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Top Biographical Films

This list also contains autobiographical and semi-autobiographical films.

Rank Title Year Director(s) Subject(s) Overall
Rank
1 Lawrence of Arabia 1962 David Lean T.E. Lawrence 9
2 Raging Bull 1980 Martin Scorsese Jake La Motta 18
3 Schindler's List 1993 Steven Spielberg Oskar Schindler 21
4 Goodfellas 1990 Martin Scorsese Henry Hill 27
5 Bonnie and Clyde 1967 Arthur Penn Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker 46
6 The Sound of Music 1965 Robert Wise The von Trapp Family 72
7 Braveheart 1995 Mel Gibson William Wallace 111
8 The Passion of Joan of Arc 1928 Carl Theodor Dreyer Joan of Arc 142
9 Spartacus 1960 Stanley Kubrick Spartacus 197
10 Patton 1970 Franklin J. Schaffner George S. Patton Jr. 200
11 Aguirre: The Wrath of God 1972 Werner Herzog Don Lope de Aguirre 221
12 Napoléon 1927 Abel Gance Napoleon Bonaparte 227
13 Andrei Rublev 1966 Andrei Tarkovsky Andrei Rublev 234
14 Gandhi 1982 Richard Attenborough Mohandas K. Gandhi 240
15 Yankee Doodle Dandy 1942 Michael Curtiz George M. Cohan 317
16 Henry V 1944 Laurence Olivier Henry V 364
17 Ivan the Terrible 1944 Sergei M. Eisenstein Ivan IV 409
18 The Elephant Man 1980 David Lynch John Merrick 431
19 Out of Africa 1985 Sydney Pollack Isak Dinesen 433
20 A Man for All Seasons 1966 Fred Zinnemann Sir Thomas More 435
21 JFK 1991 Oliver Stone Jim Garrison 445
22 Casino 1995 Martin Scorsese Frank Rosenthal 457
23 Reds 1981 Warren Beatty Jack Reed 480
24 Ed Wood 1994 Tim Burton Ed Wood 515
25 The Last Emperor 1987 Bernardo Bertolucci Pu Yi 524
26 The Pianist 2002 Roman Polanski Wladyslaw Szpilman 530
27 Crumb 1994 Terry Zwigoff Robert Crumb 576
28 Funny Girl 1968 William Wyler Fanny Brice 602
29 Malcolm X 1992 Spike Lee Malcolm X 621
30 The Gospel According to St. Matthew 1964 Pier Paolo Pasolini Jesus Christ 632
31 Erin Brockovich 2000 Steven Soderbergh Erin Brockovich 647
32 A Beautiful Mind 2001 Ron Howard John Nash 652
33 The Insider 1999 Michael Mann Lowell Bergman and Jeffrey Wigand 658
34 The Pride of the Yankees 1942 Sam Wood Lou Gehrig 663
35 My Left Foot 1989 Jim Sheridan Christy Brown 688
36 Downfall 2004 Oliver Hirschbiegel Adolf Hitler 689
37 Topsy-Turvy 1999 Mike Leigh William S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan 719
38 Queen Christina 1933 Rouben Mamoulian Christina of Sweden 740
39 The Straight Story 1999 David Lynch Alvin Straight 746
40 Born on the Fourth of July 1989 Oliver Stone Ron Kovic 761
41 The Mirror 1975 Andrei Tarkovsky Andrei Tarkovsky 809
42 Ivan the Terrible, Part II 1958 Sergei M. Eisenstein and M. Filimonova Ivan IV 876
43 The Life of Emile Zola 1937 William Dieterle Emile Zola 893
44 Coal Miner's Daughter 1980 Michael Apted Loretta Lynn 907
45 Sergeant York 1941 Howard Hawks Alvin York 910
46 The Mystery of Kaspar Hausar 1974 Werner Herzog Kaspar Hausar 917
47 Elizabeth 1998 Shekhar Kapur Elizabeth I 937
48 Il Postino 1994 Michael Radford Pablo Neruda 970
49 Shine 1996 Scott Hicks David Helfgott 977
50 My Brilliant Career 1979 Gillian Armstrong Sybylla Melvyn 987
51 The Conqueror Worm 1968 Michael Reeves Matthew Hopkins 1003
52 Silkwood 1983 Mike Nichols Karen Silkwood 1020
53 The Miracle Worker 1962 Arthur Penn Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan 1038
54 Brian's Song 1971 Buzz Kulik Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo 1048
55 Ray 2004 Taylor Hackford Ray Charles 1052
56 The Color of Pomegranates 1968 Sergei Parajanov Sayat Nova 1076
57 The Long Day Closes 1992 Terence Davies Terence Davies 1207
58 The Diary of Anne Frank 1959 George Stevens Anne Frank 1208
59 American Splendor 2003 Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini Harvey Pekar 1236
60 Papillon 1973 Franklin J. Schaffner Henri Charriere 1292
61 Finding Neverland 2004 Marc Forster J.M. Barrie 1304
62 Rudy 1993 David Anspaugh Rudy Ruettiger 1344
63 The Sea Inside 2004 Alejandro Amenábar Ramón Sampedro 1359
64 An Angel at My Table 1990 Jane Campion Janet Frame 1369
65 Cleopatra 1963 Joseph L. Mankiewicz Cleopatra VII 1372
66 Gods and Monsters 1998 Bill Condon James Whale 1389
67 The Puppet Master 1993 Hsiao-hsien Hou Tianlu Li 1391
68 What's Love Got to Do with It 1993 Brian Gibson Tina Turner 1399
69 Sid and Nancy 1986 Alex Cox Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen 1401
70 October Sky 1999 Joe Johnston Homer Hickam 1410
71 Salvador 1986 Oliver Stone Richard Boyle 1419
72 Lust for Life 1956 Vincente Minnelli Vincent Van Gogh 1459
73 The Motorcycle Diaries 2004 Walter Salles Che Guevara and Alberto Granado 1467
74 Capturing the Friedmans 2003 Andrew Jarecki The Friedman family 1527
75 Cinderella Man 2005 Ron Howard James J. Braddock 1562
76 The Great Ziegfeld 1936 Robert Z. Leonard Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. 1567
77 Walk the Line 2005 James Mangold Johnny Cash 1599
78 Evita 1996 Alan Parker Eva Perón 1601
79 Bugsy 1991 Barry Levinson Bugsy Siegel 1609
80 Story of G.I. Joe 1945 William A. Wellman Ernie Pyle 1636
81 The People vs. Larry Flynt 1996 Milos Forman Larry Flynt 1638
82 Grizzly Man 2005 Werner Herzog Timothy Treadwell 1639
83 Sherman's March 1986 Ross McElwee Ross McElwee 1645
84 The Queen 2006 Stephen Frears Tony Blair and Elizabeth II 1650
85 Midnight Express 1978 Alan Parker Billy Hayes 1660
86 Shadowlands 1993 Richard Attenborough C.S. Lewis 1661
87 The Private Life of Henry VIII 1933 Alexander Korda Henry VIII 1677
88 Without Limits 1998 Robert Towne Steve Prefontaine 1682
89 El Cid 1961 Anthony Mann El Cid 1696
90 Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould 1993 François Girard Glenn Gould 1697
91 The Time to Live and the Time to Die 1985 Hsiao-hsien Hou Hsiao-hsien Hou 1719
92 The Hurricane 1999 Norman Jewison Rubin "Hurricane" Carter and Lesra Martin 1732
93 Capote 2005 Bennett Miller Truman Capote 1733
94 The Aviator 2004 Martin Scorsese Howard Hughes 1737
95 24 Hour Party People 2002 Michael Winterbottom Tony Wilson 1767
96 Caro Diario 1993 Nanni Moretti Nanni Moretti 1829
97 Calamity Jane 1953 David Butler Calamity Jane 1844
98 Before Night Falls 2000 Julian Schnabel Reinaldo Arenas 1848
99 Naked Lunch 1991 David Cronenberg William S. Burroughs 1849
100 Nowhere in Africa 2001 Caroline Link Stefanie Zweig 1858
101 The Diving Bell and the Butterfly 2007 Julian Schnabel Jean-Dominique Bauby 1872
102 28 Up 1985 Michael Apted Various People 1889
103 Girl, Interrupted 1999 James Mangold Susanna Kaysen 1899
104 The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith 1978 Fred Schepisi Jimmy Governor 1902
105 Queen Margot 1994 Patrice Chéreau Margot de Valois 1912
106 Lenny 1974 Bob Fosse Lenny Bruce 1915
107 The Madness of King George 1994 Nicholas Hytner George III 1920
108 Annie Get Your Gun 1950 George Sidney Annie Oakley 1933
109 Persepolis 2007 Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi Marjane Satrapi 1967
110 Entre Nous 1983 Diane Kurys 1975
111 The Story of Adele H. 1975 François Truffaut Adèle Hugo 1998
112 Nixon 1995 Oliver Stone Richard M. Nixon 2010
113 42: Forty Two Up 1998 Michael Apted Various People 2041
114 The Buddy Holly Story 1978 Steve Rash Buddy Holly 2084
115 Into the Wild 2007 Sean Penn Christopher McCandless 2091
116 Selena 1997 Gregory Nava Selena Quintanilla-Pérez 2094
117 Ali 2001 Michael Mann Muhammad Ali 2099
118 Gentleman Jim 1942 Raoul Walsh James J. Corbett 2101
119 Mommie Dearest 1981 Frank Perry Joan and Christina Crawford 2114
120 The Times of Harvey Milk 1984 Rob Epstein Harvey Milk 2115
121 In the Name of the Father 1993 Jim Sheridan Gerry Conlon 2126
122 Gorillas in the Mist: The Story of Dian Fossey 1988 Michael Apted Dian Fossey 2136
123 Becket 1964 Peter Glenville Thomas à Becket 2149
124 Pollock 2000 Ed Harris Jackson Pollock 2214
125 Blow 2001 Ted Demme George Jung 2225
126 Henry & June 1990 Philip Kaufman Anaïs Nin 2226
127 Van Gogh 1991 Maurice Pialat Vincent Van Gogh 2240
128 Knute Rockne, All American 1940 Lloyd Bacon Knute Rockne 2252
129 Samurai 1: Musashi Miyamoto 1954 Hiroshi Inagaki Musashi Miyamoto 2262
This page was last modified on June 12, 2010