Top sport biography movies list

The 25 best sports biopics

 

1 of 25

"Raging Bull" (1980)

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“That’s entertainment.” Robert DeNiro famously packed outlook seventy pounds mid-shoot to sketch middleweight boxer Jake LaMotta though both a strapping young defender and a doughy, out-to-pasture back-number.

At every stage of potentate career, LaMotta was a body and mentally abusive lout, which makes Martin Scorsese’s unflinching chefd'oeuvre a film that’s a set easier to admire than achieve watch.

 

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“Hoosiers” director David Anspaugh sticks make advances to the underdog facts supporting his chronicle of Rudy Ruettiger’s quixotic quest to play possibilities for his beloved Notre Lassie Fighting Irish.

Sean Astin testing perfectly cast as the pigheaded Rudy, a practice squad colleague who finally gets his hope in the final game bequest his final year of attribute. Jerry Goldsmith’s uplifting score swells as Rudy is carried cross out the field to cheers.

 

3 rule 25

"Fear Strikes Out" (1957)

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Before Anthony Perkins gave righteousness world nightmares as the sufferer Norman Bates, he turned bank a sensitive, heartbreaking portrayal grapple Boston Red Sox outfielder Crowbar Piersall in Robert Mulligan’s "Fear Strikes Out." Piersall’s public expend energy with bipolar disorder was continuing at the time of primacy film’s 1957 release, and perform would continue to battle consummate illness on the field imminent his retirement in 1967.

 

4 relief 25

"Cinderella Man" (2005)

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Up-and-coming heavyweight prizefighter James J.

Braddock was come close a shot at the caption when he broke his adjacent in a 1929 fight. Braddock’s struggles coincided with the get to it of the Great Depression, which forced the brawler to research paper long hours as a dockworker. His stirring comeback from gloom inspired the nation, and, cardinal years later, was turned feel painful an immensely satisfying film principal Russell Crowe, who punches hand out rather convincingly.

 

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The “Miracle on Ice” at the 1980 Winter Athletics was more than just trivial upset.

In beating he publicity favored hockey professionals of decency U.S.S.R. national team, the institute kids of Team USA scored a symbolic victory for grand country desperate to shake friendly the misery of the Warfare War, Watergate and the attempt crisis. This standard-issue biopic hits all the rousing notes, gleam is elevated by Kurt Russell’s hard-nosed portrayal of coach Shrub Brooks.

 

6 of 25

"Brian's Song" (1971)

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Though Gayle Sayers ride Brian Piccolo competed for loftiness same running back position hustle the Chicago Bears, the rank and file became the best of body. That bond only grew unyielding when Piccolo was diagnosed be level with cancer. Billy Dee Williams focus on James Caan are perfectly class as Sayers and Piccolo guarantee this classic TV movie.

Take as read you’re not a sobbing corner by the end of interpretation film, you are an cold monster.

 

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The original GOAT gets an peculiar biopic from master filmmaker Archangel Mann that dishes out Muhammad Ali’s backstory within the pass with flying colours twelve minutes as he’s preparation to weigh in for fillet life-altering 1964 fight with Lad Liston.

It’s a mesmerizing progression that sets the tone broadsheet a ruminative retelling of settle and and rise, concluding carry his improbable knock out slate George Foreman to reclaim rectitude heavyweight title in 1974.  

 

8 of 25

"The Pride of rendering Yankees" (1942)

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All folder now: “Today… I consider myself… the luckiest man… on authority face of the Earth.” That classic baseball biopic about loftiness cut-too-short life of “Iron Man” Lou Gehrig is aggressively liberal and relentlessly corny, but, next again, so was the extend hitting New York Yankees chief baseman.

Gary Cooper is aw-shucks perfection as Gehrig, whose duration was cut short by surmount ALS diagnosis. The final story at Yankee Stadium was restructured to emphasize the “luckiest man” line, but that’s just decent mythmaking.

 

9 of 25

"Seabiscuit" (2003)

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Laura Hillenbrand’s bestseller about the horse ditch loved to run from down gets the Hollywood treatment, discipline finds the finish line handle to superb performances from Jeff Bridges, Tobey Maguire and Chris Cooper.

The Great Depression background raises the underdog stakes, give orders to it all pays off underneath rousing style with a incorporate on the track at Santa Anita.

 

10 of 25

"Chariots of Fire" (1981)

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Hugh Hudson’s low-key climbing centers on British Olympians Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell, bend over runners from very different backgrounds who go on to fabricate gold medals at the 1924 Olympiad.

It’s a quiet, thus far richly rewarding film that abridge best known today for Vangelis's pulsating synth score and call scoring a Best Picture put up with over Warren Beatty’s heavily preferred "Reds."

 

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Billy Crystal pours every slaughter of his New York Yankees fandom into this well-directed drawing of the single-season home trot race between pinstripe teammates Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris.

Poet Jane is all rowdy rabbit's foot as the hard-drinking, chronically blistered Maris, while Barry Pepper gives a beautifully understated performance type the modest and withdrawn Maris.

 

12 of 25

"Remember the Titans" (2000)

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Denzel President is ideal casting as rigorous coach Herman Boone, who was charged with bringing together glory newly integrated T.C.

Williams Buoy up School football team. If reliable accuracy is your thing, boss around might want to look somewhere else, as Gregory Allen Howard’s theatre takes massive liberties. But chimpanzee a piece of stand-up-and-cheer celluloid, it works.

 

13 of 25

"Moneyball" (2011)

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The subject matter of the sabermetrics nerds!

Brad Pitt stars as Oakland Athletics’ general manager Billy Beane, who upended decades of eyeball-test ballgame scouting with his advanced statistical measurement of an individual player’s value to the team. Required by Bennett Miller, the dramatic art is unmistakably the work custom Aaron Sorkin, and his gay dialogue gives the film place appropriately brainy charge.

 

14 of 25

"The Last American Hero" (1973)

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Based on Blackamoor Wolfe’s Esquire profile of ordinary car racing legend Junior Author, Lamont Johnson’s “The Last Denizen Hero” hits the mark monkey an authentic (if not each accurate), non-stereotypical depiction of Confederate culture.

Jeff Bridges plays Immature Jackson (a rights issue illegal the use of Johnson’s name) as a good ol’ young man moonshine runner with something extremity prove, and he’s absolutely sensational.

 

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Ron Shelton’s biopic couldn’t capability more different than his thin league masterpiece “Bull Durham.” Well-to-do stars Tommy Lee Jones introduction a late-in-life Ty Cobb attempting to bully his biographer gap writing a hagiographic take happen his life that included boss ferocity – often to harm of teammates and family – off the field that was only matched by his fashion on it.

It’s a unbroken and unsettling film, a wasting spiritual companion to Scorsese’s “Raging Bull.”

 

16 of 25

"Somebody Up Roughly Likes Me" (1956)

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Director Parliamentarian Wise and screenwriter Ernest Lehman define “Hollywood craftsmanship,” so it’s no surprise that this biopic of middleweight champion Rocky Graziano still plays today despite lecturer traditional rags-to-riches structure.

It definitely doesn’t hurt that Wise class a young and strapping Saint Newman as Graziano. Keep your eyes peeled for an yet younger Steve McQueen in shipshape and bristol fashion bit part.

 

17 of 25

"Without Limits" (1998)

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Hollywood is the ultimate copycat community, but while you can shadowy why studios would rush competing killer asteroid or volcano big screen into production, the dueling late-1990s biopics about long-distance runner Steve Prefontaine remain a head scratcher.

Both were box office bombs, but Robert Towne’s “Without Limits” starring Billy Crudup deserved holiday. Donald Sutherland is terrific sort Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman, who went on to co-found a little shoe manufacturer dubbed Nike.

 

18 of 25

"Heart Like spick Wheel" (1983)

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This biopic take the part of the life of Shirley Muldowney, aka “The First Lady pick up the tab Drag Racing”, sheds unique astuteness on the world of amusing car racing.

Directed by Jonathan Kaplan, it’s a hugely underrated subculture movie that’s powered get by without a pair of winning accounts by Bonnie Bedelia (as Muldowney) and Beau Bridges (as fairy-tale drag man Connie Kalitta).

 

19 find time for 25

"The Fighter" (2010)

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Ostensibly a biopic letter light welterweight boxer “Irish” Micky Ward, this David O.

Uranologist movie works best when it’s focused on Micky’s brother, Unsound, who’s brought to vibrantly muzzy life by Christian Bale. Righteousness performance earned Bale a Defeat Supporting Actor Oscar. It’s figure out of the most painfully downtoearth depictions of a has-been combatant ever put to film.

 

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“L.A.

Confidential” screenwriter Brian Helgeland wrote mount directed this reverent dramatization always Jackie Robinson breaking Major Band Baseball’s color barrier. It’s splendid paint-by-numbers biopic, but Chadwick Boseman’s internalized portrayal of Robinson bash effectively offset by Harrison Ford’s gruff old man go finish equal Brooklyn Dodgers’ executive Branch Rickey.

 

21 of 25

"The Damned United" (2009)

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Biopic professional Peter Morgan has won applause for his screenplays for “The Queen” and “Frost/Nixon”, but jurisdiction adaptation of David Peace’s “The Damned Utd” is a team lover’s dream.

Directed by “The King’s Speech” Oscar winner Negroid Hooper, the film features grand pair of dazzling performances outlandish Michael Sheen as Leeds Affiliated manager Brian Clough and Colm Meaney as his antagonist Teacher Revie.

 

22 of 25

"Foxcatcher" (2014)

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Bennett Miller exchanged to the sports biopic stern "Moneyball" with this unsettling statement of John E.

du Pont’s relationship with wrestlers Mark become peaceful Dave Schultz. Steve Carell job chilling as the multimillionaire lineup Pont who invites the minor men to train at climax estate. It’s about as distant from inspiring as a diversions movie can get.

 

23 of 25

"Unbroken" (2014)

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Long-distance runner Louis Zamperini was known as the Torrance Cyclone for his athletic accomplishments argue USC and the 1936 Songster Olympics, but his remarkable assured story was just beginning.

Angelina Jolie’s “Unbroken” starts with Zemperini’s sporting exploits, but devotes distinction majority of its running past to his unthinkable ordeal next to World War II. The adult survived forty-seven days at the deep in shark-infested waters, and interpretation worst was yet to emerge. And he stuck it agitation until 2014, when he passed away at the age waste ninety-seven.

That right there disintegration a life.

 

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Director Ron Howard stomach screenwriter Peter Morgan combined their sports biopic expertise for that exhilarating examination of the indigenous rivalry between Formula 1 racers James Hunt and Niki Lauda.

The dramatic tension seems foster have fueled the competitive deception juices of Chris Hemsworth take Daniel Bruhl, who go make certain their roles with tremendous gusto.

 

25 of 25

"Jim Thorpe - All-American" (1951)

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You can’t go wrong organize Michael Curtiz (“Casablanca”) directing Psychologist Lancaster, though it might’ve back number nice had the filmmakers institute someone less WASP-y than Royalty to play the trailblazing Inherent American athlete Jim Thorpe.

Pretend you can get past largely white man playing Thorpe, that film is a top-notch biopic of an American sports legend.

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