Top Inspirational celebrity biographies

Updated on September 06, 2022 16:49 PM by Laura Mendes

Biopics have been around for a while, despite the perception that biographical films, or "biopics," are a contemporary craze, with every semi-famous figure getting an adaptation on screen.

Filmmakers and viewers alike are drawn to historical dramatizations that explore those who lived before us, whether they are reviled or revered. Our impulse to view these films and attempt to answer the question, "Well, why did he/she decide to lead their life this way?" is primarily motivated by curiosity.

We can escape reality by watching fiction or fantasy films regularly. Biopics provide us the chance to confront our (often shared) pasts. They give us a reason to rejoice and rediscover one another as people.

Schindler’s List (1993)

There isn't a more motivational or heartfelt tale to share than Oskar Schindler's. I also thought Steven Spielberg was the incorrect choice to present this story before I saw the movie.

But praise the movie gods that I wasn't in charge of a studio in the 1990s because Spielberg created one of the most ambitious, insightful, and poignant films of all time. A career-defining performance for huge, lumbering Liam Neeson; the acting is excellent.

He is so carefree and confident in the beginning, so concerned and determined in the middle, and so noble and modest in the ending. Ben Kingsley and Ralph Fiennes both excel in supporting roles.

Many unidentified people offer everything during their one appearance on the screen. The eerie John Williams score and magnificent black-and-white photography by Janusz Kaminski shine. The main star, though, is Steven Zaillian's magnificent script.

He can take a Holocaust story and transform it into one of success, showing how much one man can accomplish and the regret we will all have in the future for not doing much, much more. I almost can't take Oskar's "I could have gotten more out" speech. Mike Dunaway

Also read: Lif e-changing Biopics to watch that will leave you inspired

Raging Bull

The best film of the 1980s carries one of the all-time-first-rate feats of directing and one of the all-time-incredible feats of display performance. The group, Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull, has done this over the years due to its release being earned.

Looking at's miles is a felt experience. Over the years, lots have been manufactured from the burden Robert De Niro received whilst filming Raging Bull to authentically capture the bodily transformation of boxer Jake LaMotta.

Even as it’s a great symbol of his commitment, the pounds don’t begin to explain the depths of the individual portrait he and Martin Scorsese created.

The film looks unforgivingly at a delicate, insecure guy who communicates his need for love with jealousy, anger, and violence. Scorsese’s pictures bring the overly suspicious workings of LaMotta’s head, then again out to coldly observe the bad violence that ensues.

Then there are the boxing scenes. Scorsese deserves limitless praise for locating such energetic, creative ways to seize the experience inside the ring. But what’s, in reality, amazing is that he is going beyond a tremendous sports activities scene.

Every fight serves as a window into LaMotta’s soul. The camera motion, the short edits, and the sudden shifts in velocity all reflect his mental country, his want to harm himself, or his motive to damage others. Such expressive, visceral filmmaking has not often been equaled.—Michael Burgin

Also read: These are the Movies with future predictions

Gandhi (1982)

Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi is regularly defined as a large, sweeping epic about the person that led India to its independence from first-rate Britain in 1947.

And it's miles. A little over 3 hours long, the movie chronicles now not Gandhi’s complete life but his adventure towards non-violence as a shape of protest, which in turn lets him take advantage of the same rights for Indians in South Africa and the eventual independence of India from Britain.

The whole thing about this movie works splendidly together: there’s an all-celebrity forged (Ben Kingsley, Daniel Day-Lewis, Candace Bergen, and Martin Sheen, to call a few), the film itself is fantastically shot and makes the proper use of India’s herbal beauty and the film’s music has the exquisite difference of being composed using none other than Ravi Shankar.

And so it needs to come as no marvel that within the year following its release, Gandhi gained 8 Oscars, which included a high-quality photo, first-class Writing, and an exceptional Actor in a leading role.

Amadeus

The first-rate line between genius and insanity is the situation of this big-budget costume drama that proved simply how hip classical musicians might be.

Milos Foreman tickles the nasty underbelly of the sublime, and the result is Thomas Hulce’s braying, chittering snort because of the wild-infant prodigy Wolfgang Mozart. F. Murray Abraham’s account of Antonio Salieri’s descent into insanity fueled with the aid of jealousy is the proper foil.

Lust, envy, greed—all the lethal sins are here, set to some of the best tunes ever written. —Joan Radell

Also, read The Top 20 Funniest Movies of Hollywood, a must watch

My Left Foot (1989)

It’s the tale of Christy Brown, an Irish painter, and creator who changed into being born with severe cerebral palsy.

The name of the movie arrives from the identity of Brown’s autobiography, on which the movie is based totally and refers back to the most effective part of Brown’s body he became able to manipulate regardless of cerebral palsy.

Daniel Day-Lewis and Brenda Fricker’s brilliantly suave performances as the unforgettable Christy Brown and Brown’s mother, respectively, are not any doubt the main motives you ought to watch this film.

In truth, the interactions between Brown and his mom within the movie are a number of the great, maximum-moving scenes My Left Foot has to provide.

Malcolm X (1992)

“Ya has been taken! Ya has been hoodwinked! Bamboozled! Led astray! Run amok!” when director Spike Lee delivered us to Detroit pink, he reminded the sector of a specific time in American records extra without difficulty forgotten via a few than others.

Based on the Autobiography of Malcolm X, Lee (in standard style, with an exquisite rating and with a great effect on French cinema in the course of) introduced us to the tale of an afflicted boy who ought to have, without problems, ended up any unknown black guy within the ‘60s—who certainly, almost did until he dedicated his lifestyles to Allah and The country of Islam.

Denzel Washington perfectly, eerily embodied the function of the younger Detroit crimson who could grow to be Malcolm X. As a crew, Lee and Washington (along with Angela Bassett as Betty Shabazz) created the ideal biopic, wherein all that we assumed approximately an icon changed into or complex with the aid of this new translation of his existence.—Shannon Houston.

Also read: Top 11 Most Scariest Movies of All the Time

The King’s Speech (2010)

It’s a biopic covering a specific part of King George VI’s lifestyle. The period wherein he learns to address a speech impediment that allows him to, in the end, lead the united states of America thru global battle II, and he does so with the assistance of a speech therapist named Lionel Logue.

At the same time as a masterful overall performance with the aid of Colin Firth and the film’s compelling writing certainly brought about The King’s Speech winning three Oscars, there’s something else that makes this such a great movie to observe, and that’s the story itself. It’s an extraordinary kind of King’s tale.

Instead of only a film approximately a king gloriously leading his countrymen to victory, it’s approximately a would-be king struggling to locate his voice and the courage inside himself to guide his people through one of the hardest times they’ve ever needed a face.

King George VI’s story is ready for the inner turmoil and battles it took to reach a place of victory, not the victory itself, which makes the story piece extra relatable, which in turn causes it even more meaningful.

La Vie en Rose (2007)

An icon in France, the story of singer Édith Piaf might have been filmed as just some other stereotypical musician biopic or episode of Vh1’s behind the tune.

In truth, her lifestyle had all the hallmarks of the bothered yet fairly proficient musicians, which can often be the topics of such movies and documentaries.

However, it became actress Marion Cotillard’s stunningly transferring performance as Piaf that certainly allowed l. A. Vie en Rose to face out among other musician biopics. Cotillard’s Oscar-winning performance sincerely captured that charismatic soulfulness that Piaf had as a performer.—Anita George.

Also read: Top 9 Best Movies based on World invasion

GoodFellas (1990)

It’s no longer your typical shoot-em-up gangster flick. The allure of GoodFellas is inside the information. The cautiously selected near-ups. The nuances in each of the characters’ personalities.

No one inside the movie has a two-dimensional, flat personality. Even the scenes that contain homicide and violence, though they're ugly and may flip your belly, aren’t flatly black-and-white.

Due to the fact then one of the guys cracks a comic story, and weirdly, one way or the other in that second, you can nevertheless chortle. All of a sudden, the one's situations are grayer now, and you realize you continue to see those guys as fellow human beings, even though the matters they do are vast.

All of those small pieces of info come together, and one way or the other, they humanize the gory story of Henry Hill and his fellow made guys. It’s a biopic that immerses you in Hill’s existence and makes it hard if you want to distance yourself from him and his buddies.

It’s unique due to the fact this biopic chose to make the protagonist and the villain the same guy and, thru very small information, sort of convinces you to like him besides.

The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

It’s the oldest film in this listing and the most effective silent movie. Launched in 1928, The ardor of Joan of Arc depicts the trial and execution of France’s most famous martyr, Jeanne d’Arc, higher known as Joan of Arc: the brave lady who led the French armies to victory in the course of the Hundred Years battle, only to have been captured and carried out by her British (and some French) enemies a yr later for crimes of heresy.

However, it isn’t simply the compelling story that makes this movie a favorite among critics, just like the big apple instances’ A.O. Scott.

It’s typically the lead actress’ overall performance that attracts you to this film. Maria Falconetti’s vividly expressive portrayal of Joan’s struggling, worry, and unhappiness, like Scott notes, “makes you sense as you recognize her,” even if you don’t recognize (or consider) how Joan can be so positive that God spoke to her.

Even in short clips, Falconetti’s face is haunting, and the worry Joan feels is palpable. It’s a silent film, but it doesn’t want the sound of the actors’ voices to tell its story or to make you feel something as strongly as Joan feels approximately God.

Also read: Top 11 Best Movies based on Global Expansion

Walk the Line (2005)

Before Joaquin Phoenix took more than one year off from traditional performing roles for Casey Affleck’s I’m still right here, he was considered one of his most memorable performances as Johnny cash in stroll the line.

The film tells the tale of the man in Black’s early career and his courting with June Carter, portrayed by Reese Witherspoon, who obtained an Academy Award for her overall performance.—Wyndham Wyeth

The Aviator (2004)

With Howard Hughes’ larger-than-life persona and those movement-packed scenes of him flying (and crashing) planes, it’s hard no longer to first consider the well-known businessman and aviator as a sort of superhero: a man successful in virtually any feat, of withstanding any form of battle.

But a movie that simplest captures that side of Hughes’ existence would be an incomplete one. A hollow one. What makes The Aviator one of the best biopics of all time is that it shows Hughes’ vulnerabilities nicely, the maximum significant of which was his warfare with Obsessive-Compulsive disorder.

Leonardo DiCaprio’s portrayal of Hughes at his lowest, throughout Hughes’ anxiety-ridden spirals, is far more compelling and suspenseful than the Beverly Hills plane crash scene itself.

Frida (2002)

Innovative in its portrayal of the well-known painter’s existence, Frida even manages to lose itself from the everyday bounds of realism that maximum biopics adhere to.

That is obvious in how the movie even includes Kahlo’s brilliant artist’s creativity in depicting the occasions of her life. Scene transitions are often still artwork come to life and Frida’s daydreams, but grandiose or fanciful, they may be being played out in front of people alongside her real reports.

Via those fable-riddled moments and Salma Hayek’s moving performance as Kahlo, you genuinely get a bright feel of who Kahlo was as a female. Kahlo’s existence becomes the stuff of legend. However, Hayek’s performance indicates the very human and wrong global behind all of that.

Also read: The 20 Best Biopics of All Time

Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980)

Sissy Spacek, ages 14 to 45, in her profession-defining function as Loretta Webb Lynn, the dust-bad child from Butcher Holler, Kentucky, who would emerge as the first lady of U. S . A . Track.

This unapologetic film is nearly a drama, almost a biography, and nearly a musical. Highlights are vocals using Spacek as Lynn and Beverly D'Angelo as Patsy Cline. Rock legend Levon Helm and people song icon Phyllis Boyens (in her first and only credited movie position) turn out to be Loretta’s parents Tom and Clary Webb.

Coal Miner’s Daughter is an approximate perfection of performance and sets an incredibly high bar for musical biopics to come back.—Joan Radell

American Splendor (2003)

Harvey Pekar’s “American splendor” books are charming in that Pekar believed that even the maximum mundane and seemingly clear-cut lives had been worth documenting.

American beauty does a superb job of showcasing that principle by way of the use of real footage of Pekar, fictionalized versions, or even the comedian version to create a cohesive entire that files a fascinating, albeit everyday existence.

The Last Emperor (1987)

The closing emperor of China, Puyi, spends his adolescents and young adulthood in extraordinary luxury, is imprisoned via the red military, and turns into a gardener below Mao’s regime in a fantastic epic via director Bernardo Bertolucci.

The images are breathtaking, the problem is wonderful and interesting, and the history lesson is subtle as this film comes a complete circle, starting and finishing at the Forbidden town.

Also read:50 Greatest biopics of all times

The Social Network (2010)

It could be hard to expose the human facet of the era, to go beyond the Nasdaq and the bloodless, hard metal and glass of these devices. However, Fincher’s The Social community accomplishes precisely that.

The movie deftly brings forth raw emotions of a wide variety: betrayal, anger, loneliness, and jealousy. Because The Social community chronicles the upward push of social media, Mark Zuckerberg, and FB, it additionally indicates to us the preliminary fall of the founder’s very own social lifestyle, starting with the break-up of his romantic dating with Erica Albright and ending with the unhappy stop to his friendship with co-founder Eduardo Saverin.

It’s exciting that, consistent with this film’s depiction of Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, the individual that revolutionized human social interplay as we realize it, is regarded to have his persona hassle connecting with others in his lifestyle.

And therein lies the humanity among all of the algorithms. And with Sorkin’s trademark quick-witted writing and Jesse Eisenberg’s compelling portrayal of the iconic social media founder, it's far no surprise this biopic obtained a complete 8 Academy Award nominations and received 3 of them: quality movie modifying satisfactory tailored Screenplay, and pleasant unique rating.

The Elephant Man (1980)

David Lynch melds history and art inside the actual tale of the significantly disfigured John Merrick, known as “The Elephant man,” and his physician Frederick Treves.

Abandoned by his mother and father and exhibited as a side-show freak, Treves rescues Merrick from squalor, educates him, and lets him emerge as the toast of London.

Filmed in black and white, the film is a triumph of cinematography in addition to a prosthetic make-up layout. By the movie’s stop, we sense Merrick’s exhaustion and despair as he gently slips away, reminding us that there are many sorts of exploitation.

Also read:19 of the Best Biopics of All Time

Add Block

Brian’s track (1971)

Sure, it’s a television movie, and yes, it turned into a part of something known as ABC’s movie of the Week. However, that doesn’t suggest it ended up overly sentimental and schmaltzy.

In reality, this movie’s infamous tear-jerker qualities, especially amongst men, surely stem from the reality that the deep friendship between the eponymous Brian Piccolo and Gayle Sayers is so properly portrayed.

And the friendship between the two football gamers and teammates for the Chicago Bears changed depicted in Brian’s track in a manner that shied far away from placing an overly sentimental and emotional tone, even though one of the men meets a sad stop.

James Caan (Piccolo) and Billy Dee Williams (Sayers), like the football duo in actual existence, acted like actual bros: You knew that they cared approximately each different. Still, there was by no means a scarcity of insult humor and different jokes after they had been around.

Also, because it’s been said all over the internet: if you don’t cry at some stage in or after Billy Dee William’s/Gayle Sayers’ acceptance speech scene, you’re useless internal.

Also read: The 20 best music biopics - ranked!

Capote (2004)

Similarly, that old Blood depicted the pristine scenes of Holcomb, Kansas, and the two guys who disturbed them with a quadruple murder, Seymour Hoffman presented a particular-yet-chilling depiction of the person who helped observe New Journalism.

In turn, his performance burst apart Capote’s cautiously crafted narrative to expose simply how haunted the writer himself had emerged as.