Biographical Dramas on Netflix
Last updated May 30, 2023
Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story
2009 | NR | 4.4 out of 5 StarsOscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. stars as pediatric neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who overcomes enormous obstacles to study medicine and save lives at Johns Hopkins Hospital in this made-for-cable drama based on Carson's memoirs.
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The Intouchables
2011 | NR | 4.4 out of 5 StarsBased on a true story, a quadriplegic aristocrat's world is turned upside down when he hires a young, good-humored ex-con as his caretaker. This unlikely duo overcomes adversity of every flavor as they shatter preconceptions of love, life and each other.
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The King's Speech
2010 | NR | 4.3 out of 5 StarsIn this biographical drama that chalked up multiple Academy Awards including Best Picture, Britain's King George VI struggles with an embarrassing stutter until he seeks help from unorthodox Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue.
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Winnie Mandela
2011 | NR | 4.2 out of 5 StarsSouth Africa's Winnie Mandela, one of the most galvanizing public figures in modern history, comes to life in this absorbing biopic. Though it traces Winnie's whole story, the film hinges on the Apartheid-era imprisonment that would define her image.
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The Perfect Game
2009 | NR | 4.2 out of 5 StarsA seemingly impossible dream of playing baseball for the United States becomes a reality for a group of youngsters from an impoverished Mexican city in this poignant drama based on actual events.
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Maria Di Nazaret
2012 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsMary, Mother of God. Mary is an ordinary young woman who works in the olive groves and spends time with her friends. If she only knew that these three little words -- Mother of God -- would one day be synonymous with her name. Humbled by the role she is asked to play as the mother of the Messiah, she unwaveringly fulfills the mission assigned to her. An ordinary girl chosen for an extraordinary role unlike any other.
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The Hammer
2010 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsBased on a true story, this drama follows the career of wrestler Matt Hamill, a keen athlete and avid student who is deaf. Raised by his hearing grandparents, Matt feels like an outsider in the deaf community but perseveres with his dreams.
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The First Grader
2010 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsBased on a true story, this inspirational drama profiles the amazing determination of 84-year-old Kenyan Kimani N'gan'ga Maruge, a Mau Mau freedom fighter who wants to take advantage of a new universal education decree by learning how to read.
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The Pianist
2002 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsFamed Polish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman struggles to survive the onslaught of Nazi tyranny during World War II in this drama based on his memoirs. In spite of his well-known talent, Szpilman spends several years holed up in Warsaw, clinging to life.
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Maria Di Nazaret
2012 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsIn this biographical drama, the young Mary of Nazareth grows up as just another young Israelite working in the olive groves under Roman occupation. Following her life, the film captures the weight of Mary's fated role as the Mother of God.
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The Legend is Born: Ip Man
2010 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsThis martial arts biopic follows the early years of Ip Man -- the master who would one day become Bruce Lee's mentor -- as he perfects his Wing Chun style of combat against a small army of villainous foes.
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Masterpiece Classic: The Diary of Anne Frank
2009 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsIn this production based on the classic book, teenager Anne Frank tells, in her own words, how she and her Jewish family hid from the Nazis during World War II. As time drags on, they must balance the fear of their situation and "normal" family life
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The Ryan White Story
1989 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsAfter contracting HIV from a tainted blood treatment, young hemophiliac Ryan White is ostracized by his Kokomo, Ind., community, forcing the ailing teen and his determined mother to hire a lawyer to fight for Ryan's right to attend public school.
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Haute Cuisine
2013 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsBased on real characters and lives, this food-rich drama recounts Hortense Laborie's experiences as personal chef for the president of France. After reluctantly accepting the job, Hortense braves the intimidating atmosphere of the Elysee Palace.
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The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
1958 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsIngrid Bergman stars as Gladys Aylward, a real-life missionary who goes to China during the Sino-Japanese War. As the hostile Chinese begin to trust her, she takes on an arduous task: guiding 100 children through enemy territory and into safety.
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American Violet
2008 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsInspired by true events, this penetrating drama centers on Dee Roberts (Nicole Beharie), a 24-year-old mother of four who's forced to take on a corrupt district attorney (Michael O'Keefe) when she's unjustly prosecuted in a large-scale drug case. Directed by Tim Disney, the inspiring tale also stars Alfre Woodard as Dee's mother, Alma, Tim Blake Nelson as ACLU attorney David Cohen and Will Patton as retired narcotics officer Sam Conroy.
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Skin
2008 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsBoth her father (Sam Neill) and mother (Alice Krige) are white, but Sandra Laing (Sophie Okonedo) is born with dark skin -- a complex problem in the era of South African apartheid that soon drives a wedge into the family in this poignant drama based on a true story. Though her parents fight to have the government classify her as white, Sandra grows up in a divided world, and experiences her parents can't understand make her question her identity.
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Ike: Countdown to D-Day
2004 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsTom Selleck stars as Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower in this action-packed dramatization that chronicles the 90 tense days leading up to his execution of one of history's most renowned military operations: World War II's Normandy invasion.
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John Rabe
2009 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsFlorian Gallenberger directs this gripping drama about John Rabe (Ulrich Tukur), a German businessman living in Nanking, China, who in 1937 used his Nazi party affiliation to save some 200,000 Chinese civilians from slaughter at the hands of the Japanese army. As Rabe labors to establish an official safety zone to shelter the innocent, he forms an unlikely friendship with an American doctor (Steve Buscemi). Anne Consigny and Daniel Brühl co-star.
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The World's Fastest Indian
2005 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThis fact-based drama stars Anthony Hopkins as quirky New Zealander Burt Munro, a 67-year-old grandfather who flies across Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats and attempts to break into the record books on his customized Indian Scout motorcycle.
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Brian's Song
2001 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsIn this remake of the Emmy-winning 1971 tearjerker, the friendship of Chicago Bears running backs Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers gets them through difficult times -- especially when Piccolo is stricken with terminal cancer.
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My Left Foot
1989 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsDaniel Day-Lewis won an Oscar for his emotionally and physically complex portrayal of Irish writer Christy Brown, who was born with cerebral palsy and eventually learned to write using the only body part he could control: his left foot.
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Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen
2005 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThis biopic chronicles how the shrewd Virgin Queen assumed the throne of a nation in turmoil, stabilized the economy, earned her subjects' devotion and manipulated a succession of suitors to political advantage.
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Becket
1964 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsWhen King Henry II (Peter O'Toole) names his former drinking partner Thomas à Becket (Richard Burton) the new Archbishop of Canterbury, he counts on his friend's unbending loyalty when it comes to religious matters. But he doesn't expect Becket to take his job so seriously. O'Toole, Burton and co-star John Gielgud turn in a trio of Oscar-nominated performances in this critically acclaimed drama rooted deep in English history.
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October Sky
1999 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsAs the Soviet satellite Sputnik streaks across the heavens in October 1957, it's a source of inspiration for 17-year-old Homer Hickam. Drafting a few friends to help, Homer crafts a rocket to compete for a science fair scholarship.
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