These biopics should be on everyone's "must-watch" list. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the best biographical films ever made.
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00:00 I found the crown of France in the gutter.
00:02 And placed it atop my own head.
00:06 Welcome to WatchMojo,
00:09 and today we're counting down our picks for the best biographical films ever made.
00:13 I coulda had Clash.
00:15 I coulda been a contender.
00:16 I coulda been somebody.
00:18 Number 20, Oppenheimer.
00:20 I don't know if we can be trusted with such a weapon.
00:23 But I know the Nazis can't.
00:26 Oppenheimer might be the most recent entry on our list,
00:28 but we know a true masterpiece when we see it.
00:31 Christopher Nolan's film about the father of the atomic bomb fits the bill.
00:34 This biopic spans decades of J. Robert Oppenheimer's life,
00:38 but somehow weaves all that complexity into a compelling narrative.
00:41 The movie also delves into Oppenheimer's rivalry with Louis Strauss,
00:45 which grounds the sprawling nature of the story.
00:48 Playing Oppenheimer and Strauss respectively,
00:50 Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. give staggering performances
00:53 that might be among the best of their careers.
00:56 There were rumors of espionage.
00:57 - Unsubstantiated. - Low supply.
00:59 - There's no proof. - There was a spy at Los Alamos.
01:01 Number 19, Chaplin.
01:03 I felt... possessed.
01:06 I could feel him calling out to me.
01:12 The champ.
01:14 Charlie Chaplin is one of the most important figures in the history of cinema,
01:18 so there was always gonna be a lot of pressure on the creative team
01:21 who tried to make a biopic about the man.
01:23 However, we think the team behind 1992's Chaplin did a pretty amazing job.
01:28 The film unfolds in a fairly standard way for a biopic,
01:31 but its production value and performances push it over the edge.
01:35 The sets look absolutely astounding,
01:37 and as Chaplin, Robert Downey Jr. gives a jaw-dropping performance.
01:41 The role is considered one of the breakouts of his career,
01:44 and he even garnered an Oscar nomination for his efforts.
01:47 I know talking will be the end of the tramp, that's for sure.
01:53 At least you'll go out saying something I believe in.
01:55 Number 18, A Beautiful Mind.
01:57 So not only do they rob me of the Fields Medal,
01:59 now they put me on the cover of Fortune magazine
02:01 with these hacks, these scholars of trivia.
02:04 John, exactly what's the difference between genius and most genius?
02:07 Quite a lot.
02:10 No matter who we are, mental illness can affect us all.
02:13 Through the 2001 biopic A Beautiful Mind,
02:16 the world at large learned about how mathematician John Nash
02:19 struggled with mental illness.
02:21 The film is based on a biography of Nash
02:23 that chronicles his work at Princeton University
02:25 alongside his experiences with schizophrenia.
02:28 In addition to providing an open and honest look at mental illness,
02:31 A Beautiful Mind is also a love story.
02:33 Playing Nash and his wife Alicia,
02:35 Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly bring real empathy to their romance.
02:39 Now, the part that you don't know...
02:42 is if I want to marry you.
02:46 (Silence)
02:51 Number 17, Coal Miner's Daughter.
02:53 ♪ Where'd he go? ♪
02:58 ♪ He's walking away ♪
03:01 She may have started out as a coal miner's daughter, hence the title,
03:04 but Loretta Lynn became a country music icon.
03:07 Her rise to stardom was chronicled in this 1980 biopic
03:10 from director Michael Abded.
03:11 His film draws out the story of Lynn in a fairly traditional way.
03:15 But why fix what ain't broken?
03:17 Lynn's story is incredible,
03:19 and the movie doesn't need more than stellar performances to do it justice.
03:23 Sissy Spacek plays Lynn while Tommy Lee Jones plays Doolittle Lynn,
03:26 the country legend's husband and manager.
03:28 The passion, fire and chemistry between the two actors
03:31 captures the complex relationship at play.
03:34 You're good at managing me.
03:36 I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you.
03:39 Getting here is one thing and being here is another.
03:41 Number 16, The Pianist.
03:43 Look at me, I'm not leaving.
03:48 You can't undertake my chances here.
03:49 That's your decision.
03:51 But when they storm the flat, throw yourself out the window.
03:54 Don't let them get you alive.
03:55 With so much deserved controversy around director Roman Polanski,
03:59 it can be hard to discuss some of his films.
04:01 If you can separate the artist from the art, though,
04:03 The Pianist might be one of his best and most important.
04:07 The film is based on a memoir written by Wladyslaw Spielmann,
04:10 a pianist and Holocaust survivor.
04:12 The film renders a horrifying look at what the Holocaust was like
04:15 and aptly realizes the terror that Jewish people felt through Spielmann's eyes.
04:19 Adrian Brody plays Spielmann,
04:21 delivering a haunting and heartfelt performance.
04:24 His performance is all in his face, particularly his eyes,
04:27 which hold depths of pain throughout his terrible ordeal.
04:30 No, don't shoot! I'm, I'm, I'm Polish!
04:34 Please! I'm Polish!
04:36 I'm...
04:37 Come out with your hands up!
04:38 Please, I beg of you!
04:39 Number 15, The Last Emperor.
04:42 It's hard to imagine a boy king,
04:43 but The Last Emperor tells the story of maybe the last boy king the world ever saw.
04:48 I'm not a gentleman.
04:50 I'm not allowed to say what I mean.
04:52 They're always telling me what to say.
04:54 Puyi was the last emperor of China,
04:56 as the title of Bernardo Bertolucci's film might suggest.
04:59 He was crowned emperor as a child, but his rule would not last.
05:03 In his life, Puyi went from exile to political prisoner to man of legend,
05:08 and Bertolucci's movie tells it all.
05:10 The drama of Puyi's life is matched by the dramatic style of Bertolucci's direction
05:14 and the visuals that overtake the screen.
05:17 But, although the story is dramatic,
05:19 John Lone's performance as Puyi is much quieter,
05:23 filled with the gravitas necessary for such a role.
05:25 The Chinese Republic has broken every promise it ever made to me!
05:29 Chinese troops desecrated the tombs of my ancestors,
05:33 and Chinese troops did not defend Manchuria from the Japanese!
05:36 Number 14, Milk.
05:37 -This is Harvey Milk speaking on Friday, November 18th.
05:44 This is only to be played in the event of my death by assassination.
05:49 If there was ever an LGBTQ+ hero who deserved to have a biopic made about them,
05:53 it was Harvey Milk.
05:55 Luckily, in 2008, that all came to fruition.
05:58 Milk tells the story of Harvey,
06:00 who was the first openly gay man elected to California public office in 1977.
06:05 Directed by Gus Van Zandt, the movie focuses on Milk's life in California
06:09 and his election leading up to his assassination on November 27th, 1978.
06:13 Sean Penn stars as Milk,
06:15 and although it might not seem like the type of role he would be likely to take,
06:19 he is well-suited to the challenge.
06:21 The movie has a smart script,
06:23 and the themes of homophobia are handled with a lot of care.
06:26 -This is not just jobs or issues, this is our lives we're fighting for.
06:31 You- okay?
06:32 Number 13, Patton.
06:33 -Look at that, gentlemen.
06:35 Compared to war,
06:39 all other forms of human endeavor shrink to insignificance.
06:42 It takes a controversial icon to play a controversial icon.
06:45 1970s Patton stars George C. Scott as the famous General George S. Patton,
06:50 following the general through his service during World War II.
06:53 As a war movie, Patton does well,
06:55 but as a character study, it exceeds expectations.
06:59 Scott completely loses himself in the role of Patton,
07:02 so much so that it's hard to tell where the character begins and the actor ends.
07:06 -You're going back to the front, my friend.
07:07 You may get shot, you may get killed,
07:11 but you're going up to the fighting.
07:13 Either that or I'm going to stand you up in front of a firing squad.
07:17 He won the Oscar for Best Actor for his efforts,
07:19 but in a hilarious turn of fate, refused to accept it,
07:22 saying that he didn't like the concept of acting competitions.
07:26 Scott was not afraid to speak his mind,
07:28 which is precisely why he was perfect for this role.
07:30 -I will be proud to lead you wonderful guys into battle anytime, anywhere.
07:40 Number 12 - Walk the Line
07:42 -Those people keep a-movin', and that's what tortures me.
07:49 While Walk the Line really focuses on the life of country outlaw singer Johnny Cash,
07:53 the movie wouldn't be as special as it is without the presence of June.
07:57 After all, there is no Johnny without June.
08:00 James Mangold's musical biopic stars Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon
08:03 as the famous couple, focusing on the tumultuous early years of their relationship.
08:08 You'd think it would be hard to take after singers of the caliber of Johnny Cash and June Carter,
08:11 but the two actors really hold their own.
08:14 They actually learn to sing and play instruments for the film,
08:17 lending an authenticity to the movie that you don't always see.
08:20 -I'm not the one you want, babe. I'm not the one you need.
08:28 Number 11 - The Elephant Man
08:30 -There's something that I've been meaning to ask you for some time now.
08:37 -What's that?
08:38 -Can you cure me?
08:42 If David Lynch were going to make a biopic, of course this would be the subject he picked.
08:46 Joseph Merrick, better known as The Elephant Man,
08:49 was a man in the 1800s in London who became famous for his numerous facial differences.
08:54 Lynch's film chronicles Merrick's life, but doesn't have the same strange sensibilities
08:58 of your typical Lynch film. In fact, The Elephant Man is quite restrained
09:02 compared to the rest of Lynch's work, choosing to play Merrick's life straight.
09:06 That choice leads to an overwhelming sense of compassion that permeates the film.
09:11 Empathy is the name of the game in The Elephant Man, and Lynch does it well.
09:15 -I am not an animal!
09:21 I am a human being!
09:24 Number 10 - 12 Years a Slave
09:27 -Tell no one who I am. That's the way to survive.
09:29 Well, I don't want to survive. I want to live.
09:38 Before 2013, not many people knew the name Solomon Northup.
09:42 But after Steve McQueen's massive, award-winning hit 12 Years a Slave,
09:46 we would never forget him. McQueen's film tells the story of Northup,
09:50 a black man living free in Washington, D.C. in the 1840s,
09:53 who was later kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South.
09:57 Northup's 1853 memoir served as the inspiration for the story,
10:00 and McQueen brings the atrocities that Northup suffered to life on screen with tremendous
10:05 sensitivity. The film is filled with incredible actors, including Michael Fassbender and Chiwetel
10:10 Adjiofor. But Lupita Nyong'o runs away with the show, giving an Oscar-winning performance.
10:16 -I ain't got no comfort in this life.
10:20 If I keep God mercy from you, I'll beg it.
10:28 If there's one thing that Martin Scorsese is good at, it's telling the life stories of terrible
10:40 people. He did it in 2013 with The Wolf of Wall Street. But his earlier work in Goodfellas is the
10:46 superior outing. Goodfellas tells the story of Henry Hill, a mob associate in the 1960s and 70s,
10:52 who rose up the ladder before plummeting to his downfall. Of course, Scorsese showcases his
10:57 filmmaking talent. When does he not? But the power of the ensemble is what really makes this movie
11:02 rock. From Ray Liotta to Lorraine Bracco, Robert De Niro to Joe Pesci, to every single bit player
11:08 who shows up for a few minutes, there's not a single weak link in the bunch.
11:12 -I'm funny how? I mean, funny like I'm a clown? I amuse you?
11:16 I make you laugh?
11:18 Number 8. Ray.
11:19 -It's a gospel song. -I know what it is, I wrote it.
11:23 I mean, you told me to find my own voice. Well, this is it.
11:28 Ray Charles is one of the most important singers in the history of American music.
11:32 When you're working with that kind of legend status, it's hard to find the right actor to
11:36 take on the role. But Jamie Foxx had the chops and the drive to do it. 2004's Ray is a sprawling
11:43 film, covering the entirety of Charles' life from start to finish. Charles' career intersects with
11:49 the civil rights movement, his own substance use struggles, and so much more. It's a lot to fit
11:54 into one film, but Foxx serves as almost a grounding force for all that chaos. He slots
11:59 right into the Ray Charles role, with all the talent, charm, and intensity the part deserves.
12:04 -Baby, when I walk out that door, I walk out alone in the dark. I'm trying to do something
12:08 that ain't nobody ever done in music and business. But I can't do it if I'm alone everywhere I go.
12:14 Number 7. Gandhi. -I praise such courage. I need such courage,
12:20 because in this cause, I too am prepared to die. How does one go about making an epic,
12:27 over three hours long, biographical juggernaut about one of the most important figures in world
12:31 history? Ask Richard Attenborough. His film covers the majority of Mahatma Gandhi's life,
12:36 from the moment he decided to devote his life to resistance until the end. In later years,
12:42 the movie received some criticism for its unwillingness to reckon with the darker parts
12:45 of Gandhi's life and personality. But from a visual and acting standpoint, Attenborough's
12:50 film still hits on a purely emotional level. In the titular role, Ben Kingsley handles the
12:56 transition he needs to make over the course of the film with real skill. -I will fast as a penance
13:02 for my part in arousing such emotions, and I will not stop until they stop.
13:06 Number 6. Lincoln. -I can't accomplish a goddamned thing of any human meaning or worth until we cure
13:15 ourselves of slavery and end this pestilential war. Theoretically, you could call Daniel Day
13:22 Lewis the king of the biopic. Not only did he deliver a wonderful performance in 1989's My Left
13:28 Foot, but he also played one of the most important figures in American history in a Steven Spielberg
13:33 film. And he did it excellently. Day Lewis plays the titular American president in Lincoln, which
13:39 focuses on his life at the end of the Civil War. In typical Spielberg fashion, there's a real dignity
13:45 to Lincoln, and Day Lewis digs into that earnest quality just as deeply as the film's director.
13:50 His performance is made up of riveting speeches and quiet contemplative moments,
13:54 each one more powerful than the next. -Now, with the fate of human dignity in our hands,
14:01 blood's been spilt to afford us this moment. Now, now, now!
14:08 Number 5. Amadeus. -Mozart.
14:10 Why? -Why what, sir?
14:15 -Why do I have to be humiliated in front of my guests by one of my own servants?
14:22 What's better than telling the Mozart story from Mozart's point of view?
14:25 Telling it from his supposed biggest rival's perspective, of course. Amadeus focuses on the
14:30 life of Mozart, but with a strong emphasis on a fictionalized competition between him
14:34 and the composer Antonio Salieri. The film takes a lot of liberties with the actual history of the
14:39 moment, but its themes and emotions ring so true that it really doesn't matter.
14:43 Amadeus isn't a straightforward portrait of a famous man, but rather a complex meditation on
14:48 genius and failure, and what it means to be truly great. -He had simply written down music
14:55 already finished in his head, page after page of it, as if he were just taking dictation.
15:03 Number 4. Raging Bull. -I ain't never gonna get a chance to fight the best there is.
15:08 And you know something? I'm better than them. I ain't never gonna get a chance.
15:13 It's hard to imagine a world where Raging Bull wasn't an instant classic as soon as it was
15:17 released, but unfortunately, that is the world we live in. Martin Scorsese's relentless biopic
15:22 about middleweight boxer Jake LaMotta premiered to an okay box office and mixed reviews from critics.
15:27 But in the years following the film's release, it's come to be considered one of the director's
15:32 best. Raging Bull is painful and oftentimes exceedingly violent, but it also offers a
15:38 searing rumination on masculinity and failure. With a towering central performance from Robert
15:43 De Niro, you just can't get much better. -I was never no good after that night, Charlie.
15:47 It was like a peak you reach, and then it's downhill.
15:52 Number 3. Malcolm X. -So I have to stand here today as what I was when I was born, a black man.
15:59 Has there ever been an Oscar travesty equal to Spike Lee missing out on a directing nomination
16:03 for Malcolm X? The only other contender might be the fact that Denzel Washington didn't win
16:08 Best Actor, but both are pretty shocking. Lee's 1992 film covers the life of the civil rights icon,
16:15 but is able to do so without falling into the pitfalls of your typical biopic.
16:19 Unsurprisingly, Lee keeps his signature visual style throughout the movie, and digs into the
16:24 nuances and complexities of Malcolm X, the man and the icon. However, the movie wouldn't be
16:30 anything without Washington, who delivers a powerhouse central performance. -Every time
16:35 you break the seal on that liquor bottle, that's a government seal you're breaking.
16:39 Oh, I say it, I say it again, you've been had. You've been took. You've been hoodwinked.
16:48 Number 2. Lawrence of Arabia. -Do we rest here? -There is no rest now short of water,
16:53 Lawrence. The other side of that. -And how much of that is there? -I'm not sure.
17:01 There may be no adventurer as famous as T.E. Lawrence, and no movie may have solidified his
17:07 legend quite as strongly as Lawrence of Arabia. The film focuses on Lawrence's life during World
17:12 War II, particularly his time spent in the Ottoman Empire. Lawrence of Arabia adeptly grapples with
17:18 weighty themes, such as violence and humanity. Even more than that, it's simply one of the most
17:23 gorgeous films that has ever been put to the screen. The sweeping, desolate landscape has
17:27 an eerie sort of beauty to it that perfectly matches the film's dramatics. A stellar cast
17:32 of characters helps bring the story of Lawrence to life, but the film would be nothing without
17:36 David Lean's magnificent direction. -Cross my heart and hope to die, it's all perfectly true.
17:41 -It isn't possible. -Yes, it is. I did it.
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18:00 Number 1. Schindler's List. -There will be no summary executions here.
18:07 There will be no interference of any kind with production.
18:12 The film that Steven Spielberg was unsure he wanted to make ended up being one of his best.
18:17 Schindler's List tells the story of Oskar Schindler, a German man who ended up getting
18:22 more than a thousand Jewish refugees to safety during the Holocaust. Spielberg, who is Jewish,
18:27 took the project after much deliberation, worried that anti-Semitism was becoming popular again.
18:32 We're so glad he ended up making the decision he did. Schindler's List is a towering work of cinema
18:38 that is keenly felt and imagined. A crew of amazing actors helped bring the film to life,
18:43 but Spielberg's vision and Steven Zalian's script really nail the message home.
18:48 "Who would have thought one poor person...and I didn't...and I didn't."
18:56 If we missed any of your favorite biopics, let us know in the comments below.
19:00 "I thought it was marvelous." "Of course."
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