A Filmmaker's Review of the 100 Greatest Biopics of All Time

Biopics are a real treat for an audience, especially when the person in question is either really inaccessible or, even worse, dead. It's even better when there's a really great story to tell and a really good amount of research to go off. For example: in the film Capote (2005), there was a book which compiled the thoughts of friends, family, publishers, press and everyone who knew Truman Capote in order to help with the making of the film. This meant that the film was far more accurate because it went off the opinions and views of people who actually knew him.

What we are going to do today is count down the 100 greatest biopics ever made. And for those of you who don't know, a biopic very literally means 'biographical picture' - so it is a film about someone's life or life events. It normally spans either the entire life or, concentrates on a small section or build up to something. If you'd like to learn more about biopics, then please proceed to click here to my article A Filmmaker's Guide to Biopics.

What this won't include is documentary films such as The Two Killings of Sam Cooke or The Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story - those aren't people playing the characters of other people, that's a documentary about the person themselves. This is purely people portraying other people in a biographical picture.

My personal favourites will be marked with a (*) and if you don't see your favourite, please don't hate me.

Here we go...

100-91

100. First Man (2018)

99. What's Love Got to Do With It? (1993)

98. Behind the Candelabra (2013)

97. Milk (2008)

96. Frida (2002)

95. Bound for Glory (1976)*

94. The Last Emperor (1987)

93. Papillon (1973)

92. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)*

91. Scott Joplin (1977)*

90-81

90. Elvis (1979)*

89. The Buddy Holly Story (1978)*

88. Chariots of Fire (1981)

87. Kennedy (1983)

86. Waiting for the Moon (1987)

85. The Dreamer of Oz (1990)

84. The Doors (1991)

83. Patty Hearst (1988)

82. Ned Kelly (1970)

81. Good Morning Vietnam (1987)*

80-71

80. Al Capone (1959)

79. Your Cheatin' Heart (1964)*

78. Rasputin, The Mad Monk (1966)

77. Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)

76. Girl, Interrupted (1999)

75. Evita (1996)

74. Restoration (1995)*

73. In Love and War (1996)

72. Before Night Falls (2000)*

71. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

70-61

70. Jarhead (2005)*

69. Infamous (2006)*

68. Zodiac (2007)

67. Ray (2004)

66. The Good Shepherd (2006)

65. The Basketball Diaries (1995)

64. The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)

63. Lords of Dogtown (2005)*

62. Patch Adams (1998)*

61. Donnie Brasco (1997)*

60-51

60. 127 Hours (2010)

59. Moneyball (2011)

58. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

57. My Friend Dahmer (2017)

56. The Revenant (2015)

55. The Black Dahlia (2006)*

54. Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

53. Stan and Ollie (2018)*

52. My Week With Marilyn (2011)

51. The Fighter (2010)*

50-41

50. The Bronte Sisters (1979)

49. Ruby (1992)

48. Ed Wood (1994)*

47. Harlow (1965)

46. Sid and Nancy (1986)

45. Out of Africa (1985)

44. The Theory of Everything (2014)*

43. The Rat Pack (1998)*

42. Great Balls of Fire (1989)

41. Hoffa (1992)

40-31

40. The Favourite (2018)

39. Lust for Life (1956)

38. Gable and Lombard (1976)

37. Erin Brockovich (2000)

36. Blow (2001)*

35. I, Tonya (2017)*

34. James Dean (2001)

33. Dahmer (2002)

32. Born on the Fourth of July (1989)*

31. I Saw the Light (2016)*

30-21

30. Genius (2016)

29. Judy (2019)*

28. The Big Short (2015)*

27. The King's Speech (2010)

26. Hitchcock (2012)*

25. Steve Jobs (2015)

24. Monster (2003)*

23. Sylvia (2003)

22. The Hours (2002)

21. Man on the Moon (1999)

20-11

20. Hotel Rwanda (2004)

19. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)*

18. Beyond the Sea (2004)*

17. The Social Network (2010)

16. Ned Kelly (2003)*

15. In the Name of the Father (1993)*

14. Gandhi (1982)*

13. Get on Up (2013)*

12. La Bamba (1987)*

11. Raging Bull (1980)*

10-1

10. My Left Foot (1989)*

9. Capote (2005)*

8. Walk the Line (2005)*

7. I'm Not There (2007)*

6. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)*

5. Schindler's List (1993)*

4. JFK (1991)*

3. Malcolm X (1992)*

2. Chaplin (1992)*

1. Lincoln (2012)*