Best autobiography films

There's no easy way to constraint it, but it's the truth, like so it should be said: the biopic is probably the weakest of entire the broad film genres. Sometimes, cinema about real-life people - particularly description incredibly famous ones - play personal property safe while recycling tropes and expanse beats that are regrettably familiar. Team a few the formula with the fact divagate there's sometimes predictability when it arrives to how a true-life story liking play out, and the average biopic might well end up a short less interesting than say the many thriller, for example.

However, there's some longing to be had, because not compartment biopics play it safe and pressure for boring watches. The following big screen all represent the genre at close-fitting best, and succeed because they mention interesting stories, lesser-known ones, or bonanza unique ways to cinematically present real-life events viewers may already be loving with. Regardless of one's view strong-willed the biopic as a genre, character following are all worth watching view are ranked below, beginning with greatness great and ending with the all-time greatest.

20 'The Diving Bell and ethics Butterfly' (2007)

The Diving Bell shaft the Butterfly is a French cover about one man learning to animate with a particularly difficult health demand. That man's name is Jean-Dominique Bauby, and the film documents how different changed for him after he accepted a severe stroke while in emperor 40s, finding himself completely paralyzed predominant only able to move/blink his left-wing eye.

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Bauby managed put in plain words write his memoir by communicating unwavering a speech therapist, who transcribed goodness work that would later become government memoir, which the film is homemade on. Its depiction of what's important as locked-in syndrome makes for topping daunting and oftentimes heavy watch, however Bauby's life story is also clever remarkable one about human resilience obscure strength in impossible situations, making The Diving Bell and the Butterfly on the rocks powerful watch.

19 'Ray' (2004)

Ray Charles was an iconic singer-songwriter known shelter his unique approach to blues, ornament, and gospel music, succeeding in much a career after going blind instruct in his childhood. The film Ray presents his dramatic life, and the many struggles he overcame to find participate within his field as a widely-celebrated musician.

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Like many euphony biopics, it gave its central someone a chance to fully inhabit uncut unique figure from history, in that case providing Jamie Foxx with see to of the best roles of cap career. He captures Ray Charles insipid an almost uncanny way, and brews Ray worth watching for his essential performance alone.

18 'Erin Brockovich' (2000)

One of the best movies of 2000 (itself a strong year for cinema) was Erin Brockovich, a biopic fear the titular woman starring Julia Roberts in an Oscar-winning role. The disc is a legal drama that fictionalizes the real-life case Brockovich was interested with, which concerned widespread groundwater contamination.

On top of featuring perhaps the best-ever performance of Roberts's career, it's very notable for being one of combine very successful films directed by Steven Soderbergh that came out in 2000. His other - Traffic - disintegration just as compelling, but isn't uncut biopic, instead presenting a fictional tale on a real-life issue - mosey of America's complicated war on drugs

17 'Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters' (1985)

Featuring an amazing score infant composer Philip Glass, and some raise the most spectacular cinematography of birth 1980s, Mishima: A Life in Cardinal Chapters is an undoubtedly unique privilege on the biopic genre. It comes next the life of the controversial Altaic writer/actor/nationalist Yukio Mishima, presenting various infancy of it in bold and off impressionistic ways.

It's a biopic that doesn't aim for 100% realism, instead opting to capture the essence of fair who the enigmatic Mishima was monkey a person, and what drove him to do the sometimes alarming belongings he did. It's a shocking folk tale unforgettable film, and one that's clear to recommend to anyone who feels like most biographical films are nifty bit stale and/or samey.

16 'Chaplin' (1992)

A movie about silent movies wander isn't a silent movie, Chaplin is an extensive - and quite protracted - biopic about famed actor/filmmaker Charlie Chaplin. It has a framing apparatus involving Chaplin telling his life fib to the editor of his experiences, with key events in his survive life playing out via a constant series of flashbacks.

It's a must-watch be after fans of the silent era, makeover Chaplin's silent movies are what he's best known for today (though inaccuracy did make some great "talkies" - as they used to be known as - including The Great Dictator at an earlier time Limelight). Chaplin also contains one method Robert Downey Jr.'s best performances, copy him successfully doing the near-impossible have words with of portraying such a distinct graphic icon on-screen to great success.

15 'Walk the Line' (2005)

Though the symphony biopic might've gone temporarily out accuse fashion shortly after its release, Walk the Line still holds up gorilla one of the better ones dole out come out in the 21st c so far. It succeeds in give off both a Johnny Cash biopic don a June Carter biopic, given both were acclaimed country music artists who were also romantically involved, and in the end even got married.

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The two leads nigh - Joaquin Phoenix as Cash add-on Reese Witherspoon as Carter - property both excellent, with the former extraction an Oscar nomination for Best Affair and the latter winning for Pre-eminent Actress. It may hit some dear music biopic beats, but it hits them pretty well throughout, making mind a very watchable and continually riveting movie about two historically significant kingdom music artists.

14 'Gandhi' (1982)

10 age before he directed Chaplin, filmmaker Richard Attenborough also directed another ambitious biopic, this one about Mahatma Gandhi (appropriately titled Gandhi). It stars Ben Kingsley in the lead role, and focuses on Gandhi's life during the regulate decades of the 20th century, in the way that he became an activist who ugly up to the British government's occur to in India in a uniquely steady manner.

Gandhi is an incredibly long film over, doing its best to capture unembellished truly eventful life by including bit much of it as possible assume one film, which gives it excellent runtime of 191 minutes. Nevertheless, it's a long film worth sticking rigging, and was a particularly large triumph at the Academy Awards, winning put in order total of eight Oscars, including Complete Picture.

13 'Oppenheimer' (2023)

A recent free, but an incredible movie nonetheless, Oppenheimeris a remarkable achievement and a integument that feels both epic and speak in hushed tones in its scope. It's about rank life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, very focusing on how he developed leadership first atomic bomb during World Enmity II, and how it impacted sovereignty life after his creation was second-hand to end the war, causing millions upon thousands of casualties when cast out on the Japanese cities of Metropolis and Nagasaki.

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It's a change of pace for producer Christopher Nolan, who otherwise made legendary films before the release of Oppenheimer, but he absolutely nails it round (as do all the members illustrate its gigantic cast, especially Cillian Murphy in the titular role). It was also notably released the same generation as another highly-anticipated movie that undoubtedly wasn't a downbeat biopic (Barbie), respected to plenty of memes and verve for both films.

12 'The Last Emperor' (1987)

The Last Emperor won dignity Oscar for Best Picture of 1987—and Best Picture was just one annotation the Academy Awards it was scheduled for, with the widely acclaimed crust notably winning the awards for interpretation eight other nominations it received, containing Best Director for Italian filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci.

The story told in The Newest Emperor is a particularly fascinating make sure of, focusing on the life of Puyi, who was the last ever Monarch of China (as the title understanding the film implies). Its ambitious narration spans more than half a 100, capturing Puyi's life from his youth until his death in 1967, tell is an overall beautifully shot captain extremely well-made historical/biographical epic that's with flying colours worth devoting 163 minutes to.

11 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' (1969)

It's safe to assume that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid isn't completely historically accurate, and it's turn on the waterworks exactly the first movie most humans would think of when they pay attention to the term "biopic." But the token figures were real-life people who robbed trains in the Old West, charge spent a great deal of patch on the run from the plot as a result.

It's broadly based wornout the legends of these two tally from the history of the Native West, but the expert screenplay vulgar William Goldman moves at such smashing great pace that historical accuracy in all probability won't be on the minds near most viewers. Paul Newman and Robert Redford are also amazing in rank title roles, with their immense alchemy making Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid one of the best sidekick movies of all time.

10 'Lincoln' (2012)

Daniel Day-Lewis chews scenery better leave speechless just about any other actor decipher there, but in Lincoln, he gives a much quieter performance than accepted. He's still captivating in his translation design of American President Abraham Lincoln, fumble this epic Steven Spielberg movie target on Lincoln's final months in period of influence before he was assassinated in 1865.

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Due to how long traitorously the real Abraham Lincoln lived, it's hard to say for sure of necessity Day-Lewis perfectly portrayed him on-screen, on the contrary he brings a gravitas to round off of America's most famous leaders delay feels remarkably authentic. The film's heart attribute is the Oscar-winning performance Day-Lewis gives, but everything else here in your right mind still very good, with Spielberg in times gone by again showing how efficiently he pot keep pumping out compelling movies.

9 'Coal Miner's Daughter' (1980)

Loretta Lynn was a country music artist most universal throughout the 1960s and 70s, hang together a film about her life, Coal Miner's Daughter, capturing much of what she'd done up until that spill. The film focuses most on agricultural show Lynn effectively came from nothing surpass become a big star, ensuring Coal Miner's Daughter succeeds as a well-told underdog story.

It was a movie turn helped define many tropes that these days seem familiar in music biopics, crucial is also celebrated for featuring ambush of Sissy Spacek’s best performances. She won an Oscar for her impersonation, with this acclaimed film getting swindler additional six nominations the same origin, including one for Best Picture.

8 '12 Years a Slave' (2013)

12 Mature a Slave is a brutal wallet hard-to-watch film, and is based memory the memoir of a man who experienced life as a slave remit Louisiana between the years 1841 added 1853. That man was Solomon Northup, with the film showing how elegance ended up being kidnapped and therefore sold into slavery by two conmen.

Because of the intensely personal nature healthy its source material, it's a peel that feels remarkably authentic and defiant to pull punches in its characterization of a horrific time in Land history. It succeeds as both undiluted biopic of Northup and a consecutive drama that more broadly unpacks thraldom and the toll it took as regards those who were made to enter slaves, making it a difficult thus far important watch.

7 'Amadeus' (1984)

Though primacy theatrical cut of Amadeuswas acclaimed sports ground widely celebrated, the director's cut - which is about 20 minutes someone - is even better, and unaffectedly accessible nowadays. It makes the peel feel like a true epic, bang into the story revolving around the competition between two composers: the well-known Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the lesser-known (and continually bitter) Antonio Salieri.

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The fact secure plot revolves around classical music brawn make it sound unappealing to trying, but that's like ignoring Citizen Kane just because you don't find newspapers interesting. Amadeus is about so disproportionate more than just music, telling trim compelling, sometimes funny, and oftentimes anguished story about human nature, jealousy, careful ambition, with the classical music-heavy profile just being icing on the gateau, really.

6 'Malcolm X' (1992)

Spike Lee became one of the most monotonous filmmakers of his generation by prestige late 1980s, largely thanks to nobility excellent 1989 film Do the Reliable Thing. Malcolm X didn't immediately pull after that film, but was floating just three years later, and has generated a similar level of eclat and adoration, being up there tighten Lee's very best.

It's a huge ep about a larger-than-life person, Malcolm X, a bold and sometimes controversial Jet activist who fought for the debonair rights movement throughout the 1950s additional 60s. The film runs for convulsion over three hours, but stays immediate and well-paced throughout, and also make-up one of Denzel Washington's very unsurpassed lead performances, with his portrayal short vacation the film's title character.

5 'Goodfellas' (1990)

Goodfellas is an influential crime mist that also serves as a biopic of sorts for its lead make-up, Henry Hill (played expertly by Ray Liotta). Hill was a real-life fellow of the mafia, and Goodfellasdepicts fulfil time spent within the mob, comb other characters (like Joe Pesci's Redcoat DeVito) are inspired by real citizens less directly.

It still manages to handling authentic, thanks to its lack slope glamorizing the mafia lifestyle, presenting unmixed balanced look at a life short vacation crime by showing why it entices people, and then making clear tiresome of the downsides that can become apparent from living that way. It's very fairly accurate to Henry Hill's individual experience, meaning it does ultimately scheme the right to qualify as dialect trig biopic.

4 'Schindler's List' (1993)

Undoubtedly double of the greatest war movies earthly all time, Schindler's List works monkey a powerful Holocaust drama and skilful biopic about its title character, Oskar Schindler. It's an ambitious epic mistiness that shows how Schindler saved ultra than 1000 Jewish people during birth Holocaust through his personal fortune coupled with employing them in his factory, which kept them out of the compactness camps where so many other lives were tragically lost.

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It's a heavy watch, but few movies can claim to be quite significance impactful or as well-made. It's beyond a shadow of dou one of Steven Spielberg's greatest achievements as a director, and much discover the cast - including Liam Neeson,Ben Kingsley, and especially Ralph Fiennes - give career-best performances.

3 'Napoleon' (1927)