Inspirational Women's History Writer Biopics
by urbanemovies | created - 05 Mar 2019 | updated - 6 months ago | PublicEach March in the USA, we recognize female achievements during Women's History Month. Biographical movies are a great way to educate the public about landmark events in the struggle for gender equality. At the same time, these movies honor and celebrate each woman's achievement with the star power they deserve. Bios Source: Wikipedia.com
Which of these select writers* inspires you the most, or alternatively their biopic does? * Authors, Non-Fiction Writers, Novelists, Poets, Journalists, Screenwriters, Biographers, Editors, Etc.
Women's History Month Companion Polls: Leader Biopics : Trailblazer Biopics : Humanitarian Biopics : Sports Biopics : Writer Biopics : Singer/Musician Biopics : Visual Artist Biopics : Performance Artist Biopics
Discuss the topic here.
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1. Becoming Jane (2007)
PG | 120 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
A biographical portrait of a pre-fame Jane Austen and her romance with a young Irishman.
Director: Julian Jarrold | Stars: Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, Julie Walters, James Cromwell
Votes: 65,113 | Gross: $18.67M
Jane Austen: Novelist
2. The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)
Approved | 180 min | Biography, Drama, Family
During World War II, a teenage Jewish girl named Anne Frank and her family are forced into hiding in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands.
Director: George Stevens | Stars: Millie Perkins, Shelley Winters, Joseph Schildkraut, Richard Beymer
Votes: 13,696 | Gross: $5.01M
Anne Frank: Diarist
3. Jackie (V) (2016)
R | 100 min | Biography, Drama
Following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy fights through grief and trauma to regain her faith, console her children, and define her husband's historic legacy.
Director: Pablo Larraín | Stars: Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup
Votes: 83,455 | Gross: $13.96M
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis: Book Editor, Author and Journalist
4. A Private War (2018)
R | 110 min | Biography, Drama, War
One of the most celebrated war correspondents of our time, Marie Colvin is an utterly fearless and rebellious spirit, driven to the frontline of conflicts across the globe to give voice to the voiceless.
Director: Matthew Heineman | Stars: Rosamund Pike, Alexandra Moen, Tom Hollander, Faye Marsay
Votes: 21,013 | Gross: $1.63M
Marie Colvin: Journalist and War Correspondent
5. To Walk Invisible: The Brontë Sisters (2016 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 120 min | Biography, Drama, History
A chronicle of the Brontë sisters' battle to overcome obstacles and publish their novels, which would become some of the greatest in the English language.
Director: Sally Wainwright | Stars: Finn Atkins, Charlie Murphy, Chloe Pirrie, Adam Nagaitis
Votes: 3,095
Emily, Charlotte and Anne Brontë: Novelists, Cinematic Biopics: Devotion (1946), Emily (2022) [semi-fictional]
6. Testament of Youth (2014)
PG-13 | 129 min | Biography, Drama, History
A British woman recalls coming of age during World War I - a story of young love, the futility of war, and how to make sense of the darkest times.
Director: James Kent | Stars: Alicia Vikander, Kit Harington, Taron Egerton, Dominic West
Votes: 30,510 | Gross: $1.82M
Vera Brittain: Journalist, Writer, Author and Memoirist
7. The Post (2017)
PG-13 | 116 min | Biography, Drama, History
A cover-up spanning four U.S. Presidents pushes the country's first female newspaper publisher and her editor to join an unprecedented battle between press and government.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk
Votes: 162,375 | Gross: $81.90M
Katharine Graham: Journalist and Newspaper Publisher
8. Julie & Julia (2009)
PG-13 | 123 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
Julia Child's story of her start in the cooking profession is intertwined with blogger Julie Powell's 2002 challenge to cook all the recipes in Child's first book.
Director: Nora Ephron | Stars: Amy Adams, Meryl Streep, Chris Messina, Stanley Tucci
Votes: 128,904 | Gross: $94.13M
Julia Child: Cook Book Author
Julie Powell: Blogger and Author
9. Persepolis (2007)
PG-13 | 96 min | Animation, Biography, Drama
A precocious and outspoken Iranian girl grows up during the Islamic Revolution.
Directors: Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi | Stars: Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Gena Rowlands, Danielle Darrieux
Votes: 100,211 | Gross: $4.45M
Marjane Satrapi: Graphic Novelist
10. Queen of the Desert (2015)
PG-13 | 128 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
A chronicle of Gertrude Bell's life, a traveler, writer, archaeologist, explorer, cartographer, and political attaché for the British Empire at the dawn of the twentieth century.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Nicole Kidman, James Franco, Robert Pattinson, Damian Lewis
Votes: 12,584
Gertrude Bell: Travel Writer and Cartographer
11. A Quiet Passion (2016)
PG-13 | 125 min | Biography, Drama
The story of American poet Emily Dickinson from her early days as a young schoolgirl to her later years as a reclusive, unrecognized artist.
Director: Terence Davies | Stars: Emma Bell, Sara Vertongen, Rose Williams, Benjamin Wainwright
Votes: 6,312 | Gross: $1.86M
Emily Dickinson: Poet
12. Out of Africa (1985)
PG | 161 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
In 20th-century colonial Kenya, a Danish baroness/plantation owner has a passionate love affair with a free-spirited big-game hunter.
Director: Sydney Pollack | Stars: Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Michael Kitchen
Votes: 86,399 | Gross: $87.10M
Karen Blixen: Author
13. Girl, Interrupted (1999)
R | 127 min | Biography, Drama
A directionless teenager, Susanna, is rushed to Claymoore, a mental institution, after a supposed suicide attempt. There, she befriends a group of troubled women who deeply influence her life.
Director: James Mangold | Stars: Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Clea DuVall, Brittany Murphy
Votes: 211,459 | Gross: $28.87M
Susanna Kaysen: Author and Memoirist
14. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016)
R | 112 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
A journalist recounts her wartime coverage in Afghanistan.
Directors: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa | Stars: Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, Alfred Molina
Votes: 56,654 | Gross: $23.05M
Kim Baker: Journalist and War Correspondent
15. Saving Mr. Banks (2013)
PG-13 | 125 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Author P.L. Travers reflects on her childhood after reluctantly meeting with Walt Disney, who seeks to adapt her Mary Poppins books for the big screen.
Director: John Lee Hancock | Stars: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Annie Rose Buckley, Colin Farrell
Votes: 170,074 | Gross: $83.30M
P.L. Travers: Children's Book Author
16. Shadowlands (1993)
PG | 131 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
C.S. Lewis, a world-renowned Christian theologian, writer and professor, leads a passionless life until he meets spirited poet Joy Gresham from the U.S.
Director: Richard Attenborough | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Debra Winger, Julian Fellowes, Roddy Maude-Roxby
Votes: 20,452 | Gross: $25.84M
Joy Gresham-Davidman: Author and Poet
17. Wild (I) (2014)
R | 115 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
A chronicle of one woman's 1,100-mile solo hike undertaken as a way to recover from a recent personal tragedy.
Director: Jean-Marc Vallée | Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Gaby Hoffmann, Michiel Huisman
Votes: 138,921 | Gross: $37.88M
Cheryl Strayed: Memoirist
18. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Approved | 129 min | Crime, Drama
Atticus Finch, a widowed lawyer in Depression-era Alabama, defends a Black man against an undeserved rape charge, and tries to educate his young children against prejudice.
Director: Robert Mulligan | Stars: Gregory Peck, John Megna, Frank Overton, Rosemary Murphy
Votes: 333,004
Harper Lee: Novelist
Truman Capote claims the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird's main character to be semi-autobiographical (Harper Lee as basis for Jean Louise 'Scout' Finch) * or chose from the more direct dual Capote-Lee biopics: Catherine Keener's Capote (2005) or Sandra Bullock's Infamous (2006)
19. Reds (1981)
PG | 195 min | Biography, Drama, History
A radical American journalist becomes involved with the Communist revolution in Russia, and hopes to bring its spirit and idealism to the United States.
Director: Warren Beatty | Stars: Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Edward Herrmann, Jerzy Kosinski
Votes: 24,723 | Gross: $40.38M
Louise Bryant: Journalist
20. Miss Potter (2006)
PG | 88 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
The story of Beatrix Potter, the author of the beloved and best-selling children's book, "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", and her struggle for love, happiness, and success.
Director: Chris Noonan | Stars: Renée Zellweger, Ewan McGregor, Emily Watson, Barbara Flynn
Votes: 32,030 | Gross: $2.98M
Beatrix Potter: Children's Book Author
21. Riding in Cars with Boys (2001)
PG-13 | 132 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
A single mother, with dreams of becoming a writer, has a son at the age of 15 in 1965, and goes through a failed marriage with the drug-addicted father.
Director: Penny Marshall | Stars: Drew Barrymore, Steve Zahn, Adam Garcia, Brittany Murphy
Votes: 30,560 | Gross: $30.17M
Beverly Donofrio: Memoirist
22. Mary Shelley (2017)
PG-13 | 120 min | Biography, Drama, History
Life and facts of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, who at 16 met 21 year old poet Percy Shelley, resulting in the writing of Frankenstein.
Director: Haifaa Al-Mansour | Stars: Elle Fanning, Bel Powley, Owen Richards, Joanne Froggatt
Votes: 17,787 | Gross: $0.11M
Mary Shelley: Novelist, Short-Story Writer, Dramatist, Essayist, Biographer, and Travel Writer
23. A Mighty Heart (2007)
R | 108 min | Biography, Drama, History
Mariane Pearl embarks on a frantic search to locate her journalist husband Daniel when he goes missing in Pakistan.
Director: Michael Winterbottom | Stars: Angelina Jolie, Dan Futterman, Irrfan Khan, Archie Panjabi
Votes: 28,222 | Gross: $9.18M
Mariane Pearl: Columnist and Journalist
24. Iris (I) (2001)
R | 91 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
True story of the lifelong romance between novelist Iris Murdoch and her husband John Bayley, from their student days through her battle with Alzheimer's disease.
Director: Richard Eyre | Stars: Judi Dench, Jim Broadbent, Kate Winslet, Hugh Bonneville
Votes: 19,146 | Gross: $1.29M
Iris Murdoch: Novelist
25. Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)
R | 106 min | Biography, Comedy, Crime
When Lee Israel falls out of step with current tastes, she turns her art form to deception.
Director: Marielle Heller | Stars: Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant, Dolly Wells, Ben Falcone
Votes: 56,178 | Gross: $8.80M
Lee Israel: Celebrity Biographer
26. Colette (I) (2018)
R | 111 min | Biography, Drama, History
Colette is pushed by her husband to write novels under his name. Upon their success, she fights to make her talents known, challenging gender norms.
Director: Wash Westmoreland | Stars: Keira Knightley, Fiona Shaw, Dominic West, Robert Pugh
Votes: 26,440 | Gross: $5.14M
Colette aka Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette: Author and Journalist
27. Henry & June (1990)
NC-17 | 136 min | Biography, Drama
Anaïs Nin meets American writer Henry Miller in Paris in 1931. She keeps a diary of her sexual awakening, which includes Henry and his wife June.
Director: Philip Kaufman | Stars: Fred Ward, Uma Thurman, Maria de Medeiros, Richard E. Grant
Votes: 14,196 | Gross: $11.57M
Anaïs Nin: Diarist, Essayist, Novelist, Short-Story Writer and Erotica Writer
28. Sylvia (2003)
R | 100 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
Story of the relationship between poets Edward James "Ted" Hughes and Sylvia Plath.
Director: Christine Jeffs | Stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, Daniel Craig, Lucy Davenport, David Birkin
Votes: 11,265 | Gross: $1.30M
Sylvia Plath: Poet, Novelist, and Short-Story Writer
29. Brain on Fire (2016)
PG-13 | 88 min | Biography, Drama
A young, capable professional cannot explain her newly erratic behavior.
Director: Gerard Barrett | Stars: Chloë Grace Moretz, Thomas Mann, Richard Armitage, Carrie-Anne Moss
Votes: 24,196
Susannah Cahalan: Journalist, Author and Memoirist
30. Hemingway & Gellhorn (2012 TV Movie)
TV-MA | 155 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
A drama centered on the romance between Ernest Hemingway and World War II correspondent Martha Gellhorn, Hemingway's inspiration for For Whom the Bell Tolls, and the only woman who ever asked for a divorce from the writer.
Director: Philip Kaufman | Stars: Nicole Kidman, Clive Owen, David Strathairn, Rodrigo Santoro
Votes: 10,420
Martha Gellhorn: Novelist, Travel Writer, Journalist and War Correspondent
31. The Sound of Music (1965)
G | 172 min | Biography, Drama, Family
A young novice is sent by her convent in 1930s Austria to become a governess to the seven children of a widowed naval officer.
Director: Robert Wise | Stars: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Eleanor Parker, Richard Haydn
Votes: 261,197 | Gross: $163.21M
Maria Von Trapp: Memoirist
added 21 March 2019
32. The Zookeeper's Wife (2017)
PG-13 | 127 min | Biography, Drama, History
Keepers of the Warsaw Zoo, Antonina and Jan Zabinski, must save hundreds of people and animals during the Nazi invasion in WWII Poland.
Director: Niki Caro | Stars: Jessica Chastain, Johan Heldenbergh, Daniel Brühl, Timothy Radford
Votes: 46,617 | Gross: $17.45M
Antonina Żabińska: Short Story Writer, Children's Book Author and Diarist
added 21 March 2019
33. Vita & Virginia (2018)
Unrated | 110 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
The fascinating true story of the love affair between socialite and popular author Vita Sackville-West and literary icon Virginia Woolf.
Director: Chanya Button | Stars: Gemma Arterton, Elizabeth Debicki, Isabella Rossellini, Rupert Penry-Jones
Votes: 4,854 | Gross: $0.04M
Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West, Novelist(s)
added 25 January 2022
34. The Glorias (2020)
R | 147 min | Biography, Drama, History
The story of feminist icon Gloria Steinem's itinerant childhood and its influence on her life as a writer, activist and organizer for women's rights worldwide.
Director: Julie Taymor | Stars: Julianne Moore, Alicia Vikander, Janelle Monáe, Ryan Kiera Armstrong
Votes: 3,790
Gloria Steinem, Writer-Journalist-Publisher
added 25 January 2022
35. Shirley (2020)
R | 107 min | Biography, Drama, Mystery
A famous horror writer finds inspiration for her next book after she and her husband take in a young couple.
Director: Josephine Decker | Stars: Elisabeth Moss, Odessa Young, Michael Stuhlbarg, Logan Lerman
Votes: 13,336
Another Female Writer and Their Biopic Not Listed
Shirley Jackson, Writer-Author (pictured example)
added 05 Febuary 2023
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