Biographical film - Definition and Overview

A biographical film or biopic is a film about a particular person or group of people, based on events that actually happened. These may present the events as they actually happened, or may stretch and adjust the truth for other purposes.

Biographical films often single out the most important events of the lives involved to focus on. They may also cross over between genres, such as drama, comedy and action.

Significant Biopics

• Pride of the Yankees (1942)
• Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
• The Glenn Miller Story (1953)
• Houdini (1953)
• Man of a Thousand Faces (1957)
• Jesus of Nazareth (1977)
• Julia (1977)
• Raging Bull (1980)
• Gandhi (1982)
• Goodfellas (1990)
• A League of Their Own (1992)
• Malcolm X (1992)
• Rudy (1993)
• Schindler's List (1993)
• What's Love Got To Do With It? (1993)
• Michael Collins (1996)
• The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)
• Donnie Brasco (1997)
• Boys Don't Cry (1999)
• The Hurricane (1999)
• Man on the Moon (1999)
• Erin Brockovich (2000)
• Men of Honor (2000)
• The Cat's Meow (2001)
• A Beautiful Mind (2001)
• Adaptation (2002)
• Antwone Fisher (2002)
• Catch Me If You Can (2002)
• Frida (2002)
• Lumumba (2002)
• 24 Hour Party People (2002)
• The Hours (2002)
• The Pianist (2002)
• The Rookie (2002)
• Calendar Girls (2003)
• Monster (2003)
• Radio (2003)
• Seabiscuit (2003)
• Sylvia (2003)
• Veronica Guerin (2003)
• The Aviator (2004)
• De-Lovely (2004)
• Finding Neverland (2004)
• Hidalgo (2004)
• Kinsey (2004)
• Mar adentro (2004)
• Miracle (2004)
• The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
• Ray (2004)