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The 25 best biopics of all time – ranked

From 'Malcolm X' to 'Oppenheimer': the greatest movies inspired by great lives

Hollywood has always loved a biopic – and not just Hollywood. Abel Gance’s legendary silent epic Napoléon and Carl Dreyer’s The Passion of Joan of Arc both created early blueprints for biographical cinema. But let’s not kid ourselves: it’s American cinema that has developed the biggest passion for putting the lives of great men and women – and some not-so-great-ones – up in lights. And the early ’80s are when the biopic really kicked up a gear, with films like Raging Bull (about Jake LaMotta), Coal Miner's Daughter (Loretta Lynn) and The Elephant Man (Joseph Merrick) all vying for Best Picture at 1980’s Oscars. This year, Oppenheimer and Maestro have continued the awards season sideline in teaching us all about Important People. But not all biopics are created equal. The list below singles out the ones that do more than just offer a Wikipedia-like trawl through a life’s events, however eventfully lived. Those flavourless films – J Edgar , Diana etc – often prove far less illuminating than a good hour-long History Channel doc. Instead, we’ve picked films that put fresh spins on famous figures, reframe their lives in insightful ways, and use the language of cinema to lend them grandeur and context in all kinds of memorable ways. Welcome to the cinema of icons. 

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Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.

1.  Napoléon (1927)

Move over Joaquin and Ridley , because Abel Gance’s iconic silent epic – all six-ish hours of it – is still the definitive depiction of the diminutive Corsican– yes, including Bill & Ted’s . Played by the gaunt Albert Dieudonné and taking in battles, politics and the young Bonaparte’s famous , it’s a tour de force of cinematic craft, with Gance employing an extraordinary array of techniques to bring this action-packed life to audiences in the late ’20s. Thanks to Kevin Brownlow’s loving restoration, it’s in fighting fettle nearly a century later. It doesn’t cover his entire life – Austerlitz, the retreat from Moscow and defeat at Waterloo were all destined to appear in further films Gance never got to make – but there’s enough Revolutionary-era detail for even the most dedicated sans culotte .

2.  Andrei Rublev (1966)

A bad biopic will just plod dutifully through history. For Andrei Tarkovsky, the form offered the chance to philosophise about creative and religious freedom, and explore the tension between his subject, the titular 15th century Russian icon painter, the chaotic medieval landscape he inhabited and the filmmaker’s own Communist homeland. In other words, to go full Tarkovsky. The result is one of the most stunning films of the ’60s, a black-and-white masterpiece embroidered with extraordinary visuals: the hot air balloon, the Tartars’ attack, the casting of the bell, and the weathered face of Rublev himself. Fun fact: his co-writer Andrei Konchalovsky went on to direct Tango & Cash . A tenner if you can find thematic overlap.

3.  Raging Bull (1980)

Some biopics cast such a long shadow they end up eclipsing their subject in public imagination. Old-school boxing fans know Jake LaMotta was a real fighter – and a real asshole – and not just a creation of Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. But in the cultural consciousness, De Niro is Jake LaMotta. And really, he might as well be, given how deeply he inhabits the role of a violent man increasingly unable to differentiate between a prize fight and everything else in his life. It’s a brutal but necessary portrait of male ugliness, made beautiful by Scorsese’s equally operatic and hallucinogenic visual style.

4.  Malcolm X (1992)

If any figure’s life deserves the cradle-to-grave treatment, it’s Malcolm X – and if any director is qualified to film his story with the breadth it requires, it’s Spike Lee. Lee refuses to sand down the edges of the Civil Rights icon’s biography, and in the process revivifies the three-dimensional image of a complex leader that had been flattened into a militant caricature through decades of purposeful revisionism. But the ace, of course, is Denzel Washington, who so fully embodies the activist at each stage of his life – from hoodlum to revolutionary to martyr – that when younger generations think about Malcolm X, he’s the person they see. 

5.  Amadeus (1984)

Miloš Forman’s opulent, stormy period piece about maverick musical genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is one of the great biopics. Adapting his own play, writer Peter Shaffer keeps the ingenious framing device of capturing Wolfie’s life in flashback through the eyes of his bitter rival Salieri. It lets us see what he sees, but encourages us to take a lot more pleasure in it all, until the charm wears off and the story sours. It’s as light and effortless as a fairy tale – all grand balls, OTT costumes and gossipy salons – but as immaculately constructed as a Mozart concerto. The brilliant Tom Hulce plays Mozart as a giggly manchild, while the equally formidable F Murray Abraham drips venom as the scheming Salieri.

6.  Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)

Paul Schrader tackles the life, career and incredibly violent death of Japanese writer and artist Yukio Mishima in a film that shows a good biopic can make dramatic hay from even the most unlikeable figures. Because, make no mistake, Mishima is a bit of a douche: an avatar for toxic masculinity and regressive nationalism who’d no doubt be a social media superstar these days. Schrader’s cleverly constructed, wildly imaginative epic finds beauty in his art and lurid colour in his life, framing it via stagily avant garde dramatisations with Philip Glass’s legendary score lending it all added grandeur.

7.  The Elephant Man (1980)

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David Lynch tamped down his surrealist impulses for his first major studio film, but when the source material is the true story of a 19th century freakshow exhibit turned bon vivant, what dreamy embellishments do you really need? Born with severe physical deformities science still hasn’t fully explained, Joseph Merrick nevertheless became the toast of London in the late 1800s when he was discovered to be far more erudite than his appearance suggested. John Hurt works wonders under an intensely cumbersome amount of make-up, literally straining to bring Merrick’s humanity to the surface. And while it might play more conventionally than just about anything Lynch did after, the director still imbues the film with a signature sense of unease.

8.  Patton (1970)

Flawed geniuses make great biopic subjects. Flawed heroes maybe even more so. General George S Patton, a hard-charging tank commander during World War II, is definitely one of the latter and depending on which historian you ask, maybe the former too. Embodied by the hardly mild-mannered George C Scott, a role for which he won, and subsequently declined, an Oscar, his wartime experiences make an electrifying case study of almost deranged drive and purpose. The film also makes a fascinating case study in leadership, with the screenplay, co-written by Francis Ford Coppola, never excusing the man’s brutal excesses – including the shellshocked G.I. he infamously slapped.

9.  Lawrence of Arabia (2012)

Condensing a great man’s life into a bum-friendly two-plus-hours is the kind of daunting task that David Lean’s widescreen epic makes no effort to attempt. Instead, over 227 minutes this remarkable film recreates the rise of TE Lawrence (Peter O’Toole) from humble army office to leader of the Arab tribes in World War I on the biggest imaginable canvas. That’s not to say it’s all strictly accurate. Despite being based on Lawrence’s own account of the war, ‘Seven Pillars of Wisdom’, it drew criticism for its depictions of Arabs in the story (Alec Guinness’s Prince Faisal, in particular), and it failure to include a single female character (British orientalist Gertrude Bell was a key figure in the story). But some British bias aside, much of what’s here is close to what happened IRL. 

10.  Oppenheimer (2023)

Christopher Nolan’s doomy portrait of the father of the atomic age will be forever linked to a movie about a plastic doll come to life . But it’s not really such a harsh juxtaposition – for all its physics talk and Senate hearings and apocalyptic visions, Oppenheimer would still qualify as blockbuster movie-making even if it didn’t wind up half of the #Barbenheimer phenomenon. Cillian Murphy is simply that captivating as J Robert Oppenheimer, the inventor of the weapon that may still annihilate us all, and the movie is simply that big: a three-hour exploration of guilt, war, death and marriage that overwhelms your attention with sheer density.

11.  The Last Emperor (1987)

This sweeping epic about Aisin Gioro Puyi, China’s last monarch, is one for all the they-don’t-make-’em-like-they-used-to heads out there. And Bernardo Bertolucci’s sweeping, nine-Oscars-winning movie really does feel like an offering from another era – not least because China is unlikely to be lending 19,000 soldiers to a Hollywood studio anytime soon, or handing over the keys to Beijing’s Forbidden City. That’s the backdrop to the film’s most famous shot: a toddler-aged Puyi standing before a vast crowd of his subjects. Despite being based on Puyi’s autobiography – or maybe because of it – The Last Emperor was called out for soft-soaking his cruelty. But as an depiction of 60 years of chaos and change, it’s still jaw-dropping.

12.  Ed Wood (1994)

Ed Wood is often laughed off as the worst director of all-time, but as time has gone on, and we’ve seen filmmakers do far worse with much bigger budgets, it’s easier to appreciate him as one of cinema’s truest believers, driven to serve his vision as best he could. That doesn’t make his movies any better, nor his technical ineptitude any less funny. But Tim Burton’s loving reappraisal manages to laugh with admiration rather than derision, to the point of looking and feeling like one of Wood’s films, at least in terms of vibe and not, like, visible boom mics. Johnny Depp is enthusiastically daft in the lead, and finds true warmth in his friendship with Martin Landau’s ageing, broken-down Bela Lugosi.

13.  Spartacus (1960)

‘I’m Spartacus!’ ‘No, I’m Spartacus!’ The stand-up-and-cheer moment in Stanley Kubrick’s CinemaScope epic feels much more Tinseltown than Ancient Rome, but the film around it is all based on real events. Specifically, a slave revolt against the Romans led by a Thracian slave in 71 BC. Famously, Kubrick directed it as a hired gun at the behest of its star Kirk Douglas, and it’s Kubrickian more in spectacle than style or theme – with the big battles and colosseum scenes making it the Gladiator of its day. It came with uncanny historical resonance, too: screenwriter Dalton Trumbo was blacklisted as one of the Hollywood 10 and for a time, was denied credit on the film. His Spartacus moment took a lot longer to happen, but he got a much happier ending ( and a Bryan Cranston film made about him ). 

14.  Persepolis (2008)

There’s not a load of animated biopics but those there are, are great. Studio Ghibli’s The Wind Rises , about fighter plane pioneer Jiro Horikoshi, is one such. Flee , about Afghan refugee Amin Nawab, is another. But Marjane Satrapi's adaptation of her own graphic novel about her childhood in Iran may be the best of the lot. It follows a young Satrapi as she tries to coexist peacefully with the Iranian Revolution, a feat made much tougher by her, a) being a woman, and b) having a mind of her own. The animation, aping the style of the book’s black-and-white illustrations, gives this touching, but punky coming-of-age story an aesthetic all of its own. 

15.  A Hidden Life (2020)

It’s noteworthiness rather than just notoriety that drives a good biopic. Franz Jägerstätter, played with rugged stoicism by Inglourious Basterds’ August Diehl, probably wouldn’t have ended up with a film made about his life had fate not reached into his bucolic corner of the Austrian Alps in the early 1940s. But the sheer courage and spiritual principle displayed by this humble family man in the face of the moral depravity of the Nazi state provide Terrence Malick’s stirring  film with a chance to elevate him from history’s marginalia. A hidden life no more.

16.  Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980)

The tropes of the musical biopic had not yet been fully codified when Michael Apted adapted country icon Loretta Lynn’s rags-to-riches story, but even now that they’ve been trod into dust, Coal Miner’s Daughter remains uniquely moving. You know the major beats: a girl is born into poverty, marries young, survives abuse and myriad other hardships, then succeeds beyond anybody’s wildest expectations. But Apted and stars Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones string the familiar narrative together with such well-observed humanity that it feels less like standard Hollywood biography and something closer to a folk tale.

17.  Walk the Line (2005)

Casting is always crucial in biopics, but if you’re making a movie about Johnny Cash and June Carter, it’s everything : if the chemistry between your leads is less than electric, you’re done for. Thankfully, Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon just about set the screen ablaze, he as country music’s ultimate voice of the voiceless, she as the beacon of light guiding him through his own personal darkness. Their shared authenticity – in both their onstage duets and offstage quarrels – elevates the film above its ‘behind the music’ cliches. That didn’t prevent it from being cut in half pretty bad by the hilarious parody Walk Hard – but if it helped bring the world Dewey Cox, that only makes it better.

18.  I'm Not There (2007)

Dylanology has been an unofficial field of academic study since the ’60s, so there’s little anyone could possibly gain from a straightforward Bob Dylan biopic. Wisely, in I’m Not There , Todd Haynes does the exact opposite of ‘straightforward’, taking a more symbolic approach in examining the towering musician’s muses and mythos. Six different actors portray various Dylanesque personae, none of them actually named Bob Dylan. Most memorable is Cate Blanchett as folk singer Jude Quinn, basically an alternate-reality version of Dylan circa his electric conversion. It’s a fascinating experiment that’s sometimes also inscrutable – as anything truthful to this particular subject should be.

19.  Lincoln (2013)

Actors have gone to great lengths in prepping to play historical figures before. Daniel Day-Lewis levelled up, however, as Abraham Lincoln, asking to be addressed as ‘Mr President’ on set and not breaking character for three months, even in the car to work. Which may, thinking about it, have been a carriage. But such is the burden of depicting a figure of the magnitude of Lincoln in Steven Spielberg’s serious-minded history, and the results are extraordinary. The film isn’t too shabby either. Tony Kushner’s screenplay, based Doris Kearns Goodwin’s famous Lincoln biography ‘Team of Rivals’, saupercharges Congressional debates and policy-making summits with the urgency of a thriller. Legislation drafting has never been this exciting.

20.  I, Tonya (2017)

Not even the trashiest Lifetime screenwriter could script a scandal as perfect as the one that enveloped US figure skating in 1994: all-American ice princess Nancy Kerrigan is clubbed in the knee by an unknown assailant. The suspect? Her chief rival, trailer park roughneck Tonya Harding. It was world-class tabloid fodder – but tabloids, of course, have little use for nuance or empathy. Director Craig Gillespie doesn’t rehabilitate Harding, exactly, but brings the circumstances of her life into better view, while still recognising the dark absurdity of the controversy that made her famous. Margot Robbie proved her range in the lead role, but it was Allison Janney, as her abusive, chain-smoking mother, who rightly won all the awards.

21.  Control (2007)

Anton Corbijn is uniquely suited to make a movie about late Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis: he jump started his photography career in the ‘70s by shooting the band for NME, and later directed a posthumous video for their song ‘Atmosphere’. No wonder, then, that the movie looks like how the band sounded: monochrome and austere, yet starkly beautiful. As you’d expect of a film about a musician who hung himself at age 23, the prevailing mood of Control is somber, but Sam Riley gives Curtis a detectable heartbeat, portraying him as a man capable of love (and even humour), but only from a distance.

22.  Ray (2005)

Narratively, Taylor Hackford’s look at the life and times of Ray Charles is Music Bio 101, charting the legendary entertainer’s rise from blind prodigy to American icon, with all the attendant battles against sin and vice in between. What earns it a place on this list is Jamie Foxx, who doesn’t so much embody Charles but fuse with his DNA like the alien in The Thing . Foxx doesn’t just burrow under his skin – although the surface-level impression is uncanny – but into his heart, brain and everything else, drawing far more out of the performance than the script seemed to offer him.  

23.  Man on the Moon (1999)

Self-described ‘song and dance man’ Andy Kaufman dedicated his life and career to inscrutability, to the point that the ‘real Andy’ became unknowable, perhaps even to the comedian himself. In lieu of separating fact from fiction, Milos Forman’s biopic simply reiterates the legend. Is there much to learn from restaging Kaufman’s greatest hits, like the wrestling matches and Mighty Mouse and the milk-and-cookies stunt from Carnegie Hall, even with the fine detail Forman provides them? Not really. But Jim Carrey famously poured himself into portraying Kaufman with such scary accuracy that it goes beyond movie acting and becomes a form of performance art in itself – perhaps the most appropriate tribute you can offer him.

24.  Rocketman (2019)

If you only watch one biopic about a flamboyant British musical superstar who loves a party, make it Rocketman rather than Bohemian Rhapsody . Dexter Fletcher ended up working, uncredited, to finish the Freddie Mercury movie just before he tackled Elton John’s life. He saved all the magic for this one, sketching out a vivid fantasia that feels entirely in keeping with the pop star’s bonkers life, and adopting the grammar of movie musicals to  swerve the tired clichés that blight so many biopics . Elton’s suicide attempt, flowing from swimming pool to hospital in one shot and accompanied by the title song, is sheer, drug-addled wonderment.

25.  Elvis (2022)

It might have been Harry Styles. It might even have been Miles Teller. The fact that it’s Austin Butler, a hitherto barely known actor with only a passing resemblance, who ended up playing Elvis demonstrates that charisma flows in both directions when you’re playing a superstar. Not to say that Butler doesn’t have the goods: he’s magnetic, whether gyrating on stage and rocketing up the hit parade, or being believably damaged during the crash landing of the Vegas years. Tom Hanks’s rubbery Colonel Parker aside, Baz Luhrmann’s rock ‘n’ roll Babylon is the best kind of gaudily OTT real-life spectacle.

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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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The 15 Best Biopics of All Time

Meryl Streep, Denzel Washington, and Robert De Niro star in some of the most enduring and enjoyable biopics.

That’s largely because the genre has gone through some pains to get here. For years, biopics were paint-by-numbers affairs, drawn up to make a quick buck and maybe score an Oscar nomination or two.

Now, most filmmakers have figured out that there are better, more cinematic ways to tell these stories. Some of the best biopics on our list still tell a person’s story from birth to death (or close to it) but do so with a grandness that reflects the way their life was lived. Others focus on a specific period, moment, or event in a person’s life and demonstrate its importance, which encourages reflection on how that particular story still resonates in the present.

This biopic renaissance didn’t happen overnight. Throughout film history, directors have taken risks that paid off in the form of timeless biopics that pushed the genre forward. These are 15 of our favorites.

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Director Spike Lee takes the approach of sharing a large percentage of the life of one of America’s most well-known and impactful civil rights leaders : Malcolm X . It’s an approach that has failed more often than not, but over three hours, Lee and star Denzel Washington are able to give Malcolm’s life the richness and attention to detail it deserves in this 1992 film. The result is a fully three-dimensional portrait that follows the man from childhood to his 1965 assassination and many places in between.

Tick, Tick…Boom!

The layers in the feature film debut of director Lin-Manuel Miranda are truly one of a kind. The 2021 movie introduces us to Jonathan Larson (played by Andrew Garfield), who became best known for writing the broadway musical Rent . But in Tick, Tick…Boom! , he’s both struggling to break into the musical industry and, in a parallel but future-looking story, acting in the musical he wrote before Rent . That musical? Tick, Tick…Boom! about a writer struggling to break into the musical industry. It all makes sense—somehow—on the screen, and it’s both wildly entertaining and tinged with tragedy for people who know Larson’s fate. (He’d never get to see Rent premiere.)

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I’m Not There

Most biopics feature one primary actor depicting the portions of an individual’s life that are best known to the general public. Many others might feature a younger or older actor showing the subject at a different phase of their life. I’m Not There , meanwhile, tells the story of Bob Dylan using six very distinct actors to portray the iconic singer-songwriter in various eras of his life. Among the six in this 2007 release are Christian Bale , Richard Gere , the late Heath Ledger , and, improbably, an Oscar-nominated Cate Blanchett .

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Here, the biopic turns into a horror movie (with one of the most uncomfortable but appropriate musical scores of the last decade), as we follow former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (played by a never better Natalie Portman ) in the immediate aftermath of her husband’s assassination in 1963. In this 2017 film, Chilean director Pablo Larraín takes you deep into what was a national tragedy, but he does so in a uniquely personal way. In one of the film’s most devastating scenes, we see Kennedy trying to wash her husband’s blood off her body . From there, it flips, and we see her put in painstaking work to shape the way history will remember the 35th U.S. president .

The Wind Rises

A rare animated biopic, this 2013 stunner from Japanese legend Hayao Miyazaki (of Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke fame) is an interesting companion piece to this summer’s hottest biopic, Oppenheimer . It depicts the life and career of Jiro Horikoshi, an engineer whose aircraft designs were eventually adopted and used by Japan during World War II. While his work advanced his field tremendously, the film shows him wracked with guilt over the way it was used, while he also deals with personal tragedy. It’s a tremendous achievement that takes advantage of its presentation to become arguably the most fanciful biopic ever.

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Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most well-known figures in American history, but books and speeches can only do so much to show the person behind the ideas. Director Ava DuVernay ’s 2014 film centers around the 1965 civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, explicitly showing it wasn't the act of one man but so many, including people killed in acts of racial violence. Still, where it stands out is in its portrayal of King, who carries the hopes, fears, and memories of all these individuals on his shoulders at all times, whether he’s sitting at home with his family, in an Alabama jail cell, or in the Oval Office. The result is a portrait of an icon who’s flawed, overwhelmed, and occasionally unsure of himself.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Similar to DuVernay’s work on Selma , director Marielle Heller peels back the veil on a person famous for their goodness in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood . Her focus is Fred Rogers , the famous children’s television star, but what’s especially interesting about Tom Hanks ’ portrayal of him in the film is that his on- and off-screen personas aren’t dramatically different. The film is centered on a journalist profiling Rogers who assumes someone presenting as this kind must have another side. But in this 2019 film, we learn that while Rogers might have had feelings of sadness, anger, and anxiousness, he actively chose kindness every day, which in turn made everything else feel insignificant.

One of the more fictionalized biopics on the list, this 1984 Oscar-winning epic, adapted from a Tony Award–winning play, takes the unique approach of showing the life, work, and peculiarities (that laugh!) of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart through the eyes of one of his lesser-known contemporaries, Antonio Salieri. As played by F. Murray Abraham, Salieri is consumed by jealousy, revulsion, and deep, deep admiration for his rival composer. As he gets closer to Mozart, he sees a similarly tortured soul, and for viewers, Mozart’s layers of caricature fade away.

Another biopic out of the tumult that was the United States in the 1960s, this 2001 masterpiece from director Michael Mann crosses between sports and politics with a hand as deft as its subject’s left. We see Muhammad Ali , played with remarkable complexity by Will Smith , from his first title fight to his famous knockout of George Foreman in the “Rumble in the Jungle.” All the while, we’re shown the unforgettable details that made him one of the greatest icons of the 20th century—notably, the grace with which he moved around the ring and the acid on his tongue in a pre-fight interview—as well as the almost unbearable heaviness he carried on his shoulders that came with being Muhammad Ali.

Raging Bull

Staying in the boxing ring, this is arguably the quintessential biopic and one of the most admired films by one of cinema’s most admired directors, Martin Scorsese . In it, Robert De Niro plays Jake LaMotta , the world middleweight champion from June 1949 to February 1951. The 1980 film explores the ups and downs of his fighting career, his mob connections (including an infamously thrown fight in 1947), and the always tumultuous, often rage-filled, and violent relationships he had with his wife, Vikie, and his brother and manager, Joey. De Niro won his second Oscar for playing LaMotta—a performance for which he gained 60 pounds to play an older version of the fighter.

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In the 1960s, big, booming historical epics were all the rage. Lawrence of Arabia , Dr. Zhivago —if it had a musical overture and an intermission, people were there and all about it. (It was kind of weird.) But one biographical film that came a little later (in 1981) stands out as an especially successful epic with a number of historical figures criss-crossing at a monumentally important historical event: the start of the Russian Revolution. Among the figures profiled in the underrated Reds are Jack Reed ( Warren Beatty , who also directed the film), a journalist and activist who wrote one of the defining portraits of this period; Louise Bryant ( Diane Keaton ), his counterpart and on/off romantic partner; famous American playwright Eugene O’Neill ( Jack Nicholson ); and feminist and anarchist Emma Goldman (Maureen Stapleton). And throughout, all of the individuals featured and events chronicled are given color through real-life interviews with men and women who were actually there.

Marie Antoinette

This 2006 biopic is straight vibes. Set in pre-Revolutionary France, it features Kirsten Dunst as Marie Antoinette not even pretending to have an accent. Converse sneakers are famously seen in the background of a shot. And the soundtrack, featuring The Strokes and The Cure among others, couldn’t sound less appropriate for the period. But by severing the connection with the time period as harshly as—well, nevermind—director Sofia Coppola crafts something that’s able to gently remind viewers this movie is a relatively simple story about a young girl who embraces the luxury around her because she’s in an otherwise impossible situation.

Julie & Julia

This 2009 Nora Ephron –directed biopic earns inclusion on this list first and foremost thanks to a truly iconic performance from the great Meryl Streep as the beloved chef, author, and television personality Julia Child . She injects tremendous heart into the role without losing some of the quirky gestures that made so many people fall in love with Child, among them blogger Julie Powell ( Amy Adams ), whose journey with Child’s cooking elevates the film further into the pantheon of best biopics. It’s a unique approach that demystifies its subject by both showing us her life and showing someone else wrestling with it.

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An Angel at My Table

Janet Frame might not be a household name in America like other biopic subjects on this list, but hers was a life so full that a young New Zealand director named Jane Campion turned it into a true cinematic effort in 1990 in just her second feature film. Frame eventually became a renowned literary figure, and the film is based on three separate autobiographies she wrote covering different periods in her life, from childhood to adulthood. She suffered a number of personal tragedies early in her life and was later diagnosed (inaccurately) with schizophrenia. In the film’s most dramatic and pivotal scene, she learns that her first collection of short stories will be published just days before she’s scheduled to undergo a lobotomy.

Director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin dissect one of the most influential individuals of the past century (you’re quite possibly reading this article on one of his devices) in this 2015 biopic. When you picture Steve Jobs in your head, you probably imagine him in black on a stage introducing a product, and this film takes place on three such days across a roughly 15-year span. But while he looks the part, Michael Fassbender’s Jobs is instead shown as vain, short-tempered, and vindictive. It’s a harsh juxtaposition, but as a biopic, it’s a fascinating experiment that is also very well-acted and relentlessly paced.

John Gilpatrick is a freelance writer and film critic from the Lehigh Valley, PA. He loves movies about space and movies about oil drillers (especially when they go together). He also thinks the Star Wars prequels are mostly OK and that Ivan Reitman's Draft Day is a low-key masterpiece. He is a member of the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS). You can read more of his reviews and columns at JohnLikesMovies.com .

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The 20 Best Biopics of All Time, Ranked

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There's no easy way to say it, but it's the truth, so it should be said: the biopic is probably the weakest of all the broad film genres. Sometimes, films about real-life people - particularly the incredibly famous ones - play things safe while recycling tropes and plot beats that are regrettably familiar. Couple the formula with the fact that there's sometimes predictability when it comes to how a true-life story will play out, and the average biopic might well end up a little less interesting than say the average thriller, for example.

However, there's some hope to be had, because not all biopics play it safe and make for boring watches. The following movies all represent the genre at its best, and succeed because they tell interesting stories, lesser-known ones, or find unique ways to cinematically present real-life events viewers may already be familiar with. Regardless of one's view on the biopic as a genre, the following are all worth watching and are ranked below, beginning with the great and ending with the all-time greatest.

20 'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly' (2007)

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a French movie about one man learning to live with a particularly difficult health condition. That man's name is Jean-Dominique Bauby , and the film documents how things changed for him after he suffered a severe stroke while in his 40s, finding himself completely paralyzed and only able to move/blink his left eye.

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Bauby managed to write his memoir by communicating with a speech therapist, who transcribed the work that would later become his memoir, which the film is based on. Its depiction of what's known as locked-in syndrome makes for a daunting and oftentimes heavy watch, but Bauby's life story is also a remarkable one about human resilience and strength in impossible situations, making The Diving Bell and the Butterfly a powerful watch.

19 'Ray' (2004)

Ray Charles was an iconic singer-songwriter known for his unique approach to blues, jazz, and gospel music, succeeding in such a career after going blind in his childhood. The film Ray presents his dramatic life, and the various struggles he overcame to find success within his field as a widely-celebrated musician.

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Like many music biopics, it gave its central actor a chance to fully inhabit a unique figure from history, in this case providing Jamie Foxx with one of the best roles of his career. He captures Ray Charles in an almost uncanny way, and makes Ray worth watching for his central performance alone.

18 'Erin Brockovich' (2000)

One of the best movies of 2000 (itself a strong year for cinema) was Erin Brockovich , a biopic about the titular woman starring Julia Roberts in an Oscar-winning role. The film is a legal drama that fictionalizes the real-life case Brockovich was involved with, which concerned widespread groundwater contamination.

On top of featuring perhaps the best-ever performance of Roberts's career, it's also notable for being one of two very successful films directed by Steven Soderbergh that came out in 2000. His other - Traffic - is just as compelling, but isn't a biopic, instead presenting a fictional story on a real-life issue - that of America's complicated war on drugs

17 'Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters' (1985)

Featuring an amazing score by composer Philip Glass , and some of the most spectacular cinematography of the 1980s, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is an undoubtedly unique take on the biopic genre. It follows the life of the controversial Japanese writer/actor/nationalist Yukio Mishima , presenting various stages of it in bold and sometimes impressionistic ways.

It's a biopic that doesn't aim for 100% realism, instead opting to capture the essence of just who the enigmatic Mishima was as a person, and what drove him to do the sometimes alarming things he did. It's a shocking and unforgettable film, and one that's easy to recommend to anyone who feels like most biographical films are a bit stale and/or samey.

16 'Chaplin' (1992)

A movie about silent movies that isn't a silent movie , Chaplin is an extensive - and quite lengthy - biopic about famed actor/filmmaker Charlie Chaplin . It has a framing device involving Chaplin telling his life story to the editor of his autobiography, with key events in his long life playing out via a continual series of flashbacks.

It's a must-watch for fans of the silent era, as Chaplin's silent movies are what he's best known for today (though he did make some great "talkies" - as they used to be called - including The Great Dictator and Limelight ). Chaplin also contains one of Robert Downey Jr.'s best performances, with him successfully doing the near-impossible task of portraying such a distinct cinematic icon on-screen to great success.

15 'Walk the Line' (2005)

Though the music biopic might've gone temporarily out of fashion shortly after its release, Walk the Line still holds up as one of the better ones to come out in the 21st century so far. It succeeds in being both a Johnny Cash biopic and a June Carter biopic, given both were acclaimed country music artists who were also romantically involved, and eventually even got married.

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The two leads here - Joaquin Phoenix as Cash and Reese Witherspoon as Carter - are both excellent, with the former getting an Oscar nomination for Best Actor and the latter winning for Best Actress. It may hit some familiar music biopic beats, but it hits them pretty well throughout, making for a very watchable and continually interesting movie about two historically significant country music artists.

14 'Gandhi' (1982)

10 years before he directed Chaplin , filmmaker Richard Attenborough also directed another ambitious biopic, this one about Mahatma Gandhi (appropriately titled Gandhi ). It stars Ben Kingsley in the lead role, and focuses on Gandhi's life during the first decades of the 20th century, when he became an activist who stood up to the British government's rule in India in a uniquely peaceful manner.

Gandhi is an incredibly long movie, doing its best to capture a truly eventful life by including as much of it as possible in one film, which gives it a runtime of 191 minutes. Nevertheless, it's a long film worth sticking with, and was a particularly large success at the Academy Awards, winning a total of eight Oscars, including Best Picture.

13 'Oppenheimer' (2023)

A recent release, but an incredible movie nonetheless, Oppenheimer is a remarkable achievement and a film that feels both epic and intimate in its scope. It's about the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer , particularly focusing on how he developed the first atomic bomb during World War II, and how it impacted his life after his creation was used to end the war, causing thousands upon thousands of casualties when dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

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It's a change of pace for filmmaker Christopher Nolan , who otherwise made fictional films before the release of Oppenheimer , but he absolutely nails it here (as do all the members of its gigantic cast, especially Cillian Murphy in the titular role). It was also notably released the same day as another highly-anticipated movie that certainly wasn't a downbeat biopic ( Barbie ), leading to plenty of memes and enthusiasm for both films.

12 'The Last Emperor' (1987)

The Last Emperor won the Oscar for Best Picture of 1987—and Best Picture was just one of the Academy Awards it was nominated for, with the widely acclaimed film notably winning the awards for the eight other nominations it received, including Best Director for Italian filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci .

The story told in The Last Emperor is a particularly fascinating one, focusing on the life of Puyi , who was the last ever Emperor of China (as the title of the film implies). Its ambitious narrative spans more than half a century, capturing Puyi's life from his childhood until his death in 1967, and is an overall beautifully shot and extremely well-made historical/biographical epic that's well worth devoting 163 minutes to.

11 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' (1969)

It's safe to assume that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid isn't completely historically accurate, and it's not exactly the first movie most people would think of when they hear the term "biopic." But the titular figures were real-life people who robbed trains in the Old West, and spent a great deal of time on the run from the law as a result.

It's broadly based on the legends of these two figures from the history of the Wild West, but the expert screenplay by William Goldman moves at such a great pace that historical accuracy probably won't be on the minds of most viewers. Paul Newman and Robert Redford are also amazing in the title roles, with their immense chemistry making Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid one of the best buddy movies of all time.

10 'Lincoln' (2012)

Daniel Day-Lewis chews scenery better than just about any other actor out there, but in Lincoln , he gives a much quieter performance than usual. He's still captivating in his portrayal of American President Abraham Lincoln , with this epic Steven Spielberg movie focusing on Lincoln's final months in office before he was assassinated in 1865.

RELATED: Underrated Steven Spielberg Movies That Deserve Your Attention

Due to how long ago the real Abraham Lincoln lived, it's hard to say for sure whether Day-Lewis perfectly portrayed him on-screen, but he brings a gravitas to one of America's most famous leaders that feels remarkably authentic. The film's greatest attribute is the Oscar-winning performance Day-Lewis gives, but everything else here is still very good, with Spielberg once again showing how efficiently he can keep pumping out compelling movies.

9 'Coal Miner's Daughter' (1980)

Loretta Lynn was a country music artist most prevalent throughout the 1960s and 70s, with a film about her life, Coal Miner's Daughter , capturing much of what she'd done up until that point. The film focuses most on how Lynn effectively came from nothing to become a big star, ensuring Coal Miner's Daughter succeeds as a well-told underdog story.

It was a movie that helped define many tropes that now seem familiar in music biopics, and is also celebrated for featuring one of Sissy Spacek’s best performances . She won an Oscar for her role, with this acclaimed film getting an additional six nominations the same year, including one for Best Picture.

8 '12 Years a Slave' (2013)

12 Years a Slave is a brutal and hard-to-watch film, and is based on the memoir of a man who experienced life as a slave in Louisiana between the years 1841 and 1853. That man was Solomon Northup , with the film showing how he ended up being kidnapped and then sold into slavery by two conmen.

Because of the intensely personal nature of its source material, it's a film that feels remarkably authentic and unwilling to pull punches in its depiction of a horrific time in American history. It succeeds as both a biopic of Northup and a historical drama that more broadly unpacks slavery and the toll it took on those who were made to be slaves, making it a difficult yet important watch.

7 'Amadeus' (1984)

Though the theatrical cut of Amadeus was acclaimed and widely celebrated, the director's cut - which is about 20 minutes longer - is even better, and easily accessible nowadays. It makes the film feel like a true epic, with the story revolving around the rivalry between two composers: the well-known Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the lesser-known (and continually bitter) Antonio Salieri .

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The fact its plot revolves around classical music might make it sound unappealing to some, but that's like ignoring Citizen Kane just because you don't find newspapers interesting. Amadeus is about so much more than just music, telling a compelling, sometimes funny, and oftentimes tragic story about human nature, jealousy, and ambition, with the classical music-heavy soundtrack just being icing on the cake, really.

6 'Malcolm X' (1992)

Spike Lee became one of the most exciting filmmakers of his generation by the late 1980s, largely thanks to the excellent 1989 film Do the Right Thing . Malcolm X didn't immediately follow after that film, but was released just three years later, and has generated a similar level of acclaim and adoration, being up there with Lee's very best.

It's a huge film about a larger-than-life person, Malcolm X , a bold and sometimes controversial Black activist who fought for the civil rights movement throughout the 1950s and 60s. The film runs for well over three hours, but stays compelling and well-paced throughout, and also features one of Denzel Washington's very best lead performances, with his portrayal of the film's title character.

5 'Goodfellas' (1990)

Goodfellas is an influential crime movie that also serves as a biopic of sorts for its lead character, Henry Hill (played expertly by Ray Liotta ). Hill was a real-life member of the mafia, and Goodfellas depicts his time spent within the mob, though other characters (like Joe Pesci's Tommy DeVito) are inspired by real people less directly.

It still manages to feel authentic, thanks to its lack of glamorizing the mafia lifestyle, presenting a balanced look at a life of crime by showing why it entices people, and then making clear some of the downsides that can come from living that way. It's also fairly accurate to Henry Hill's personal experience, meaning it does ultimately have the right to qualify as a biopic.

4 'Schindler's List' (1993)

Undoubtedly one of the greatest war movies of all time , Schindler's List works as a powerful Holocaust drama and a biopic about its title character, Oskar Schindler . It's an ambitious epic movie that shows how Schindler saved more than 1000 Jewish people during the Holocaust through his personal fortune and employing them in his factory, which kept them out of the concentration camps where so many other lives were tragically lost.

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It's a heavy watch, but few films can claim to be quite as impactful or as well-made. It's undeniably one of Steven Spielberg's greatest achievements as a director, and much of the cast - including Liam Neeson , Ben Kingsley, and especially Ralph Fiennes - give career-best performances.

3 'Napoleon' (1927)

While Ridley Scott has directed a 2023 Napoleon movie, one could argue he's about 100 years late to the Napoleon Bonaparte party, because in 1927, one of the greatest silent films of all time came out, and was an exhaustive epic that documented much of the titular character's dramatic life.

Though it runs for approximately five and a half hours, 1927's Napoleon is notable for not even capturing everything in Napoleon's life, as director Abel Gance originally intended for it to be the first of several films that would cover the life and times of Napoleon. Though that plan never came to fruition, this single epic is still a monumental achievement, and one that holds up well almost an entire century on from its release.

2 'Raging Bull' (1980)

Few Martin Scorsese movies are quite as good as Raging Bull , which represents both the acclaimed filmmaker and his frequent leading man Robert De Niro at the height of their powers. You could call Raging Bull a sports movie, but it's more than just that, depicting brutal boxing scenes while also being one of the most intense character studies of all time.

It centers on real-life boxer Jake LaMotta , and shows how his strengths in the ring (namely, his aggression and strength) ultimately led to the collapse of his life outside the ring. It takes a brutally honest look at aggression and anti-social behavior, presenting LaMotta as someone who's often monstrous in his actions, even though the filmmaking and acting work to make him feel like a painfully believable - and uncomfortably real - human being.

1 'Lawrence of Arabia' (1962)

It's been more than 60 years since Lawrence of Arabia came out, and in that time, it's lost none of its power or capacity to blow the minds of those who watch it. It's arguably the quintessential epic movie, following the eventful life story of T.E. Lawrence , memorably beginning with his sudden death before flashing back to show what he managed to achieve in a single lifetime.

It's one of the most beautiful-looking movies of all time, and Peter O'Toole's lead performance as Lawrence is also one of the most impressive in cinema history. The movie's nearly four hours long yet flies by, succeeding as a historical drama, a war movie, and an adventure film, all the while telling the true story of one man's wild life, in the process making it arguably the greatest biographical film of all time.

NEXT: The Best Sci-Fi Movies of All Time, Ranked

• Oppenheimer (2023)

Best Biopics Ever Made, Ranked

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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 Tinseltown, 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, its effectiveness and impact remains consistent.

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 director and actor duos , serving as stepping stones in their lucrative and successful careers. These are some of the best biopics ever made.

Updated July 4, 2024: This list has been updated by Rachel Johnson with even more great biopics featuring stellar performances that movie lovers should check out.

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Reading of the murder of a Kansas family, New York City novelist Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman) decides to cover the story himself, and travels to the small town with his childhood friend, aspiring novelist Harper Lee (Catherine Keener). When Perry Smith (Clifton Collins Jr.) and Dick Hickock (Mark Pellegrino) are arrested and charged, Capote forms an emotional bond with Smith during his jailhouse interviews despite the young criminal's apparent guilt.

The late and great Philip Seymour Hoffman was undeniably one of Hollywood's most illustrious performers, brilliantly transforming himself for every role he took on. Hoffman knocked it out of the park when he appeared as famed American novelist Truman Capote in the engrossing biopic Capote that chronicled the writer's research and creation of his trailblazing true crime hit In Cold Blood. Capote travels to the small Kansas town where the gruesome Clutter family murders occurred in 1959, doing so with fellow writer and friend Harper Lee (Catherine Keener) to investigate the shocking crime.

Hoddman Soared as Truman Capote

Hoffman masterfully commands the screen and completely embodies the peculiar Capote, spending four months preparing and researching for the role in an effort to capture his distinct voice and mannerisms. The gifted star felt it was extremely important to "express the vitality and the nuances" of Capote and stayed in character the entire time during production. Hoffman's dedication to the role ultimately paid off, as he was the recipient of numerous prestigious accolades, like an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA for his performance, and he became deeply regarded as one of the cinema's most talented actors because of it.

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, Marisa Tomei, and even Chaplin’s real life daughter Geraldine Chaplin, the movie was released on the fifteenth anniversary of the beloved star’s death.

Chaplin Is One of Downey Jr.'s Best Roles

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 (outside of his Oscar-winning role in Oppenheimer ) 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.”

17 12 Years a Slave

12 Years a Slave

The Steve McQueen-directed poignant and deeply powerful drama 12 Years a Slave tells the devastating true story of Solomon Northup, a free African-American who was brutally kidnapped by two white men and sold into slavery in Louisiana in 1841, leaving his beloved wife and two children behind in New York. Chiwetel Ejiofor was fantastic as Northup, who experienced unfathomable violence and cruelty at the hands of one of his owners, Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender), before eventually finding an unexpected savior in Canadian abolitionist Samuel Bass (Brad Pitt) who would help grant him his freedom.

12 Years a Slave Made History

Both McQueen and the producers went to painstaking lengths to ensure that 12 Years a Slave was historically accurate, utilizing the help of African-American culture and history scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. to consult on the film. According to the data and visual blog Information is Beautiful , the drama was 88.1% accurate, with the publication summarizing: "While there are a touch of dramatic license here and there, the most gut-wrenching scenes really happened." 12 Years a Slave garnered universal acclaim and made cinema history when McQueen won Best Picture, becoming the first black filmmaker to win the Academy Award.

16 The Pianist

The Pianist

In this adaptation of the autobiography "The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945," Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody), a Polish Jewish radio station pianist, sees Warsaw change gradually as World War II begins. Szpilman is forced into the Warsaw Ghetto, but is later separated from his family during Operation Reinhard. From this time until the concentration camp prisoners are released, Szpilman hides in various locations among the ruins of Warsaw.

Adapted from the autobiographical book of the same name, Roman Polanski's The Pianist stars Adrien Brody as Polish-Jewish composer and pianist Władysław Szpilman, who is forced to live in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II and was heartbreakingly separated from his family, spending two years in hiding after the invasion of Poland. Szpilman evaded capture by the Nazis multiple times during this horrific period, finding an ally in German officer Wilm Hosenfeld (Thomas Kretschmann) as the war raged on around him.

The Director's Personal Connection Made For a Spectacular Movie

Polanski himself had escaped from the Kraków Ghetto as a child after losing his mother during the war and being separated from his father, finding refuge in a Polish farmer's barn. Polanski felt a deep connection with Szpilman and his story and wanted to pay his respects to the Holocaust survivor by directing the film, doing so spectacularly. The Pianist premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and took home the highly-coveted Palme d'Or, and the drama also went on to win three Academy Awards, including Best Director. Polanski's vision, Brody's raw performance, and the screenplay attracted widespread praise from fans and critics alike.

15 The Theory of Everything

The Theory of Everything

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.

A Great Movie About the Hawkings

Though some creative liberties were taken surrounding the early days of Stephen and Jane's relationship and the renowned physicist's temperament, the biopic was a massive hit both commercially and critically, with Redmayne specifically receiving immense praise and winning the Academy Award for Best Leading Actor. Director James Marsh described the essence of the biopic's story as, "a very unusual love story in a very strange environment, a very strange sort of landscape... It is how these two characters, these two real people transcend all the complications and curveballs that life throws at them."

14 The Last King of Scotland

The Last King of Scotland

While in Uganda on a medical mission, Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) becomes the personal physician and close confidante of dictator Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker). Although at first Dr. Garrigan feels flattered by his new position of power, he soon comes to realize that Amin's rule is soaked in blood, and that he is complicit in the atrocities. Garrigan faces the fight of his life as he tries to escape Amin's grasp.

Touting a phenomenal ensemble cast led by Forest Whitaker , James McAvoy, and Kerry Washington, the captivating historical drama The Last King of Scotland recounts the life and legacy of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. After overthrowing President Milton Obote, he assumes power and begins a reign of terror that lasts from 1971 to 1979. McAvoy appears as the fictional character Dr. Nicholas Garrigan, who serves as Amin's private physician in the film and witnesses the disturbing atrocities committed by the ruthless leader.

The Last King of Scotland Features Whitaker in a Chilling Role

Garrigan was inspired by two real-life figures: Amin's associate and colonial officer Bob Astles and Scottish doctor Wilson Carswell, both of whom saw firsthand the violence and blood Amin left in his wake. In The Last King of Scotland , Whitaker was a force to be reckoned with, delivering a chilling and downright brutal performance as the notorious dictator. He became the fourth Black actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, and The Daily Mail wrote in their review that he "fully captures the menace of the man who murdered more than 300,000 of his fellow citizens, but also - and this is the difficult part - his humor, charm and charisma."

The Shakespeare Biopic That Led to Boycotts and Protests

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13 Walk the Line

Walk The Line (2005)

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.

Joaquin Phoenix in One of His Best Roles

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. Though the film 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 Phoenix's career .

12 The Elephant Man

The Elephant Man

Dr. Frederic Treves (Anthony Hopkins) discovers Joseph (John) Merrick (John Hurt) in a sideshow. Born with a congenital disorder, Merrick uses his disfigurement to earn a living as the "Elephant Man." Treves brings Merrick into his home, discovering that his rough exterior hides a refined soul, and that Merrick can teach the stodgy British upper class of the time a lesson about dignity. Merrick becomes the toast of London and charms a caring actress (Anne Bancroft) before his death at 27.

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 (John Hurt) and Frederick Treves, a surgeon who rescues Merrick from a freak show and who sees the disfigured man for the kindhearted and intelligent person he truly is.

A Haunting Tale From David Lynch

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 is a haunting yet beautifully moving tale of compassion, acceptance, and seeing beyond another's appearance.

11 Straight Outta Compton

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 the hip-hop group N.W.A, whose members consist 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 surrounded the group.

Straight Outta Compton Is a Provocative Biopic

Straight Outta Compton is different from the average musical biopic . In fact, it's so much 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 a well-acted and superbly directed celebration of the genre.

10 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

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.

One of the Greatest Western Films of All Time

Numerous A-list actors were initially tied to the iconic 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. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is now regarded as being among the greatest Westerns of all time and its screenplay has also been singled out as one of cinema's finest, with screenwriter William Goldman taking home the Oscar for his dazzling contributions.

9 Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer

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.

What Makes It Great

Based on the 2005 biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, the Oscar-winning film depicts the life and career of theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), the inventor of the nuclear bomb. Told across several different timelines 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.

This acclaimed biographical drama presents major events in the life of Mohandas Gandhi (Ben Kingsley), the beloved Indian leader who stood against British rule over his country. Dedicated to the concept of nonviolent resistance, Gandhi is initially dismissed by English officials, including the influential Lord Irwin (John Gielgud), but eventually he and his cause become internationally renowned, and his gatherings of passive protest move India towards independence.

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.

Gandhi Is Historically Accurate

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 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 grew in popularity, spreading to other colleges and attracting the attention of wealthy investors.

The Social Network Is Expertly Crafted

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 .

10 Best Oscar-Nominated Biopics of All Time, Ranked

These Oscar-nominated biopics capture different personas and different times. They all play significant roles in the cinematic world.

6 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.

Malcolm X Is an Amazing Biopic

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."

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 in the 2012 historical biopic 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.

Lincoln Combines the Best of Spielberg and Day-Lewis

The dynamic star teamed up with renowned director Steven Spielberg for Lincoln , which was lauded upon its release, with Day-Lewis and his co-star Sally Field garnering particular praise for their exceptional work. 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, once again proving to the masses how unparalleled he is as a leading man. Lincoln is heavily cited as one of Spielberg's best films and was a shining moment for both the legendary director and actor.

4 Goodfellas

Martin Scorsese’s masterpiece biographical crime film Goodfellas narrates the rise and fall of mob associate Henry Hill, covering his relationship with 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.

Goodfellas Is Full of Suspense and Authenticity

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 and a trailblazing feat in the gangster genre.

3 Raging Bull

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.

Raging Bull Put Joe Pesci on the Map

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. The drama was also ranked as the fourth-greatest American movie of all time by the American Film Institute.

2 Schindler’s List

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 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."

Schindler's List Received Universal Acclaim

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 Is a Groundbreaking Biopic

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.

• Movie Lists

14 Best Biopics on Netflix (August 2024)

Biopics are an aspirational genre of filmmaking that arouses feelings ranging from tragedy to triumphant joy inside all of us. They serve as a reminder of the achievements of real-life people and the hardships endured while trying to accomplish something. Naturally, we are drawn to these shining examples of endeavor, perseverance, and grit. Most biopics depict personalities who are driven by something greater than them, showing us what it means to strive for higher objectives. Their life and experiences, told through a dramatic lens, inspire us to look at our own while dissecting the complexities of theirs. As such, to cater to your need for stories about real-life figures, here is a list of the best biopics available on Netflix.   

14. Blonde (2022)

‘ Blonde ’ tells the story of Hollywood and film industry icon Marilyn Monroe (Ana de Armas) , whose rise to stardom is punctuated by internal conflicts and pressure to live up to a pristine image as she winds down a circuitous path of torment. Writer and director Andrew Dominik presents a more fictionalized version of her life based on the 2000 eponymous biographical novel by Joyce Carol Oates.  Although it is not the most authentic tale owing to its deviations from the real-life story of Monroe, the film’s portrayal of mental health challenges and its uncommon narration style make it an intriguing watch for those who want an inside look into the famed actresses’ life. Separating fact from fiction is a different matter altogether, but it should not detract from an otherwise solid viewing experience. It can be streamed here.    

13. Big George Foreman (2023)

Directed by George Tillman Jr., ‘ Big George Foreman, ’ also known as ‘Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World,’ follows the remarkable life of boxer George Foreman (Khris Davis). The narrative covers his retirement from boxing, his new life as a preacher, and his return to the Heavyweight Division of boxing. Owing to the vast yet astounding events surrounding his achievements, the narrative picks up on Foreman’s incredible feats when everyone thinks he is done and dusted. The underdog story of blood, sweat, and tears may be a well-versed motif, but it’s present in abundance to make the audience root for Foreman every step of the way . Watch the film here.

12. Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022)

In ‘Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody,’ director Kasi Lemmons shines the spotlight on the life, legacy, and career of celebrated singer Whitney Houston (Naomi Ackie). The film chronicles her rise from a church choir singer to the legendary vocalist she later became. The biopic dives into the major successes of her professional life and the failures that arose in her personal one, including her struggles with addiction, fame, and relationships. As such, the intimate portrayal provides a more holistic glimpse into the complexities of her superstar persona without much of a filter and what it took to get there. The film can be streamed here.

11. Victoria & Abdul (2017)

Adapted from the 2010 non-fiction book by Shrabani Basu, ‘ Victoria and Abdul ’ tells the unlikely but true story of friendship and maternal affection between Queen Victoria and her Munshi Abdul Karim. After arriving from India, Abdul strikes an accord with the Queen, challenging the societal norms of the time present in British culture. Subsequently, the narrative captures their deep alliance and trusted bond as the Queen herself learns more about Abdul’s culture and the restrictions of her own. Helmed by Stephen Frears, ‘Victoria and Abdul’ taps into a forgotten piece of history as it delves into an extraordinary bond between two people from different worlds, whose views change as they influence one another to strive for more. The film is available to watch here.

10. Roxanne Roxanne (2017)

Living in the Queensbridge housing projects during the 1980s was not easy . In the Michael Larnell-directed film, ‘Roxanne Roxanne,’ the iconic hip-hop figure, Roxanne Shanté, has to navigate the difficulties of an impoverished beginning in the projects while plotting her eventual rise to stardom amidst a whole host of challenges. 

The film depicts her challenges with making a name for herself in a male-dominated industry, the complexities of her interpersonal relationships, and her familial responsibilities. Roxanne’s journey presents a rousing tale of overcoming obstacles, achieving success, and aspiring to be the best no matter what. Although life is rarely easy, Roxanne showcases the determination and optimism it takes to push through the struggle. ‘Roxanne Roxanne’ can be streamed here.    

9. Harriet (2019)

‘Harriet’ uncovers the heroic exploits of famed American abolitionist and activist Harriet Tubman (Cynthia Erivo), who was a huge proponent of anti-slavery struggles during the 1800s. The Kasi Lemmons directorial depicts Harriet’s extraordinary fight and the methods she employed to save the lives of those who had been enslaved around the country. The film highlights her work conducting the Underground Railroad, which helped save other slaves , and her contributions during the Civil War.

Few figures in history could hold a candle to Harriet’s accomplishments, which have not only stood the test of time but influenced people’s attitudes going forward. Her willingness to put herself in the line of danger is a testament to her greatness, which is portrayed sincerely in the film. Viewers will especially resonate with the movie’s core message of strength, courage, fighting spirit, selflessness, and faith in a future where equality prevails. Check it out here.

8. Srikanth (2024)

The Indian Hindi-language film, ‘Srikanth,’ tells the story of successful entrepreneur Srikanth Bolla (Rajkummar Rao), who defies all odds to turn an eco-friendly products manufacturing company, Bollant Industries, into a viable, profitable business in the modern market. Director Tushar Hiranandani depicts the struggles faced by the eponymous business leader after being born visually impaired in a rural village in the former state of Andhra Pradesh, India. 

The film is a sparkling reminder of the perceived limitations of individuals and how Srikanth turns the adversity in his life into a force for change. The narrative brilliantly showcases his drive, motivation, and inability to give up as he fights to achieve his ambitions despite a whole world of naysayers stacked against him. It is a rousing and inspiring entry that can be watched here.

7. Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022)

In ‘ Gangubai Kathiawadi, ’ a young girl named Ganga is duped into traveling to Mumbai, India, by her boyfriend under the lure of a career in the film industry. Once there, she is sold into sex work at a brothel. However, she rises to power within the ranks and becomes the madam of the establishment, fighting for the rights of her sex workers and the equality of women who are overlooked by society.

Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ is an adaptation of a chapter from the non-fiction novel ‘Mafia Queens of Mumbai: Stories of Women from the Ganglands’ by Hussain Zaidi. The Bhansali directorial is a powerful exploration of resilience in the darkest corners of the world as the real-life protagonist climbs her way out of obscurity to fight for the freedoms she never had. It highlights her work and how formidable she was despite the cards dealt in her favor. You can watch her journey here.

6. On the Basis of Sex (2018)

Directed by Mimi Leder, ‘ On the Basis of Sex’ depicts the trials and tribulations of young fledgling lawyer Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Felicity Jones), whose personal challenges with her husband’s health and being a woman in a primarily male-led legal industry during the mid-1900s forces her to fight against the prevailing attitude to prove her worth. The film mainly revolves around Ginsburg’s early life and her work promoting gender equality through her cases. It is an insightful look into the life of a pioneering individual in a demanding field with various trappings. Ginsburg’s struggles and accomplishments form the tapestry of the film’s emotional core, further enhanced by the presence of those who helped her along the way and her growing influence as a powerful figure. Watch the movie here.    

5. Maestro (2023)

‘Maestro’ chronicles the life and career of famed American conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein. Written, directed, and produced by Bradley Cooper, who also plays Bernstein, the film dives into the complexities of the composer’s inner battles with sexuality and his complicated relationship with his wife, Felicia Montealegre. His turbulent bond with her plays a pivotal role in his personal life as he tries to come to grips with his identity and musical genius. 

The film is an intricate mosaic examining the various facets that made Bernstein who he was, making it an intriguing watch with a sharp performance by Cooper in the lead role. While it may not have a definite plot, watching a man’s life unfold over several decades, alongside his musical ambitions, presents a sense of deep poignancy to the narration and the humanity at its center. The film is available for streaming here.  

4. Rustin (2023)

The George C. Wolfe-directed film, ‘Rustin,’ unearths the real-life story of a lesser-known figure in history named Bayard Rustin (Colman Domingo), who played an integral role in organizing the 1963 March on Washington, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the “I Have a Dream” speech. The film explores how, as a Black gay man, Rustin’s work and influence were diminished as he tried to fight against the discrimination of the time.

The narrative alights upon several critical moments within the Civil Rights Movement, providing an unseen perspective into the affair through the eyes of Rustin, who makes enormous contributions to the struggle despite never gaining attention. His unending work, beliefs, vision, and optimism are faithfully brought to the fore through the prescient movie and Colman Domingo’s stellar portrayal of a complicated man torn by the forces of his time but looking ahead all the same. Stream the film here.

3. Darkest Hour (2017)

With fears surrounding World War II gathering in Western Europe, the world looks for comfort and leadership in a precarious period. Newly appointed British prime minister Winston Churchill faces a difficult task in ‘ Darkest Hour ’ when he has to navigate the treacherous waters of parliament while trying to fight Hitler’s growing power, which threatens the rest of Europe, including his home nation. 

Helmed by Joe Wright, the film explores the strength, caliber, and legacy of the iconic leader facing the impossible task of unification against a turbulent tide of War. The film is graced by a mesmerizing performance by Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill, who evokes the great man with deftness. Additionally, the film provides a fresh vantage point into World War II, one led through politics, making it a unique exploration of an otherwise well-covered subject. Watch it here.  

2. Tick, Tick … Boom! (2021)

In his directorial debut, ‘ Tick, Tick… Boom! ’ Lin-Manuel Miranda tells the story of Jonathan Larson (Andrew Garfield), a composer in his early 30s who hears a strange ticking sound in his head that sounds akin to the expiring time limit on his life. Larson is worried about the pressures of his career, constantly wondering if he made the wrong choice. While battling his inner fears, he discovers what it means to be an artist who is caught in the web of achieving success without finding any triumph.  

Based on the eponymous semi-autobiographical stage musical by the real-life Jonathan Larson, the film explores his doubts, relationships, and anxieties about an uncertain future in which nothing seems to go to plan. The narrative is a meditation on a person’s dreams and what it takes to see them through, regardless of the countless failures on the path. Larson’s life is one that many aspiring career professionals will latch on to as they find moments of levity, joy, and creativity in a story about human perseverance. Check it out here.  

1. Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

‘ Hacksaw Ridge ’ delves into the miraculous true story of Pfc. Desmond T. Doss (Andrew Garfield), a drafted soldier in World War II who refuses to bear arms and wage violence against the enemy owing to his religious formation. Desmond is ostracized by his fellow soldiers, who ridicule his pacifism. However, when push comes to shove, he single-handedly saves the lives of 75 men in the Battle of Okinawa, earning the admiration and respect of those who shun him.

Directed by Mel Gibson, the film is based on the documentary film ‘The Conscientious Objector’ by Terry Benedict, which chronicles the extraordinary heroism of Desmond Doss. ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ is a deep, introspective look into the power of faith, love, and forgiveness in a harrowing and impossible situation. The film earned nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Sound Editing at the Academy Awards and is a must-watch for those looking for a genuinely complex but entertaining biopic brimming with all kinds of emotions. You can stream it here now.   

Read More: Best Historical Movies on Netflix

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The Best Biographical Movies Of 2020

The best biopics of 2020 give us insight into historical figures that we might not have gotten otherwise. There are a few 2020 biographical movies that take artistic liberties but all of them give us a better sense as to who the person was allowing us to learn more about them. You'll also find some big celebrities on this list of 2020 biopics. Capone  stars Tom Hardy as infamous bootlegger Al Capone in his later years. Jesse Eisenberg is also on this list as Marcel Marceau who led a group of Jewish Boy Scouts who worked with the French Resistance during WWII. But which one of these is the best biographical film of 2020? You get to help decide with your votes.

Vote up the new biopics from this year that you loved and vote down any you don't care to see again. Then be sure to check back as upcoming biopics are added once they are released to see which one makes it to the top of the list.

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Recently viewed.

What was Phil Donahue's net worth? Talk show host, Ohio native dies at 88

Former talk show host Phil Donahue has died at 88, USA TODAY reports .

Donahue, a journalist and longtime host of "The Phil Donahue Show," was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in May by President Joe Biden. Donahue created and hosted the first daytime talk show to feature audience participation. The show began in Dayton, Ohio.

How much was Phil Donahue worth? Here's a look.

Phil Donahue net worth estimated at $150 million

Donahue and his wife, actress and philanthropist Marlo Thomas, who he married in 1980, have a combined net worth of $150 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth , which uses data drawn from public sources as well as information provided by celebrities or their representatives.

In 1967, he launched "The Phil Donahue Show" on Dayton's WLWD TV station. The show went into national syndication in 1970, moved to Chicago in 1974 and then relocated to New York City in 1985. It ended its run in 1996.

In 1982, Donahue signed an eight-year deal with Multimedia Entertainment, his syndication company, for $10 million per year, according to Celebrity Net Worth. He also was the largest shareholder of Multimedia Entertainment. His dividends in the company brought his annual earnings to $20 million in the mid-'90s. Adjusted for inflation , $20 million in 1995 is worth about $40 million today.

In real estate dealings, Donahue and Thomas bought a 17-room home in Connecticut in 1986 for an undisclosed price, according to Celebrity Net Worth. The website reports that in 1988, they spent $7 million on a seven-acre property connected to the home. They sold the combined estate in 2006 for $25 million.

Also in 2006, they bought parcels next to their former property for an unknown amount, They sold that in 2013 for $20 million.