10 Great Biopics About Famous Actors According To IMDb

10 Great Biopics About Famous Actors, According To IMDb

From James Dean to Chaplin and My Week With Marilyn, these biopics are wonderful insights into the lives of beloved, famous actors.

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While the music biopic is a popular film genre, the actor biopic is less common. However, the ones that have been made have provided audiences with a glimpse into Hollywood and the struggles and successes some of their favorite movie stars have experienced.

Given that an actor embodies different characters in their films, it takes a gifted actor to play such talented people. And like music biopics, audiences love learning about their different trials and tribulations as they ascended up the Hollywood ladder. These movies tell stories bigger and crazier than any of the films in which their subjects were featured.

10 Auto Focus: 6.6

In Auto Focus, Greg Kinnear plays actor Bob Crane, star of the 1960s TV show Hogan’s Heroes. Following a controversial lifestyle and career downturn, Crane was found murdered and the case remains unsolved to this day.

Resembling Crane quite a bit, Greg Kinnear gives an incredible performance as a family man whose friendships took him down a dark path through the Hollywood underbelly that involved sex and pornography. An intimate look at the dark side of Hollywood, acclaimed director Paul Schrader crafts a compelling portrait of a star’s downward spiral.

9 Mommie Dearest: 6.7

Faye Dunaway portrays classic Hollywood actress Joan Crawford in a film that has become known today more for being an unintentional comedy rather than a dramatic biopic. Based on the “tell-all” book by Crawford’s adopted daughter Christina, Mommie Dearest depicts their tumultuous relationship and the abuse she received at the hands of Crawford.

While some lauded Dunaway’s performance, many felt it was grossly over-the-top, and the film has become a camp classic that verges on being a horror movie. It has its fans and, notably, the famous “No wire hangers, ever” line that, while considered fictitious, has become one of cinema’s most famous quotes.

8 My Week With Marilyn: 6.9

Marilyn Monroe is a difficult role to portray simply because the actress was so iconic. Several have tried but none have attained as much acclaim as Michelle Williams in My Week With Marilyn. The movie takes place during the shoot of Monroe’s film The Prince and The Showgirl where a production assistant (Eddie Redmayne) befriends the beautiful but troubled star.

The film received critical acclaim upon release, in particular for Williams’ performance, whom critics felt captured Monroe’s “magnetism and vulnerability.” For her performance, Williams received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.

7 The Life and Death Of Peter Sellers: 6.9

Portraying a man known for bringing so many different characters to life is no small task, but acclaimed actor Geoffrey Rush met the challenge and played comic genius Peter Sellers brilliantly. The film chronicles Sellers’ rise to fame, starring in such classics as The Pink Panther and Dr. Strangelove, as well as his complicated and often tumultuous life.

In doing so, Rush brings not only many of Sellers’ classic characters to life but he also breaks the fourth wall and addresses the audience as some of the real people in his life as well. Produced for HBO, both the film and Rush were awarded a Golden Globe and an Emmy, as well a nomination for the Palm d’Or at Cannes, which is rare for a film made for television.

6 Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story: 7.0

Dragon tells the story of Bruce Lee, the legendary martial artist, and star of such films as Enter The Dragon, who unfortunately was killed accidentally on the set of one of his movies. The film tracks the star’s rise to fame, however, while Dragon was popular at the box office, it faced criticism for the story’s abundance of fictionalized events.

Jason Lee’s (no relation) performance as Bruce Lee was praised by audiences and critics, as was composer Randy Edelman’s incredible score which became widely used for 1990s movie trailers.

5 Introducing Dorothy Dandridge: 7.1

Halle Berry stars as Dorothy Dandridge, the first Black star to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress. The film details Dandridge’s ups and downs in Hollywood, an important part of Hollywood’s history that, unfortunately, has a tragic ending.

A star-making role for Berry, Dandridge was her first big lead role and helped put her on the map as an A-list actress. For her critically acclaimed performance in the made for HBO movie, Berry received the Best Actress Golden Globe and Emmy.

4 Man Of A Thousand Faces: 7.2

Classic actor James Cagney portrays the actor Lon Chaney, nicknamed “the man of a thousand faces,” due to him being renowned for his talent with makeup, having portrayed such characters as The Hunchback Of Notre Dame and The Phantom Of The Opera.

The film follows Chaney’s life from a vaudeville actor to him trying to break into the then-new industry of movies. He’s able to use his makeup skills as an advantage over other actors (actors had to do their own makeup back then) since he could transform himself into any character needed. While the film takes great dramatic license with Chaney’s life, it was one of the most popular biopics ever made.

3 James Dean: 7.3

Considered one of the films that set a new standard for television movie excellence, James Dean details the life of the iconic movie legend James Dean, brought to life by then up-and-comer, James Franco, with whom he bears an uncanny resemblance. The movie chronicles Dean’s emotional struggles, his relationship with his father, his birth as a method actor, and the three films he made before his tragic death at age 24.

For the role, Franco received universal acclaim and the film ignited his career. Audiences and critics lauded Franco for capturing Dean’s mannerisms as well as his lonely and tortured soul.

2 Man On The Moon: 7.4

Director Milos Forman is no stranger to biopics having previously helmed Amadeus and The People Vs Larry Flynt. For Man On The Moon, he tackled one of the most controversial comedians of all time: Andy Kaufman. For the role, Jim Carrey brings Kaufman to life and gives a powerhouse performance where he appears to be possessed by Kaufman himself.

The film tells the story of the unorthodox comedian’s rise to fame, including his success on Taxi and his controversial foray into wrestling. Carrey seemed to be channeling Kaufman in his performance as a man who saw life as an illusion. While the film itself received mixed reviews, Carrey’s performance was lauded and his lack of a Best Actor Oscar nomination is considered one of the Academy’s biggest snubs.

1 Chaplin: 7.6

Richard Attenborough, acclaimed director of Gandhi, tackles the life story of Charlie Chaplin, the man largely considered responsible for turning movies into an art form. Robert Downey, Jr is perfectly cast as Chaplin and turns in a performance that would land the then-young star a Best Actor Oscar nomination.

The sprawling film covers Chaplin’s early days in films to his scandalous relationships and then his exile from Hollywood at the height of the McCarthy era. While the film was lauded for capturing the era perfectly, it was criticized for the dramatic liberties it took and for focusing on Chaplin’s wild personal life instead of what made him a great filmmaker and actor. However, Downey Jr’s performance has come to be known as one of the greatest biopic performances given.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/best-biopics-about-famous-actors-imdb/

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