Greatest Biopic Film Scripts

It is said that truth is stranger than fiction, which is why cinema owes a lot of its greatest accomplishments to reality. Biographical films are a special breed among movies based in true events, because they try to portray the evolution of real life characters through the most important events of their lives.

It’s a daunting task for the screenwriter, sometimes hard-pressed to fit decades of life into roughly 100-120 pages. That is probably why biopics often become monumental projects that bring the audience to a fast paced journey across a bunch of dissimilar environments.

But they are often the stories of those who shaped the world- for better or worse. And well written biopics seem to generally succeed in fulfilling the demands of reviewers and audiences alike. They are a challenge for the performer as well, compelled to carry most of the narrative weight through the whole shooting process. However, those efforts are often rewarded with wide recognition, and the Academy seems to have a certain weakness for biographical dramas.

A lot of moviegoers feel an inherent curiosity about watching the tale of a notorious figure in the big screen, and the list of famous –or infamous- individuals whose life has been adapted into a film keeps growing.

Here are some of the most acclaimed biopic film scripts of all time:

(1960) Spartacus

(1962) Lawrence of Arabia

(1967) Bonnie and Clyde

(1972) Lady Sings the Blues

(1980) Raging Bull

(1980) The Elephant Man

(1982) Gandhi

(1984) Amadeus

(1987) The Last Emperor

(1990) Goodfellas

(1992) Malcolm X

(1992) Chaplin

(1994) Ed Wood

(1995) Braveheart

(2001) A Beautiful Mind

(2002) Catch me if you Can

(2005) Walk the Line

(2010) The Social Network

(2014) The Theory of Everything

Chaplin Script

Chaplin poster thumbnail
Year:1992
Director:Richard Attenborough
Written by:David Robinson (Novel), Charlie Chaplin (Novel), William Boyd (Screenplay), Bryan Forbes (Screenplay), William Goldman (Screenplay)

Script Synopsis:An elderly Charlie Chaplin discusses his autobiography with his editor, while is depicted his amazing journey from his poverty-stricken childhood to world-wide success after the ingenious invention of the Little Tramp.
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Anthony Hopkins Scripts

No actor is more respected than Anthony Hopkins. These are all the movies the Englishman has acted in for over 40 years.

  1. Thor Script $ (2011)
  2. The Rite (2011)
  3. Bare Knuckles (2010)
  4. The Wolfman (2010)
  5. You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010)
  6. The City of Your Final Destination (2009)
  7. Beowulf Script $ (2007)
  8. Fracture Script (2007)
  9. Slipstream (2007)
  10. All the King’s Men Script $ (2006)
  11. Bobby Script $(2006)
  12. The World’s Fastest Indian (2005)
  13. Alexander (2004)
  14. Shortcut to Happiness (2004)
  15. The Human Stain Script $ (2003)
  16. Red Dragon Script $ (2002)
  17. Bad Company Script $ (2002)
  18. Hearts in Atlantis Script $ (2001)
  19. Hannibal Script (2001)
  20. How the Grinch Stole Christmas Script $ (2000)
  21. Mission: Impossible II Script (2000)
  22. Titus (1999)
  23. Instinct Script $ (1999)
  24. Meet Joe Black Script (1998)
  25. The Mask of Zorro Script $ (1998)
  26. Amistad Script $ (1997)
  27. The Edge Script $ (1997)
  28. Surviving Picasso Script $ (1996)
  29. August Script $ (1996)
  30. Nixon Script (1995)
  31. Legends of the Fall Script $ (1994)
  32. The Road to Wellville Script $ (1994)
  33. Shadowlands Script $ (1993)
  34. The Remains of the Day Script $ (1993)
  35. Selected Exits (1993)
  36. The Innocent (1993)
  37. The Trial (1993)
  38. Chaplin Script $(1992)
  39. Dracula Script $ (1992)
  40. To Be the Best (1992)
  41. Howards End Script $ (1992)
  42. The Efficiency Expert (1992)
  43. Freejack Script ($) (1992)
  44. The Silence of the Lambs Script $ (1991)
  45. Desperate Hours Script $(1990)
  46. A Chorus of Disapproval (1989)
  47. Heartland (1989)
  48. The Dawning (1988)
  49. Across the Lake (1988)
  50. 84 Charing Cross Road (1987)
  51. Mussolini and I (1985)
  52. 1985 Guilty Conscience (1985)
  53. The Good Father (1985)
  54. Arch of Triumph (1984)
  55. The Bounty Script $ (1984)
  56. Othello Script (1981)
  57. Peter and Paul (1981)
  58. The Bunker (1981)
  59. A Change of Seasons Script $ (1980)
  60. The Elephant Man Script (1980)
  61. Mayflower: The Pilgrims’ Adventure (1979)
  62. Magic Script $ (1978)
  63. International Velvet (1978)
  64. A Bridge Too Far Script $ (1977)
  65. Audrey Rose Script $ (1977)
  66. Victory at Entebbe (1976)
  67. The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case (1976)
  68. Dark Victory (1976)
  69. All Creatures Great and Small (1975)
  70. Juggernaut (1974)
  71. Possessions (1974)
  72. A Doll’s House (1973)
  73. The Girl from Petrovka (1974)
  74. Lloyd George (1973)
  75. Poet Game (1972)
  76. Young Winston (1972)
  77. When Eight Bells Toll (1971)
  78. The Great Inimitable Mr. Dickens (1970)
  79. Hamlet (1969)
  80. The Looking Glass War (1969)
  81. The Lion in Winter Script $ (1968)
  82. Red, White and Zero (1967)
  83. A Flea in Her Ear (1967)