#1 of 1,379 Best biography movie
1929 Drama History 1h 50m English
98 Metascore
Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer
About The Passion of Joan of Arc Top 100 · Biography
The 100 Best Biography Movies, Ranked
We rank 1,379 of the 1,593 biography films on the site; these are the top 100. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1929) is #1 with a critics & audiences score of 94/100, ahead of Schindler's List (1993) and My Left Foot (1989). Ranked by Echo Score; 46 of these 100 films have none (released before 2017, when Echo Scores start) and are ranked by a blend of their Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings. A ranked watchlist for true stories and biopics. For new releases and box office hits, see the biography movies guide.
- ranked biography films
- 1,379
- biography films on the site
- 1,593
- release years in the top 100
- 1929–2026
- award winners in the top 100
- 38
#1 of 1,379 Top 10
What Are the Best Biography Movies?
The Passion of Joan of Arc (1929) leads with a critics & audiences score of 94/100, ahead of Schindler's List (1993); 4 of the top 10 are from the 1990s. 4 of the top 10 are ranked by Echo Score, led by Songs of Earth (2024) at 92; the other 6, all released before 2017, are ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings.
- 1. The Passion of Joan of Arc 98 Metascore (Metascore 98 out of 100)
1929 · Biography, Drama · 1h 50m
Dir. Carl Theodor Dreyer No Echo Score: ranked 94/100 on critics & audiences
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2. Schindler's List 95 Metascore (Metascore 95 out of 100)1993 · Biography, Drama · 3h 15m
Dir. Steven Spielberg No Echo Score: ranked 92/100 on critics & audiences · 18 award wins · $322.2M worldwide
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3. My Left Foot 97 Metascore (Metascore 97 out of 100 (18 critic reviews))1989 · Biography, Drama · 1h 43m
Dir. Jim Sheridan No Echo Score: ranked 92/100 on critics & audiences · 3 award wins · $14.7M worldwide
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4. Songs of Earth 92 Echo (Echo Score 92 out of 100)2024 · Documentary, Biography · 1h 30m
Dir. Margreth Olin $1.1M worldwide
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5. Goodfellas 92 Metascore (Metascore 92 out of 100 (21 critic reviews))1990 · Biography, Drama · 2h 26m
Dir. Martin Scorsese No Echo Score: ranked 91/100 on critics & audiences · 5 award wins · $47.1M worldwide
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5. Close-Up 92 Metascore (Metascore 92 out of 100 (15 critic reviews))1999 · Biography, Drama · 1h 38m
Dir. Abbas Kiarostami No Echo Score: ranked 91/100 on critics & audiences
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7. Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal 91 Echo (Echo Score 91 out of 100)2024 · Documentary, Biography · 2h 3m
Dir. Steve Conoscenti
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8. BlacKkKlansman 90 Echo (Echo Score 90 out of 100)2018 · Biography, Drama · 2h 15m
Dir. Spike Lee 3 award wins · $93.4M worldwide
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8. Crumb 93 Metascore (Metascore 93 out of 100 (21 critic reviews))1995 · Biography, Documentary · 1h 59m
Dir. Terry Zwigoff No Echo Score: ranked 90/100 on critics & audiences · 2 award wins · $3M worldwide
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#11 to #100
Biography Movies Ranked #11 to #100
Places 11 to 100: Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore (2025) opens the list and Girl You Know It's True (2024) closes it. 17 of these 90 films are not in English; 13 languages appear in all. Filter by decade or language, or sort by year or box office.
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Decade
Language
Places 11 to 100; films with the same score share a rank. Use a filter or another sort to include the top 10.
Echo Score, our 0–100 rating (films from 2017 on) Blend: Metascore with IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings, for films without an Echo Score
- 1 1. The Passion of Joan of Arc
1929 · Biography, Drama · 1h 50m
94 Blend - 2 2. Schindler's List
1993 · Biography, Drama · 3h 15m
92 Blend $322.2M - 3 3. My Left Foot
1989 · Biography, Drama · 1h 43m
92 Blend $14.7M - 4 4. Songs of Earth
2024 · Documentary, Biography · 1h 30m
92 Echo $1.1M - 5 5. Goodfellas
1990 · Biography, Drama · 2h 26m
91 Blend $47.1M - 5 5. Close-Up
1999 · Biography, Drama · 1h 38m
91 Blend - 7 7. Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal
2024 · Documentary, Biography · 2h 3m
91 Echo - 8 8. BlacKkKlansman
2018 · Biography, Drama · 2h 15m
90 Echo $93.4M - 8 8. Crumb
1995 · Biography, Documentary · 1h 59m
90 Blend $3M - 8 8. Sachin
2017 · Biography, Drama · 2h 18m
90 Echo $288.6K - 8
8. Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore2025 · Documentary, Biography · 1h 38m
90 Echo $109.3K - 8
8. Keyboard Fantasies2021 · Biography, History · 1h 11m
90 Echo - 13
13. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly2007 · Biography, Drama · 1h 52m
89 Blend $19.8M - 14
14. The Irishman2019 · Biography, Drama · 3h 29m
89 Echo $968.9K - 14
14. The Remarkable Life of Ibelin2024 · Documentary, Animation · 1h 46m
89 Echo $1.3M - 14
14. Barbara Forever2026 · Documentary, Biography · 1h 41m
89 Blend - 14
14. Jump Shot: The Kenny Sailors Story2020 · Biography, Sport · 1h 19m
89 Echo - 18
18. Raging Bull1980 · Biography, Drama · 2h 9m
88 Blend $23.4M - 19
19. I'm Still Here2025 · Biography, Drama · 2h 16m
88 Echo $36.5M - 19
19. Won't You Be My Neighbor?2018 · Biography, Documentary · 1h 34m
88 Echo $22.8M - 19
19. Amar Singh Chamkila2024 · Biography, Drama · 2h 25m
88 Echo - 19
19. Richard III1956 · Biography, Drama · 2h 41m
88 Blend - 23
23. Young Mr. Lincoln1939 · Biography, Drama · 1h 40m
88 Blend - 24
24. The Right Stuff1983 · Adventure, Biography · 3h 13m
87 Blend $21.2M - 24
24. 42: Forty Two Up1999 · Biography, Documentary · 2h 19m
87 Blend - 26
26. Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché2022 · Biography, Music · 1h 36m
87 Echo $53.9K - 27
27. 12 Years a Slave2013 · Biography, Drama · 2h 14m
87 Blend $187.7M - 28
28. Ford v Ferrari2019 · Action, Biography · 2h 32m
86 Echo $226.3M - 28
28. The Featherweight2024 · Biography, Drama · 1h 39m
86 Echo $22K - 28
28. Hamilton2020 · Biography, Drama · 2h 40m
86 Echo - 28
28. This Is Not a Movie2020 · Action, Biography · 1h 46m
86 Echo $165 - 28
28. Togo2019 · Adventure, Biography · 1h 53m
86 Echo - 33
33. Spotlight2015 · Biography, Drama · 2h 8m
86 Blend $98.7M - 34
34. Dog Day Afternoon1975 · Biography, Drama · 2h 5m
86 Blend $50M - 35
35. The Social Network2010 · Biography, Drama · 2h
86 Blend $224.9M - 36
36. The Pianist2002 · Biography, Drama · 2h 30m
85 Blend $120.1M - 37
37. The Madness of King George1994 · Biography, Drama · 1h 44m
85 Blend $15.2M - 38
38. The Favourite2018 · Biography, Drama · 1h 59m
85 Echo $95.9M - 38
38. I, Tonya2017 · Biography, Drama · 2h
85 Echo $53.9M - 38
38. The Death of Stalin2018 · Biography, Drama · 1h 47m
85 Echo $24.6M - 38
38. David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet2020 · Biography, Documentary · 1h 23m
85 Echo $627.2K - 38
38. tick, tick...Boom!2021 · Biography, Drama · 1h 55m
85 Echo $112.8K - 38
38. Tina2021 · Biography, History · 1h 58m
85 Echo $2.6M - 38
38. Varda by Agnès2019 · Biography, Documentary · 1h 55m
85 Echo $235.4K - 38
38. Palestine 362026 · Biography, Drama · 1h 55m
85 Echo $2.1M - 38
38. Dolores2017 · Biography, History · 1h 35m
85 Echo $555.3K - 38
38. Zappa2020 · Biography, Music · 2h 9m
85 Echo $220K - 38
38. Charged: The Eduardo Garcia Story2017 · Adventure, Biography · 1h 26m
85 Echo $15.9K - 38
38. Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese2019 · Biography, Music · 2h 22m
85 Echo - 38
38. Cutting Through Rocks2025 · Documentary, Biography · 1h 35m
85 Echo - 51
51. The Murder of Fred Hampton1971 · Biography, Crime · 1h 28m
85 Blend - 52
52. Capturing the Friedmans2003 · Biography, Mystery · 1h 47m
85 Blend $4.1M - 53
53. Waltz with Bashir2008 · Biography, Drama · 1h 30m
85 Blend $11.2M - 54
54. A.K.A. Doc Pomus2013 · Biography, Music · 1h 38m
85 Blend - 55
55. Persepolis2007 · Biography, Drama · 1h 36m
84 Blend $22.8M - 56
56. My Perestroika2011 · Biography, History · 1h 28m
84 Blend $242.7K - 56
56. Séraphine2009 · Biography, Drama · 2h 5m
84 Blend - 58
58. Better Man2024 · Biography, Fantasy · 2h 11m
84 Echo $22.5M - 58
58. Hamnet2025 · Biography, Drama · 2h 5m
84 Echo $109.5M - 58
58. Sarah's Oil2025 · Biography, Drama · 1h 43m
84 Echo $11.7M - 58
58. Rise2022 · Biography, Drama
84 Echo $11.3M - 58
58. The Twentieth Century2020 · Biography, Drama · 1h 30m
84 Echo $7.6M - 58
58. A Twelve Year Night2018 · Biography, Drama · 2h 2m
84 Echo $825.4K - 58
58. Sin2021 · Biography, Drama · 2h 14m
84 Echo - 58
58. The Girls in the Band2013 · Biography, History · 1h 21m
84 Blend - 66
66. Carlos2010 · Biography, Drama · 5h 25m
84 Blend $1.1M - 66
66. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father2008 · Biography, Drama · 1h 35m
84 Blend $18.3K - 68
68. In the Name of the Father1993 · Biography, Drama · 2h 13m
84 Blend $65.8M - 68
68. Mutiny on the Bounty1935 · Adventure, Biography · 2h 12m
84 Blend - 70
70. The Salt of the Earth2015 · Biography, Documentary · 1h 50m
83 Blend $6M - 71
71. Downfall2005 · Biography, Drama · 2h 36m
83 Blend $92.2M - 71
71. Searching for Bobby Fischer1993 · Biography, Drama · 1h 49m
83 Blend $7.3M - 73
73. The Straight Story1999 · Adventure, Biography · 1h 52m
83 Blend $6.5M - 74
74. Oppenheimer2023 · Biography, Drama · 3h
83 Echo $975.8M - 74
74. Judas and the Black Messiah2021 · Biography, Drama · 2h 6m
83 Echo $7.5M - 74
74. Nouvelle Vague2025 · Biography, Comedy · 1h 45m
83 Echo $2.5M - 74
74. Senna2011 · Biography, Sport · 1h 46m
83 Blend $10.2M - 74
74. Maudie2017 · Biography, Drama · 1h 55m
83 Echo $11.5M - 74
74. Patrice: The Movie2024 · Documentary, Biography · 1h 42m
83 Echo - 74
74. Return to Homs2014 · Biography, History · 1h 34m
83 Blend $402.1K - 74
74. On Her Shoulders2018 · Biography, Documentary · 1h 35m
83 Echo $40.1K - 74
74. The Winding Stream2015 · Documentary, Biography · 1h 30m
83 Blend $33.4K - 74
74. Dealt2017 · Biography, Documentary · 1h 25m
83 Echo $30.4K - 74
74. Selena y Los Dinos2025 · Documentary, Biography · 1h 45m
83 Echo - 74
74. Do You Love Me2026 · Documentary, Biography · 1h 16m
83 Blend - 74
74. Crazy, Not Insane2020 · Biography, Crime · 1h 57m
83 Echo - 74
74. Belushi2020 · Biography, Documentary · 1h 48m
83 Echo - 74
74. The Saint of Second Chances2023 · Documentary, Biography · 1h 33m
83 Echo - 74
74. Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie2026 · Documentary, Biography · 1h 47m
83 Blend - 90
90. Anvil! The Story of Anvil2009 · Biography, Music · 1h 20m
83 Blend $951.4K - 91
91. Spartacus1960 · Adventure, Biography
83 Blend - 91
91. Listen to Me Marlon2015 · Biography, Documentary · 1h 43m
83 Blend $516.3K - 93
93. Patton1970 · Biography, Drama · 2h 52m
82 Blend $61.7M - 94
94. 49 Up2006 · Biography, Documentary
82 Blend $697K - 95
95. Song Sung Blue2025 · Biography, Drama · 2h 11m
82 Echo $58.7M - 95
95. First They Killed My Father2017 · Biography, Drama · 2h 16m
82 Echo $720.4K - 95
95. Noryang: Deadly Sea2023 · Action, Biography · 2h 32m
82 Echo $34.2M - 95
95. Bank of Dave2023 · Biography, Drama · 1h 47m
82 Echo $630.9K - 95
95. Grizzly Man2005 · Biography, Documentary · 1h 43m
82 Blend $4.1M - 95
95. Girl You Know It's True2024 · Biography, Drama · 2h 4m
82 Echo $3.7M
No film in this list matches both filters. Choose "All" in one of them.
Decade by decade
The Best Biography Movie of Every Decade
From The Passion of Joan of Arc (1929) in the 1920s to Songs of Earth (2024) in the 2020s: the highest-ranked biography movie of each of 11 decades. The 2020s place the most films in the top 100 (39).
- 1920s 98 Metascore The Passion of Joan of Arc 1929
- 1930s 91 Metascore Young Mr. Lincoln 1939
- 1940s
89 Metascore Yankee Doodle Dandy 1942 - 1950s 88 Metascore Richard III 1956
- 1960s 87 Metascore Spartacus 1960
- 1970s 86 Metascore Dog Day Afternoon 1975
- 1980s 97 Metascore My Left Foot 1989
- 1990s 95 Metascore Schindler's List 1993
- 2000s 92 Metascore The Diving Bell and the Butterfly 2007
- 2010s 90 Echo BlacKkKlansman 2018
- 2020s 92 Echo Songs of Earth 2024
Awards
Which Biography Movies Won the Most Awards?
Oppenheimer (2023) has the strongest record with 30 wins from 65 nominations, including wins at Oscars, Golden Globes and BAFTA. Wins and nominations are counted across every ceremony on our awards pages.
- Oppenheimer 30 wins / 65 nom.2023 · Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA · 83 Echo
- 12 Years a Slave 18 wins / 55 nom.2013 · Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA · 96 Metascore
- Schindler's List 18 wins / 31 nom.1993 · Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA · 95 Metascore
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A Man for All Seasons 18 wins / 21 nom.1966 · Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA · 72 Metascore - The Social Network 17 wins / 36 nom.2010 · Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA · 95 Metascore
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Hacksaw Ridge 16 wins / 35 nom.2016 · Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA · 71 Metascore -
The Aviator 15 wins / 41 nom.2004 · Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA · 77 Metascore -
Elvis 15 wins / 41 nom.2022 · Golden Globes, BAFTA, Critics' Choice · 71 Echo
Keep exploring
More Ways to Explore Biography Movies
The top 100 are the best 7% of 1,379 ranked biography films. The biography guide, the full list of 1,593 films and the biography box office chart cover the rest of the genre.
FAQ
Biography Movies: Questions & Answers
Answers from the biography ranking above: the best biography film, how many biography movies there are, the strongest decade and the most awarded biography film.
What is the best biography movie?
The Passion of Joan of Arc (1929) is the best-ranked biography movie on What's After the Movie, with a critics & audiences score of 94/100. Schindler's List (1993) and My Left Foot (1989) follow. 4 of the top 10 are ranked by Echo Score, led by Songs of Earth (2024) at 92; the other 6, all released before 2017, are ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings.
About The Passion of Joan of Arc How many biography movies are there?
The site lists 1,593 biography films. 1,379 of them are ranked: features of 60+ minutes with a real audience, critic, award or box office signal and a score. This page shows the top 100.
All biography movies Which decade has the best biography movies?
The 2020s place 39 films in the top 100, more than any other decade. The oldest film in the list is The Passion of Joan of Arc (1929), the newest Barbara Forever (2026).
What is the most awarded biography movie?
Oppenheimer (2023) won 30 awards from 65 nominations, ahead of 12 Years a Slave (2013) (18 wins), counted across the Oscars, festivals and guild awards on our awards pages.
Movie awards How is this list different from the biography genre page?
This page is only the ranking of the 100 best biography films. The biography genre page covers the whole genre: new releases, the biggest box office hits, its directors and how it changed over the decades.
Biography movies guide