hang in museums around the world, but her life was far from a happy one, and she died in the early 20th century in a mental institution, destitute and alone. This simple, subtle biopic, which stars Yolande Moreau, won seven Cesars (the French equivalent of the Academy Award).

#58. 24 Hour Party People (2002)

- Director: Michael Winterbottom - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 117 minutes

In the 1970s, Tony Wilson established Factory Records , which signed bands like Joy Division and the Happy Mondays and sparked a musical revolution, eventually leading to the development of the legendary Hacienda dance club in Manchester, England. A blend of real events, newsreel footage, urban legends, and completely fictional tidbits, this movie expertly tells the raucous story of a man, city, and movement that made up the rules as they went along.

#57. Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

- Director: Marielle Heller - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.1 - Runtime: 106 minutes

Melissa McCarthy stepped away from her typical comedic roles in " Can You Ever Forgive Me? " She plays Lee Israel, a failing writer who tries to revitalize her career by selling forged letters from dead celebrities. While the movie certainly has funny moments, it's a true crime tale that features an unlikable heroine, a gamble that paid off when McCarthy and co-star Richard E. Grant were nominated for their performances at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes.

#56. The Elephant Man (1980)

- Director: David Lynch - Stacker score: 86.9 - Metascore: 78 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 124 minutes

Set in Victorian London, " The Elephant Man " chronicles the relationship that formed between a surgeon named Dr. Frederick Treves and John Merrick, a severely disfigured man who earns his living as a freak-show performer called the Elephant Man. Adapted from two different books, one written by Treves himself, the story garnered praise for the way it handled disability and difference. It also inspired the creation of the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling after industry insiders complained that the film's incredible work wasn't given enough recognition.

#55. Gandhi (1982)

- Director: Richard Attenborough - Stacker score: 86.9 - Metascore: 79 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 191 minutes

The life of civil rights leader Mahatma Gandhi has been portrayed in numerous ways via several media since his death in 1948, but perhaps never as movingly as in this 1982 biopic. The story begins with Gandhi being thrown off a South African train in 1893 and concludes with his assassination some 55 years later. Ben Kingsley played Gandhi and won an Academy Award (one of eight the film took home) for his efforts.

#54. Milk (2008)

- Director: Gus Van Sant - Stacker score: 86.9 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 128 minutes

The life of an openly gay activist who becomes the first LGBTQ+ person elected to public office in California is the subject of " Milk ." Using archival footage of Harvey Milk's life, the movie covers the time period from Milk's 40th birthday until his shocking assassination in 1978. Sean Penn's performance as the title character was awe-inspiring and earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor.

#53. The Long Day Closes (1992)

- Director: Terence Davies - Stacker score: 86.9 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 85 minutes

Terence Davies' autobiographical film follows a boy named Bud as he comes of age in 1950s Liverpool, fearing the ever-present eye of the Catholic Church and realizing both his love for cinema and his homosexuality. The film doesn't follow a straightforward narrative but rather jumps back-and-forth through time, infusing each moment with precisely chosen pieces of popular music and cinema.

#52. Lincoln (2012)

- Director: Steven Spielberg - Stacker score: 86.9 - Metascore: 86 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 150 minutes

The final four months of U.S. president Abraham Lincoln's life are explored in detail in Steven Spielberg's 2012 historical smash "Lincoln." Starring Daniel Day-Lewis as the gentle, gangly leader, it primarily focuses on Lincoln's determination to abolish slavery and pass the 13th Amendment. Sally Field co-stars as Mary Todd Lincoln, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the 16th president's son, Robert. The movie was nominated for 12 Academy Awards, winning two, including Best Actor for Day-Lewis.

#51. Hotel Rwanda (2004)

- Director: Terry George - Stacker score: 87.4 - Metascore: 79 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 121 minutes

Tackling tough topics like genocide, violence, and political corruption, " Hotel Rwanda " is set during the Rwandan genocide of 1994, when members of the Tutsi ethnic group were hunted down and murdered by armed militias. The movie brings to life the true story of a hotel manager named Paul Rusesabagina, a Hutu who offers shelter to over 1,000 Tutsis in the Hotel des Mille Collines. While the Academy Award-winning film finishes on a relatively happy note, real life wasn't so kind: In late 2020, the real Rusesabagina was charged with "terrorism, complicity in murder, and forming an armed rebel group" by a Rwandan court.

#50. Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

- Director: Jean-Marc Vallée - Stacker score: 87.4 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 117 minutes

Ronald Woodroof was a womanizing, drug-using, homophobic electrician from Texas living a carefree life when his doctor announced that he had HIV/AIDS and would likely die in 30 days. After researching his illness, Woodroof uncovered an experimental drug that would potentially prolong his life and established the Dallas Buyers Club, whose mission was to import the drug from Mexico so that it could be easily accessible to everyone who needed it. Along the way, Woodroof (played by Matthew McConaughey in an Oscar-winning performance) became a compassionate friend and advocate for the legal rights of those with the disease.

#49. Captain Phillips (2013)

- Director: Paul Greengrass - Stacker score: 87.4 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 134 minutes

In 2009, for the first time in 200 years, a U.S. container ship was hijacked by a group of Somali pirates some 145 miles off the Somali coast. This thriller, inspired by those events , stars Tom Hanks as the American captain of the ship and chronicles the tense relationship that develops between him and the pirate captain who holds him hostage, played by newcomer Barkhad Abdi. While Hanks' character is hailed as a hero in the film, the real-life crew of the ship argues that this wasn't the case in reality.

#48. Fruitvale Station (2013)

- Director: Ryan Coogler - Stacker score: 87.4 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 85 minutes

" Fruitvale Station " tells the true story of Oscar Grant, a Bay Area resident and young Black man who was killed by Oakland Police officers on New Year's Eve 2008. His murder would inspire protests and unrest in the California town, events that fall outside the scope of this film but testify to the heated controversy of the incident. Michael B. Jordan stars in the movie, which made its debut at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and collected a number of prizes there and elsewhere.

#47. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)

- Director: Paul Schrader - Stacker score: 88 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 120 minutes

Inspired by the life of Japanese author Yukio Mishima , this biopic freely weaves fact, fiction, and portions of Mishima's own writing to create a stunning picture of the artist's life and death. Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas worked as executive producers on the film, which earned director Paul Schrader a special prize at Cannes.

#46. The Wind Rises (2013)

- Director: Hayao Miyazaki - Stacker score: 88 - Metascore: 83 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 126 minutes

The first animated movie on this list, " The Wind Rises " follows the life of Jiro Horikoshi, the designer of several of Japan's fighter planes during World War II. The anime film by Studio Ghibli became Japan's highest-grossing film in 2013, bringing in $116.1 million at the domestic box office. It was widely appreciated outside of Japan as well, winning Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and other animation prizes.

#45. Boys Don't Cry (1999)

- Director: Kimberly Peirce - Stacker score: 88 - Metascore: 86 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 118 minutes

Brandon Teena was a trans man from rural Nebraska who was passionately in pursuit of his true self and true love before becoming the victim of a vicious hate crime perpetrated by two male acquaintances. " Boys Don't Cry " is a harrowing depiction of Teena's fate starring Hillary Swank and featuring Chloe Sevigny as Teena's girlfriend, Lana. While the movie was critically acclaimed, several people with links to the case, including the real Lana (who has been alleged to have been a part of the hate crime) have spoken out against it, saying that the on-screen story doesn't match the facts.

#44. Capote (2005)

- Director: Bennett Miller - Stacker score: 88 - Metascore: 88 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 114 minutes

Philip Seymour Hoffman won multiple awards, including an Oscar, for his portrayal of author Truman Capote in this 2005 biopic . The events of the film center around the time period in which Capote was writing "In Cold Blood" and include the friendship he developed with Perry Smith, one of the killers who is on death row. The movie marked Bennet Miller's directorial debut.

#43. The Madness of King George (1994)

- Director: Nicholas Hytner - Stacker score: 88 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 7.2 - Runtime: 110 minutes

It is believed that King George III suffered from mental illness, a malady highly misunderstood in 1788 but that drove him to act erratically and rendered him unfit to rule a country. " The Madness of King George " focuses on the monarch's decline as well as the troubled relationship he shared with his son, the Prince of Wales. Rupert Graves and Helen Mirren both lent their talents to the acclaimed British production.

#42. Ford v Ferrari (2019)

- Director: James Mangold - Stacker score: 88.5 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 152 minutes

In "Ford v Ferrari," American car designer Carroll Shelby and fearless British driver Ken Miles come together under the Ford Motor Company banner with hopes of defeating the dominant Ferrari racing team at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France. The movie, which tells the twisty story of the most bitter rivalry in auto racing history, stars Matt Damon and Christian Bale as Shelby and Miles, respectively.

#41. The Insider (1999)

- Director: Michael Mann - Stacker score: 88.5 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 157 minutes

An industry insider appears on a "60-Minutes" expose on Big Tobacco, risking his own safety as well as the safety of his CBS producer in " The Insider ". Accurate in its broad strokes, the film demonstrates the influence of journalism as well as the power of those who choose to stand up for what's right. Director Michael Mann martialed an abundance of star power for this intense drama, casting Al Pacino, Russell Crowe, and Christopher Plummer in leading roles.

#40. Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)

- Director: Michael Apted - Stacker score: 88.5 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 124 minutes

Based on country music star Loretta Lynn's biography, " Coal Miner's Daughter " spans from Lynn's birth into poverty and marriage at 13 to her emergence as one of the genre's leading voices. Sissy Spacek, who plays Lynn, accompanied the singer on tour in order to better embody the country queen's mannerisms and demeanor—a move that paid off when she won the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance.

#39. Richard III (1955)

- Director: Laurence Olivier - Stacker score: 88.5 - Metascore: 88 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 161 minutes

Another adaptation of a Shakespeare play, " Richard III " famously relates how and why Richard, Duke of Gloucester, stole the crown from his brother, King Edward IV. One of three films directed by Laurence Olivier to bring Shakespeare's work to the screen, the Criterion Collection deems it "ravishing" and "visually inspired."

#38. Mr. Turner (2014)

- Director: Mike Leigh - Stacker score: 88.5 - Metascore: 94 - IMDb user rating: 6.8 - Runtime: 150 minutes

The story of the last 25 years in the life of the talented, eccentric Romantic painter J.M.W. Turner (played by Timothy Spall) is explored in this drama. The New York Times described Mike Leigh's portrait as "loving" and "unsentimental," one that "patiently and thoroughly demolishes more than a century's worth of mythology about what art is and how artists work."

#37. Argo (2012)

- Director: Ben Affleck - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 86 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 120 minutes

No movie emphasizes the power of Hollywood quite like "Argo," which tells the story of a harebrained CIA scheme that sought to rescue six American diplomats from Iran (during the Iran hostage crisis) under the guise of shooting a science fiction movie. Based on the real-life accounts of the CIA operative Tony Mendez in his book "The Master of Disguise," the movie stars Ben Affleck, who also directs. 

#36. Moneyball (2011)

- Director: Bennett Miller - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Runtime: 133 minutes

Professional sports are as much games of money as they are of talent, which means that the poorest teams are often the least competitive. One exception is the 2002 Oakland Athletics baseball team. " Moneyball " tells the truly impressive story of A's general manager Billy Beane, who uses statistical data to scout and pick players, creating an aggressively competitive team despite having the lowest salary constraints in Major League Baseball.

#35. Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)

- Director: Steven Zaillian - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 109 minutes

" Searching for Bobby Fischer " focuses on Josh Waitzkin, a 7-year-old chess prodigy who loses his love for the game under a ruthless and strict coach, then finds it again with a much more relaxed tutor. Based on a book written by Waitzkin's father, the movie struck Roger Ebert as "a film of remarkable sensitivity and insight" and was nominated for an Academy Award for its Best Cinematography.

#34. Funny Girl (1968)

- Director: William Wyler - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 151 minutes

Loosely based on the life and career of Broadway star Fanny Brice and her relationship with Nicky Arnstein, "Funny Girl" was the highest-grossing film of 1968 . Barbra Streisand, in her feature film debut, won an Oscar for her portrayal of Brice.  

#33. The Tale (2018)

- Director: Jennifer Fox - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 90 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 114 minutes

Jennifer Fox's semiautobiographical " The Tale " explores long-buried, darker aspects of her relationships with two of her childhood coaches, which came to light as she worked on a documentary about child rape victims. Laura Dern stars as Fox in the movie, which made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival before receiving a wider release on HBO.

#32. Topsy-Turvy (1999)

- Director: Mike Leigh - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 90 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 160 minutes

The musical " Topsy-Turvy " depicts the relationship between Victorian-era theatrical partners Sir Arthur Sullivan and W.S. Gilbert. After their show "Princess Ida" flops, the duo consider going their separate ways but agree to complete at least one more production, "The Mikado," which ends up becoming one of their greatest successes. An unexpectedly delightful period piece, the movie explores the difficult reality of the creative professions.

#31. Downfall (2004)

- Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 8.2 - Runtime: 156 minutes

Set during WWII's Battle of Berlin, " Downfall " recounts Adolf Hitler's final days, spent in a bunker miles below the city. Based on a memoir by Traudl Junge, a secretary for Hitler, the movie brings Hitler's mental decline, which Junge observed firsthand, to life in a way few others have ever been able to. The movie sparked a serious conversation about the moral and ethical questions involved in portraying Hitler, one of the most monstrous villains in world history, with even a hint of humanity.

#30. The Miracle Worker (1962)

- Director: Arthur Penn - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 83 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 106 minutes

Annie Sullivan, a "half-blind Yankee schoolgirl," manages to teach the deaf, blind, and mute Helen Keller how to communicate in " The Miracle Worker ." An instant critical success in 1962, both Anne Bancroft, who played Annie Sullivan, and Patty Duke, who played Helen Keller, took home Academy Awards for their performances. The movie was adapted from the Broadway play of the same name, which also starred the same actresses.

#29. All the President's Men (1976)

- Director: Alan J. Pakula - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 138 minutes

The dramatic events surrounding Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's unveiling of the Watergate scandal lie at the center of " All the President's Men ." The award-winning political thriller was based on the 1974 book of the same name written by the two journalists, portrayed by Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman, respectively.

#28. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

- Director: Arthur Penn - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 86 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 111 minutes

Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway bring America's most notorious crime couple to life in this 1967 telling of the Bonnie and Clyde story. A landmark film and one of the first of the New Hollywood era, the movie became famous for the groundbreakingly realistic way it depicted violence and sex, something that wasn't done in cinema at the time. Upon its release, Roger Ebert even predicted that it will come to be seen as the "definitive film of the 1960s."

#27. Shine (1996)

- Director: Scott Hicks - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 105 minutes

Geoffrey Rush's breakout role was as pianist David Helfgott in the Australian drama "Shine." Rush's depiction of the musician, who was afflicted by schizophrenic disorder and spent years living in institutions, won him an Oscar and launched a successful, decades-long career. While the film was a critical success, Helfgott's real-life siblings were more divided in their reception of it, with one actively campaigning against it and the other two happy with its portrayal of their sibling and his tumultuous family life.

#26. Serpico (1973)

- Director: Sidney Lumet - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 130 minutes

In " Serpico ," a New York City cop blows the whistle on the corruption that runs rampant within the NYPD, which prompts an investigation by the Knapp Commission. Al Pacino plays Frank Serpico , who in real life experienced ostracization and hate from those both inside and outside the force, and saw his act as shameful rather than heroic.

#25. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

- Director: Frank Lloyd - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 132 minutes

One of the biggest hits of the 1930s, " Mutiny on the Bounty " may not be historically accurate, but it sure is fun to watch. The movie retraces the classic tale of the HMS Bounty, whose first mate (played by Clark Gable) launches a mutiny against the tyrannical Captain Bligh (Charles Laughton) on an 18th-century voyage from Tahiti. The movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1935.

#24. American Splendor (2003)

- Directors: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 90 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 101 minutes

A blend of documentary, animation, and live action, as well as fact and fiction, " American Splendor " relays the complicated story of Harvey Pekar, the creator of the titular comic book series. In spite of its complicated-sounding setup, the film is a mesmerizing, absorbing watch full of delightful details. Paul Giamatti plays Pekar and Hope Davis his wife, Joyce—except when the real-life couple steps in for various scenes.

#23. The Queen (2006)

- Director: Stephen Frears - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 91 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 103 minutes

Beginning with the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, " The Queen " depicts Elizabeth II's struggle to publicly react to the news appropriately, as she realizes just how drastically the culture of her country has shifted, leaving her without a clear role. Helen Mirren won an Oscar and received exorbitant praise for her performance in the leading role, with the Queen herself praising her work and inviting her to dinner .

#22. In the Name of the Father (1993)

- Director: Jim Sheridan - Stacker score: 90.2 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 133 minutes

The Guildford Four were a group of men who were wrongly convicted of the politically motivated 1974 Guildford pub bombings that killed several people. " In the Name of the Father " explores this complicated story and the way it impacted the lives of the four men, as well as those of others connected to them. Daniel Day-Lewis turns in an impressive early performance as one of the accused, Gerry Conlon, whose autobiography " Proved Innocent " provides the basis for the film.

#21. Reversal of Fortune (1990)

- Director: Barbet Schroeder - Stacker score: 90.2 - Metascore: 93 - IMDb user rating: 7.2 - Runtime: 111 minutes

A courtroom drama, " Reversal of Fortune " follows the real-life case of Claus von Bulow, a wealthy husband accused of trying to murder his socialite wife by giving her an overdose of insulin. Told from the perspective of the husband's lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, who struggles with his own questions of the husband's innocence, the film's smart script was derived primarily from Dershowitz's memoir. The film stars Glenn Close, Jeremy Irons, and Ron Silver.

#20. Spartacus (1960)

- Director: Stanley Kubrick - Stacker score: 90.7 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 197 minutes

Hailed as an intellectual epic, " Spartacus " features a hero who is denied a typical victory and is instead consoled with the promise that his ideas will survive in his stead. The down-ending movie is about a Thracian slave who leads a violent revolt against the Roman Empire but ends up paying dearly for his actions. Although a huge moneymaker for Universal Studios and a critical success, director Stanley Kubrick hated the film and never included it in his canon.

#19. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

- Director: Michael Curtiz - Stacker score: 90.7 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 126 minutes

George M. Cohan was one of Broadway's biggest stars, a playwright, composer, actor, dancer, and singer who wrote his own shows in the earliest years of the 20th century. "Yankee Doodle Dandy" is a musical that honors the performer's life, though it strays pretty far from the truth despite Cohan himself briefly serving as a consultant.

#18. The Favourite (2018)

- Director: Yorgos Lanthimos - Stacker score: 90.7 - Metascore: 91 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 119 minutes

A multiple award-winner and a box-office smash, "The Favorite" follows the rivalry between two cousins, Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, and Abigail Masham, a lady's maid, who are vying for the position of Queen Anne's court favorite. While some of the film's historical accuracy has been questioned, including the sexual and romantic relationships that exist between the women, the broad strokes of the film are certainly true to life. Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone star in the period black comedy.

#17. Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)

- Director: John Ford - Stacker score: 91.3 - Metascore: 91 - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Runtime: 100 minutes

The second film on the list about Abraham Lincoln, "Young Mr. Lincoln" focuses on the early years of the 16th president's life, rather than his final months. The first collaboration between John Ford and lead Henry Fonda, the movie focuses on a definitive court case (the "Almanac Trial") in which the novice lawyer finds himself wrapped up, laying the groundwork for the philosophy and morality which would guide him as one of American history's most important figures.

#16. Quiz Show (1994)

- Director: Robert Redford - Stacker score: 91.3 - Metascore: 92 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 133 minutes

Robert Redford directed the docudrama set in the 1950s about a young lawyer who discovers that quiz shows like "Twenty-One" are being fixed and begins to investigate, focusing on two former contestants, a working-class Jewish man from Queens and a member of one of America's leading literary families. A critical success, the movie was a commercial failure when it was released in 1994.

#15. The King's Speech (2010)

- Director: Tom Hooper - Stacker score: 91.8 - Metascore: 88 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 118 minutes

"The King's Speech" tells the story of the friendship that existed between King George VI and his speech therapist, who helped the king overcome his stutter so that he could face his subjects with confidence. Earning nominations for almost every existing award, the star-studded film was far and away one of the biggest hits of 2010.

#14. In Cold Blood (1967)

- Director: Richard Brooks - Stacker score: 91.8 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 134 minutes

Based on Truman Capote's novel of the same name, "In Cold Blood" follows two drifters who murder an entire family in a robbery gone wrong. Described as a filmmaking masterclass, the movie boasts "clinically precise editing," according to the Criterion Collection, as well as evocative black-and-white cinematography and authentic, unshowy performances.

#13. The Pianist (2002)

- Director: Roman Polanski - Stacker score: 92.9 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 8.5 - Runtime: 150 minutes

Holocaust survivor Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish-Jewish pianist and composer, wrote his life story in "The Pianist," which became the basis for this Roman Polanski film. As the lead in this incredibly intense story, lead actor Adrien Brody said in 2017 that he was still recovering from the emotional toll of the story, 15 years after its release. Still, the award-winning movie is an important watch for those who seek to understand just how much the Holocaust and its aftermath shaped the world.

#12. Persepolis (2007)

- Directors: Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi - Stacker score: 92.9 - Metascore: 90 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 96 minutes

"Persepolis" is the story of an outspoken teenage girl named Marji who comes of age during the Iranian Revolution. Simple in an elegant way, the film was based on a series of graphic novels Marjane Satrapi wrote about her life. Making its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, "Persepolis" was a co-winner of the Jury Prize.

#11. Patton (1970)

- Director: Franklin J. Schaffner - Stacker score: 92.9 - Metascore: 91 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 172 minutes

Famous and controversial WWII tank commander Gen. George S. Patton is the subject of this 1970s biopic, which remains among the most iconic movies ever made. George C. Scott took on the role of Patton and won an Academy Award for it (one of seven the picture took home). The film was in the works for several years before production went underway, as the United States Department of Defense was not keen on signing off on the project.

#10. Amadeus (1984)

- Director: Milos Forman - Stacker score: 93.4 - Metascore: 88 - IMDb user rating: 8.3 - Runtime: 160 minutes

The premise of "Amadeus" hinges on a fictional rivalry between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Italian composer Antonio Salieri. Though the beef between the two is contrived, the details of Mozart's life that are woven into the film are, by and large, true. Accuracy aside, the film was quickly regarded as a classic and ended up winning eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

#9. Raging Bull (1980)

- Director: Martin Scorsese - Stacker score: 93.4 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 8.2 - Runtime: 129 minutes

Martin Scorsese's "Raging Bull" tells the story of prizefighter Jake LaMotta's rise and fall. The athlete's obsessive rage and animalistic appetite led him to incredible victories within the ring but destroyed almost every aspect of his life outside it. While initially a bit of a critical and commercial flop, the movie has come to be considered Scorsese's magnum opus.

#8. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

- Directors: Julian Schnabel, Laura Obiols - Stacker score: 94 - Metascore: 92 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 112 minutes

In "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby suffers a massive stroke that leaves him with locked-in syndrome, a condition where almost all the muscles in his body are paralyzed except for his left eye. The French film, based on Bauby's memoir, was called "a poignant reflection on what it means to be alive" by Empire's Alan Morrison .

#7. The Social Network (2010)

- Director: David Fincher - Stacker score: 94 - Metascore: 95 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 120 minutes

Before Facebook became a dominant force in our lives and culture, monitoring our every move, it was a way for college students to connect and make new friends. "The Social Network" tells the story of the platform's early years, including the not-so-honorable moves of co-founder Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg). A critical and commercial success, the film was named one of the best films of 2010.

#6. The Irishman (2019)

- Director: Martin Scorsese - Stacker score: 94.5 - Metascore: 94 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 209 minutes

Scorsese strikes again with "The Irishman," a gangster movie based on the book "I Heard You Paint Houses" about former mafia hitman Frank Sheeran. The film brings together some of the gangster genre's biggest heavyweights—Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, and Harvey Keitel—who earned a host of accolades for their collective work. The film was released on Netflix in late 2019.

#5. My Left Foot (1989)

- Director: Jim Sheridan - Stacker score: 96.2 - Metascore: 97 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 103 minutes

Christy Brown was an Irishman born with cerebral palsy and was only able to control a single limb, his left foot. Despite his substantial physical disabilities, Brown learned how to paint and write with his foot, providing an unlikely outlet for his creativity. Daniel Day-Lewis brings the cantankerous artist to life in this Oscar-nominated film based on Brown's memoir.

#4. Goodfellas (1990)

- Director: Martin Scorsese - Stacker score: 96.7 - Metascore: 90 - IMDb user rating: 8.7 - Runtime: 146 minutes

The final Martin Scorsese picture on our list and one of the best-loved gangster films of all time, "Goodfellas" chronicles the true-life story of Henry Hill, a small-time mobster turned informant. Starring frequent Scorsese collaborator Rober De Niro as well as Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci, the movie is based on crime reporter Nicholas Pileggi's book "Wiseguy" and is widely considered one of the highest artistic peaks of Scorsese's career.

#3. 12 Years a Slave (2013)

- Director: Steve McQueen - Stacker score: 96.7 - Metascore: 96 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 134 minutes

Solomon Northup was a New York-born free Black man who was kidnapped into slavery in 1841 and spent 12 years enslaved on plantations in Louisiana before being released. "12 Years a Slave," a realistic and violent depiction of Northup's experience, was based on his memoirs. The award-winning movie did what many before it failed to do: it demolished, once and for all, the idea that slavery was anything but a horrific, unjust, and unfair practice whose sins remain in America to this day.

#2. Schindler's List (1993)

- Director: Steven Spielberg - Stacker score: 100 - Metascore: 94 - IMDb user rating: 8.9 - Runtime: 195 minutes

A success on every level, Steven Spielberg's Holocaust masterpiece "Schindler's List" is, at its heart, two parallel character studies. On the one hand, there's Amon Goeth (played by Ralph Fiennes), a purely evil psychopath, and on the other Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), a greedy businessman turned unlikely humanitarian. Haunting and powerful, the film insists that goodness and truth can prevail, even in some of humanity's darkest moments.

#1. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

- Director: David Lean - Stacker score: 100 - Metascore: 100 - IMDb user rating: 8.3 - Runtime: 228 minutes

The best biopic of all time? This 1962 epic chronicling the life of British Lieutenant T.E. Lawrence, who's tasked with serving as a liaison between Prince Faisal and the British government during their fight against the Turks. Earning 10 Oscar nominations, the movie is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential films in cinematic history . Still, there are always haters: Lawrence's brother A.W. reportedly hated the film so much that he refused to let David Lean use the title of T.E.'s memoir, " Seven Pillars of Wisdom. "

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  • Biography Movies
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The 15 Best Biography Movies About Actors and Actresses

top 5 biography movies

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Biography movies (also known as biopics) come in all kinds of flavors, but most of them tend to be focused on musicians, politicians, soldiers, and geniuses. What about actors?

Even though Hollywood loves making movies about itself, the majority of them are fictional. If you dig around a bit, however, you'll find several great biography films about real actors and actresses.

Here are my picks for the best biographical movies that give a peek into the Hollywood industry, where famous actors toil behind the scenes with work, love, heartbreak, family, and addiction.

15. Mommie Dearest (1981)

top 5 biography movies

Directed by Frank Perry

Starring Faye Dunaway, Diana Scarwid, Steve Forrest

Biography, Drama (2h 9m)

6.6 on IMDb — 48% on RT

A quick Google search might show you that Mommie Dearest is considered one of the worst films ever made, but hear us out! For this movie to be labeled so extremely is proof of its lasting impact.

In fact, Mommie Dearest is so bad that it's good—if you watch it as a comedy rather than a drama—even if lead actress Faye Dunaway still regrets taking the part, haunted by the soul of Joan Crawford who's "just hanging around... as if she couldn't rest."

While Mommie Dearest doesn't show Crawford's whole life, it does show the part where she becomes an abusive, controlling mother. And while her daughter Christiana has said that Joan deserved to go to jail, even she found Frank Perry's depiction over the top...

14. Blonde (2022)

top 5 biography movies

Directed by Andrew Dominik

Starring Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale

Drama, History (2h 47m)

5.5 on IMDb — 42% on RT

Everybody was excited for the release of Blonde . The crisp black-and white shots, the vintage square ratio, and the illustrious Ana de Armas promised a stylish biopic of the legendary Marilyn Monroe.

Although director Andrew Dominik didn't quite meet expectations, Blonde is still a refreshingly unconventional biography that's held together by visual prowess and keen acting from Armas.

Critics were mainly divided on Blonde 's fictionalization of true events. Although it certainly kept things interesting, some found the filled-in gaps of Monroe's memoirs to be exploitative.

top 5 biography movies

13. The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004)

top 5 biography movies

Directed by Stephen Hopkins

Starring Geoffrey Rush, Charlize Theron, Emily Watson

Biography, Comedy, Drama (2h 2m)

6.9 on IMDb — 69% on RT

Peter Sellers was an English actor known for his caricature style of comedy, often embodying more than one role at a time (which he did in Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove ).

Sellers is most famous for portraying the clumsy French detective in The Pink Panther movies. His specific techniques made him a master of comedic timing, parody, and improvisation, although we won't condone his use of brownface in The Party .

Years later, Geoffrey Rush embodied Peter Sellers in Stephen Hopkins's TV movie The Life and Death of Peter Sellers . It might not capture the entirety of Peter Sellers's creative genius, but it does give us a curious look behind closed doors.

12. Mahanati (2018)

top 5 biography movies

Directed by Nag Ashwin

Starring Keerthy Suresh, Dulquer Salmaan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu

Biography, Drama (2h 57m)

8.4 on IMDb — 100% on RT

There's more to Indian cinema than just Bollywood. Mahanati is much closer to the narrative arcs we see in Western biopics: a rise to fame, a complicated love life, then alcoholism, illness, bankruptcy, and fall.

However, Nag Ashwin doesn't present us with just another rise-and-fall story. Instead of reducing actress Savitri to her struggles, she's celebrated and enlivened through popping colors and an acclaimed central performance from Keerthy Suresh.

Mahanati was a dazzling success, not just in India but across the globe (even if the runtime is a tad lengthy). The film isn't perfect, but the good parts were great enough to earn it multiple awards.

11. Life (2015)

top 5 biography movies

Directed by Anton Corbijn

Starring Robert Pattinson, Dane DeHaan, Joel Edgerton

Biography, Drama (1h 51m)

6.0 on IMDb — 64% on RT

Director Anton Corbijn offers a small snippet into the life of James Dean, who was basically the male equivalent of Marilyn Monroe in the 1950s.

The first James Dean biography movie on our list, Life centers on Dennis Stock (Robert Pattinson), a photographer for LIFE Magazine. We get to see how his iconic photoshoot of James Dean came about, with Dean himself played by Dane DeHaan.

Like those actual photos—which are cleverly woven into the film— Life is an artistic sliver of Dean's life, with poetic narrations and a bang-on performance by DeHaan as the sensitive, soft-spoken, chain-smoking rebel without a cause.

top 5 biography movies

10. My Week With Marilyn (2011)

top 5 biography movies

Directed by Simon Curtis

Starring Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Kenneth Branagh

Biography, Drama (1h 39m)

6.9 on IMDb — 83% on RT

My Week With Marilyn depicts one segment of Marilyn Monroe's glamorous life: the time when she was visiting London with her famous playwright husband Arthur Miller.

She was there to film The Prince and the Showgirl but kept forgetting her lines and leaving the set. She couldn't connect to her character or her husband, so she confided in fresh-faced Oxford graduate Colin—one of many men who got to spend a week with Marilyn Monroe.

Michelle Williams and Eddie Redmayne star as the unexpected couple, taking in the British sights alongside Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Emma Watson, and Dominic Cooper.

9. Elvis (2022)

top 5 biography movies

Directed by Baz Luhrmann

Starring Tom Hanks, Austin Butler, Olivia DeJonge

Biography, Drama, Music (2h 39m)

7.3 on IMDb — 77% on RT

Elvis Presley was obviously more of a musician than an actor, but he starred in more films than pretty much anyone else on this list. After all, he was first and foremost a performer (which is why he was taken in by circus huckster Colonel Tom Parker).

After breaking racial barriers and rocketing to stardom, Elvis naturally transitioned to Hollywood and churned out an impressive 31 movies that started out as fun but gradually ended up soulless.

Austin Butler embodies the King of Rock in Baz Luhrmann's biopic that's even more glittery than Presley's outfits. We see the light fade from his eyes as he fake-surfs through various movie productions, pill-popping his career away to a hotel prison sentence.

top 5 biography movies

8. Frances (1982)

top 5 biography movies

Directed by Graeme Clifford

Starring Jessica Lange, Sam Shepard, Kim Stanley

Biography, Drama, Romance (2h 20m)

7.2 on IMDb — 67% on RT

Frances Farmer was one of those celebrities who was more famous for her private life than her professional one. The American actress appeared in a string of movies during the 1930s, but her hospitalization was the main thing to reach headlines.

Jessica Lange gives a driven performance as Frances, who was a controversial figure since childhood. As a kid, she wrote anti-God essays. As an adult, she refused to play the Hollywood game.

Frances cheats, drinks, refuses to wear makeup on screen, and is eventually committed to Kimball Sanitarium after her abusive mother becomes her legal guardian.

top 5 biography movies

7. Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993)

top 5 biography movies

Directed by Rob Cohen

Starring Jason Scott Lee, Lauren Holly, Robert Wagner

Action, Biography, Drama (2h)

7.0 on IMDb — 73% on RT

Bruce Lee is the champion of martial arts movies. The actor/filmmaker moved from British Hong Kong to Seattle at 19 years old to open his own martial arts school before entering the film industry.

Bruce Lee was nicknamed Dragon (or "Little Dragon" when he was young) since he was born in the hour and year of the Chinese zodiac Dragon. His dual identity is explored in Rob Cohen's biography, and thankfully Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story goes beyond skin-deep.

Jason Scott Lee stars as the chiseled karate icon, delving into his Hollywood career and his relationship with Linda Lee Cadwell, all of it flourished with elements of mysticism.

top 5 biography movies

6. Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool (2017)

top 5 biography movies

Directed by Paul McGuigan

Starring Annette Bening, Jamie Bell, Vanessa Redgrave

Biography, Drama, Romance (1h 45m)

6.7 on IMDb — 81% on RT

"We never expected Gloria Grahame in our kitchen, necking a bacon butty, asking for tommy sauce." Absolutely true! We wouldn't expect the Oscar-winning starlet of Hollywood's Golden Age to be staying in a humdrum area of rainy Liverpool.

Whether or not she really did scarf down bacon butties at the local boozer, we can't be sure. However, we do know that Grahame (played by Annette Bening) spent a lot of her final years in Liverpool.

Initially there for work, she strikes up an unexpected relationship with an amateur actor 30 years younger (Jamie Bell). In Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool , director Paul McGuigan shows us how age is just a number.

5. Man on the Moon (1999)

top 5 biography movies

Directed by Miloš Forman

Starring Jim Carrey, Danny DeVito, Paul Giamatti

Biography, Comedy, Drama (1h 58m)

7.4 on IMDb — 64% on RT

Andy Kaufman was a very different kind of actor. The "Inter-Gender Wrestling Champion" purposefully went out of his way to annoy people. Indeed, there were no Oscar ceremonies for him—but there were quite a few wrestling matches (with women only).

In Man on the Moon , Andy Kaufman is played by Jim Carrey, who famously stayed in character and went around annoying everyone on set. A whole documentary— Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond (2017)—was even made about Carrey's behavior.

Andy Kaufman was initially a stand-up comedian who made people laugh by being terrible. His Tony Clifton character was particularly grating, and he later featured in the sitcom Taxi with Danny DeVito (who plays Kaufman's manager in Man on the Moon .)

4. Stan & Ollie (2018)

top 5 biography movies

Directed by Jon S. Baird

Starring Steve Coogan, John C. Reilly, Shirley Henderson

Biography, Comedy, Drama (1h 38m)

7.2 on IMDb — 92% on RT

Laurel and Hardy were an infamous comedy duo of the silent film era, mixing with the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Their slapstick gags were beloved around the world, with Stan Laurel playing the clumsy man-child and Oliver Hardy the mean bully.

By the 1950s, this type of cinema was dwindling. The pair were starting to age and—having spent so much time together—their friendship even started taking a toll. Clutching at straws, they embarked on a less-than-easy UK musical hall tour.

Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly flesh out the men in Stan & Ollie , moving with humor and humility. Jon S. Baird's biography doesn't try to be too heavy. It's simply sincere.

top 5 biography movies

3. James Dean (2001)

top 5 biography movies

Directed by Mark Rydell

Starring James Franco, Michael Moriarty, Valentina Cervi

Biography, Drama (2h)

7.1 on IMDb — 93% on RT

James Franco's depiction of another actor named James is what effectively put him on the map. Mimicking such a specific personality as James Dean? A tightwalk situation that, thankfully, worked out.

Dean's elusive and cool exterior occasionally breaks away to the chaos and anger underneath in Mark Rydell's biopic. Nobody believed Dean could make it big, but he proves them all wrong.

Dean's own indifferent father likely fueled his emotive performances in East of Eden (1955) and Rebel Without a Cause (1955), which Franco recreates seamlessly here in James Dean .

2. Judy (2019)

top 5 biography movies

Directed by Rupert Goold

Starring Renée Zellweger, Jessie Buckley, Finn Wittrock

Biography, Drama, Music (1h 58m)

6.8 on IMDb — 82% on RT

Actress Judy Garland starred in hits like A Star Is Born (1954) and Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), but she remains most famous for playing Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz (1939).

Most people already know that Judy Garland had a hard life, but few of us really understood how bad it was until we watched Judy . Heaps of horror stories have since come out about the production of The Wizard of Oz , and that's where all the trouble began for Garland.

For starters, MGM forcing her to take drugs as a teenager is likely what propelled Garland into early-life substance abuse.

While Garland's troubles are at the center of Rupert Goold's drama, Judy switches between the start and end of Garland's life (played by an unrecognizable Renée Zellweger).

top 5 biography movies

1. Chaplin (1992)

top 5 biography movies

Directed by Richard Attenborough

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Dan Aykroyd, Geraldine Chaplin

Biography, Comedy, Drama (2h 23m)

7.5 on IMDb — 60% on RT

Charlie Chaplin is a name everyone's heard of. Even if you took the title off Chaplin 's poster, you'd know what this film was about! The silhouette of a bowler-hatted tramp is recognizable anywhere.

Robert Downey Jr. was nominated for an Oscar for his honorable portrayal of this timeless figure. Looking eerily similar to the real Chaplin, Downey takes us on his literal rags-to-riches journey. (Chaplin went from homelessless to being one of the richest men in the world.)

Chaplin's character of The Tramp was revolutionary for many reasons—mainly for blending pathos and humor during the Keystone days—but he wasn't always so innocent in real life.

top 5 biography movies

Screen Rant

The 25 highest-grossing biopics of all time, according to box office mojo.

Between a 3.5-hour World War II movie and a low-budget British period piece, it's impossible to tell which biopic will become a phenomenal success.

  • The highest grossing biopics cover a range of genres and showcase individuals overcoming challenges to achieve something extraordinary in their lives.
  • Box office success is primarily driven by word-of-mouth and audiences finding something special in the biopic subjects that they want to see succeed.
  • Biopics like "12 Years a Slave" and "Hidden Figures" have been both critical and financial successes, proving that uplifting stories can resonate with viewers and be among the highest grossing biopics of all time.

The highest grossing biopics in history include a strong mix of genres, from the historical epic to musical biopics to the story of regular people in extraordinary situations. When it comes to these movies, the entire purpose is to show audiences how a person can overcome all odds and end up doing something spectacular in their lives, whether this is something that helps the world or something that just shows that they can become special in their own ways. It doesn't matter if a person is a politician, a musical sensation, or a person who overcomes homelessness, the best biopics offer an uplifting story for viewers.

However, not all the highest grossing biopics are equal. There are some that have won countless awards at the Oscars and there are others that achieved public acclaim that seemed to fly right by the critics and award committees. When it comes to box office success, it is all about word-of-mouth, and while awards and critical recognition can play a role in it, what is most important is that people find something special when it comes to the subjects of these biopics and make them someone they want to see succeed. With 2023's Oppenheimer stealing the top spot , there is a biopic for everyone when it comes to the box office winners. All grossing information is from Box Office Mojo .

RELATED: 10 Best Biopics Of All-Time, According To IMDb

25 12 Years A Slave (2013) - $187.7 Million

Solomon looks up in 12 Years A Slave

Based on the memoir by Solomon Northup, 12 Years a Slave tells the story of Northup as he was kidnapped as a free man in Washington, D.C. by two conmen and sold into slavery. He ended up working on plantations as an enslaved person in Louisiana for 12 years before he finally was released. With Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon and supporting turns from Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Paul Dano, and Lupita Nyong'o, the movie picked up nine Oscar nominations and won the award for Best Picture.

At the box office, 12 Years a Slave brought in 187.7 million worldwide on a production budget of just $22 million, making it a huge financial success story for director Steve McQueen and one of the highest-grossing biopics of all time. It was also a critical hit, with a very high 95 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

24 Rocketman (2019) - $195.3 Million

Taron Egerton on piano in Rocketman

Rocketman is the highest grossing biopic about Elton John and his rise in the music industry. Taron Egerton is Elton John in this movie, directed by Dexter Fletcher (who worked with Taron Egerton on Eddie the Eagle before this). The film also sees Egerton actually singing the John songs in the movie rather than lip-syncing, which makes it feel different from other musical biopics.

The movie was a huge success, and while it only picked up one Oscar nomination, it did win for Best Original Song. At the box office, Rocketman earned $195.3 million worldwide on a production budget of $40 million, while facing a tough competition that included Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Aladdin .

23 Straight Outta Compton (2015) - $201.6 Million

Ice Cube on stage hyping up the crowd in Straight OUtta Compton

F. Gary Gray directed one of the highest grossing biopics of all time with Straight Outta Compton in 2015. This musical biopic tells the story of the iconic and legendary hip hop group N.W.A. and takes viewers behind the scenes in the moments of their early careers where they were fighting to make their name while also struggling with racism and hatred every day of their lives.

By the time all was said and done, Straight Outta Compton became the highest-grossing music biopic of all time, although that record has since fallen. It even made $60.2 million in its opening weekend and received good reviews, thanks in part to original members Ice Cube and Dr. Dre serving as producers on the movie.

22 Braveheart (1995) - $213.2 Million

Mel Gibson in Braveheart as William Wallace

While painted as a historical war epic, Braveheart is a loose biopic of the legendary Sir William Wallace, a Scottish warrior who led his people into the First War of Scottish Independence against King Edward I of England. The script was inspired by the 15th-century epic poem The Actes and Deidis of the Illustre and Vallyeant Campioun Schir William Wallace . Though it was met with high praise, Braveheart was criticized for its historical inaccuracies .

Mel Gibson starred as William Wallace and directed the movie, which went on to pick up 10 Oscar nominations, winning for both Best Picture and Best Director. Overall, it won five total awards at the Oscars, and was also a box office success, earning $213.2 million on a $65-$70 million budget.

21 The Aviator (2004) - $213.7 Million

Cate Blanchett and DiCaprio smiling at one another in The Aviator

While he is best known for his gangster genre films, Martin Scorsese has his fair share of biopics in his filmography, and one of the highest grossing biopics of them all was his 2004 movie The Aviator . The movie tells the story of Howard Hughes, a filmmaker and innovator, and Scorsese mostly focuses on Hughes designing aircraft, which later played into his movie Hell's Angels .

The cast was top-notch with Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes and Cate Blanchett as legendary screen star Katherine Hepburn. The movie earned six Oscar nominations, with Blanchett winning Best Actress and the movie picking up the Best Film award. The great cast and awards recognition helped The Aviator finish as one of the highest grossing biopics of all time, with a $213.7 million box office take on a $110 million budget.

20 Public Enemies (2009) - $214.1 Million

Johnny Depp as John Dillinger outside in Public Enemies.

Michael Mann directed the crime biopic Public Enemies in 2009, telling the story of bank robber John Dillinger while on the run from FBI agent Melvin Purvis. This highest grossing biopic was based on the non-fiction novel, Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933–34 , and had an all-star cast, with Johnny Depp as Dillinger and Christian Bale as Purvis.

While a biopic mostly on John Dillinger, not everything was historically accurate as the information was mostly from the FBI's side, and anything concerning Dillinger's private life was mostly left to creative decisions in the script. This caused the reviews to be mixed, but it was still a nice success at the box office, bringing in $214.1 million on a $100 million production budget, all while competing with a Transformers and Ice Age movie.

19 The Terminal (2004) - $219.1 Million

Tom Hanks in The Terminal

Steven Spielberg has made several of the highest grossing biopics over his career, and one of the least likely to become a success was The Terminal in 2004. This movie did have a major star in Tom Hanks, but it was not based on someone famous and was mostly a quirky story about a unique, mostly unknown man. The movie is a biopic of Mehran Karimi Nasseri, who lived in Terminal 1 of the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in France for 18 years when he was unable to return home after a military coup in his home country, and after France denied him entry.

Spielberg changed the location for the American-made movie to the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City and renamed the character Viktor Navorski, casting Hanks in the role. The Terminal received mostly positive reviews and earned an impressive $219.1 million off a $60 million budget.

18 The Imitation Game (2014) - $233.5 Million

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game

The Imitation Game saw Benedict Cumberbatch star as Alan Turing and was based on his biography, Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges. Turing was the cryptanalyst who helped decrypt German messages for the British government during World War II. The movie also starred Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Charles Dance, and Mark Strong, and it plays out as Turing telling the story of his time in World War II to two officers investigating a break-in at his home.

The life and death of Turing were tragic and this biopic reveals everything in his life, from his greatest success to his tragic demise at the hands of the government he helped in the war. The Imitation Game picked up eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor, but it only won one for the screenplay. It was still a big success at the box office, making $233 million in a small $14 million budget.

17 Hidden Figures (2016) - $235.9 Million

The cast of Hidden Figures.

Hidden Figures is a biopic that tells the story of three African-American female mathematicians who helped the United States win the Space Race while they worked at NASA. However, since this took place in the 1960s, the three women remained behind the scenes and received little of the credit compared to their White male counterparts. While all the women were eventually replaced by computers, they played a huge role in John Glenn's rocket launches into space and this movie tells their story.

The cast was superb, with Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monáe as the mathematicians and a supporting cast that includes Kevin Costner, Jim Parsons, Mahershala Ali, and Kirsten Dunst. The movie earned three Oscar nominations, winning none of them, but it still managed to earn $235.9 million on a $25 million budget, making it one of the highest grossing biopics.

16 Sully (2016) - $240.7 Million

Aaron Eckhart and Tom Hanks in Sully.

Clint Eastwood directed the 2016 biopic Sully , which told the story of Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger as originally told in his autobiography Highest Duty . The movie starred Tom Hanks as Sully, a captain piloting a plane for US Airways that ended up needing to crash land after hitting a flock of birds, which damaged both engines. He ended up landing the plane successfully in the Hudson River and saved all the crew and passengers, becoming a hero.

However, when the National Transportation Safety Board attempt to prove it was a pilot error, rather than a heroic landing, Sully has to set out to prove his innocence and save his career. There was controversy about making the NTSB the villains, and even the real-life Sully felt it was too harsh. However, it made for a good movie and it ended up as one of the highest grossing biopics, making $240.7 million on a $60 million budget.

15 Lincoln (2012) - $275.2 Million

Lincoln sitting in chair on porch

In 2012, Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg teamed up with multi-time Oscar-winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis to create a biopic about former United States President Abraham Lincoln. The movie mostly covers the final four months of his life, focusing on his work to abolish slavery and leading up to his death. As expected with the talent involved, the movie was a critical and financial success.

The movie is often credited as one of Spielberg's best biopics and Day-Lewis won yet another Oscar for his role as Lincoln. The movie picked up a total of 12 Oscar nominations, although it only won two of them. Despite that lack of success, it was still a monster success at the box office for the highest grossing biopics, making $275.2 million on a $65 million budget.

RELATED: Daniel Day-Lewis & 9 Other Actors Who Came Out Of Retirement For The Perfect Role

14 Elvis (2022) - $288.6 Million

Elvis portrayed by Austin Butler.

Elvis was a very different sort of musical biopic, taking the story of Elvis Presley's rise to fame and giving it a very glossy and iconic touch thanks to the mind of director Baz Luhrmann. The man behind Moulin Rogue took Elvis and turned him into something as legendary as his real-life counterpart and helped actor Austin Butler win the Golden Globes Award for Best Actor for his role. At the same time, Tom Hanks was polarizing as Col. Tom Parker , but that was all part of Luhrmann's deft touch on the source material.

Butler didn't win at the Oscars, but it still earned eight nominations, including one for Best Picture. It was also a monster success, bringing in $288.6 million on an $85 million budget, one of the highest grossing biopics for musicals and Luhrmann's second-highest-grossing movie following only The Great Gatsby .

13 Dangal (2016) - $303.7 Million

Aamir Khan as Phogat with his two on-screen daughters in Dangal

Likely the least known of the highest grossing biopics was the Hindi-language sports movie Dangal . That is because the movie only made $12.3 million when released in the United States. However, despite those low numbers, there are a lot of other countries out there watching movies and this helped Dangal bring in a total of $303.7 million at the worldwide box office.

The movie is about an ex-wrestler who gave up his dream of winning gold for his home country in India because of a lack of financial support. He decides he will one day train his son to follow in his footsteps, but when he has four girls, he realizes this might be another failed dream. When two of his daughters proved to be tougher than he ever believed, he sets out to train them into world-class wrestlers. The movie was a hit in both India and in the Chinese markets.

12 The Pursuit Of Happyness (2006) - $307.1 Million

Will Smith and Jaden Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness

Based on the memoir by Chris Gardner, The Pursuit of Happyness tells the story of a salesperson who spent a year homeless while trying to support himself and his young son. Will Smith took on the lead role in the movie while his real-life son Jaden Smith had his movie debut as his son Christopher Jr. The movie received mostly positive reviews from critics.

While the Oscars mostly ignored the movie, the Golden Globes nominated Smith for Best Actor and Seal for Best Original Song, while several critics groups named it among the best movies of the year. The box office proved how popular Smith and the movie's themes were, bringing in $307.1 million on a $55 million budget.

11 The Blind Side (2009) - $309.2 Million

Two characters talking in The Blind Side

Director John Lee Hancock might not be mentioned in the same breath as Steven Spielberg or Martin Scorsese, but he's the best at what he does. The writer-director makes mostly feel-good family-friendly dramas with dollops of sentimentality, and The Blind Side is the crown jewel in his filmography. The biopic follows Michael Oher, an American football player who overcomes a tough upbringing to play in the NFL.

There's nothing particularly special about the way it's shot, nor is it an ambitious story that spans decades like other biopics, but it somehow made over $300 million. That's a phenomenal success given its $29 million budget, and it massively overperformed in Warner Bros.'s eyes. It's one of the few movies that has ever earned more in its second weekend than opening weekend.

10 A Beautiful Mind (2001) - $316.7 Million

Russell Crowe has a five o'clock shadow and a thousand-yard stare in front of a math blackboard in A Beautiful Mind.

On the face of it, movies about mathematicians never sound like a good idea. They sound like they'd be too confusing and boring, but whether it's Good Will Hunting or Hidden Figures , they always end up being riveting, and always have great box office figures to boot, as those examples both earned around $230 million. A Beautiful Mind is the greatest example, which follows real-life Nobel Prize-winning mathematician John Nash.

The movie begins with Nash as a student at Princeton, but it mostly focuses on his paranoid schizophrenia and how it affected the people close to him and his work. A Beautiful Mind has one of the biggest and earliest success stories for a biopic, as it made a huge splash at the box office and won four Academy Awards including Best Picture.

9 Green Book (2018) - $321.7 Million

Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali sitting inside the iconic turquoise Cadillac car in Green Book

Green Book is one of the biggest surprises of recent years, not because of how successful it was but because it came from director Peter Farrelly . The filmmaker is best known for raunchy comedies like Dumb and Dumber , Shallow Hal , and Hall Pass , but in 2018, he delivered the Best Picture-winning biopic about pianist Don Shirley.

The film follows Shirley (Mahershala Ali) as he's driven across a racist 1960s America by an Italian-American bouncer (Viggo Mortensen) for a North American tour. There was never any doubt that the movie was going to be a huge box office hit, as Ali and Mortensen have incredible chemistry, it's an irresistible feel-good film, and the look of the 1960s is so alluring. And it was all done with a shockingly low $23 million budget.

8 Schindler's List (1993) - $322.1 Million

The girl in the red coat walking in Schindler's List.

Schindler's List 's box office performance is hugely impressive not only because of how much money it made but because of how it had so much working against it. Firstly, except for the girl in the red coat, the movie is entirely black-and-white, and while that's a creative choice and adds to the aesthetic of the film, a lot of people simply don't like watching black-and-white movies.

Secondly, the biopic is three hours and 20 minutes long, meaning that movie theatres can't show it as many times per day as other films, which leads to fewer tickets getting sold. Not only that, but not many potential viewers wouldn't want to sit through a film that long, especially one so emotionally exhausting. But the 1993 movie overcame all of its setbacks, and it isn't all that much of a surprise considering it's considered one of the greatest movies of all time with a 9.0 on IMDb.

7 Catch Me If You Can (2002) - $352.1 Million

Frank Abagnale in pilot uniform with flight attendants in Catch Me If You Can.

Spielberg is the master of biopics, as, along with Shindler's List , Catch Me If You Can is another movie that depicts the shocking life of a real-life figure. But nobody should bet against Spielberg when it comes to box office performance for any of his films, and while it is a biopic, Catch Me If You Can is almost as much of a globe-trotting adventure movie as the Indiana Jones movies.

The 2002 movie follows Frank Abagnale Jr., who became one of the world's best con artists before he even turned 18 and was chased around the world by the FBI. The movie made an astounding $352 million, but it might not have always turned out that way. The film was almost directed by David Fincher , and if that was the case, it would have been much darker in tone, and probably wouldn't have grossed anywhere near as much.

6 The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013) - $392 Million

Jordan dances at his wedding in The Wolf of Wall Street

The Martin Scorsese-directed The Wolf of Wall Street is one of the most entertaining biopics ever, as it follows crooked Wall Street broker Jordan Belfort, who spends his stolen millions having drug-fuelled parties in the sky. And for as outrageous and unbelievable as his actions are, it's one of the most historically accurate biopics. The movie is Scorsese's highest-grossing release ever, and it isn't even close.

Scorsese's movies have struggled to cross the $300 million mark in the past, as Shutter Island and The Departed both made just over $290 million but could quite get to 300. Interestingly, the movie opened at only number five on its opening weekend in North America. It opened behind The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug , Frozen , Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues , and American Hustle , the latter of which is ironic given that it's such a Scorsese-influenced movie. However, the Wolf of Wall Street and its ending had more staying power, as it made tens of millions more than both American Hustle and the Anchorman sequel.

Sam Thomas Davies

Best Inspirational Biography Movies

10 best inspirational biography movies.

Looking for good inspirational biography movies? You can’t go wrong with any of these films.

1.   The Shawshank Redemption

Best Inspirational Biography Movies

“I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living or get busy dying.”

—Andy Dufresne

2.   The Pianist  

Best Inspirational Biography Movies

“If you prick us, do we not bleed? It you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?”

—Henryk Szpilman

3.   Braveheart  

Best Inspirational Biography Movies

“Aye, fight and you may die. Run, and you’ll live… at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin’ to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take… OUR FREEDOM!”

—William Wallace

4.   Lawrence of Arabia  

Best Inspirational Biography Movies

“Truly, for some men, nothing is written unless THEY write it.”

—Sherif Ali

5.   Amadeus  

Best Inspirational Biography Movies

“Forgive me, Majesty. I’m a vulgar man. But I assure you, my music is not.”

—Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

6.   Raging Bull  

Best Inspirational Biography Movies

“If you win, you win. If you lose, you still win.”

—Joey LaMotta

7.   A Beautiful Mind  

Best Inspirational Biography Movies

“Perhaps it is good to have a beautiful mind, but an even greater gift is to discover a beautiful heart.”

8.   Rush  

Best Inspirational Biography Movies

“A wise man can learn more from his enemies than a fool from his friends.”

—Niki Lauda

9.   Hotel Rwanda  

Hotel Rwanda

“There’s always room.”

—Paul Rusesabagina

10.   Gandhi  

Best Inspirational Biography Movies

“An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”

—Mahatma Gandhi

Honorable Mentions

  • The Elephant Man  
  • The Imitation Game  
  • Catch Me If You Can  
  • The Pursuit of Happyness  
  • Walk The Line  

Related Lists

  • Best Inspirational Children’s Movies
  • Best Inspirational Christian Movies
  • Best Inspirational Sports Movies

or, browse all movies recommendations .

10 Best-Selling Black Authors Who Shaped Literary History

Exploring themes of racism, oppression and violence, these African American writers have rightfully earned their place in the canon of great authors.

james baldwin

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What's more, these eloquent storytellers, who have contributed endless works of art, from poems, plays and essays to novels and nonfiction staples, have also taken up the mantle for their ancestors — many of whom were forced, in chains, from their African homeland to the United States — to tell their stories that had previously been passed down only verbally.

Here are some of the best-selling Black authors whose voices have both shaped and defined literary history:

Maya Angelou

maya angelou gestures while speaking in a chair during an interview at her home in 1978

One of the most prolific writers of our time, Black or otherwise, Maya Angelou's storied career spanned several decades and included the publication of everything from poetry and essays to several autobiographies, including 1969's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings . The deeply personal (and highly successful) book — which chronicled Angelou's experiences of rape, identity and racism as a young girl in the south — earned the author the distinction of penning the first nonfiction best-seller by an African American woman.

Twenty-four years after I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' release, Angelou read her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" at President Bill Clinton's 1993 inauguration, and the 1969 autobiography once again landed on the bestseller list, with sales reportedly skyrocketing 500 percent. (Her 2014 death at the age of 86 had the same effect on sales.) With other works, such as Angelou's 1981 memoir, The Heart of a Woman , flying off shelves, the Pulitzer nominee was a longtime fixture on bestsellers lists.

READ MORE: The Meaning Behind Maya Angelou's Poem "Still I Rise"

Zora Neale Hurston

zora neale hurston

The daughter of two formerly enslaved people, Zora Neale Hurston was a prominent figure in the Harlem Renaissance . After releasing acclaimed short stories, such as 1926's "Sweat," and essays, including the autobiographical "How It Feels to be Colored Me" in 1928, Hurston eventually wrote her classic novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God , in 1937. Three years later, she published her autobiography, Dust Tracks on a Road , to great critical acclaim.

In 2005, Winfrey’s Harpo Productions aired a television movie version of Their Eyes Were Watching God , which starred actors Halle Berry , Michael Ealy and Terrence Howard.

Chinua Achebe

chinua achebe in new york city on march 6, 1988

Chinua Achebe's seminal first novel, Things Fall Apart , has sold an estimated 20 million copies and has been translated into more than 50 languages since its 1958 release. The book, which thoughtfully examined discord in the wake of Christian missionaries exerting influence over African culture under Nigeria's colonial government, has been hailed as one of the bestselling literary novels by an African author, based on sales figures.

The native Nigerian, who later taught as a professor at the University of Massachusetts , also wrote such titles as 1960's No Longer at Ease , 1964's Arrow of God and Anthills of the Savannah in 1987.

Langston Hughes

langston hughes

Langston Hughes summed up his mission in a 1926 manifesto, “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain,” writing, “We younger Negro artists who create now intend to express our individual dark-skinned selves without fear or shame. If white people are pleased we are glad. If they are not, it doesn’t matter. We know we are beautiful. And ugly too. The tom-tom cries and the tom-tom laughs. If colored people are pleased we are glad. If they are not, their displeasure doesn’t matter either.”

Famed as a Harlem Renaissance poet, novelist and playwright, Hughes published his first novel Not Without Laughter in 1930, earning great commercial success — and the Harmon gold medal for literature. In addition to myriad poems and plays, the one-time student of New York City's Columbia University also published autobiographies, The Big Sea and I Wonder as I Wander , as well as one of his most famous poems, “Harlem (Dream Deferred)" in 1951.

READ MORE: Langston Hughes' Impact on the Harlem Renaissance

alex haley at the broadway department store book department in fox hills mall

While there's some disparity over official sales figures, it's safe to say that Alex Haley's 1976 classic, Roots , has sold well over five million copies. (Most estimates actually hover near the six million mark.) What's even safer to say is that the story of Haley's ancestors — beginning with 18th-century enslaved African Kunta Kinte — is one of the most important works depicting the horrors and subsequent fallout of the Atlantic enslaved person trade. In 1977, Haley won the fiction Pulitzer Prize for Roots , which was also adapted into two miniseries.

Another of the author's best-known works, 1965's The Autobiography of Malcolm X , a collaboration between the journalist and the civil rights activist who was assassinated in Harlem in 1965, also sold in comparable numbers to Roots .

Michelle Obama

michelle obama discusses her book becoming with sarah jessica parker at barclays center on december 19 2018 in new york city

When they went low, Michelle Obama's sales numbers went high. Although it was only released in November 2018, the first-time author and the former first lady's memoir, Becoming , has already made history.

With reading enthusiasts buying more than three million books shortly following its publication, not only did the tome sell more copies in just one-and-a-half months than any other book in all of 2018, it also is “among the fastest-selling nonfiction books in history and already among the best-selling political memoirs of all time,” according to the Associated Press.

Toni Morrison

toni morrison photographed in new york city in 1979

In 1988, Toni Morrison won both the Pulitzer Prize and the American Book Award for her novel Beloved , which told the harrowing story of a formerly enslaved person following the Civil War. After writing the 1987 release, which was also adapted into a 1998 film starring Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover, Morrison went on to earn 1993's Nobel Prize in Literature for her 1997 book, Song of Solomon .

Additional titles, like her first novel, 1970's The Bluest Eye , as well as 1973's Sula were but a few of Morrison's works that made a lasting mark on the record of the African American experience.

READ MORE: Oprah Winfrey Once Described Longtime Friend Toni Morrison as 'Our Conscience'

Alice Walker

alice walker

Also adapted into a 1985 film starring Winfrey and Glover and directed by Steven Spielberg , The Color Purple , which Alice Walker had published three years prior, won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award in the fiction category. In addition to her 1930s-set book, which also spawned a Broadway stage adaptation, Walker's later bestsellers included 2006's We Are The Ones We Have Been Waiting For and 2010's The World Has Changed .

James Baldwin

james baldwin

Famed essayist, playwright and novelist James Baldwin rose to literary prominence through works such as his insightful semi-autobiographical 1953 novel Go Tell It on the Mountain , 1955's Notes of a Native Son , 1962's Another Country , and 1963's The Fire Next Time . After selling more than one million copies, his 1961 collection of essays, Nobody Knows My Name , earned him a spot on the bestsellers list.

The Harlem-born writer, who was highly adept at tackling issues of race, sexuality and spirituality, had several of his pieces adapted for the big screen. Among them: 2016 Academy Award Best Documentary Feature nominee I Am Not Your Negro which was based on his unfinished Remember This House manuscript, as well as the 2019 Barry Jenkins-directed (and also Oscar-nominated) If Beale Street Could Talk , based on Baldwin's 1974 novel.

READ MORE: Martin Luther King Jr. and James Baldwin’s Complicated Relationship

Terry McMillan

terry mcmillan

Waiting to Exhale , Terry McMillan's breakout female-centric third novel that she published in 1992, spent several months on The New York Times bestseller list, and, by 1995, sold more than three million copies. The same year, a Forest Whitaker -directed big-screen adaptation hit theaters, with Whitney Houston , Angela Bassett , Loretta Devine, and Lela Rochon leading the ensemble cast.

Another of the Michigan native's bestsellers, 1996's How Stella Got Her Groove Back , was adapted into a 1998 film also starring Bassett, this time alongside Whoopi Goldberg and Taye Diggs.

Black History

lonnie johnson stands behind a wooden lectern and speaks into a microphone, he wears a black suit jacket, maroon sweater, white collared shirt and tie, behind him is a screen projection showing two charts

Benjamin Banneker

josephine baker

Josephine Baker

lewis howard latimer stares at the camera in a black and white photo, he wears a suit with a patterned tie and wire framed glasses

Lewis Howard Latimer

jackie joyner kersee

Jackie Joyner-Kersee

rubin carter

Rubin Carter

toussaint l'ouverture

Toussaint L'Ouverture

neil degrasse tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson

daniel hale williams

Daniel Hale Williams

patricia bath smiles at the camera, she stands in front of a black background with white logos and wears a gray suit jacket with an orange, red, and black scarf, he holds one hand across her chest

Patricia Bath

first lady michelle obama in a black dress and pearl necklace, smiling at the camera

top 5 biography movies

The Best Biographical Movies Of 2023

Jason Bancroft

2023 has proved to be a fascinating year for film lovers, especially those drawn to the mesmerizing allure of biographical films. These cinematic creations not only showcase the quintessential nuances of accomplished personalities but also present the intriguing, lesser-known aspects of their lives. With stories that twine around history, culture, sports, and art, the silver screen has been graced by an array of illustrious biographical dramas that are sure to leave you riveted.

Each 2023 biopic presents an entirely unique and stirring narrative. Air throws light on the revolutionizing partnership between Nike and basketball rookie Michael Jordan, a story that carves a significant part in sports history. Contrasting this sports-centered drama is Sweetwater , which takes us back to a defining moment in basketball history – the signing of the first African American player with the NBA. Meanwhile, "True Spirit" detours from the arena of sports to the challenging seas, where a tenacious Australian teen endeavours to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world. This cinematic sampling of 2023’s biographical films demonstrates that whether it's exploring human resilience in face of adversity or narrating the evolution of cultural landscapes, the biopic genre truly is a treasure trove of diverse stories. Don't hesitate to vote up your favorite and be sure to look for the Max, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Paramount+, and Hulu buttons below each title to start streaming them where and when they are available.

Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer

This gripping narrative explores the crucial role played by J. Robert Oppenheimer in World War II's most destructive project. It delves into his invaluable contribution to the creation of the atomic bomb. The film encapsulates the terrifying power of human intellect and the ethical conflict of harnessing it for weapons of mass destruction.

  • Dig Deeper... 16 Posts About Fans Still Being Blown Away About Josh Peck Being In ‘Oppenheimer’
  • And Deeper... Unhinged 'Oppenheimer' Posts That Prove Unstable Reactions Can Be Found Almost Anywhere
  • # 61 of 175 on The Greatest World War II Movies of All Time

Sweetwater

This sports biopic is set in 1990s New York and revolves around a conversation between a taxi driver and his passenger, who is a sportswriter. As the drive progresses, the taxi driver unravels his past and discloses that he is Nathaniel "Nat" 'Sweetwater' Clifton, a trailblazer as one of the first African American players in NBA history. The movie provides a peek into the life and struggles of a basketball pioneer challenging and changing the norms in the industry.

  • # 217 of 233 on The 200+ Best Movies Based On A True Story
  • # 159 of 204 on The Best Sports Movies Ever Made
  • # 72 of 79 on Great Historical Black Movies Based On True Stories

Air

Delve into the groundbreaking alliance between the up-and-coming basketball star, Michael Jordan, and Nike's nascent basketball division. This alliance led to the birth of the influential Air Jordan brand, transforming not only the sports realm but also global culture. The film illuminates this historical turning point in sports business and marketing which altered the landscape of American and global sports culture.

  • # 181 of 233 on The 200+ Best Movies Based On A True Story
  • # 112 of 204 on The Best Sports Movies Ever Made
  • # 44 of 116 on Which 2023 Movies Absolutely Had To Be Seen In The Theater?

Emily

This story unfurls the imagined life of renowned author Emily Brontë, capturing her journey of finding her voice and creating her masterpiece, Wuthering Heights. It illuminates her treasured relationships; the fierce bond with her sisters Charlotte and Anne, her forbidden love with Weightman, and her adoration for her unconventional brother.

  • # 74 of 78 on The Best Period Romance Movies
  • # 75 of 116 on Which 2023 Movies Absolutely Had To Be Seen In The Theater?
  • # 7 of 21 on The 21 Most Underrated Movies Of 2023

Cassandro

  • # 214 of 233 on The 200+ Best Movies Based On A True Story
  • # 188 of 204 on The Best Sports Movies Ever Made
  • # 44 of 51 on The Best Amazon Studios Movies

Big George Foreman

Big George Foreman

George Foreman's transformation from an angry impoverished youth to an Olympic Gold medalist and World Heavyweight Champion demonstrates his unbeatable spirit. A near-death experience redirects him from boxing to spiritual service, but upon witnessing his community's suffering, he steps back into the ring. Defying odds, he reclaims his title, securing his place in history as the oldest and most unlikely World Heavyweight Boxing Champion .

  • # 138 of 204 on The Best Sports Movies Ever Made
  • # 79 of 79 on Great Historical Black Movies Based On True Stories
  • # 184 of 465 on The Best Black Movies Ever Made, Ranked

Flamin' Hot

Flamin' Hot

This film sheds light on the incredible true journey of Richard Montañez, a janitor at Frito Lay, who drew on his Mexican American roots and upbringing to innovate the snack industry. He transforms the iconic Flamin’ Hot Cheetos into an irresistible snack that revolutionizes the food realm. His creation doesn't just disrupt the food sector but also emerges as a worldwide pop culture sensation.

  • # 231 of 233 on The 200+ Best Movies Based On A True Story
  • # 12 of 15 on The Best 2023 Movies About Modern History
  • # 63 of 115 on The 100+ Best Comedy Drama Movies

True Spirit

True Spirit

Ambitious young sailor Jessica Watson embarks on a daunting journey aiming to become the youngest individual to circumnavigate the globe solo, nonstop, and without any assistance. Despite facing numerous critics forecasting her failure, Jessica, supported by her parents and her coach Ben Bryant, takes on the formidable task. Her adventure spans 210 days, confronting some of the planet's most perilous ocean regions.

  • # 97 of 116 on Which 2023 Movies Absolutely Had To Be Seen In The Theater?
  • # 8 of 15 on 15 Best Netflix Movies For Tweens, Ranked
  • # 42 of 71 on The Best Netflix Movies Of 2023

Dalíland

Set in 1973, the film follows the story of a young gallery assistant embarking on an intriguing journey behind the art scene, assisting the legendary Salvador Dali as he gears up for a consequential exhibition in New York. Immersed in the swirling world of art and eccentricity, the assistant has a front-row seat to the madness and brilliance of the aging genius. This plot melds drama, history, and the wild exploits of one of history's most memorable artists.

  • # 108 of 224 on The 200+ Best Movies Directed By Women
  • # 98 of 152 on The 100+ Best Historical Drama Movies
  • # 15 of 15 on The Best Ezra Miller Movies

Chevalier

Joseph Bologne, the unrecognized offspring of an enslaved person and French plantation owner, climbs his way to fame amidst the French society as an accomplished violinist-composer and revered fencer. His trajectory involves a regrettable romance and an unfortunate dispute with Marie Antoinette and her cohorts. This narrative is inspired by the astounding real-life events of composer Joseph Bologne, who was also known as Chevalier de Saint-Georges.

  • # 216 of 233 on The 200+ Best Movies Based On A True Story
  • # 76 of 79 on Great Historical Black Movies Based On True Stories
  • # 228 of 228 on The 200+ Best Film Scores Of All Time

The Iron Claw

The Iron Claw

  • # 77 of 204 on The Best Sports Movies Ever Made
  • # 27 of 59 on The Best A24 Movies Of All Time
  • # 55 of 98 on The Best Period Movies Set in the '80s

Rustin

  • # 78 of 79 on Great Historical Black Movies Based On True Stories
  • # 146 of 465 on The Best Black Movies Ever Made, Ranked
  • # 54 of 106 on Great Movies That Take Place In The '60s

Maestro

  • # 231 of 260 on The 250+ Best Musical Films Of All Time
  • # 17 of 22 on The 22 Best Movies About Classical Composers
  • # 23 of 26 on The Best Romantic Dramas Movies On Netflix

The Hill

  • # 191 of 204 on The Best Sports Movies Ever Made
  • # 79 of 93 on The All-Time Best Baseball Films
  • # 141 of 141 on The 100+ Best Motivational Sports Movies

The Blind

  • # 48 of 59 on The Best A24 Movies Of All Time
  • # 114 of 214 on The Best Movies For Women
  • # 35 of 42 on The Best Movies About A First Love Experience

A Million Miles Away

A Million Miles Away

  • # 43 of 69 on The Best Movies About Overcoming Adversity
  • # 85 of 245 on The 200+ Best Feel-Good Movies Of All Time
  • # 114 of 224 on The 200+ Best Movies Directed By Women

Gran Turismo

Gran Turismo

  • # 158 of 204 on The Best Sports Movies Ever Made
  • # 135 of 141 on The 100+ Best Motivational Sports Movies
  • # 8 of 21 on The 21 Most Underrated Movies Of 2023

Hilma

The film chronicles the life of Hilma af Klint, a significant figure in art history and pioneer of abstract art, whose work was only recognized posthumously. It explores her formative years, the circumstances that made her unique paintings possible and extends to present times when her art resonates with diverse cultures and religions worldwide as she aspired.

  • # 202 of 214 on The Best Movies For Women
  • # 85 of 155 on The 100+ Best Movies With Gay Themes
  • # 30 of 60 on The Best Foreign Films Of 2023

Origin

Author Isabel Wilkerson writes her seminal book "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents" while coping with personal tragedy.

  • # 121 of 358 on The Best Movies Based On Books
  • # 58 of 58 on The Best Movies Based on Non-Fiction Books
  • # 52 of 89 on The 85+ Most Inspirational Movies Of All Time

Ferrari

  • # 26 of 26 on The Biggest Snubs And Surprises From The 2024 Golden Globes Nominations
  • # 10 of 15 on Fantastic Film Adaptations That Exceeded Fan Expectations In 2023 And Crushed It
  • # 72 of 75 on The 70 Best Costume Drama Movies

Napoleon

  • # 96 of 300 on The 295+ Best Movies For Guys
  • # 24 of 26 on The Biggest Snubs And Surprises From The 2024 Golden Globes Nominations
  • # 118 of 165 on The Best Military Movies Ever Made

Nyad

  • # 203 of 204 on The Best Sports Movies Ever Made
  • # 73 of 214 on The Best Movies For Women
  • # 171 of 224 on The 200+ Best Movies Directed By Women
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  • 2023 Movies
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The Best Movies Of 2015

Tom's Guide

5 top new movies to stream this week on Netflix, Max, Prime Video and more (Jan. 2 - Jan. 8)

A new year is here and January is bringing us a slate of new movies this week on Netflix, Max, Prime Video and other major streaming services.

There aren't any blockbusters coming to streaming this week, but there are quite a few highly rated movies. Eileen, Society of the Snow and Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project all scored fairly high with critics. We also get a few big-name performances from Anne Hathaway in Eileen and Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal in Foe. We even get a Golden Globe nominee in the form of Society of the Snow, which is up for Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language.

Some of these titles are newly available via digital release, so you can purchase them for a premium price, but for others, all you need is the right streaming subscription. Here are the top new movies streaming this week. 

Eileen (PVOD)

Based on the hit 2015 novel, Eileen stars Thomasin McKenzie as Eileen Dunlop, a young woman working at a correctional facility. She leads an ordinary, if not outright dismal life with her abusive, alcoholic father (Shea Whigham). But that all changes when the new psychologist Rebecca (Anne Hathaway) arrives at the facility. What follows is a gripping psychological thriller with incredible performances from McKenzie and Hathaway. You won't want to miss Eileen.

Buy or rent on Amazon now

Society of the Snow (Netflix)

One of six movies nominated for Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language at this year's Golden Globes, Society of the Snow is based on the true story of the 1972 Andes flight disaster. While initially 33 of the 45 passengers and crew survived, only 16 ended up being rescued alive after 72 days. This movie is not for the faint of heart, but if you can stomach what this group of mostly young men did to survive, you're rewarded with what may be one of the best films of 2023.

Stream on Netflix starting Jan. 4

Foe (Prime Video)

Starring Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal as husband-and-wife Hen and Junior, Foe is a sci-fi thriller set in 2065. In Foe, a stranger (Aaron Pierre) comes to Hen and Junior's farm and offers them a chance to live in space — but there's a catch. Only Junior will be living in space, while he's replaced by a robot to serve as Hen's companion. While critics were largely negative about Foe, audiences were much kinder and Ronan and Mescal are still great in the movie despite its flaws. Watch it now while it's included in your Prime Video subscription.

Stream on Prime Video starting Jan. 5

Good Grief (Netflix)

Good Grief marks the directorial debut for Dan Levy, who also wrote Good Grief and stars in this Netflix film. In it, he plays Marc, a content husband whose world is shattered when his husband Oliver (Luke Evans) unexpectedly dies. After watching the trailer all I can say is that only watch Good Grief if you're willing to feel things. This journey of discovery also stars Ruth Negga and Himesh Patel as Marc's friends Sophie and Thomas, and it looks sure to pull on your heartstrings more than once.

Stream on Netflix starting Jan. 5

Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project (Max)

Look, not everyone loves a documentary, but if you're going to watch one, you should start out the year watching a really good one. Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project covers the life of Black American poet Nikki Giovanni and her experiences in the civil rights movement, the Black Arts movement and ultimately Black Lives Matter. This award-winning documentary won a Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and currently has a 96% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so it's safe to say that critics are on board with Going to Mars.

Stream on Max starting Jan. 8

More from Tom's Guide

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  • I watch TV shows for a living — these are the 10 best I saw this year
  • 7+ ways you can get Apple TV Plus for free

 5 top new movies to stream this week on Netflix, Max, Prime Video and more (Jan. 2 - Jan. 8)

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Five Black Romantic Movies to Stream

For Valentine’s Day and Black History Month, watch these selections that brim with Black love, heartache and desire from across the diaspora.

In a room in a house, a man holds a woman as they smile at each other, about to kiss.

By Robert Daniels

Much like Blackness is not monolithic, neither is Black love. The relationships in this collection range from young passions to midlife romance, and the types of movies range from glossy studio pictures to vital queer indies. They are poetic, comedic, rapturous and politically minded films — told with soul-stirring intimacy.

‘The Best Man’ (1999)

Rent or buy on most major platforms.

It’s been years since Harper Stewart (Taye Diggs) has seen his old college buddies. With his best friend, Lance (Morris Chestnut), a star running back, getting married to Mia (Monica Calhoun), he must travel to New York City to attend their wedding. That prospect would be easier if Harper, a writer, didn’t base his new book off his friends’ lives. During the long weekend leading up to the wedding, Harper works to keep Lance from reading the novel, which contains a secret he’s kept from the groom, and from acting on his desires with an old flame, Kendra (Nia Long).

Composed of a deep ensemble — Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan and Regina Hall included — the film follows multiple relationships as these adult friends confront their romantic futures through biting humor and unflinching honesty. And thankfully, it kicked off a charming romantic film and TV franchise.

‘Boomerang’ (1992)

Stream it on Paramount+ .

The Black romantic studio pictures of the 1990s were far different from their 1970s Blaxploitation predecessors. Rather than depicting an urban milieu populated by hustlers and pushers, the films that arrived during the newer decade captured an emerging, well-educated Black middle and upper class occupying high rises and boardrooms.

In the director Reginald Hudlin’s screwball romance “Boomerang,” Eddie Murphy is Marcus Graham, a hot shot advertising executive and ladies man struggling to cope with having women like the hard-nosed Jacqueline (Robin Givens) as his boss. Though Marcus tries to seduce Jacqueline, hoping he can sleep his way to the top, he soon develops feelings for Jacqueline’s unassuming friend Angela (Halle Berry). Marcus and Angela’s whirlwind relationship teaches Marcus to love someone other than himself, making for a heart-melting finale that’s stronger than any business deal.

‘Lovers Rock’ (2020)

Stream it on Amazon Prime Video .

Taking place over a single night in 1980, the director Steve McQueen’s “Lovers Rock” begins with Martha (Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn) sneaking out of her parents’ home to attend a West London reggae house party, and ends with her intertwined with Franklyn (Micheal Ward) on a steamy dance floor.

“Lovers Rock” is episode two in McQueen’s “Small Axe,” a rich anthology series loosely connected by its intense interest in the young Black adults of the Windrush generation — these migrants arrived in Britain from the commonwealth’s Caribbean nations between 1948 and 1970 — who were searching for cultural, racial, romantic and artistic freedom. It’s why house parties like the one depicted were imperative places where members of an oppressed community could openly gather.

Franklyn and Martha meet cute amid the resplendently dressed throng of partyers., Their electric attraction culminates in them slowly grinding to the serenading splendor of Janet Kay’s “Silly Games.” Eventually, the onscreen music fades. But the party-going cast continue singing Kay’s song, a cappella. Amid this communal outpouring of love, these new sweethearts are wholly bound together.

‘Premature’ (2020)

Stream it on Tubi.

The director Rashaad Ernesto Green’s tastefully explicit and acutely realistic indie, “Premature,” is a throwback to intimate 1990s Black dramas like “Love Jones” and “Poetic Justice.” Like those films, it concerns two artists — a poetic Ayanna (Zora Howard) and a music producing Isaiah (Joshua Boone) — who fall in love fast before quickly feeling growing pains.

Ayanna and Isaiah occupy a precarious world: Most of Ayanna’s friends are young single Black mothers and both are painfully aware of the police violence afflicting New York City’s Black residents. While Boone is slippery as a man afraid to commit, Howard, the film’s co-writer, is equally striking as a woman tortured by a love she so desperately wants to work.

‘Rafiki’ (2018)

What stands out in the director Wanuri Kahiu’s lesbian romance, “Rafiki,” is the power of a glance. Classic Hollywood directors like David Lean and Douglas Sirk knew the amorous potentiality contained in the human face, harnessing its elastic electricity to illuminate soaring embraces and aching breakups. Kahiu grasps that power whenever Kena (Samantha Mugatsia) and Ziki (Sheila Munyiva), young women living in the charged neighborhoods of Nairobi, Kenya, catch each other’s eyes. The camera lingers on their enraptured visages, allowing their furtive looks to bloom under the neon glow of a clubbing black light or the soft touch of the sun as they lounge in a park.

Living in a country with homophobic policies, unfortunately, tests their bond. As do their respective father’s political ambitions. But Mugatsia and Munyiva are so luminescent, you can’t help but believe they can overcome whatever obstacles may come their way.

A Guide to Black History Month

The monthlong celebration honors how african americans have shaped the united states through both triumphs and trauma..

Carter G. Woodson’s house, the birthplace of Black History Month, was a hub of scholarship, bringing together generations of intellectuals, writers and activists .

Wondering how Black History Month  came to be? Learn about the history of this celebration .

Dig deeper with the 1619 Project , an initiative by The Times Magazine that aims to reframe America’s history by placing the consequences of slavery at the very center of the nation’s narrative.

Expand your knowledge with Black History, Continued , our project devoted to pivotal moments and transformative figures in Black history.

Explore Black love in all its forms and expressions with this collection of heart-warming stories .

Celebrate the contributions of Black authors to literature by diving into the works of Octavia Butler  and Toni Morrison .

Over the years, many important African American landmarks have disappeared or fallen into disrepair. Here are eight historical sites  that are being preserved.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is Down to Just £20 in the UK With This Incredible Deal

The galaxy may be far far away, but the deals sure aren't..

Joe O'Neill-Parker Avatar

When Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order came out in 2019, it was roundly and rightly praised for being one of the most exciting additions to the larger Star Wars universe since the modern era reboot began. But last year when Star Wars Jedi: Survivor came out, it turned out to be the perfect follow-up.

The game has seen a few discounts since its release, but if you're sharp about it and head over to Amazon, you can get it for just £20 at the moment. That's a ridiculous 71% of the RRP for the Xbox version of the game. If you're on PS5, you can get it for £29.99, which is still a crazy discount.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (Xbox)

When the game first came out last year, we gave it a 9 in our review , saying: "Star Wars Jedi: Survivor takes what Fallen Order achieved and wall-runs with it, then double-jumps and air-dashes straight into an epic lightsaber battle. Rather than taking us back to square one to begin Cal’s journey as a Padawan again, we’re trusted with control of a full-fledged Jedi Knight who we can grow into a master of superhuman mobility and fantastic and challenging combat."

It's likely that you're going to have some money leftover after this ridiculously good deal on Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, so why not pick up some other amazing deals too? Dead Space for Xbox is down to just £11.99 at Argos at the moment, another cracking saving.

And if you're in the market for an Xbox X to begin with, then you're in luck there too. They're currently going for £409.99 at Argos , or £429.99 at Amazon . Both of these deals are part of some amazing savings that we're seeing on consoles right now.

Dead Space (Xbox)

Joe O'Neill-Parker is a freelance writer and audio producer. He is the owner of O'Neill Multimedia. He writes commerce, sports, and audio-related tech articles for IGN.

In This Article

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

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5 best Super Bowl 2024 movie trailers ranked

From 'Twisters' to 'Deadpool & Wolverine', these were the biggest trailers at the Big Game

Glen Powell in

Super Bowl 2024 is a perfect opportunity for studios to drop a major movie trailer. With approximately 120 million people watching, it's an audience that can't be ignored. It's why we get the now famous Super Bowl commercials that people love to watch so much.

And what is a movie trailer, if not a commercial? Since I was already watching the game to see my 49ers ... well, let's not talk about that. But since I was already watching the game, I also watched every movie trailer dropped during Super Bowl LVIII.

Admittedly, many of these were just short 30-second teasers. Super Bowl commercial spots cost big bucks even for small amounts of time. So most studios create a shorter teaser to get you to go to YouTube and watch the full trailer. 

But I'm going to rank them anyway, or at least the top five. For this exercise, I'm going with full trailers posted online during the game if applicable, even if they weren't technically what was shown during the game.

So without further ado, here are the five best movie trailers that aired during Super Bowl 2024, ranked.

1. 'Twisters'

Inject this trailer straight into my veins. "Monkey Man" may still be my most anticipated movie of the year (more on that later), but this was the best trailer I saw during Super Bowl 2024. 

A sequel to the 1996 movie "Twister" this disaster movie about chasing tornados looks like an action blockbuster in the making. Glenn Powell just oozes movie star charisma in this two-minute trailer, and while his portrayal of hot shot storm chaser Tyler Owens probably won't win an Oscar, he's going to steal more than a few scenes. My only hope is that the CGI tornados can go toe-to-toe with Powell and not bring the movie crashing down to Earth.

2. 'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes'

I knew this movie was coming but I expected to pass on it like the previous two installments in the "Planet of the Apes" reboot franchise. But after watching even just the Super Bowl 2024 teaser for this epic two-and-a-half-minute-long trailer, not only was I sold on this movie, but I'm now wondering if I need to go back and watch the previous two.

"Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" is set almost 300 years after Caesar's revolution and stars Owen Teague as Noa, a young chimpanzee who is learning that not everything is as it seems. He decides to go on a journey to determine the future for both apes and humans and is joined by Nova (Freya Allan), a feral woman who is smarter than the other humans, who have largely regressed since the fall of their civilization.

But it's the big bad of this movie that has me excited. Kevin Durand is Proximus Caesar, ruler of a clan of apes in search of human technology and despite being CGI still seems set to be a powerful, charismatic and imposing antagonist opposite Noa and Nova. 

3. 'Deadpool & Wolverine'

Maybe I'm ready for Marvel to hurt me again, and maybe I'm not. But I'm certainly more ready than ever after watching the official reveal for "Deadpool & Wolverine."

Ryan Reynolds, of course, returns as Wade Wilson — aka Deadpool, the "Merc with a mouth." But this is the first time he's officially in the MCU, something he doesn't hesitate to comment about in his traditional fourth-wall-breaking manner.

Sadly, we don't get much from Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) in this trailer, but we do get the introduction of Matthew Macfayden as a Time Variance Authority agent in a TVA that feels ... more sinister than the one that Loki left us with at the end of "Loki" season 2. 

Will Deadpool ultimately prove to be "Marvel Jesus"? Who is to say? But he certainly gave us a good trailer.

4. 'Monkey Man'

If we were ranking these trailers by how much I want to see the movie, "Monkey Man" would shoot to the top of the list. I called this dark, gritty action movie " my most anticipated movie of the year " — it's essentially "John Wick" set in Mumbai. 

And this trailer definitely lives up to that description, with director/writer/star Dev Patel beating the life out of some bad guys in this Super Bowl trailer. 

Unfortunately, this 30-second ad just doesn't do the original trailer justice or deliver the hype quite the way some of these other trailers do, so it's further down the list.

5. 'A Quiet Place Day One'

If you've always wondered what happened to set up the events of "A Quiet Place" you won't need to wait much longer to find out. "A Quiet Place Day One" is coming on June 28 and while the trailer above has been around for a few days, it's the Super Bowl 30-second teaser that got my attention and made it into my top five.

Starring Lupita Nyong'o as Sam and Joseph Quinn as Eric, this trailer sets up a prequel movie that starts loud but gets quiet — all without losing any intensity. Fans of the horror franchise should definitely be excited for this latest installment.

More from Tom's Guide

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Malcolm McMillan

Malcolm McMillan is a senior writer for Tom's Guide, covering all the latest in streaming TV shows and movies. That means news, analysis, recommendations, reviews and more for just about anything you can watch, including sports! If it can be seen on a screen, he can write about it. Previously, Malcolm had been a staff writer for Tom's Guide for over a year, with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI), A/V tech and VR headsets.

Before writing for Tom's Guide, Malcolm worked as a fantasy football analyst writing for several sites and also had a brief stint working for Microsoft selling laptops, Xbox products and even the ill-fated Windows phone. He is passionate about video games and sports, though both cause him to yell at the TV frequently. He proudly sports many tattoos, including an Arsenal tattoo, in honor of the team that causes him to yell at the TV the most.

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Best Rated Biography Movies

My top rated Biography Feature Films. I've given these movies either a 7 (Good), 8 (Very Good), 9 (Excellent) or a (Perfect) 10. "Nobody knows anything." - William Goldman

  • Movies or TV
  • IMDb Rating
  • In Theaters
  • Release Year

1. The Greatest Showman (2017)

PG | 105 min | Biography, Drama, Musical

Celebrates the birth of show business and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.

Director: Michael Gracey | Stars: Hugh Jackman , Michelle Williams , Zac Efron , Zendaya

Votes: 307,401 | Gross: $174.34M

2. Only the Brave (2017)

PG-13 | 134 min | Action, Biography, Drama

Based on the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a group of elite firefighters who risk everything to protect a town from a historic wildfire.

Director: Joseph Kosinski | Stars: Josh Brolin , Miles Teller , Jeff Bridges , Jennifer Connelly

Votes: 76,398 | Gross: $18.34M

3. Hidden Figures (2016)

PG | 127 min | Biography, Drama, History

The story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program.

Director: Theodore Melfi | Stars: Taraji P. Henson , Octavia Spencer , Janelle Monáe , Kevin Costner

Votes: 252,306 | Gross: $169.61M

4. Lion (2016)

PG-13 | 118 min | Biography, Drama

A five-year-old Indian boy is adopted by an Australian couple after getting lost hundreds of kilometers from home. 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.

Director: Garth Davis | Stars: Dev Patel , Nicole Kidman , Rooney Mara , Sunny Pawar

Votes: 249,243 | Gross: $51.74M

5. Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

R | 139 min | Biography, Drama, History

World War II American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss , serving during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people and becomes the first man in American history to receive the Medal of Honor without firing a shot.

Director: Mel Gibson | Stars: Andrew Garfield , Sam Worthington , Luke Bracey , Teresa Palmer

Votes: 585,495 | Gross: $67.21M

6. Sully (2016)

PG-13 | 96 min | Biography, Drama

When pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger lands his damaged plane on the Hudson River in order to save the flight's passengers and crew, some consider him a hero while others think he was reckless.

Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Tom Hanks , Aaron Eckhart , Laura Linney , Valerie Mahaffey

Votes: 295,418 | Gross: $125.07M

7. Loving (2016)

PG-13 | 123 min | Biography, Drama, Romance

The story of Richard and Mildred Loving, a couple whose arrest for interracial marriage in 1960s Virginia began a legal battle that would end with the Supreme Court's historic 1967 decision.

Director: Jeff Nichols | Stars: Ruth Negga , Joel Edgerton , Will Dalton , Dean Mumford

Votes: 36,225 | Gross: $7.70M

8. Pele: Birth of a Legend (2016)

PG | 107 min | Biography, Drama, Sport

Pele's meteoric rise from the slums of Sao Paulo to leading Brazil to its first World Cup victory at the age of 17 is chronicled in this biographical drama.

Directors: Jeff Zimbalist , Michael Zimbalist | Stars: Vincent D'Onofrio , Rodrigo Santoro , Diego Boneta , Seu Jorge

Votes: 20,809 | Gross: $0.03M

9. Ip Man 3 (2015)

PG-13 | 105 min | Action, Biography, Drama

When a band of brutal gangsters led by a crooked property developer make a play to take over a local school, Master Ip is forced to take a stand.

Director: Wilson Yip | Stars: Donnie Yen , Lynn Xiong , Jin Zhang , Mike Tyson

Votes: 59,747 | Gross: $2.68M

10. The Big Short (2015)

R | 130 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama

In 2006-2007 a group of investors bet against the United States mortgage market. In their research, they discover how flawed and corrupt the market is.

Director: Adam McKay | Stars: Christian Bale , Steve Carell , Ryan Gosling , Brad Pitt

Votes: 477,987 | Gross: $70.26M

11. Concussion (2015)

PG-13 | 123 min | Biography, Drama, Sport

In Pittsburgh, accomplished pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu uncovers the truth about brain damage in football players who suffer repeated concussions in the course of normal play.

Director: Peter Landesman | Stars: Will Smith , Alec Baldwin , Albert Brooks , David Morse

Votes: 100,139 | Gross: $34.54M

12. Everest (2015)

PG-13 | 121 min | Action, Adventure, Biography

On May 10, 1996, mountain guides Rob Hall and Scott Fischer combine their expedition teams for a final ascent to the summit of Mount Everest. With little warning, a storm strikes the mountain and the climbers must now battle to survive.

Director: Baltasar Kormákur | Stars: Jason Clarke , Ang Phula Sherpa , Thomas M. Wright , Martin Henderson

Votes: 230,421 | Gross: $43.48M

13. Straight Outta Compton (2015)

R | 147 min | Biography, Drama, History

The rap group NWA emerges from the mean streets of Compton in Los Angeles, California, in the mid-1980s and revolutionizes Hip Hop culture with their music and tales about life in the hood.

Director: F. Gary Gray | Stars: O'Shea Jackson Jr. , Corey Hawkins , Jason Mitchell , Neil Brown Jr.

Votes: 216,571 | Gross: $161.20M

14. McFarland, USA (2015)

PG | 129 min | Biography, Drama, Sport

Jim White moves his family after losing his last job as a football coach, and at his new school he turns seven disappointing students into one of the best cross-country teams in the region.

Director: Niki Caro | Stars: Kevin Costner , Maria Bello , Ramiro Rodriguez , Carlos Pratts

Votes: 41,798 | Gross: $44.47M

15. American Sniper (2014)

R | 133 min | Action, Biography, Drama

Navy S.E.A.L. sniper Chris Kyle's pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and turns him into a legend. Back home with his family after four tours of duty, however, Chris finds that it is the war he can't leave behind.

Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Bradley Cooper , Sienna Miller , Kyle Gallner , Cole Konis

Votes: 524,104 | Gross: $350.13M

16. Selma (2014)

PG-13 | 128 min | Biography, Drama, History

A chronicle of Dr. Martin Luther King , Jr.'s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.

Director: Ava DuVernay | Stars: David Oyelowo , Carmen Ejogo , Oprah Winfrey , Tom Wilkinson

Votes: 95,025 | Gross: $52.08M

17. Kill the Messenger (2014)

R | 112 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

Journalist Gary Webb, California 1996, started investigating CIA's role in the 1980s in getting crack cocaine to the black part of LA to get money and weapons to the Contra insurgents in Nicaragua.

Director: Michael Cuesta | Stars: Jeremy Renner , Robert Patrick , Jena Sims , Robert Pralgo

Votes: 48,579 | Gross: $2.45M

18. The Theory of Everything (2014)

Stephen Hawking gets unprecedented success in the field of physics despite being diagnosed with motor neuron disease at the age of 21. He defeats awful odds as his first wife Jane aids him loyally.

Director: James Marsh | Stars: Eddie Redmayne , Felicity Jones , Tom Prior , Sophie Perry

Votes: 478,375 | Gross: $35.89M

19. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

R | 180 min | Biography, Comedy, Crime

Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort , from his rise to a wealthy stock-broker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.

Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio , Jonah Hill , Margot Robbie , Matthew McConaughey

Votes: 1,560,578 | Gross: $116.90M

20. Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

R | 117 min | Biography, Drama

In 1985 Dallas, electrician and hustler Ron Woodroof works around the system to help AIDS patients get the medication they need after he is diagnosed with the disease.

Director: Jean-Marc Vallée | Stars: Matthew McConaughey , Jennifer Garner , Jared Leto , Steve Zahn

Votes: 515,175 | Gross: $27.30M

21. Rush (I) (2013)

R | 123 min | Action, Biography, Drama

The merciless 1970s rivalry between Formula One rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda .

Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Daniel Brühl , Chris Hemsworth , Olivia Wilde , Alexandra Maria Lara

Votes: 508,779 | Gross: $26.95M

22. 12 Years a Slave (2013)

R | 134 min | Biography, Drama, History

In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup , a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.

Director: Steve McQueen | Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor , Michael Kenneth Williams , Michael Fassbender , Brad Pitt

Votes: 736,185 | Gross: $56.67M

23. The Butler (I) (2013)

PG-13 | 132 min | Biography, Drama

As Cecil Gaines serves eight presidents during his tenure as a butler at the White House, the civil rights movement, Vietnam, and other major events affect this man's life, family, and American society.

Director: Lee Daniels | Stars: Forest Whitaker , Oprah Winfrey , John Cusack , Jane Fonda

Votes: 119,367 | Gross: $116.63M

24. Summer in February (2013)

Not Rated | 100 min | Biography, Drama, Romance

A true tale of love, liberty and scandal amongst the Edwardian artists' colony in Cornwall

Director: Christopher Menaul | Stars: Dominic Cooper , Emily Browning , Dan Stevens , Jane Cussons

Votes: 4,267

25. Starring Adam West (2013)

Not Rated | 98 min | Documentary, Biography, Comedy

Whether you know him from his iconic role as Batman in the 1966 television series or from his bizarre portrayal of the Mayor on Fox's Family Guy, Adam West is sure to have made an ... See full summary  »

Director: James E. Tooley | Stars: Adam West , Ralph Garman , Kevin Ryder , James E. Tooley

26. Fruitvale Station (2013)

R | 85 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

The story of Oscar Grant III, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident, who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family, and strangers on the last day of 2008.

Director: Ryan Coogler | Stars: Michael B. Jordan , Melonie Diaz , Octavia Spencer , Kevin Durand

Votes: 85,464 | Gross: $16.10M

27. The Grandmaster (2013)

PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Biography, Drama

The story of martial-arts master Ip Man, the man who trained Bruce Lee.

Director: Kar-Wai Wong | Stars: Tony Leung Chiu-wai , Ziyi Zhang , Jin Zhang , Chang Chen

Votes: 36,483 | Gross: $6.59M

28. Argo (2012)

R | 120 min | Biography, Drama, Thriller

Acting under the cover of a Hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film, a CIA agent launches a dangerous operation to rescue six Americans in Tehran during the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran in 1979.

Director: Ben Affleck | Stars: Ben Affleck , Bryan Cranston , John Goodman , Alan Arkin

Votes: 636,063 | Gross: $136.03M

29. The Sapphires (2012)

PG-13 | 103 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama

In 1968, four talented young Australian Aboriginal girls learn about love, friendship, and war when their all-girl group The Sapphires entertains the US troops in Vietnam.

Director: Wayne Blair | Stars: Chris O'Dowd , Deborah Mailman , Jessica Mauboy , Shari Sebbens

Votes: 15,105 | Gross: $2.45M

30. The Intouchables (2011)

R | 112 min | Comedy, Drama

After he becomes a quadriplegic from a paragliding accident, an aristocrat hires a young man from the projects to be his caregiver.

Directors: Olivier Nakache , Éric Toledano | Stars: François Cluzet , Omar Sy , Anne Le Ny , Audrey Fleurot

Votes: 919,017 | Gross: $13.18M

31. Schindler's List (1993)

R | 195 min | Biography, Drama, History

In German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Liam Neeson , Ralph Fiennes , Ben Kingsley , Caroline Goodall

Votes: 1,436,051 | Gross: $96.90M

32. Goodfellas (1990)

R | 145 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

The story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, covering his relationship with his wife Karen and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.

Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro , Ray Liotta , Joe Pesci , Lorraine Bracco

Votes: 1,243,786 | Gross: $46.84M

33. The Pianist (2002)

R | 150 min | Biography, Drama, Music

During WWII, acclaimed Polish musician Wladyslaw faces various struggles as he loses contact with his family. As the situation worsens, he hides in the ruins of Warsaw in order to survive.

Director: Roman Polanski | Stars: Adrien Brody , Thomas Kretschmann , Frank Finlay , Emilia Fox

Votes: 901,611 | Gross: $32.57M

34. Braveheart (1995)

R | 178 min | Biography, Drama, History

Scottish warrior William Wallace leads his countrymen in a rebellion to free his homeland from the tyranny of King Edward I of England.

Director: Mel Gibson | Stars: Mel Gibson , Sophie Marceau , Patrick McGoohan , Angus Macfadyen

Votes: 1,084,078 | Gross: $75.60M

35. Amadeus (1984)

R | 160 min | Biography, Drama, Music

The life, success and troubles of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , as told by Antonio Salieri , the contemporaneous composer who was deeply jealous of Mozart's talent and claimed to have murdered him.

Director: Milos Forman | Stars: F. Murray Abraham , Tom Hulce , Elizabeth Berridge , Roy Dotrice

Votes: 424,253 | Gross: $51.97M

36. Casino (1995)

R | 178 min | Crime, Drama

In Las Vegas, two best friends - a casino executive and a mafia enforcer - compete for a gambling empire and a fast-living, fast-loving socialite.

Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro , Sharon Stone , Joe Pesci , James Woods

Votes: 558,327 | Gross: $42.44M

37. A Beautiful Mind (2001)

PG-13 | 135 min | Biography, Drama, Mystery

A mathematical genius, John Nash made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a harrowing journey of self-discovery.

Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Russell Crowe , Ed Harris , Jennifer Connelly , Christopher Plummer

Votes: 979,265 | Gross: $170.74M

38. The Miracle Worker (1962)

Approved | 106 min | Biography, Drama

The story of Anne Sullivan 's struggle to teach the blind and deaf Helen Keller how to communicate.

Director: Arthur Penn | Stars: Anne Bancroft , Patty Duke , Victor Jory , Inga Swenson

Votes: 20,326 | Gross: $5.45M

39. Gandhi (1982)

PG | 191 min | Biography, Drama, History

The life of the lawyer who became the famed leader of the Indian revolts against the British rule through his philosophy of nonviolent protest.

Director: Richard Attenborough | Stars: Ben Kingsley , John Gielgud , Rohini Hattangadi , Roshan Seth

Votes: 239,323 | Gross: $52.77M

40. Ip Man (2008)

R | 106 min | Action, Biography, Drama

During the Japanese invasion of China, a wealthy martial artist is forced to leave his home when his city is occupied. With little means of providing for themselves, Ip Man and the remaining members of the city must find a way to survive.

Director: Wilson Yip | Stars: Donnie Yen , Simon Yam , Siu-Wong Fan , Ka-Tung Lam

Votes: 232,484

41. Cinderella Man (2005)

PG-13 | 144 min | Biography, Drama, Romance

The true story of James J. Braddock, a supposedly washed-up boxer, who returned to the spotlight to win the heavyweight championship of the world.

Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Russell Crowe , Renée Zellweger , Craig Bierko , Paul Giamatti

Votes: 197,253 | Gross: $61.65M

42. The Sound of Music (1965)

G | 172 min | Biography, Drama, Family

A young novice is sent by her convent in 1930s Austria to become a governess to the seven children of a widowed naval officer.

Director: Robert Wise | Stars: Julie Andrews , Christopher Plummer , Eleanor Parker , Richard Haydn

Votes: 257,947 | Gross: $163.21M

43. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

PG-13 | 117 min | Biography, Drama

A struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional career

Director: Gabriele Muccino | Stars: Will Smith , Thandiwe Newton , Jaden Smith , Brian Howe

Votes: 554,941 | Gross: $163.57M

44. Walk the Line (2005)

PG-13 | 136 min | Biography, Drama, Music

A chronicle of country music legend Johnny Cash 's life, from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm to his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded alongside Elvis Presley , Jerry Lee Lewis , and Carl Perkins .

Director: James Mangold | Stars: Joaquin Phoenix , Reese Witherspoon , Ginnifer Goodwin , Robert Patrick

Votes: 264,121 | Gross: $119.52M

45. The Ten Commandments (1956)

G | 220 min | Adventure, Drama, Family

Moses, raised as a prince of Egypt in the Pharaoh's household, learns of his true heritage as a Hebrew and his divine mission as the deliverer of his people from slavery.

Director: Cecil B. DeMille | Stars: Charlton Heston , Yul Brynner , Anne Baxter , Edward G. Robinson

Votes: 76,382 | Gross: $93.74M

46. The Fighter (I) (2010)

R | 116 min | Action, Biography, Drama

Based on the story of Micky Ward , a fledgling boxer who tries to escape the shadow of his more famous but troubled older boxing brother and get his own shot at greatness.

Director: David O. Russell | Stars: Mark Wahlberg , Christian Bale , Amy Adams , Melissa Leo

Votes: 386,688 | Gross: $93.62M

47. Tombstone (1993)

R | 130 min | Biography, Drama, History

A successful lawman's plans to retire anonymously in Tombstone, Arizona are disrupted by the kind of outlaws he was famous for eliminating.

Directors: George P. Cosmatos , Kevin Jarre | Stars: Kurt Russell , Val Kilmer , Sam Elliott , Bill Paxton

Votes: 164,164 | Gross: $56.51M

48. American Gangster (2007)

R | 157 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

An outcast New York City cop is charged with bringing down Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas, whose real life inspired this partly biographical film.

Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Denzel Washington , Russell Crowe , Chiwetel Ejiofor , Josh Brolin

Votes: 449,412 | Gross: $130.16M

49. Donnie Brasco (1997)

R | 127 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

An FBI undercover agent infiltrates the mob and finds himself identifying more with the Mafia life--at the expense of his regular one.

Director: Mike Newell | Stars: Al Pacino , Johnny Depp , Michael Madsen , Bruno Kirby

Votes: 329,615 | Gross: $41.91M

50. Remember the Titans (2000)

PG | 113 min | Biography, Drama, Sport

In 1971 Virginia high school football was everything to the people of Alexandria. But when the school board was forced to integrate an all-black school with an all-white one, the very foundation of football's tradition was put to the test.

Director: Boaz Yakin | Stars: Denzel Washington , Will Patton , Wood Harris , Ryan Hurst

Votes: 230,172 | Gross: $115.65M

51. Finding Neverland (2004)

PG | 106 min | Biography, Drama, Family

The story of Sir J.M. Barrie 's friendship with a family who inspired him to create Peter Pan.

Director: Marc Forster | Stars: Johnny Depp , Kate Winslet , Julie Christie , Radha Mitchell

Votes: 211,422 | Gross: $51.68M

52. Ray (I) (2004)

PG-13 | 152 min | Biography, Drama, Music

The story of the life and career of the legendary rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles , from his humble beginnings in the South, where he went blind at age seven, to his meteoric rise to stardom during the 1950s and 1960s.

Director: Taylor Hackford | Stars: Jamie Foxx , Regina King , Kerry Washington , Clifton Powell

Votes: 156,440 | Gross: $75.33M

53. Malcolm X (1992)

PG-13 | 202 min | Biography, Drama, History

Biographical epic of the controversial and influential Black Nationalist leader, from his early life and career as a small-time gangster, to his ministry as a member of the Nation of Islam and his eventual assassination.

Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Denzel Washington , Angela Bassett , Delroy Lindo , Spike Lee

Votes: 101,258 | Gross: $48.17M

54. The Last King of Scotland (2006)

R | 123 min | Biography, Drama, History

Based on the events of the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin 's regime as seen by his personal physician during the 1970s.

Director: Kevin Macdonald | Stars: James McAvoy , Forest Whitaker , Gillian Anderson , Kerry Washington

Votes: 195,040 | Gross: $17.61M

55. The Blind Side (2009)

PG-13 | 129 min | Biography, Drama, Sport

The story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All-American football player and first-round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman and her family.

Director: John Lee Hancock | Stars: Quinton Aaron , Sandra Bullock , Tim McGraw , Jae Head

Votes: 357,670 | Gross: $255.96M

56. Fearless (2006)

PG-13 | 104 min | Action, Biography, Drama

A biography of Chinese Martial Arts Master Huo Yuanjia, who is the founder and spiritual guru of the Jin Wu Sports Federation.

Director: Ronny Yu | Stars: Jet Li , Li Sun , Yong Dong , Yun Qu

Votes: 78,419 | Gross: $24.63M

57. Blow (2001)

R | 124 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

The story of how George Jung , along with the Medellín Cartel headed by Pablo Escobar , established the American cocaine market in the 1970s in the United States.

Director: Ted Demme | Stars: Johnny Depp , Penélope Cruz , Franka Potente , Rachel Griffiths

Votes: 273,507 | Gross: $52.99M

58. 127 Hours (2010)

R | 94 min | Biography, Drama

A mountain climber becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone near Moab, Utah and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive.

Director: Danny Boyle | Stars: James Franco , Amber Tamblyn , Kate Mara , Sean Bott

Votes: 398,256 | Gross: $18.34M

59. Ip Man 2 (2010)

R | 108 min | Action, Biography, Drama

Centering on Ip Man's migration to Hong Kong in 1949 as he attempts to propagate his discipline of Wing Chun martial arts.

Director: Wilson Yip | Stars: Donnie Yen , Xiaoming Huang , Sammo Kam-Bo Hung , Lynn Xiong

Votes: 110,420 | Gross: $0.21M

60. The Hurricane (1999)

R | 146 min | Biography, Drama, Sport

The story of Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter , a boxer wrongly imprisoned for murder, and the people who aided in his fight to prove his innocence.

Director: Norman Jewison | Stars: Denzel Washington , Vicellous Shannon , Deborah Kara Unger , Liev Schreiber

Votes: 101,901 | Gross: $50.67M

61. Amazing Grace (2006)

PG | 118 min | Biography, Drama, History

The idealist William Wilberforce maneuvers his way through Parliament, endeavoring to end the British transatlantic slave trade.

Director: Michael Apted | Stars: Ioan Gruffudd , Albert Finney , Michael Gambon , Romola Garai

Votes: 25,602 | Gross: $21.21M

62. The King and I (1956)

G | 133 min | Biography, Drama, Musical

A widow accepts a job as a live-in governess to the King of Siam's children.

Director: Walter Lang | Stars: Yul Brynner , Deborah Kerr , Rita Moreno , Martin Benson

Votes: 27,760 | Gross: $21.30M

63. Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)

PG | 94 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama

In 1931, three half-white, half-Aboriginal girls escape after being plucked from their houses to be trained as domestic staff, and set off on a journey across the Outback.

Director: Phillip Noyce | Stars: Everlyn Sampi , Tianna Sansbury , Kenneth Branagh , Laura Monaghan

Votes: 30,120 | Gross: $6.17M

64. Once Upon a Time in China II (1992)

R | 113 min | Action, Adventure, Biography

Arriving by train in Guangzhou, 1895, the trio fight off White Lotus followers, who want to kill all foreigners and the cute, European dressed 13th Aunt. It's not kung fu master Dr. Wong's (Jet Li) last fight.

Director: Hark Tsui | Stars: Jet Li , Rosamund Kwan , Siu Chung Mok , David Chiang

Votes: 10,549

65. Once Upon a Time in China (1991)

R | 134 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

Legendary martial arts hero Wong Fei-Hung fights against foreign forces' plundering of China. When Aunt Yee arrives back from America, Wong Fei-Hung assumes the role of her protector.

Director: Hark Tsui | Stars: Jet Li , Rosamund Kwan , Biao Yuen , Jacky Cheung

Votes: 19,733

66. Invictus (2009)

PG-13 | 134 min | Biography, Drama, History

Nelson Mandela , in his first term as President of South Africa, initiates a unique venture to unite the Apartheid-torn land: enlist the national rugby team on a mission to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Morgan Freeman , Matt Damon , Tony Kgoroge , Patrick Mofokeng

Votes: 167,212 | Gross: $37.49M

67. The Express (2008)

PG | 130 min | Biography, Drama, Sport

A drama based on the life of college football hero Ernie Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy.

Director: Gary Fleder | Stars: Rob Brown , Dennis Quaid , Clancy Brown , Darrin Dewitt Henson

Votes: 22,769 | Gross: $9.59M

68. Chariots of Fire (1981)

PG | 125 min | Biography, Drama, Sport

Two British track athletes, one a determined Jew and the other a devout Christian, are driven to win in the 1924 Olympics as they wrestle with issues of pride and conscience.

Director: Hugh Hudson | Stars: Ben Cross , Ian Charleson , Nicholas Farrell , Nigel Havers

Votes: 65,344 | Gross: $58.97M

69. Conviction (II) (2010)

R | 107 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

A working mother puts herself through law school in an effort to represent her brother, who has been wrongfully convicted of murder and has exhausted his chances to appeal his conviction through public defenders.

Director: Tony Goldwyn | Stars: Hilary Swank , Sam Rockwell , Melissa Leo , Thomas D. Mahard

Votes: 45,693 | Gross: $6.78M

70. Secretariat (2010)

PG | 123 min | Biography, Drama, Family

Penny Chenery Tweedy and colleagues guide her long-shot but precocious stallion to set, in 1973, the unbeaten record for winning the Triple Crown.

Director: Randall Wallace | Stars: Diane Lane , John Malkovich , Margo Martindale , Nelsan Ellis

Votes: 30,364 | Gross: $59.71M

71. Glory Road (2006)

PG | 118 min | Biography, Drama, Sport

In 1966, Texas Western coach Don Haskins led the first all-black starting line-up for a college basketball team to the NCAA national championship.

Director: James Gartner | Stars: Josh Lucas , Derek Luke , Austin Nichols , Jon Voight

Votes: 48,538 | Gross: $42.64M

72. What's Love Got to Do with It (1993)

R | 118 min | Biography, Drama, Music

The story of singer Tina Turner 's rise to stardom and how she gained the courage to break free from her abusive husband, Ike Turner .

Director: Brian Gibson | Stars: Angela Bassett , Laurence Fishburne , RaéVen Kelly , Virginia Capers

Votes: 24,385 | Gross: $39.10M

73. Men of Honor (2000)

R | 129 min | Biography, Drama

The story of Carl Brashear, the first African-American U.S. Navy Diver, and the man who trained him.

Director: George Tillman Jr. | Stars: Cuba Gooding Jr. , Robert De Niro , Charlize Theron , Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor

Votes: 124,383 | Gross: $48.82M

74. The Legend Is Born: Ip Man (2010)

Not Rated | 100 min | Action, Biography, Drama

Yip Man's resistance against invading foreigners, along with his romantic relations while under the tutelage of three Wing Chun masters.

Director: Herman Yau | Stars: Yu-Hang To , Yi Huang , Biao Yuen , Siu-Wong Fan

Votes: 32,732

75. Soul Surfer (2011)

PG | 112 min | Biography, Drama, Family

Bethany Hamilton, a professional surfer, loses her left arm in a shark attack. Unwilling to pay attention to the gravity of her situation, Bethany decides to get back into the ocean and surf again.

Director: Sean McNamara | Stars: AnnaSophia Robb , Dennis Quaid , Helen Hunt , Carrie Underwood

Votes: 52,542 | Gross: $43.85M

76. Public Enemies (2009)

R | 140 min | Action, Biography, Crime

The Feds try to take down notorious American gangsters John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, and Pretty Boy Floyd during a booming crime wave in the 1930s.

Director: Michael Mann | Stars: Christian Bale , Johnny Depp , Christian Stolte , Jason Clarke

Votes: 316,927 | Gross: $97.10M

77. Cadillac Records (2008)

R | 109 min | Biography, Drama, Music

Chronicles the rise of Chess Records and its recording artists.

Director: Darnell Martin | Stars: Adrien Brody , Jeffrey Wright , Beyoncé , Columbus Short

Votes: 22,962 | Gross: $8.20M

78. Alpha Dog (2006)

R | 122 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

Johnny and his pals kidnap Jake's 15-year-old brother Zach, then assign his buddy Frankie to be Zach's minder. They develop a brotherly friendship. Zach parties with his captors as things begin to spin out of control.

Director: Nick Cassavetes | Stars: Emile Hirsch , Justin Timberlake , Anton Yelchin , Bruce Willis

Votes: 107,494 | Gross: $15.23M

79. Rob Roy (1995)

R | 139 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama

In 1713 Scotland, Rob Roy MacGregor is wronged by a nobleman and his nephew, becomes an outlaw in search of revenge while fleeing the Redcoats, and faces charges of being a Jacobite.

Director: Michael Caton-Jones | Stars: Liam Neeson , Jessica Lange , John Hurt , Tim Roth

Votes: 45,304 | Gross: $31.60M

80. The Lover (1992)

R | 115 min | Biography, Drama, Romance

In 1929 French Indochina, a French teenage girl embarks on a reckless and forbidden romance with a wealthy, older Chinese man, each knowing that knowledge of their affair will bring drastic consequences to each other.

Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud | Stars: Jane March , Tony Ka Fai Leung , Jeanne Moreau , Frédérique Meininger

Votes: 23,296 | Gross: $4.90M

81. Once Upon a Time in China III (1992)

R | 125 min | Action, Adventure, Biography

Master Wong and his disciples enroll in the 'Dancing Lion Competition' to stop an assassination plot and to battle an arrogant, deceitful opponent.

Director: Hark Tsui | Stars: Jet Li , Rosamund Kwan , Siu Chung Mok , Xin Xin Xiong

Votes: 7,599 | Gross: $3.56M

82. Bugsy (1991)

R | 136 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

The story of how Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel started Las Vegas.

Director: Barry Levinson | Stars: Warren Beatty , Annette Bening , Harvey Keitel , Ben Kingsley

Votes: 30,761 | Gross: $49.11M

83. La Bamba (1987)

PG-13 | 108 min | Biography, Drama, Music

Biographical story of the rise from nowhere of early rock and roll singer Ritchie Valens who died at age 17 in a plane crash with Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper .

Director: Luis Valdez | Stars: Lou Diamond Phillips , Esai Morales , Rosanna DeSoto , Elizabeth Peña

Votes: 36,121 | Gross: $54.22M

84. Bloodsport (1988)

R | 92 min | Action, Biography, Drama

"Bloodsport" follows Frank Dux , an American martial artist serving in the military, who decides to leave the army to compete in a martial arts tournament in Hong Kong where fights to the death can occur.

Director: Newt Arnold | Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme , Donald Gibb , Leah Ayres , Norman Burton

Votes: 92,962 | Gross: $11.81M

85. Mommie Dearest (1981)

The abusive and traumatic adoptive upbringing of Christina Crawford at the hands of her mother, screen queen Joan Crawford , is depicted.

Director: Frank Perry | Stars: Faye Dunaway , Diana Scarwid , Steve Forrest , Howard Da Silva

Votes: 18,104 | Gross: $19.03M

86. Selena (1997)

PG | 127 min | Biography, Drama, Music

The true story of Selena , a Texas-born Tejano singer who rose from cult status to performing at the Astrodome, as well as having chart-topping albums on the Latin music charts.

Director: Gregory Nava | Stars: Jennifer Lopez , Edward James Olmos , Jon Seda , Jackie Guerra

Votes: 31,293 | Gross: $35.42M

87. Notorious (2009)

The life and death story of The Notorious B.I.G. (a.k.a. Christopher Wallace), who came straight out of Brooklyn to take the world of rap music by storm.

Director: George Tillman Jr. | Stars: Jamal Woolard , Anthony Mackie , Derek Luke , Momo Dione

Votes: 45,846 | Gross: $36.84M

88. Wyatt Earp (1994)

PG-13 | 191 min | Action, Adventure, Biography

From Wichita to Dodge City, to the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, a man becomes a myth in this thrilling journey of romance, adventure, and desperate heroic action.

Director: Lawrence Kasdan | Stars: Kevin Costner , Dennis Quaid , Gene Hackman , David Andrews

Votes: 54,470 | Gross: $25.05M

89. Raging Bull (1980)

R | 129 min | Biography, Drama, Sport

The life of boxer Jake LaMotta , whose violence and temper that led him to the top in the ring destroyed his life outside of it.

Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro , Cathy Moriarty , Joe Pesci , Frank Vincent

Votes: 376,898 | Gross: $23.38M

90. My All-American (2015)

Freddie Steinmark, an underdog on the gridiron, faces the toughest challenge of his life after leading his team to a championship season.

Director: Angelo Pizzo | Stars: Aaron Eckhart , Finn Wittrock , Robin Tunney , Sarah Bolger

Votes: 7,499 | Gross: $2.25M

91. Molly's Game (2017)

R | 140 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

The true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game and became an FBI target.

Director: Aaron Sorkin | Stars: Jessica Chastain , Idris Elba , Kevin Costner , Michael Cera

Votes: 185,666 | Gross: $28.78M

92. Breakthrough (2019)

PG | 116 min | Biography, Drama

When her 14-year-old son drowns in a lake, a faithful mother prays for him to come back from the brink of death and be healed.

Director: Roxann Dawson | Stars: Marcel Ruiz , Topher Grace , Sarah Constible , Dennis Haysbert

Votes: 10,868 | Gross: $40.71M

93. Maudie (2016)

PG-13 | 115 min | Biography, Drama, Romance

An arthritic Nova Scotia woman works as a housekeeper while she hones her skills as an artist and eventually becomes a beloved figure in the community.

Director: Aisling Walsh | Stars: Sally Hawkins , Ethan Hawke , Zachary Bennett , Gabrielle Rose

Votes: 21,065 | Gross: $6.17M

94. Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)

PG-13 | 95 min | Documentary, Biography, History

An exploration of the life, lessons, and legacy of iconic children's television host Fred Rogers .

Director: Morgan Neville | Stars: Fred Rogers , Margaret Whitmer , Tom Junod , Joanne Rogers

Votes: 26,964 | Gross: $22.84M

95. Ford v Ferrari (2019)

PG-13 | 152 min | Action, Biography, Drama

American car designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles battle corporate interference and the laws of physics to build a revolutionary race car for Ford in order to defeat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.

Director: James Mangold | Stars: Matt Damon , Christian Bale , Jon Bernthal , Caitríona Balfe

Votes: 456,873 | Gross: $117.62M

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