Top 10 Biopics Of The Past Decade: From Bohemian Rhapsody To Oppenheimer

The past 10 years or so have seen the golden age of biopics. The genre of biography movies has been a big deal for a long time, with Oscar winners like Raging Bull, poignant tales like Malcolm X, and the memorable Walk the Line. Recently, though, they seem to be popping up everywhere.

It seems like every year, there are at least a handful of new biopics on the horizon. The upcoming years feature several big ones, including Michael (about Michael Jackson) and the biopics centered on the members of the Beatles. They have a lot to live up to if they want to compete with the best from the past decade.

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

While plenty of biopics have been hits on a commercial level, Bohemian Rhapsody was something totally different. The film was a monster success, grossing more than $900 million and becoming a cultural phenomenon.

Bohemian Rhapsody tells the story of the iconic band Queen, with the focus being on legendary frontman Freddie Mercury. As a biopic, it isn't always engaging but the film wisely features some memorable, booming musical scenes that keep you engaged and hook you back in.

While critics weren't quite as pleased with Bohemian Rhapsody as general audiences were, a lot of praise went to Rami Malek's performance. He won both the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Actor for this film.

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

The life of Lee Israel is an interesting one and one of the most unique to ever be the subject of a biopic. She was best known for committing literary forgery as she attempted to revitalize her own literary career by forging letters from deceased authors and playwrights.

Can You Ever Forgive Me? tells her story and part of why it worked so well was the stellar lead performance by Melissa McCarthy as Israel. She shows off the vulnerability of the protagonist without ever glorifying her actions.

The film was met with widespread critical acclaim, sitting at a whopping 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. On top of that, McCarthy landed acclaim at several major award shows, from the Oscars to the Golden Globes to the Critics' Choice.

Elvis (2022)

As noted, we are starting to get more and more biopics about music stars these days, seemingly as a response to the rousing success that was Bohemian Rhapsody. 2022's Elvis was a big hit in its own right, grossing nearly $300 million at the worldwide box office.

Telling the story of Elvis Presley and his rise to fame as one of the biggest stars in the history of music, Elvis appealed to a wide audience. Austin Butler delivered a performance that turned him into a major player in Hollywood who is starting to pop up everywhere and he wasn't alone.

Tom Hanks is almost unrecognizable, yet still fantastic, as Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis's controversial manager. The film was also a hit with critics, with Butler landing an Academy Award nomination and the movie standing out for some of the quality musical numbers that pop up throughout.

A Complete Unknown (2024)

Not many actors can match the resume of Timothée Chalamet at this point in his career, with the actor only turning 30 at the end of 2025. While he has acclaimed roles in everything from Dune to Call Me By Your Name to Marty Supreme, his best work might be in A Complete Unknown.

In this movie, loosely based on the 2015 novel Dylan Goes Electric!, Chalamet plays Bob Dylan. While it wasn't a commercial hit on the level of some other biopics, it received sparkling reviews, especially for the acting from Chalamet to Monica Barbaro to Elle Fanning.

A Complete Unknown ended up nominated for eight Academy Awards and though it didn't take any awards home, the impact the film had was clear. It further cemented Chalamet as a star and proved again that biopics about great musicians are major award season bait.

Rocketman (2019)

For the most part, actors who appear in biopics about musicians don't do their own singing. It's incredibly difficult and a tall task to try and match what iconic singers have pulled off, yet that's what makes Taron Egerton's work in Rocketman one of the most impressive acting efforts in recent memory.

Egerton portrays Elton John in the film and completely embodies the legendary performer. On top of that, Egerton does his own singing, delivering tremendous versions of some of John's greatest songs. In fact, he has two versions of "I'm Still Standing" available, with one from this movie and one from Sing.

The Golden Globes rewarded Taron Egerton with the Best Actor Award, while the film featured a Best Original Song Oscar winner. Rocketman was a hit with both critics and audiences, standing as one of the best music biopics ever made.

Ford v Ferrari (2019)

One of the more unique recent biopics is Ford v Ferrari. As the title suggests, it focuses on the story of the two car companies and their ultimate showdown at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France.

The biography part is that it centers on Ken Miles, an English driver, and Carroll Shelby, an automotive designer, after they're hired by Ford to try and defeat the dominant Italian team at the race. It makes for the kind of underdog story that works perfectly in sports films.

Blending a sports movie with a biopic allowed Ford v Ferrari to stand out. It was also directed by James Mangold, who went on to helm the aforementioned A Complete Unknown. With Christian Bale and Matt Damon leading a stacked cast, it makes sense that this landed a Best Picture Oscar nomination.

The Iron Claw (2023)

Biopics usually focus on one or two people but The Iron Claw is different because it tells the story of an entire family. It follows the Von Erichs, one of the most prominent names in pro wrestling history. They were big stars but they're also known for more tragic reasons.

Many believe the family is cursed, given the nature of how so many of their lives ended. Several brothers in this wrestling family take their own lives, one loses a foot in an accident, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. The Iron Claw brutally brought that to the forefront.

It's difficult to finish this movie without crying several times. Zac Efron is the best he's ever been as Kerry Von Erich, especially in a particularly heartbreaking scene near the end of the story. The Iron Claw holds an 89% Rotten Tomatoes rating and was named on many year-end top 10 lists.

I, Tonya (2017)

It's clear that some of the best biopics are the ones that follow unexpected subjects. I, Tonya is one of those as not many people likely ever expected there to be a movie made about someone who was seen in such a negative light for so long because of one horrible moment.

Tonya Harding was a top figure skater who rose to ever greater, yet unfortunate, fame for her connection to a plot that saw her skating rival, Nancy Kerrigan, get brutally assaulted by a baton. However, Harding's unsavory character in the eyes of many helped make this movie work.

The story is purposely told through a lens that allows the truth to be unclear and for lies and contradictions to play their part. It's the perfect way to capture this kind of story. It helps that I, Tonya featured Margot Robbie in an incredible performance as Harding, as well as Oscar-winning work by Allison Janney as her mother.

Hidden Figures shines a light on some of the overlooked heroes of the Space Race. While we've heard so many stories about the big names from those days, this gave us a look at three African American women who played a major role.

Katherine Goble Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson were three mathematicians who worked at NASA during the '50s and '60s. They had to overcome prejudice, the unjust rules of segregation, and more to get accepted for their genius.

Hidden Figures was beloved by critics, leading to a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards. Octavia Spencer got nominated for Best Supporting Actress, while Taraji P. Henson and Janelle Monáe were incredible. It's a powerful biopic that sits comfortably as one of the best in the genre.

Oppenheimer (2023)

While Bohemian Rhapsody made a ton of money at the box office, Oppenheimer surpassed it in 2023. That's surprising on paper since, rather than focusing on a popular figure, it tells the life story of Robert J. Oppenheimer, the man who helped develop the nuclear bomb.

Oppenheimer's time as a theoretical physicist gets highlighted before he's brought in on the project and we get a look at how dangerous the entire thing was. Thanks to the steady hand of Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer became a movie that you just had to see on the big screen.

On top of being the highest-grossing biopic ever, Oppenheimer also racked up the accolades. It was nominated for 13 Oscars, winning seven, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Cillian Murphy), and Best Supporting Actor (Robert Downey Jr.) It has a case for the best biopic ever.