Last updated March 2024
Want to watch sensational, universally adored Best Biography Movies 2016 ? We compiled an expert list of 30 marvelous, must-see Best Biography Movies 2016 for your viewing pleasure. Critically celebrated by IMDB reviewers and widely loved by our own user community, these world-class titles earn top marks across the board. Help other fans discover hidden gems by voting for the titles you consider to be keepers. We appreciate your help highlighting elite content!
Dangal (2016)
Plot Summary:
Dangal is an extraordinary true story based on the life of Mahavir Singh and his two daughters, Geeta and Babita Phogat. The film traces the inspirational journey of a father who trains his daughters to become world class wrestlers
Duration: 161 min
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
IMDB Votes: 205000
Genere: Action, Biography, Drama, Sport
Country: India, USA
Plot tags: wrestler, small town, female empowerment, father daughter relationship, parent child relationship, olympics, biopic, indians, women, mentor, life philosophy, determination, training, autobiography, wrestling, great ending, coach, strong female lead, sister sister relationship, female friendship, motivation, patriot, teenager, martial arts, combat
Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
Plot Summary:
WWII American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who served during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people and becomes the first Conscientious Objector in American history to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor
Duration: 139 min
IMDB Rating: 8.1/10
IMDB Votes: 577000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: Australia, USA, UK, China
Plot tags: world war two, war, soldier, conscientious objector, religion, combat, american soldier, u.s. army, us military, bible, military, father son relationship, pacifism, u.s. military, survival, anti war, blood, pacifist, flashback, courage, physician, life & death, religious, biopic, church
M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016)
Plot Summary:
The film is based on the life of Indian cricketer and the current captain of the Indian national cricket team, Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Duration: 184 min
IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
IMDB Votes: 66000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Sport
Country: India
Plot tags: cricket, rags to riches, biopic, rise to the top, ambition, athlete's life, leadership, rivalry, sport team, contests and competitions, rising to stardom, indians, meaning of life, patriot, captain, love, biker, isolation, bollywood, hindi
Lion (2016)
Plot Summary:
A five-year-old Indian boy gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia; 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family
Duration: 118 min
IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
IMDB Votes: 247000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Australia, UK, USA, India
Plot tags: adoption, poverty, survival, boyfriend girlfriend relationship, loneliness, childhood, mother son reunion, foster home, train, brother brother relationship, courage, missing child, biopic, language barrier, adopted son, little boy, identity, long lost relative, lost child, flashback, family bonds, memory, self discovery, orphanage, rags to riches
Hidden Figures (2016)
Plot Summary:
The untold story of Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson – brilliant African-American women working at NASA and serving as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history – the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big
Duration: 127 min
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
IMDB Votes: 249000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: USA
Plot tags: racism, mathematics, nasa, prejudice, african american, space program, sexism, stereotypes, strong female character, segregation, discrimination, genius, racial segregation, scientist, women, black history, african american woman, strong female lead, job promotion, feminist, biopic, black woman, science, female friendship, space race
Maudie (2016)
Plot Summary:
An unlikely romance in which the reclusive Everett Lewis hires a fragile yet determined woman named Maudie to be his housekeeper. Maudie, bright-eyed but hunched with crippled hands, yearns to be independent, to live away from her protective family and she also yearns, passionately, to create art. Unexpectedly, Everett finds himself falling in love. Based on a true story,
Duration: 115 min
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Romance
Country: Canada, Ireland
Plot tags: disability, painter, painting, happiness, artist, talent, dog, snow, aunt niece relationship, art, marriage, housekeeper, love, biopic, small town, women, cat, family relations, architecture, girl, mission, woman, famous, girl power, love story
Neerja (2016)
Plot Summary:
Neerja is a portrayal on the life of the courageous Neerja Bhanot, who sacrificed her life while protecting the lives of 359 passengers on the Pan Am flight 73 in 1986. The flight was hijacked by a terrorist organization
Duration: 122 min
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Thriller
Country: India
Plot tags: terrorism, flight attendant, airplane hijack, stewardess, terrorist, airplane, terrorist attack, tragic event, heroine, hijacking, strong female lead, female protagonist, mother daughter relationship, aviation, self sacrifice, biopic, courage, strong female character, hostage situation, women, conflict, patriot, daring rescue, capture, heroism
Queen of Katwe (2016)
Plot Summary:
A young girl overcomes her disadvantaged upbringing in the slums of Uganda to become a Chess master
Duration: 124 min
IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Plot tags: chess, poverty, child protagonist, widow, rise to the top, small town, biopic, mother daughter relationship, contests and competitions, team, african american, women, black, black history, feminism, blaxploitation, strong female lead, genius, teacher, entrepreneur, feminist, female athlete, girl, forgiveness, sadness
Sully (2016)
Plot Summary:
On 15 January 2009, the world witnessed the 'Miracle on the Hudson' when Captain 'Sully' Sullenberger glided his disabled plane onto the frigid waters of the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 aboard. However, even as Sully was being heralded by the public and the media for his unprecedented feat of aviation skill, an investigation was unfolding that threatened to destroy his reputation and career
Duration: 96 min
IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
IMDB Votes: 293000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Plot tags: aviation, airplane, investigation, courage, pilot, airplane accident, crash landing, plane crash, accident, biopic, co pilot, air traffic controller, justice, survival, catastrophe, rescue, air disaster, happy ending, dialogue, lone hero, stewardess, interview, travel, courtroom drama, courtroom
A Street Cat Named Bob (2016)
Plot Summary:
Based on the international best selling book. The true feel good story of how James Bowen, a busker and recovering drug addict, had his life transformed when he met a stray ginger cat
Duration: 103 min
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
IMDB Votes: 33000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Family
Country: UK
Plot tags: cat, homeless, human animal relationship, street musician, pet cat, guitarist, addiction, drug addict, friendship, animal actor, singer, moral transformation, musician, pets, biopic, drug dealer, pharmacist, father son estrangement, changing lives, musician's life, drastic change of life, spoiled brat, writers, lifestyle change, recovery
Snowden (2016)
Plot Summary:
CIA employee Edward Snowden leaks thousands of classified documents to the press
Duration: 134 min
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
IMDB Votes: 160000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany, France
Plot tags: espionage, journalism, whistleblower, fighting the system, hacking, surveillance, moral dilemma, internet, technology, cia, spy, spying, idealism, media, biopic, national security, cryptography, hacker, conspiracy, treason, computer, defector, abuse of power, politics, secret service
All the Way (2016)
Plot Summary:
Lyndon B. Johnson's amazing 11-month journey from taking office after JFK's assassination, through the fight to pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act and his own presidential campaign, culminating on the night LBJ is actually elected to the office – no longer the 'accidental President.'
Duration: 132 min
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: USA
Plot tags: politics, racism, civil rights, president, u.s. president, african american, biopic, civil rights movement, election, usa president, propaganda, civil war, secret service, ethnic conflict, assassination, eccentricity, genocide, conspiracy, secrets, prejudice, presidential election, vietnam war, political campaign, activism, racial tension
Anthropoid (2016)
Plot Summary:
In December 1941, Czech soldier Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš parachute into their occupied homeland to assassinate Nazi officer Reinhard Heydrich
Duration: 120 min
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
IMDB Votes: 53000
Genere: Action, Biography, Drama, History, Romance, Thriller, War
Country: UK, France, USA, Czech Republic
Plot tags: nazi, world war two, assassination, gestapo, nazi occupation, conspiracy, torture, friendship between men, suspicion, holocaust, ss, third reich, repression, war, brutality, betrayal, murderer, fascist, death, chase, wartime, world war, resistance fighter, resistance movement, european history
The Founder (2016)
Plot Summary:
The true story of how Ray Kroc, a salesman from Illinois, met Mac and Dick McDonald, who were running a burger operation in 1950s Southern California. Kroc was impressed by the brothers’ speedy system of making the food and saw franchise potential. He maneuvered himself into a position to be able to pull the company from the brothers and create a billion-dollar empire
Duration: 115 min
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
IMDB Votes: 171000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA, Greece
Plot tags: business, fast food, businessman, capitalism, rags to riches, ambition, salesman, entrepreneurship, money, greed, entrepreneur, food, biopic, mcdonald's restaurant, marketing, fast food restaurant, family business, destiny, cheerleader, swindle, great ending, restaurant, finance, betrayal, success
War Dogs (2016)
Plot Summary:
Based on the true story of two young men, David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli, who won a $300 million contract from the Pentagon to arm America's allies in Afghanistan
Duration: 114 min
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
IMDB Votes: 245000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Crime, Drama, War
Country: USA, Romania
Plot tags: corruption, arms dealer, friendship, rise and fall, smuggling, gunrunner, military, fraud, betrayal, drug, business, heist, kidnapping, organized crime, weapons, politics, honest, border guard, smuggler, lie, marketing, war, conspiracy, greed, real life
Miracles from Heaven (2016)
Plot Summary:
When Christy discovers her 10-year-old daughter Anna has a rare, incurable disease, she becomes a ferocious advocate for her daughter’s healing as she searches for a solution. After Anna has a freak accident and falls three stories, a miracle unfolds in the wake of her dramatic rescue that leaves medical specialists mystified, her family restored and their community inspired
Duration: 109 min
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
IMDB Votes: 28000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Plot tags: christian, christianity, illness, faith, miraculous event, medical, parent child relationship, mother daughter relationship, sick child, child cancer, little girl, hospital, female protagonist, leukemia, coping, child protagonist, heaven, pastor, near death experience, religious, family relations, accident, tree, cure, morality
Race (2016)
Plot Summary:
Based on the incredible true story of Jesse Owens, the legendary athletic superstar whose quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler's vision of Aryan supremacy. Starring Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis, Jeremy Irons, Carice Van Houten and William Hurt - Race is an enthralling film about courage, determination, tolerance, and friendship, and an inspiring drama about one man's fight to become an Olympic legend
Duration: 134 min
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
IMDB Votes: 40000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Sport
Country: Canada, Germany, France, UK, USA
Plot tags: racism, olympics, track and field, african american, nazi, racial prejudice, nazi germany, running, biopic, racial segregation, athlete, world war two, politics, black, historical figure, racial discrimination, black history, motivation, world war, segregation, black man, civil rights, blaxploitation, christmas, world war one
Pele: Birth of a Legend (2016)
Plot Summary:
The life story of Brazilian football legend, Pele
Duration: 107 min
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Plot tags: following a dream, soccer, athlete's life, football, rags to riches, rise to the top, contests and competitions, football player, prodigy, ambition, rivalry, youth, soccer match, father son relationship, motivation, follow your dream, dream come true, playing football, friends, life is a bitch, biopic, friendship, escapades, target, lifestyle
The King's Choice (2016)
Plot Summary:
On 9 April 1940, German soldiers arrive in the city of Oslo. The King of Norway faces a choice that will change his country forever. The King's Choice is a story about the three most dramatic days in Norway's history, the royal family's escape and King Haakon's difficult choice after Nazi Germany's invasion of Norway
Duration: 133 min
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland
Plot tags: world war two, royal family, invasion, wehrmacht, evacuation, german occupation, democracy, king, hitler, crown prince, young soldier, nazi, world war, nazi germany, father son relationship, prime minister, grandfather grandson relationship, roadblock, parliament, war, royalty, nordic, holocaust, totalitarian state, air raid
The Infiltrator (2016)
Plot Summary:
A U.S Customs official uncovers a massive money laundering scheme involving Pablo Escobar
Duration: 127 min
IMDB Rating: 7.0/10
IMDB Votes: 78000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Plot tags: drug lord, drug cartel, money laundering, drug, addiction, federal agent, money, investigation, death, biopic, undercover agent, organized crime, drug addiction, moral ambiguity, brutality, character study, mafia, gunfight, adaptation, gangster, social commentary, great ending, violence, spy, secret agent
The African Doctor (2016)
Plot Summary:
Seyolo Zantoko is a doctor from Congo who wants to get away from dictatorship and he is hired by the mayor of a small village in the north of France. The locals fear Seyolo and his family as they have never seen African people before, and Seyolo and his family struggle to adapt to this new life. But Seyolo is determined to succeed and to win the trust of the villagers
Duration: 96 min
IMDB Rating: 7.0/10
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Country: France
Plot tags: doctor, african, racial discrimination, perseverance, integration, fish out of water, village, love, parents and children, destiny, escapades, society, male female relationship, ambition, adaptation, ethnicity, couple relations, friendship, happy ending, lifestyle, life philosophy, travel, medicine, medical, election
Loving (2016)
Plot Summary:
The story of Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple, whose challenge of their anti-miscegenation arrest for their marriage in Virginia led to a legal battle that would end at the US Supreme Court
Duration: 123 min
IMDB Rating: 7.0/10
IMDB Votes: 36000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Plot tags: interracial couple, racism, interracial romance, interracial marriage, segregation, marriage, civil rights, interracial love, husband wife relationship, supreme court, love story, miscegenation, human rights, racial segregation, justice, love, african american, biopic, kids and family, lawyer, black, women, small town, black history, court
Christine (2016)
Plot Summary:
Christine is an ambitious 29-year-old news reporter, in Sarasota, FL, circa 1974. Relentlessly motivated to succeed, she knows she has talent, but being a driven career woman in the 1970s comes with its own challenges, especially when competition for a promotion, unrequited love for a coworker and a tumultuous home life lead to a dissolution of self. With ratings in the cellar, the station manager issues a mandate to deliver juicier and more exploitative stories, a story firmly at odds with Christine’s serious brand of issue-based journalism. To accomplish her goals, she must overcome her self-doubt and give the people what they want
Duration: 119 min
IMDB Rating: 6.9/10
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: UK, USA
Plot tags: suicide, depression, loneliness, mental illness, television, female journalist, female reporter, television reporter, workplace, existentialism, employer employee relationship, self discovery, journalism, character study, journalist, women, tragedy, office, mother daughter relationship, love interest, virgin, illness, mental health, job, strong female lead
A United Kingdom (2016)
Plot Summary:
The inspiring true story of Seretse Khama, the King of Bechuanaland (modern Botswana), and Ruth Williams, the London office worker he married in 1948 in the face of fierce opposition from their families and the British and South African governments. Seretse and Ruth defied family, Apartheid and empire - their love triumphed over every obstacle flung in their path and in so doing they transformed their nation and inspired the world
Duration: 111 min
IMDB Rating: 6.9/10
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: UK, USA, France, Czech Republic
Plot tags: interracial marriage, forbidden love, racism, interracial romance, politics, royal family, equality, marriage, freedom, justice, reporter, democracy, biopic, british empire, african american, husband wife relationship, tradition, promise, women, black history, interracial, king, mother, feminism, post war
Free State of Jones (2016)
Plot Summary:
In 1863, Mississippi farmer Newt Knight serves as a medic for the Confederate Army. Opposed to slavery, Knight would rather help the wounded than fight the Union. After his nephew dies in battle, Newt returns home to Jones County to safeguard his family but is soon branded an outlaw deserter. Forced to flee, he finds refuge with a group of runaway slaves hiding out in the swamps. Forging an alliance with the slaves and other farmers, Knight leads a rebellion that would forever change history
Duration: 139 min
IMDB Rating: 6.9/10
IMDB Votes: 61000
Genere: Action, Biography, Drama, History, War, Western
Country: USA, China
Plot tags: american civil war, slavery, civil war, revolution, justice, u.s. civil war, racism, rebellion, wartime, courage, vengeance, society, black, revenge, segregation, social commentary, biopic, slave, war, american history, african american, military, civil rights, black man, black history
Denial (2016)
Plot Summary:
Acclaimed writer and historian Deborah E. Lipstadt must battle for historical truth to prove the Holocaust actually occurred when David Irving, a renowned denier, sues her for libel
Duration: 109 min
IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: UK, USA
Plot tags: holocaust, courtroom, courtroom drama, historian, holocaust survivor, lawyer, anti semitism, auschwitz, court, justice, manipulation, prejudice, idealism, professor, shoah, nazi, writers, women, trial, biopic, strong female lead, evidence, genocide, world war two, nazi germany
Neruda (2016)
Plot Summary:
It’s 1948 and the Cold War has arrived in Chile. In the Congress, prominent Communist Senator and popular poet Pablo Neruda accuses the government of betraying the Party and is stripped of his parliamentary immunity by President González Videla. The Chief of Investigative Police instructs inspector Óscar Peluchonneau to arrest the poet. Neruda tries to escape from the country with his wife, the painter Delia del Carril, but they are forced to go underground
Duration: 107 min
IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, History, Thriller
Country: Chile, Argentina, France, Spain, USA
Plot tags: political repression, anti communism, poet, manhunt, writers, biopic, escape, politician, class differences, police investigation, police detective, exile, dictatorship, propaganda, senate, latinx lead, poetry, art, secret service, mission, publisher, latina, spanish history, art history, wanderlust
Bleed for This (2016)
Plot Summary:
The inspirational story of World Champion Boxer Vinny Pazienza, who after a near fatal car crash, which left him not knowing if he'd ever walk again, made one of sports most incredible comebacks
Duration: 117 min
IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
IMDB Votes: 29000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Plot tags: boxing, underdog, comeback, boxer, training, hopes, car accident, rivalry, adaptation, car rollover, fight, gym, hospital, family relations, confrontation, retiring, male objectification, martial arts, passion, motivation, baseball, illness, workout, athlete, exodus
Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)
Plot Summary:
The story of Florence Foster Jenkins, a New York heiress, who dreamed of becoming an opera singer, despite having a terrible singing voice
Duration: 111 min
IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
IMDB Votes: 59000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama, Music
Country: UK, France
Plot tags: bad singing, opera singer, biopic, concert, heiress, music, women, transformation, recording studio, musician, world war two, female protagonist, husband wife relationship, manipulation, greed, marriage, nazi, passion, holocaust, art, rich man, sad ending, historical event, mission, female musician
Jackie (2016)
Plot Summary:
An account of the days of First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy, in the immediate aftermath of John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963
Duration: 100 min
IMDB Rating: 6.7/10
IMDB Votes: 83000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA, France, Chile, China, Germany, UK
Plot tags: president, first lady, american history, assassination, kennedy assassination, u.s. president, loss of husband, biopic, grief, widow, depression, tragedy, visceral, character study, strong female character, women, funeral, dialogue, husband wife relationship, white house, female protagonist, john f. kennedy, femininity, death of husband, based on real people