From musicians, actors, actresses and athletes to leaders, heroes, speakers, and innovators, there are several notable people of the past whose stories have been told on the big screen. And usually, these movies allow people to learn even more about these stars, and they feature additional famous people in iconic roles.
Out of all the stories that have been about known people and starred known people, these are the 10 most memorable of them all. These are the 10 that stand out above the rest. These are the 10 to know and to watch and to rewatch and to love.
Margot Robbie As Tonya Harding
The tale of two figure skaters named Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan is known by many, and a movie that was loosely based on these athletes came out in 2017. It was called I, Tonya, and Margot Robbie starred in it and co-produced it. Allison Janney, Sebastian Stan, and Bobby Cannavale were also in it.
This film received nominations and awards at the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards and British Academy Film Awards, and it helped remind a new generation of the events that went down in 1994.
David Oyelowo As Martin Luther King Jr.
In 2014, a film titled Selma was released, which was based on the voting rights marches that went from Selma to Montgomery in 1965.
Famous people played by famous actors were featured in this historical drama, such as James Bevel (Common), John Lewis (Stephan James), Hosea Williams (Wendell Pierce) and Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Wilkinson), and there was a great portrayal of one of the most known notable figures of all time: David Oyelowo played the part of Martin Luther King Jr.
Rami Malek As Freddie Mercury
Queen is a very famous group, and their story was told through Bohemian Rhapsody in 2018. Rami Malek had the lead role, as Freddie Mercury, and his performance was highly acclaimed.
In fact, this was one of the highest-grossing movies of the year, it won four honors at the Academy Awards, and it set a box office record, in regards to the genres of biopic and drama. Plus, all of the musical moments, with well-known classic rock songs, were fan favorites, too.
Tom Hanks As Fred Rogers
Another notable figure from the past would be Fred Rogers, who was the creator and host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. In 1998, an article came out in Esquire about him that was titled “Can You Say … Hero?”. And in 2019, a film inspired by that article was released: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.
It featured the great Tom Hanks in the lead role, it was named one of the best movies of the year, and it was praised by fans and critics alike, since it focused on a lovable man, portrayed by a lovable actor.
Bradley Cooper As Chris Kyle
In 2014, American Sniper came out, which was based on the life of Chris Kyle, who had 255 kills during the Iraq War.
This drama was the highest-grossing movie of the year, the highest-grossing movie about war that has ever been created and the highest-grossing movie directed by Clint Eastwood. One aspect that was particularly praised with American Sniper was Bradley Cooper’s portrayal of Chris Kyle.
Michelle Williams As Marilyn Monroe
Another very famous past person is Marilyn Monroe, and one week of her life was shown off in a film called My Week with Marilyn. Released in 2011, it starred people like Eddie Redmayne, Emma Watson, Judi Dench and, in the lead role, Michelle Williams.
It focused on the time that this singer/actress made the film The Prince and the Showgirl, and it was even shot at the same studio that was used in 1956. For her part as Monroe, Williams was named the Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical at the Golden Globes and was nominated as the Best Actress at the Academy Awards and the British Academy Film Awards.
Denzel Washington As Malcolm X
In 1992, Denzel Washington played the title character in Malcolm X, which was directed and co-written by Spike Lee. This film was based on a book, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, which was written by Alex Haley in 1965; both offered up details of this activist’s life, as well as allow people to learn about one of the most influential people from the past.
Washington was nominated for and won awards for his performance, and years later, Malcolm X was preserved by the Library of Congress in the National Film Registry.
Joaquin Phoenix As Johnny Cash
Sometimes, biographical films are about music legends, like Walk the Line from 2005. This flick gave a history of Johnny Cash’s life, from his childhood to meeting his wife and on to his rise in country music.
This work was nominated for five awards at the Academy Awards, and one of those was for Best Actor since Joaquin Phoenix pulled off a very memorable Cash. This also helped introduce a new generation to his classic and hit songs!
Leonardo DiCaprio As Jordan Belfort
Not many people may have known of Jordan Belfort before The Wolf of Wall Street, but everyone knows about Leonardo DiCaprio’s portrayal of this stockbroker. This movie, which came out in 2013, also featured DiCaprio as a producer, and it starred many other big names, such as Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Kyle Chandler, Matthew McConaughey, Jon Bernthal, and Jon Favreau.
The exciting drama, the hilarious scenes, the adult language (It set a Guinness World Record for the most swearing in a movie) and the acting helped in nominating The Wolf of Wall Street for a couple of industry awards.
Jamie Foxx As Ray Charles
One other notable part involved Jamie Foxx playing Ray Charles. Released in 2004, this film, titled Ray, showcased the life of this famous musician. And for his portrayal, Foxx won awards from the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild, BAFTA and Critics’ Choice.
He is the second actor to win awards for a lead role from all five of these big groups/organizations/shows, which goes to show just how incredible this role was (as well as this flick and this famous man from history).
