Biographical Films
by jengrave | created - 17 Jun 2016 | updated - 9 months ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Mao's Last Dancer (2009)
PG | 117 min | Biography, Drama, Music
In Maoist China, a boy is taken from his family and trained to become a dancer, but everything he knows is challenged when he is chosen to attend a ballet summer school in Houston, Texas.
Director: Bruce Beresford | Stars: Chi Cao, Bruce Greenwood, Kyle MacLachlan, Penne Hackforth-Jones
Votes: 8,296 | Gross: $4.81M
2. Patch Adams (1998)
PG-13 | 115 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
The true story of a heroic man, Hunter "Patch" Adams, determined to become a medical doctor because he enjoys helping people. He ventured where no doctor had ventured before, using humour and pathos.
Director: Tom Shadyac | Stars: Robin Williams, Daniel London, Monica Potter, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Votes: 122,377 | Gross: $135.03M
3. Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)
PG | 94 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
In 1931, three half-white, half-Aboriginal girls escape after being plucked from their houses to be trained as domestic staff, and set off on a journey across the Outback.
Director: Phillip Noyce | Stars: Everlyn Sampi, Tianna Sansbury, Kenneth Branagh, Laura Monaghan
Votes: 30,271 | Gross: $6.17M
4. Schindler's List (1993)
R | 195 min | Biography, Drama, History
In German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Caroline Goodall
Votes: 1,452,066 | Gross: $96.90M
5. The Elephant Man (1980)
PG | 124 min | Biography, Drama
A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of kindness, intelligence and sophistication.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud
Votes: 258,623
6. Temple Grandin (2010 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 107 min | Biography, Drama
A biopic of Temple Grandin, an autistic woman who has become one of the top scientists in the humane livestock handling industry.
Director: Mick Jackson | Stars: Claire Danes, Julia Ormond, David Strathairn, Catherine O'Hara
Votes: 32,598
7. Citizen Kane (1941)
PG | 119 min | Drama, Mystery
Following the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.'
Director: Orson Welles | Stars: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Agnes Moorehead
Votes: 466,218 | Gross: $1.59M
8. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
R | 111 min | Action, Biography, Crime
Bored waitress Bonnie Parker falls in love with an ex-con named Clyde Barrow and together they start a violent crime spree through the country, stealing cars and robbing banks.
Director: Arthur Penn | Stars: Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Michael J. Pollard, Gene Hackman
Votes: 120,671
9. A Man Escaped (1956)
Not Rated | 101 min | Drama, Thriller, War
A captured French Resistance fighter during World War II engineers a daunting escape from a German prison in France.
Director: Robert Bresson | Stars: François Leterrier, Charles Le Clainche, Maurice Beerblock, Roland Monod
Votes: 25,025
10. Fiction and Other Truths: A Film About Jane Rule (1995)
57 min | Documentary, Biography
Documentary profile of writer Jane Rule whose literary career produced a wealth of novels and journalistic pieces which, in the face of Canadian censorship, speak eloquently about the lives of lesbians and gay men.
Directors: Lynne Fernie, Aerlyn Weissman | Star: Jane Rule
Votes: 12
11. Visions of Light (1992)
92 min | Documentary, History
Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography, illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from The Birth of a Nation (1915) to Do the Right Thing (1989).
Directors: Arnold Glassman, Todd McCarthy, Stuart Samuels | Stars: Conrad L. Hall, John Bailey, Vilmos Zsigmond, Charles Lang
Votes: 3,336 | Gross: $0.80M
12. Ryan (2004)
TV-PG | 14 min | Documentary, Animation, Short
The movie talks about the life of Ryan Larkin, a gifted Canadian animator of the late '60s and the early '70s.
Director: Chris Landreth | Stars: Ryan Larkin, Chris Landreth, Felicity Fanjoy, Derek Lamb
Votes: 3,003
13. Sonita (2015)
90 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
After her family attempts to sell her into marriage, a young Afghan refugee in Iran channels her frustrations and seizes her destiny through music. Grabbing the mic, she spits fiery rhymes in the face of oppressive traditions.
Director: Rokhsareh Ghaemmaghami | Stars: Sonita Alizadeh, Latifah Alizadeh, Fadia Alizadeh, Ahmad Ahmadi
Votes: 887
14. Stand and Deliver (1988)
PG | 103 min | Biography, Drama
The story of Jaime Escalante, a high school teacher who successfully inspired his dropout-prone students to learn calculus.
Director: Ramón Menéndez | Stars: Edward James Olmos, Estelle Harris, Mark Phelan, Virginia Paris
Votes: 22,358 | Gross: $13.99M
15. Orlando (1992)
PG-13 | 94 min | Biography, Drama, Fantasy
After Queen Elizabeth I commands him not to grow old, a young nobleman struggles with love and his place in the world.
Director: Sally Potter | Stars: Tilda Swinton, Billy Zane, Quentin Crisp, Jimmy Somerville
Votes: 18,734 | Gross: $5.29M
16. Camp de Thiaroye (1988)
157 min | Drama, War
In this semi-autobiographical film, black soldiers help to defend France, but are detained in prison camp before being repatriated home.
Directors: Ousmane Sembene, Thierno Faty Sow | Stars: Sidiki Bakaba, Hamed Camara, Ismaila Cissé, Ababacar Sy Cissé
Votes: 644
17. Life Is Beautiful (1997)
PG-13 | 116 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
When an open-minded Jewish waiter and his son become victims of the Holocaust, he uses a perfect mixture of will, humor and imagination to protect his son from the dangers around their camp.
Director: Roberto Benigni | Stars: Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio Cantarini, Giustino Durano
Votes: 743,772 | Gross: $57.60M
18. The Round Up (2010)
Not Rated | 115 min | Drama, History, War
A faithful retelling of the 1942 "Vel' d'Hiv Roundup" and the events surrounding it.
Director: Rose Bosch | Stars: Jean Reno, Mélanie Laurent, Gad Elmaleh, Raphaëlle Agogué
Votes: 9,375
19. Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child (2010)
Not Rated | 88 min | Documentary
Director Tamra Davis pays homage to her friend in this definitive documentary but also delves into Basquiat as an iconoclast. His dense, bebop-influenced neoexpressionist work emerged while... See full summary »
Director: Tamra Davis | Stars: Jean Michel Basquiat, Julian Schnabel, Larry Gagosian, Bruno Bischofberger
Votes: 2,486 | Gross: $0.26M
20. Bach's Fight for Freedom (1995 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 53 min | Biography, Drama, Family
A young boy helps the rebellious Johann Sebastian Bach fight for his artistic freedom.
Director: Stuart Gillard | Stars: Ted Dykstra, Kyle Labine, Ian D. Clark, Rosemary Dunsmore
Votes: 113
21. Monet: Shadow and Light (1999 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 54 min | Drama, Family
Monet's painting ends abruptly with attacks from his father and art critics. He intends to abandon everything, but is convinced otherwise by an aspiring young artist.
Director: David Devine | Stars: Stuart Hughes, Trevor Blumas, Maggie Huculak, Richard Clarkin
Votes: 96
22. Beethoven Lives Upstairs (1992 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 51 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
A young boy learns to appreciate the music of his upstairs boarder, Ludwig Van Beethoven.
Director: David Devine | Stars: Neil Munro, Illya Woloshyn, Fiona Reid, Paul Soles
Votes: 484
23. Bizet's Dream (1994 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 53 min | Music, Drama, Family
A 12 year old Parisian girl takes piano lessons from composer Georges Bizet and becomes captivated by his story of the gypsy Carmen.
Director: David Devine | Stars: Maurice Godin, Brittany Madgett, Catherine Barroll, Yseult Lendvai
Votes: 51
24. Degas and the Dancer (1998 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 56 min | Drama, Family, Music
Searching for inspiration, impressionist Edgar Degas hires a struggling young ballerina to pose for him. However, their critical attitudes and equally stubborn opinions push both towards greater heights. Based on actual events.
Director: David Devine | Stars: Thomas Jay Ryan, Alison Pill, Kathryn Long, Robin Duke
Votes: 97
25. Liszt's Rhapsody (1996 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 49 min | Biography, Drama, Family
A dashing Franz Liszt appears to have it all - talent, success, wealth and adoring fans. Yet when he takes on a young street musician as a violin student, his own fork is transformed.
Director: Richard Mozer | Stars: Geordie Johnson, Drew Jurecka, Peter Keleghan, Ida Carnevali
Votes: 63
26. Einstein: Light to the Power of 2 (1996 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 55 min | Drama, Family
Nine-year old Lannie is unmotivated and struggling at school because of a racist teacher. Reminded of his own intellectual and political challenges, Einstein steps into 1950 to spark a love of learning in Lannie.
Director: David Devine | Stars: Paul Soles, Lataye Studwood, Chris McKinney, Sandra Caldwell
Votes: 35
27. Aka Dan (2014)
96 min | Documentary, Adventure, Drama
YouTube musician and Korean American adoptee Dan Matthews travels to South Korea to perform and reunite with his biological family, including a long lost twin he never knew he had.
Director: Jon Maxwell
28. Akeelah and the Bee (2006)
PG | 112 min | Drama, Family
Akeelah, a young gifted girl, comes from a dysfunctional family and is on the verge of quitting school. She discovers that she has a high aptitude for spellings and enters a spelling bee contest.
Director: Doug Atchison | Stars: Angela Bassett, Laurence Fishburne, Keke Palmer, Curtis Armstrong
Votes: 21,646 | Gross: $18.81M
29. The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
PG-13 | 109 min | Comedy, Drama
A smart but sensible new graduate lands a job as an assistant to Miranda Priestly, the demanding editor-in-chief of a high fashion magazine.
Director: David Frankel | Stars: Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Adrian Grenier, Emily Blunt
Votes: 467,799 | Gross: $124.74M
30. Edges (2016)
9 min | Short
At the ripe age of 90, Yvonne Dowlen was ice skating at least five days a week and competing in figure skating competitions across the country. Yvonne has lived her life on the ice: ... See full summary »
Directors: Jonathan Hiller, Katie Stjernholm
Votes: 6
31. Dangal (2016)
Not Rated | 161 min | Action, Biography, Drama
Former wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat and his two wrestler daughters struggle towards glory at the Commonwealth Games in the face of societal oppression.
Director: Nitesh Tiwari | Stars: Aamir Khan, Sakshi Tanwar, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra
Votes: 210,947 | Gross: $12.39M
32. Persepolis (2007)
PG-13 | 96 min | Animation, Biography, Drama
A precocious and outspoken Iranian girl grows up during the Islamic Revolution.
Directors: Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi | Stars: Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Gena Rowlands, Danielle Darrieux
Votes: 100,233 | Gross: $4.45M
33. Martha of the North (2009)
83 min | Documentary
In the mid-1950s, lured by false promises of a better life, Inuit families were displaced by the Canadian government and left to their own devices in the Far North. In this icy desert realm... See full summary »
Director: Marquise Lepage
Votes: 23
34. The Best Is Yet to Come (2020)
114 min | Drama
China, 2003. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed journalism intern Han Dong decides to change the fate of 100 million people with a single article.
Director: Jing Wang | Stars: White-K, Miao Miao, Songwen Zhang, Yang Song
Votes: 324
35. Oppenheimer (I) (2023)
R | 180 min | Biography, Drama, History
The story of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in the development of the atomic bomb.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr.
Votes: 732,637 | Gross: $326.11M
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