Easily, one of the most beloved genres of film is biopics. Why? It’s a chance to see the true stories of some of the most legendary and iconic individuals throughout history. Not only do they tell you the story that you think you know, but they also offer insight into elements of their lives and actions we may not have been privy to. Plus, add in brilliant actors taking on the mantle of these individuals, biopics provide instantly satisfying cinema for viewers. Not to mention some Oscar buzz.
In the world of biopics, it almost feels as if we’ve seen everyone’s lives turned into films, but for those who haven’t had that glory yet, before heading into production, perhaps look to these 10 biopics as the gold standard for how to do them right. Whether playing them straight as behind-the-scenes narratives or implementing some of the most extraordinary directorial elements ever seen on screen, these 10 biopics are 10s across the board.
10
‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’ (1980)
Not all biopics must document the entirety of someone’s life or be created after their passing. Some stories are rich enough to tell just a snippet of the individual’s past. Such was the case for Coal Miner’s Daughter. Based on the book by Loretta Lynn and George Vecsey, Coal Miner’s Daughter tells the rags-to-riches story of country music legend Loretta Lynn (Sissy Spacek), chronicling her rise from extreme poverty in rural Kentucky as a miner’s daughter to international stardom, highlighting her difficult childhood, early marriage to Doolittle “Doo” Lynn (Tommy Lee Jones) and the challenges to her family and marriage as her career took off, all while becoming a voice for working-class women. From humble beginnings to stardom, the film is more than just the song— it’s an authentic story of resilience, true grit, and how music can change your entire life.
A truly honest film from director Michael Apted, the film is grounded by Spacek’s Oscar-winning performance. Setting the bar quite high for future music-centric biopics, where Coal Miner’s Daughter shines is finding hope within adversity. It’s a feel-good film with comforting warmth and sensibility, thanks to the closeness you feel toward Lynn. When the film was first released, Lynn was still a major presence in country music. That added a unique sensibility to the story by offering a different perspective on a woman you’re hearing on the radio. Though there are some major historical inconsistencies revolving around other major music figures, namely Patsy Cline, played by Beverly D’Angelo, Lynn’s story remains raw.
9
‘Malcolm X’ (1992)
There truly was only going to be one man to direct a biopic about Malcolm X: Spike Lee. And there truly was only going to be one man to play Malcolm X himself: Denzel Washington. The perfect pairing led to the groundbreaking Malcolm X. The film chronicled the life of the influential civil rights leader, from his troubled, through his criminal years and subsequent conversion to Islam in prison, to his rise as a fiery leader in the Nation of Islam, and finally his transformation after his pilgrimage to Mecca, culminating in his assassination. Not only a historical movie, Malcolm X is a sweeping reflection on a key figure in America who shaped a movement.
Based closely on Alex Haley‘s 1965 book The Autobiography of Malcolm X, on which Haley collaborated with Malcolm X, Lee’s film was anchored by Washington’s sweeping performance. Washington lost the Academy Award for his portrayal, a decision that Lee resented. An educational and essential epic, Malcolm X may be daunting to watch, but it’s a crucial story and perhaps Lee at his finest.
8
‘Goodfellas’ (1990)
If there is one thing Martin Scorsese is synonymous with its films about Italian Americans and gangsters. Pair the two and you get the biographical gangster movie Goodfellas. Lifted from Nicholas Pileggi‘s 1985 nonfiction book Wiseguy, the biopic depicts the life of mobster Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), chronicling his rise and fall within the Lucchese crime family in New York, focusing on his relationships with partners Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro) and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci), the allure of the gangster lifestyle, and his eventual entry into the Witness Protection Program after turning informant. The fast-talking, fast-paced film is layered with dark humor as it examines loyalty, betrayal, and the brutal realities of organized crime.
Finding the humor and seduction in the life of crime, Goodfellas isn’t meant to resemble the darkness of The Godfather. Instead, Goodfellas forges its own path and identity despite its inherent similarities. Goodfellas became an instant classic, thanks in part to its stylish direction and memorable ensemble. The vibrancy of the outlaw story is an exciting adventure that rarely loses steam. Although Pesci was the only winner from the film, Goodfellasremains a pinnacle mob movie.
7
‘Lincoln’ (2012)
Though we’ll discuss another biopic that Steven Spielberg tackled later on, we start with his epic retelling of President Abraham Lincoln’s life in the daring Lincoln. With a screenplay by playwright Tony Kushner, based on Doris Kearns Goodwin‘s 2005 biography Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, the film documents the final four months of Lincoln’s life, culminating in his efforts to abolish slavery through the Thirteenth Amendment. Met with critical acclaim, Lincoln is not only written and directed flawlessly, the mesmerizing performance by the transformative Daniel Day-Lewis not only humanizes the historic figure but details a crucial moment of his political career with sensational vigor.
With Lincoln serving as an oft-depicted character in film, Day-Lewis has essentially prevented any future performer from ever being better, thanks to his definitive performance. The way he tackled Kushner’s heavy intellectual was truly an acting masterclass. Day-Lewis was joined by a stellar ensemble including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, David Straithairn, Tommy Lee Jones, John Hawkes, Jackie Earle Haley, and Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln. Spielberg’s portrait of Lincoln is a gold standard on how to tackle a story many believe they know properly. It’s a triumphant and profound film that had all the ingredients for a perfect project.
6
‘Amadeus’ (1984)
When you think of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, you hear his classics instantly. But what the man behind the masterpieces? Look no further than Peter Shaffer’s personal masterpiece, Amadeus. Lifted from his own play which was inspired by Alexander Pushkin‘s 1830 play Mozart and Salieri, the film imagines a rivalry between two 18th-century Vienna composers, the young, vulgar genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce) and the disciplined court composer Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham). A fantasia on a real-life theme, Amadeus explores themes of divine talent, mediocrity, faith, and obsession through Salieri’s bitter perspective as he plots Mozart’s downfall while attempting to reconcile his professional admiration and jealous hatred for Mozart.
Amadeus, though grounded in historical facts, arguably takes artistic liberties to propel the story and make it an utterly entertaining film. Director Miloš Forman avoids turning Amadeus into a documentary, instead capturing the emotional nuances of the characters as they rise and fall. Alongside a strong cast is the equally mesmerizing score, which uses the composer’s major works to evoke the period. A fully creative and risky film, Amadeus paid off in the end, earning eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, as well as individual accolades for Forman, Shaffer, and Abraham.
5
‘Raging Bull’ (1980)
Image via United Artists
There have been many boxing films that depict many major athletes, but when it comes to the definitive boxing film, look no further than Martin Scorsese’s 1980 sports drama Raging Bull. Adapting Jake LaMotta‘s 1970 memoir Raging Bull: My Story, Robert De Niro takes on LaMotta, the former middleweight boxing champion whose turbulent personal life is beset by rage and jealousy. Chatting his brutal rise in the ring as “The Bronx Bull” and his subsequent self-destructive fall, LaMotta’s jealousy and paranoia ruin his marriages and friendships, showing how his ferocity outside the ring was as destructive as inside. A visceral biopic filmed in black and white, Raging Bull is a deep dive into toxic masculinity, self-destruction, and the dark side of ambition, fame, and adoration.
One of Scorsese and De Niro’s finest collaborations during their storied careers, Raging Bull was more than a sports film. It’s a sensational exploration of a searingly unsympathetic character. De Niro is explosive in the part, pairing strongly with the ensemble, including Joe Pesci as Joey LaMotta and Cathy Moriarty as Vickie LaMotta. A formidable fighter and tormented soul, De Niro’s exceptional depiction of LaMotta earned him a well-deserved Oscar. 45 years removed, Raging Bull remains a sports masterpiece.
4
‘Oppenheimer’ (2023)
You may not have thought you wanted a film depicting the life and career of J. Robert Oppenheimer, and then Christopher Nolan gave us Oppenheimer, giving us one of the greatest biopics in the history of cinema. Based on the 2005 biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, Oppenheimer dramatizes Oppenheimer’s studies, his direction of the Los Alamos Laboratory and his 1954 security hearing. With Cillian Murphy taking on the Father of the Atomic Bomb, Nolan’s masterpiece is magnificent from start to finish, thanks to the sensational ensemble cast and through the most brilliant sound design in movie history.
Led by the Oscar-winning performance of Murphy, the dynamic ensemble help to bring the subsidiary characters of the story to become crucial players in the time-jumping narrative. There wasn’t a single weak link in the cast, but recognition is deserved for Emily Blunt as Kitty Oppenheimer, Matt Damon as General Leslie Groves, Robert Downey Jr. as Rear Admiral Lewis Strauss, and Josh Harnett as Ernest Lawrence. Oppenheimer does the unthinkable with his use of music and sound. Sound designer Richard King masterfully uses silence to pinpoint the extraordinary power the atomic boom’s effect has on individuals. Pair that with the specificity of sound and music throughout the film, and Oppenheimer becomes bigger than just a film about Oppenheimer. It’s an effective piece of art that truly immerses you in the scientific and moral dynamics of the time.
3
‘Lawrence of Arabia’ (1962)
Arguably one of the greatest films of all time, Lawrence of Arabia tells the story of T. E. Lawrence as told via his 1926 book Seven Pillars of Wisdom. A career-making vehicle for Peter O’Toole, the film depicts Lawrence’s experiences in the Ottoman provinces of Hejaz and Syria during the First World War, focusing on the attacks on Aqaba and Damascus and his involvement in the Arab National Council. Giving light to his emotional struggles with the violence inherent in war, his identity, and his divided allegiance between Britain and his newfound comrades within the Arabian desert tribes, Lawrence of Arabia is an epic adventure that changed filmmaking forever.
Dramatized for the screen, director David Lean took some liberties to ensure an engaging and entertaining film, including timeline discrepancies and character conglomeration. Lawrence of Arabia still does a remarkable job of telling a story that many may not have been familiar with prior to the 1962 film. The film launched O’Toole into stardom thanks to his sensational depiction of his real-life counterpart. Though the biggest difference between O’Toole and his character was that the actor was nearly a foot taller than Lawrence himself. The film delved a bit deeper into Lawrence’s conflicted identities, which ultimately led to a richer performance. Alongside O’Toole, the film featured Alec Guinness as Prince Faisal, as well as Jack Hawkins, Anthony Quinn, Omar Sharif, Anthony Quayle, Claude Rains, Jose Ferrer, and Arthur Kennedy.
2
’12 Years a Slave’ (2013)
Telling the harrowing stories of slavery in America can come with a world of difficulty. Balancing authenticity without romanticizing the dark stain on the nation’s history can result in an inauthentic film. Thankfully, director Steve McQueen’s take on Solomon Northup’s story was so strong that 12 Years a Slave became one of the most resonant films of the new century. Based on the 1853 slave memoir Twelve Years a Slave by Northup, the film follows the freed mixed-race man after being kidnapped from Washington, D.C. by two conmen in 1841 and sold into slavery. Put to work on plantations in Louisiana for 12 years before his release, the unflinching film serves as a powerful account of the horrors of American slavery, detailing the slave trade, the dehumanization of enslaved people, and one man’s resilience in maintaining hope and his identity.
With African-American history and culture scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. serving as a consultant on the film, McQueen ensured it was not only an accurate portrayal of slavery but also of the man himself. Clinging to his identity as a means for resilience, Chiwetel Ejifor’s portray of Solomon was astonishing. The entire ensemble does remarkable work in the film, including Lupita N’yongo as Patsey, Michael Fassbender as Edwin Epps, and Benedict Cumberbatch as William Ford. 12 Years a Slave is an unrelenting film that is hard to watch, yet has humanity and grace sprinkled in. 12 Years a Slave is not only an essential biopic, it’s essential cinema.
1
‘Schindler’s List’ (1993)
it’s quite impossible to decide which film earns the title of Steven Spielberg’s greatest simply because he has directed films across countless genres. Simply looking at his dramatic works, his greatest, hands down, is Schindler’s List. A dramatic history lesson about one of the darkest moments in world history, the film is based on Thomas Keneally‘s historical novel Schindler’s Ark. Liam Neeson takes on the role of Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist who saved more than a thousand mostly Polish–Jewish refugees from the Holocaust by employing them in his factories during World War II. Finding some light in the darkness, Schindler’s List tells a story of redemption, sacrifice, and humanity through a transcendent cinematic vision.
Spielberg’s direction, both to his stellar acting company and through the impact of introducing hints of color within the black-and-white film, allowed Schindler’s List to become grander than just a biopic. It was a masterful work of art that captured the horrors of the Holocaust through that meager glimmer of hope that Schindler gave to the individuals he helped. Rather than sensationalizing or romanticizing the Holocaust, Spielberg’s emotional grasp on the material was what the story needed. The care that Spielberg takes in telling the story of the real individuals, both heroic and not, was done with care, making for a truly sensational biopic.