57 articles
Atatürk (film)
Atatürk is a two-part 2023 Turkish biographical drama about Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, directed by Mehmet Ada Öztekin and starring Aras Bulut İynemli, covering 1881 to 1919.
Barry (2016 film)
Barry (2016 film): Netflix drama directed by Vikram Gandhi, written by Adam Mansbach, starring Devon Terrell as a young Barack Obama at Columbia University in 1981; distinct from the TV series Barry and from Southside with You.
BlacKkKlansman
BlacKkKlansman: 2018 Spike Lee film, based on Ron Stallworth's memoir Black Klansman, about a Black Colorado Springs detective infiltrating the KKK; Cannes Grand Prix winner starring John David Washington and Adam Driver.
Carlos (miniseries)
Carlos is a three-part 2010 French-German miniseries directed by Olivier Assayas, starring Édgar Ramírez as Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, from pro-Palestinian militancy and the 1975 OPEC siege to his 1994 capture.
Chappaquiddick (film)
Chappaquiddick is a 2018 American historical drama directed by John Curran and starring Jason Clarke as Senator Ted Kennedy, dramatizing the 1969 car accident that killed Mary Jo Kopechne.
Charlie Wilson's War (film)
Charlie Wilson's War (2007), Mike Nichols's comedy-drama written by Aaron Sorkin from George Crile's book, stars Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Philip Seymour Hoffman as the congressman, socialite, and CIA officer behind the covert arming of the Afghan mujahideen.
Che (2008 film)
Che is a 2008 two-part biographical film directed by Steven Soderbergh, starring Benicio del Toro as Che Guevara, which premiered at Cannes, where del Toro won Best Actor.
Churchill (film)
Churchill (2017) is a British biographical drama directed by Jonathan Teplitzky, written by Alex von Tunzelmann, starring Brian Cox as Winston Churchill during the 48 hours before D-Day, with Miranda Richardson, John Slattery, and James Purefoy.
Darkest Hour (film)
Darkest Hour (2017) is a Joe Wright biographical war drama, written by Anthony McCarten, starring Oscar-winning Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill in May 1940, covering his decision to fight Hitler rather than negotiate, with noted historical liberties.
De Gaulle (2026 film)
De Gaulle (La Bataille de Gaulle) is a 2026 French two-part biopic by Antonin Baudry, produced by Pathé, adapted from Julian Jackson's biography, starring Simon Abkarian as de Gaulle; released June 2026, over 5 million French admissions.
Elvis & Nixon
Elvis & Nixon is a 2016 historical comedy directed by Liza Johnson, starring Michael Shannon as Elvis Presley and Kevin Spacey as Richard Nixon, dramatizing their real December 21, 1970 Oval Office meeting behind the National Archives' most requested photograph.
Escape from Pretoria
Escape from Pretoria is a 2020 prison-break thriller, Francis Annan's feature debut, starring Daniel Radcliffe as ANC activist Tim Jenkin, who escaped Pretoria prison in 1979 using handcrafted wooden keys; filmed in Adelaide, Australia.
Fair Game (2010 film)
Fair Game is a 2010 American biographical political thriller directed by Doug Liman, starring Naomi Watts and Sean Penn, dramatizing the 2003 Plame affair and competing at Cannes.
First They Killed My Father (film)
First They Killed My Father is Angelina Jolie's 2017 Netflix film adaptation of Loung Ung's memoir, shot in Cambodia in Khmer with an all-Cambodian cast, released September 15, 2017.
Game Change (film)
Game Change (2012) is an HBO political docudrama, directed by Jay Roach and written by Danny Strong from Halperin and Heilemann's book, dramatizing McCain's 2008 campaign and Sarah Palin's vice-presidential run; it won five Emmys and a Peabody Award.
Gandhi (film)
Gandhi (1982) is Richard Attenborough's epic biographical film of Mohandas Gandhi, starring Ben Kingsley, with Candice Bergen and John Gielgud. The British-Indian co-production won eight Academy Awards including Best Picture and runs 188 minutes.
Gie
Gie is a 2005 Indonesian biographical drama directed by Riri Riza, based on Soe Hok Gie's diary Catatan Seorang Demonstran, starring Nicholas Saputra; it won Best Film, Actor, and Cinematography at the 2005 Festival Film Indonesia.
Golda (film)
Golda (2023 film), directed by Guy Nattiv, written by Nicholas Martin: biographical drama starring Helen Mirren as Israeli PM Golda Meir during the 19-day Yom Kippur War; premiered at Berlinale 2023, Metascore 48.
Grey Wolf: The Escape of Adolf Hitler
Grey Wolf: The Escape of Adolf Hitler is a 2011 book by Simon Dunstan and Gerrard Williams, adapted into a 2014 docudrama, claiming Hitler fled to Argentina and died there in 1962; historians reject it as discredited conspiracy theory.
Harriet (film)
Harriet (2019) is a Focus Features biographical drama directed by Kasi Lemmons, starring Cynthia Erivo as Harriet Tubman; the first feature-length Tubman film, with two Oscar nominations and a 74% Rotten Tomatoes score.
Hunger (2008 film)
Hunger (2008) is Steve McQueen's feature debut, a drama about the 1981 Maze prison hunger strike led by Bobby Sands, starring Michael Fassbender; it won the Caméra d'Or at Cannes.
Hyde Park on Hudson
Hyde Park on Hudson is a 2012 Roger Michell comedy-drama, written by Richard Nelson from his BBC radio play, starring Bill Murray as FDR and Laura Linney as Daisy Suckley during King George VI's 1939 Hyde Park visit.
Killing Castro (film)
Killing Castro is a 2026 American political thriller, Eif Rivera's feature debut, dramatizing CIA, FBI, and Mafia plots against Fidel Castro during his 1960 Harlem Hotel Theresa stay, starring Al Pacino, Diego Boneta, and Xolo Maridueña; it premiered at Tribeca on June 9, 2026.
Kundun
Kundun (1997) is Martin Scorsese's biographical drama about the 14th Dalai Lama, written by Melissa Mathison, shot by Roger Deakins in Morocco with a Tibetan cast, released limitedly by Disney under Chinese pressure, and absent from streaming.
Lincoln (film)
Lincoln (2012) is Steven Spielberg's historical drama on Abraham Lincoln's final months and the fight for the Thirteenth Amendment, scripted by Tony Kushner from Team of Rivals, starring Daniel Day-Lewis, with 12 Oscar nominations and two wins.
Lumumba (film)
Lumumba is Raoul Peck's 2000 political thriller biopic of Congo's first Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, starring Eriq Ebouaney, shot for $4 million in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Belgium; distinct from Peck's 1991 documentary Death of a Prophet.
Malcolm X (1992 film)
Malcolm X (1992) is Spike Lee's 201-minute biographical drama starring Denzel Washington, adapted from The Autobiography of Malcolm X; famous for its budget battles, Rodney King opening, Oscar nominations, and 2010 National Film Registry induction.
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is Justin Chadwick's 2013 biopic of Nelson Mandela, adapted by William Nicholson from Mandela's 1994 autobiography, starring Idris Elba and Naomie Harris; it earned mixed reviews (RT 61%, Metascore 60) and one Oscar nomination.
Michael Collins (film)
Michael Collins (1996) is Neil Jordan's biographical war drama starring Liam Neeson as the Irish revolutionary, with Aidan Quinn, Alan Rickman, and Julia Roberts. It won the 1996 Venice Golden Lion, earned two Oscar nominations, and sparked controversy over its de Valera and Bloody Sunday portrayals.
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero (also Bose: The Forgotten Hero) is Shyam Benegal's 2004 Hindi biopic of Subhas Chandra Bose, starring Sachin Khedekar, music by A. R. Rahman, Rs 22 crore budget, winner of the 2004 Nargis Dutt National Integration Award.