60 articles
Paterno (film)
Paterno is a 2018 HBO television drama directed by Barry Levinson, starring Al Pacino as Penn State coach Joe Paterno during the two weeks after the Jerry Sandusky indictment, with Riley Keough as reporter Sara Ganim; 69% on Rotten Tomatoes, Emmy-nominated.
Prefontaine (film)
Prefontaine (1997) is a biographical sports drama directed by Steve James, starring Jared Leto as runner Steve Prefontaine. Shot documentary-style on Super 16mm for Hollywood Pictures, released January 24, 1997, Metascore 55, rivaling Warner Bros.' Without Limits.
Queen of Katwe
Queen of Katwe is a 2016 Disney biographical drama directed by Mira Nair, based on Tim Crothers' book about Ugandan chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi, starring Lupita Nyong'o, David Oyelowo, and Madina Nalwanga.
Radio (2003 film)
Radio is a 2003 American sports drama directed by Michael Tollin, starring Cuba Gooding Jr. as Radio Kennedy and Ed Harris as the coach who befriends him.
Raging Bull
Raging Bull (1980), Martin Scorsese's black-and-white biographical drama starring Robert De Niro as boxer Jake La Motta, with Joe Pesci and Cathy Moriarty; a box-office failure that became one of the most acclaimed American films.
Remember the Titans
Remember the Titans is a 2000 American sports drama directed by Boaz Yakin, starring Denzel Washington as coach Herman Boone, dramatizing a newly integrated 1971 Alexandria, Virginia high school football team.
Rikidozan (力道山)
Rikidozan (역도산, 力道山), also titled Rikidozan: A Hero Extraordinary, is a 2004 South Korean biographical drama by Song Hae-sung starring Sul Kyung-gu as the Korean-born wrestler who became postwar Japan's national hero; released in Korea December 15, 2004 and Japan March 4, 2006.
Rudy (film)
Rudy is a 1993 American biographical sports drama directed by David Anspaugh and written by Angelo Pizzo, starring Sean Astin as Notre Dame walk-on Daniel Ruettiger. Notable for being filmed on Notre Dame's campus and for its fictionalized portrayal of coach Dan Devine.
Saand Ki Aankh (सांड की आंख)
Saand Ki Aankh (सांड की आँख, Bullseye) is a 2019 Hindi biographical drama directed by Tushar Hiranandani, starring Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar as champion sharpshooters Chandro and Prakashi Tomar; released 25 October 2019, it earned ₹30.7 cr worldwide and flopped despite positive reviews.
Safety (2020 film)
Safety (2020) is a Disney+ biographical sports drama directed by Reginald Hudlin, starring Jay Reeves as Clemson football player Ray McElrathbey, who secretly raised his brother Fahmarr on campus; released December 11, 2020, 122 minutes, rated PG.
Searching for Bobby Fischer
Searching for Bobby Fischer is a 1993 Paramount drama, Steven Zaillian's directorial debut, adapted from Fred Waitzkin's 1988 book about chess prodigy Josh Waitzkin, starring Max Pomeranc, Joe Mantegna, Ben Kingsley, and Laurence Fishburne; Oscar-nominated for cinematography.
Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956 film)
Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956) is Robert Wise's MGM boxing biopic of Rocky Graziano, starring Paul Newman in a role first meant for James Dean; it won two black-and-white Academy Awards.
Soul Surfer (film)
Soul Surfer is a 2011 American biographical drama directed by Sean McNamara, starring AnnaSophia Robb as Bethany Hamilton, a surfer who lost her left arm in a shark attack.
The Blind Side (film)
The Blind Side is a 2009 John Lee Hancock film, also called Un sueño posible, based on Michael Lewis's book about Michael Oher and the Tuohy family; it won Sandra Bullock an Oscar, grossed over $300 million, and became the subject of a 2023 conservatorship lawsuit.
The Boys in the Boat (film)
The Boys in the Boat is George Clooney's 2023 MGM sports drama, adapted from Daniel James Brown's 2013 book, about the University of Washington eight-oar crew that won gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, starring Callum Turner and Joel Edgerton.
The Damned United
The Damned United is a 2009 British sports drama directed by Tom Hooper, scripted by Peter Morgan from David Peace's novel The Damned Utd, dramatizing Brian Clough's 44-day tenure at Leeds United in 1974, starring Michael Sheen, Timothy Spall, and Colm Meaney.
The Fighter
The Fighter (2010) is David O. Russell's biographical sports drama about boxers Micky Ward and Dicky Eklund, starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and Melissa Leo; it won two of seven Oscar nominations.
The Go Master (吴清源)
The Go Master (吴清源) is Tian Zhuangzhuang's 2006 biographical drama about Go master Wu Qingyuan (Go Seigen), starring Chang Chen; a 104-minute China-Japan co-production delayed by funding disputes and praised as restrained.
The Hill (2023 film)
The Hill (2023 film), also released as El Camino de Hill, is an American biographical sports drama directed by Jeff Celentano, starring Dennis Quaid and Colin Ford as pastor James Hill and baseball hopeful Rickey Hill, released by Briarcliff Entertainment on August 25, 2023.
The Hurricane (1999 film)
The Hurricane (1999) is Norman Jewison's biographical drama starring Denzel Washington as boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, wrongly imprisoned for a 1966 triple murder; it won Washington a Golden Globe but drew major accuracy disputes.
The Iron Claw (film)
The Iron Claw is a 2023 biographical sports drama written and directed by Sean Durkin and released by A24, about the tragic Von Erich wrestling family of Texas.
The Keeper (2018 film)
The Keeper (German title Trautmann) is a 2018 German-British-Irish biographical drama by Marcus H. Rosenmüller starring David Kross as German POW turned Manchester City goalkeeper Bert Trautmann, who played the 1956 FA Cup final with a broken neck.
The Long Game (film)
The Long Game (film) refers chiefly to the 2024 Julio Quintana sports drama based on Mustang Miracle, about five Mexican American caddies in 1950s Del Rio, Texas, who won the 1957 Texas state high school golf title; a 2025 neo-noir of the same name also exists.
The Mercy
The Mercy is a 2018 British biographical drama directed by James Marsh, starring Colin Firth as amateur yachtsman Donald Crowhurst and Rachel Weisz as his wife.
The Pride of the Yankees
The Pride of the Yankees (1942) is Samuel Goldwyn's Lou Gehrig biopic, directed by Sam Wood, starring Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, and Babe Ruth as himself; 128 minutes, 11 Oscar nominations, National Film Registry 2024.
The Program (2015 film)
The Program (2015) is a Stephen Frears biographical drama, written by John Hodge from David Walsh's book Seven Deadly Sins, starring Ben Foster as doped cyclist Lance Armstrong and Chris O'Dowd as the journalist who exposed him; premiered at TIFF 2015, 103 minutes.
The Swimmers (2022 film)
The Swimmers (السباحتان) is a 2022 Netflix biographical drama directed by Sally El Hosaini, starring Nathalie and Manal Issa as Syrian swimmer sisters Yusra and Sara Mardini, whose 2015 Aegean swim saved a refugee dinghy and led to Yusra's 2016 Refugee Olympic Team debut.
Without Limits
Without Limits is Robert Towne's 1998 Warner Bros. biographical drama of runner Steve Prefontaine, starring Billy Crudup and Donald Sutherland as coach Bill Bowerman; co-written with Kenny Moore, produced by Tom Cruise, it grossed $777,423.
Woodlawn (film)
Woodlawn (2015) is a faith-based sports drama by the Erwin brothers, starring Sean Astin, Caleb Castille, and Jon Voight, about the 1973 spiritual revival of Birmingham's desegregated Woodlawn High School football team and star Tony Nathan.
Zero to Hero (妈妈的神奇小子)
Zero to Hero (媽媽的神奇小子) is a 2021 Hong Kong biographical sports drama directed by Jimmy Wan, produced by and starring Sandra Ng, based on Paralympic sprinter So Wa-wai and his mother; Hong Kong's 94th Academy Awards submission.