Biopics have remained a popular genre of cinemathroughout history, bringing attention to true, important stories of real life people that made an impact in some way. The biopics that inspire the most are the ones that focus in on a particularly impactful point in their lives, orinsightfully reframe the narrative.Features likeMalcolm XandLincolnpositioned the lens on key political figures, whilstLa Vie En RoseandWalk The Linedelved into the troubled backstories of famous musicians.
The responsibility that comes with embodying a person who existed and had or was part of a significant story that filmmakers wanted to tell is a weighty one, and, when it is done well, is often decorated with Academy Award recognition. Most recently,Cillian Murphyreceived the Academy Award for Best Actor forhis leading performanceinOppenheimer.Biopics educate and inform on key moments in history, and the great performances at the center are essential in doing justice to the legacy of these figures.
10’The King’s Speech' (2010)
Directed by Tom Hooper
InThe King’s Speech,Colin Firthplays the lead role as England’s Prince Albert, who must ascend the throne as King George VI after his brother, King Edward VIII (Guy Pearce) abdicates. He must appear as a strong Monarch due to the impending war with Germany, but he is held back by a speech impediment. Knowing that the country needs her husband to be a strong communicator in these dark times, his wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham-Carter) hires Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), an Australian actor and speech therapist, to help him overcome his stammer. A strong bond develops between the two men, as Logue employs unconventional methods to teach the monarch how to find his voice.
The King’s Speechwas a huge success, attaining 12 Academy Award nominations, of which Firth won Best Actor and Bonham-Carter and Rush were nominated in the supporting categories.Prior to filming, the production team received a diary containing Logue’s original notes on the treatment of the Dukeand utilized this as they wrote the script to ensure that it was authentic. Firth worked with voice coach, Neil Swan and his sister Kate Firth (also a professional voice coach) to develop his portrayal of the King’s stammer, as well as watching archive footage of the king speaking to make sure his performance was as true to life as possible.The chemistry between Firth’s George VI and Rush’s Logue is palpable throughout, and the result was a brilliant insight into an emotionally complex hurdle fora monarch,elucidating his humanity, his personal struggles and the people that helped him overcome them.
The King’s Speech
9’Gandhi' (1982)
Directed by Richard Attenborough
Gandhidepicts major events in the life of Mohandas Gandhi (Ben Kingsley), the lawyer and leader who stood against British rule over India. Committed to the concept of nonviolent resistance, Gandhi is initially dismissed by British officials, including the influential Lord Irwin (John Gielgud). However, his commitment to the cause leads to his efforts becoming internationally renowned, and his passive protests move India towards independence.
Kingsley gives a career-defining performanceinGandhi.He is understated and softly spoken as he plays Mahatma Gandhi, proving that careful and wise words employed as powerful moral tools can have a strong impact and progress the cause. Also,the film condensed 50 years of Gandhi’s life into 3 hours, with Kingsley playing the titular role for the entirety of that, aging from a young, well-dressed lawyer to an emaciated elderly man, committing to illustrating the development of his character throughout his life.Ben Kingsley’s performance earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor as a result.
Gandhi (1983)
8’Walk the Line' (2005)
Directed by James Mangold
Walk the Linecharts the rise of the country music legendJohnny Cash(Joaquin Phoenix). Starting in his early days as a boy growing up on the family farm with an abusive father (Robert Patrick) who blames Johnny for the death of his brother Jack (Lucas Till) in a sawmill accident. Cash buys his first guitar in the early ’50s to pass his time in the U.S. Air Force. After being discharged, he ends up in Memphis, Tennessee with his wife, Vivian (Ginnifer Goodwin) and breaks into the country music scene after finding his trademark sound. While out on tour, he starts a romance with singer June Carter (Reese Witherspoon), but his volatile lifestyle of addiction threatens the stability of their relationship.
Phoenix’s portrayal of Cash’s development into a famous country music star, alongside the harrowing abuse of alcohol and drugs is complex and intense, yet he takes on the role with ease.The scenes that stand out are those between Cash and Carter, Witherspoon and Phoenix have truly magical chemistry that make the audience feel as if they’re intruding on the moments between them.BothPhoenix and Witherspoon did their own singing, rather than having them lip sync to a dub of the actual Cash and Carter, andas such there is a real authenticity to their performance; it does not matter that they don’t sound exactly the same as the people they are representing, they capture their raw essences perfectly.It is no surprise that Witherspoon won the Academy Award for Best Actress and Phoenix received an Academy Award nomination for their performances inWalk the Line.
Walk The Line
7’La Vie en Rose' (2007)
Directed by Olivier Dahan
La Vie en Rosetells the story of Édith Piaf (Marion Cotillard), who was born into poverty and raised in a brothel, but ended up becoming the most beloved French singer of her time and a global sensation. Her mother ran a brothel, and dumped her with her father (Jean-Paul Rouve), a street singer who put her to work in his act. When her father commanded her to sing on the sidewalk, she gained attention for her raw emotion and mesmerizing voice. Named Piaf, the French word for ‘Sparrow’, by her first impresario, Louis Leplée (Gérard Depardieu), she experienced a life of tragedy, drug addiction and early death despite her fame.
Named after one of Piaf’s most famous songs,La Vie en Roseis a powerful portrait of the true life behind the star.Roger Eberteven named it “one of the best biopics I’ve ever seen”.Cotillard not only strongly resembles Piafbut gives a truly immense, authentic and heartfelt performance.She was the first French actress to win the Academy Award for Best Actress, and it was truly well deserved. The hair and makeup team were awarded too, winning Best Achievement in Makeup, which was definitely justified in their ability to reflect how Piaf’s alcoholism and difficult life led to her looking old and tired at 47.
La Vie en Rose
6’Dallas Buyers Club' (2013)
Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée
Dallas Buyers Clubcenters on Texan cowboy Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) who is diagnosed with AIDS in the mid-80s when the disease was still very misunderstood and those suffering from it faced stigmatization. He is told he has only 30 days left to live, but he refuses to give in to the despair and seeks out alternative therapies. In desperation, Woodroof smuggles unapproved drugs into the U.S. from wherever he can find them. He joins forces with a fellow AIDS patient, Rayon (Jared Leto) a transgender woman, and begins distributing the drugs to the growing number of people with AIDS who can’t wait for the U.S. Medical Service to save them by establishing the “Dallas Buyers Club”, all while facing opposition from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
InDallas Buyers Club,McConaughey transforms from thewell-known heartthrobinto an agitated, brash and often nasty character, andthe transformation was not just in persona but also physically, asthe actor lost nearly 50 pounds of body weight to play the lead role. The development of Woodroof’s character into a person with compassion and fearlessness is brought to life by McConaughey with nuance and humanity,earning him the Academy Award for Best Actor.Leto similarly lost 30 pounds to play Rayon, as well as shaving his eyebrows and waxing his entire body.He expressed that he tried to make his portrayal as authentic as possible, through meeting lots of transgender people whilst researching for the role.Though Rayon was a fictional character, he stood as a representation of the many transgender people who suffered during the AIDS epidemic.Leto’s commitment to the role truly paid off, ashe won the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for the feature.
Dallas Buyers Club
5’Lincoln' (2012)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
InLincoln,Daniel Day-Lewisplays the titular role of President Abraham Lincoln. The film focuses on his efforts in January 1865 as he brings the full measure of his passion, and utilizes his power as the President of the United States of America to fulfill his defining legacy: ending the Civil War and permanently abolishing slavery through the 13th Amendment. With great courage, Lincoln aims to compel the nation, and those who oppose him, to strive for a greater good.
Day-Lewis is truly one of the greats, and his acting talents are truly triumphant inLincoln.His performance is nuanced and exquisite,portraying the President as a natural leader who is truly captivating to those around him, but is clearly exhausted by war and personal troubles.Even the way he moves is compelling, with a tall military quality that still hints at a gradual depreciation of strength.His portrayal earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2013.The ensemble cast included the likes ofSally Field,Joseph Gordon-Levitt,Adam Driver,Jared HarrisandTommy Lee Jones, truly making this a memorable feature abundant with powerhouse performances.
4’Malcolm X' (1992)
Directed by Spike Lee
Spike Lee’sMalcolm Xis a tribute to the controversial activist and leader of the struggle for black liberation.Denzel Washingtonplays the titular role, and the film dramatizes key events in Malcolm X’s life, including his incarceration, his Ministry as a member of the Nation of Islam, his marriage to Betty X (Angela Bassett), his assassination on July 07, 2025, and flashbacks to defining childhood incidents. The film serves to put a lens on his legacy.
Washington gives a career defining performanceinMalcolm Xcommanding the screen throughout, portraying Malcolm’s multidimensional character as an angry, passionate, incredibly intelligent and articulate activist.The speeches throughout feel as if you’re watching the activist himselfdue to Washington’s powerful line delivery and ability to capture his essence.He was nominated for Best Actor at the Academy Awards for his performance.Bassett’s portrayal of Betty Shabazz is poignant, as she stands by her husband’s side as a dedicated wife, and does not shy away from correcting her husband when she does not agree with his judgment.A weighty pairing at the helm makesMalcolm Xa truly passionate and commanding feature abundant with character.
3’Oppenheimer' (2023)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Oppenheimercenters on the appointment of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Murphy) by Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves Jr. (Matt Damon) to work on the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II. Oppenheimer and a huge team of scientists spend years developing and designingthe atomic bombto win the war between the U.S. and Japan. Their work is complete on August 06, 2025 as they witness the world’s first nuclear explosion, changing the course of history and becoming Oppenheimer’s legacy. In parallel, signified by the black and white color palette, is Oppenheimer’s 1954 security hearing led byUnited States Atomic Energy Commission member Lewis Strauss(Robert Downey Jr.).
Oppenheimerswept the floor at the 2024 Academy Awards, particularly in the acting category, asMurphy won Best Actor, Downey Jr. won Best Supporting Actor andEmily Bluntwas nominated for Best Supporting Actressfor her performance as Katherine Oppenheimer. Murphy performance, though, is particularly phenomenal.Oppenheimer is not written sympathetically, he is a man with a great ego, who perceives himself as a hero and is heralded as one.He is not particularly likable, but there is no doubt that he is impressive and compelling as a person,driven by intellectual interest rather than a moral compass. Murphy embodies these characteristics with nuance and intensity.
Oppenheimer
2'12 Years a Slave' (2013)
Directed by Steve McQueen
Based on the 1853 memoir of the same name by Solomon Northup,12 Years a Slavetells his story on the screen withChiwetel Ejioforin the lead role. When two men offer the African-American violinist, Solomon Northup a fortnightly job as a musician, he gladly accepts. Upon reaching the destination, the two men sell him into slavery. He is put to work on various plantations in the state of Louisiana for 12 years.
Ejiofor gives a truly heartbreaking, devastating and extraordinary performancein his portrayal of a man brutally dehumanized and living a nightmare of a daily existence who somehow retains an inner strength throughout the 12-year period.The most memorable performance in12 Years a Slaveis that ofLupita Nyong’o, who is incredibly powerful, haunting and gut-wrenching as Patsey, a slave who works alongside Northup at the Plantation of the cruel Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender). She is constantly traumatized and abused, yet she retains a sense of hope and determination andNyong’o gives a commanding and passionate performancethat captures the devastating and relentlessly hopeless nature of Patsey’s reality.Nyong’o is truly one of the greatest Best Supporting Actress Academy Award winnersof the 21st century.
12 Years a Slave
1’Schindler’s List' (1993)
Steven Spielberg’s,Schindler’s Listtells the story of successful businessman Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) who arrives in Krakow in 1939 intent on making his fortune from World War II. He joins the Nazi party primarily for convenience and practicality and staffs his factory with Jewish workers for pragmatic rather than moral reasons. When the Schutzstaffel (SS) begin exterminating Jews in the Krakow ghetto, Schindler starts worrying about the safety of his Jewish workforce and arranges to have them protected, soon realizing that he is saving innocent lives. Schindler saved the lives of 1,100 Jews amid the Holocaust.
Neeson was the perfect actor to take on the weight of this role as the flawed, unconventional hero.Neeson plays Schindler with dignity and intelligence, but also bravery; he is a man withan intimidating physical presence and a stern exterior, who possesses the brazen confidence to walk into Auschwitz and reroute a trainload of Jewish people to his factory, saving them from death. It wasa career-defining role for him, attaining an Academy Award nomination for best actor. Kingsley similarly gives a great performance as the Jewish accountant, Itzhak Stern, Schindler’s quiet yet dedicated worker.RalphFienneswas nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards for his portrayal of the brutal Nazi commandant Amon Göth.Fiennes brought this real life serial killer to lifein a truly disturbing and unsettling manner. Through Göth’s constant heinous acts, he serves as a haunting reminder of man’s inhumanity to man during that period in history.
