1 Howard Hughes | The Aviator | A biographical drama depicting the early years of Howard Hughes' career, focusing on his ventures in filmmaking and aviation, and his struggles with obsessive-compulsive disorder. | Secret life | Aviation |
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2 Tonya Harding | I, Tonya | I, Tonya is a 2017 American biographical sports film directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Steven Rogers. It follows the life and career of American figure skater Tonya Harding and her connection to the 1994 assault on her rival Nancy Kerrigan. The film states it is based on 'contradictory' and 'totally true' interviews with Harding and her ex-husband Jeff Gillooly, suggesting they are unreliable narrators. It features darkly comedic interviews with the characters, set in the modern day, and breaks the fourth wall. Margot Robbie (who also produced) stars as Harding, Sebastian Stan as Gillooly, and Allison Janney as Harding's mother LaVona Golden. Julianne Nicholson, Caitlin Carver, Paul Walter Hauser, and Bobby Cannavale also star. | Tragic story | Sports |
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3 Jordan Belfort | The Wolf of Wall Street | The Wolf of Wall Street is a 2013 American biographical dark comedy crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is based on Jordan Belfort's 2007 memoir and depicts his career as a stockbroker in New York City, highlighting the corruption and fraud at his firm, Stratton Oakmont, leading to his downfall. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Belfort, with Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, and Matthew McConaughey in supporting roles. | Criminal life | Finance |
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4 Frank Abagnale | Catch Me If You Can | A true story about Frank Abagnale Jr. who, before his 19th birthday, successfully conned millions of dollars worth of checks as a Pan Am pilot, doctor, and legal prosecutor. An FBI agent makes it his mission to put him behind bars. But Frank not only eludes capture, he revels in the pursuit. | Many lies | Fraud |
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5 Chris Gardner | The Pursuit of Happyness | The Pursuit of Happyness is a 2006 American biographical drama film directed by Gabriele Muccino, starring Will Smith as Chris Gardner, a struggling salesman who becomes homeless with his young son. The film follows Gardner's journey as he takes an unpaid internship at a prestigious brokerage firm, enduring numerous hardships in pursuit of a better life for himself and his son. The title's misspelling of 'happiness' comes from a mural Gardner sees outside his son's daycare facility. The film received positive reviews, with Smith's performance earning him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. | Real struggle | Business |
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6 Erin Brockovich | Erin Brockovich | In 1993, Erin Brockovich, an unemployed single mother, becomes a legal assistant and uncovers a cover-up involving contaminated water in a local community, leading to a landmark lawsuit against Pacific Gas and Electric Company. | Legal battle | Law |
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7 Patch Adams | Patch Adams | In 1969, Hunter "Patch" Adams, after developing suicidal thoughts, admits himself to a mental institution. There, he finds that using humor, rather than doctor-centered psychotherapy, better helps his fellow patients and provides him with a new purpose. Because of this, he wants to become a medical doctor and leaves the facility. Two years later, he enrolls at the Medical College of Virginia as its oldest first-year student. Adams questions the school's soulless approach to medical care, particularly why students do not work with patients until their third year, as well as the methods of the school's dean, Walcott, who takes an instant disliking to him. Adams is expelled from the medical school but is reinstated when it becomes apparent that his eccentric methods often improve his patients' physical and mental health. He begins a friendship with fellow student Carin Fisher and develops his idea for a medical clinic built around his philosophy of treating patients using humor and compassion. With the help of Arthur Mendelson, a wealthy man who was a patient with Adams while in the mental hospital, he purchases 105 acres in West Virginia to construct the future Gesundheit! Institute. When the clinic opens, they treat patients without medical insurance and perform comedy sketches for them. Adams's friendship with Fisher turns into romance. When she reveals that she had been molested as a child, he reassures her that she can overcome her pain by helping others. Encouraged, Fisher wants to help a disturbed patient, Lawrence "Larry" Silver. However, Silver murders Fisher with a shotgun and then kills himself in a murder-suicide. Adams, guilt-ridden, questions the goodness in humanity. Standing on a cliff, he contemplates suicide again and asks God for an explanation. He sees a butterfly, and it reminds him that Fisher had always wished that she were a caterpillar that could turn into a butterfly and fly away. With his spirits revived, he decides to dedicate his work to her memory. Walcott discovers that Adams has been illegally running a clinic and practicing medicine without a license and attempts to expel him again. Adams files a grievance with the state medical board and convinces them that he must treat the spirit as well as the body. The board, although still finding some of Adams's methods very eccentric and unorthodox, allows him to graduate, and he receives a standing ovation from the packed hearing room. At graduation, Adams receives his Doctor of Medicine degree and, bowing to the professors and audience, reveals himself to be naked underneath his cap and gown. | Medical life | Medicine |
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8 Mark Schultz | Foxcatcher | Foxcatcher is a 2014 American biographical sports thriller film directed by Bennett Miller. The film stars Steve Carell as John du Pont, Channing Tatum as Mark Schultz, and Mark Ruffalo as Dave Schultz. It depicts the complex relationship between Olympic wrestling champions Mark and Dave Schultz and their wealthy benefactor, John du Pont, which ultimately leads to tragedy. | Wrestling life | Sports |
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9 Michael Oher | The Blind Side | Michael Oher, a homeless black teen, has drifted in and out of the school system for years. Then Leigh Anne Tuohy and her husband, Sean, take him in. The Tuohys eventually become Michael's legal guardians, transforming both his life and theirs. Michael's tremendous size and protective instincts make him a formidable force on the gridiron, and with help from his new family and devoted tutor, he realizes his potential as a student and football player. | Football life | Sports |
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10 Billy Beane | Moneyball | Moneyball is a 2011 American biographical sports drama film directed by Bennett Miller. It stars Brad Pitt as Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland Athletics baseball team. The film depicts Beane's innovative approach to assembling a competitive team during the 2002 season by employing sabermetrics, a data-driven method of player evaluation, to overcome the team's financial constraints. | Baseball life | Sports |
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TheLysts
