Inspirational Women's History Leader Biopics
by urbanemovies | created - 13 Mar 2017 | updated - 06 Feb 2023 | 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 female political or sovereign leaders* inspires you the most, or alternatively their biopic does? * Queens, Heads of State, First Ladies, Princesses, Politicians, 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. A Royal Affair (2012)
R | 137 min | Biography, Drama, History
A young queen, who is married to an insane king, falls secretly in love with her physician - and together they start a revolution that changes a nation forever.
Director: Nikolaj Arcel | Stars: Alicia Vikander, Mads Mikkelsen, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, Trine Dyrholm
Votes: 50,721 | Gross: $1.55M
Queen Caroline: Queen of Denmark, influenced her son King Fredrick VI to reform and modernize Denmark.
2. Elizabeth (1998)
R | 124 min | Biography, Drama, History
The early years of the reign of Elizabeth I of England and her difficult task of learning what is necessary to be a monarch.
Director: Shekhar Kapur | Stars: Cate Blanchett, Liz Giles, Rod Culbertson, Paul Fox
Votes: 105,086 | Gross: $30.08M
Elizabeth I: Queen of England, Queen for 45 years and one of the worlds most respected monarchs ever.
Alternate Biopics: Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), Young Bess (1953)
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: 83,408 | Gross: $13.96M
Jackie Kennedy: USA First Lady, champion of the arts and of historic architecture preservation, as well as, known for her style, elegance, and grace. She was a fashion icon and role model to women everywhere.
Alternate Biopic: Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis (2000)
4. The Young Victoria (2009)
PG | 105 min | Biography, Drama, History
A dramatization of the turbulent first years of Queen Victoria's rule, and her enduring romance with Prince Albert.
Director: Jean-Marc Vallée | Stars: Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany, Miranda Richardson
Votes: 66,362 | Gross: $11.00M
Queen Victoria: Queen of England, for 40 years presided over one the greatest empires the world has ever seen.
Alternate Biopic: Victoria & Albert (2001)
5. Pocahontas (I) (1995)
G | 81 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
An English soldier and the daughter of an Algonquin chief share a romance when English colonists invade seventeenth century Virginia.
Directors: Mike Gabriel, Eric Goldberg | Stars: Mel Gibson, Linda Hunt, Christian Bale, Joe Baker
Votes: 202,913 | Gross: $141.60M
Pocahontas: Powhatan Indian princess, emissary to the English settlers and allegedly saved John Smith from execution by offering to sacrifice her own life.
Alternate Biopic: The New World (2005)
6. Cleopatra (1963)
G | 192 min | Biography, Drama, History
Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt experiences both triumph and tragedy as she attempts to resist the imperial ambitions of Rome.
Directors: Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Rouben Mamoulian | Stars: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Pamela Brown
Votes: 37,393 | Gross: $57.78M
Cleopatra: Queen of Egypt, last active pharaoh of Ptolemaic dynasty.
Alternate Biopic: Cleopatra (1934)
7. The Iron Lady (2011)
PG-13 | 105 min | Biography, Drama
An elderly Margaret Thatcher talks to the imagined presence of her recently deceased husband as she struggles to come to terms with his death while scenes from her past life, from girlhood to British prime minister, intervene.
Director: Phyllida Lloyd | Stars: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Richard E. Grant, Susan Brown
Votes: 113,604 | Gross: $30.02M
Margaret Thatcher: UK Prime Minister, United Kingdom leader for 10 years.
8. The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
PG-13 | 115 min | Biography, Drama, History
Two sisters contend for the affection of King Henry VIII.
Director: Justin Chadwick | Stars: Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana, Jim Sturgess
Votes: 119,936 | Gross: $26.81M
Anne Boleyn: Queen of England, key figure in the English Reformation.
Alternate Biopic: Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)
9. The Crown (2016–2023)
TV-MA | 60 min | Biography, Drama, History
Follows the political rivalries and romances of Queen Elizabeth II's reign and the events that shaped Britain for the second half of the 20th century.
Stars: Claire Foy, Olivia Colman, Imelda Staunton, Matt Smith
Votes: 256,555
Queen Elizabeth II: UK Queen, Queen of United Kingdom for over 65 years, longest serving British monarch ever.
Alternate Biopic: The Queen (2006) and A Royal Night Out (2015)
10. The Lady (2011)
R | 132 min | Biography, Drama, History
The story of Aung San Suu Kyi as she becomes the core of Burma's democracy movement, and her relationship with her husband, writer Michael Aris.
Director: Luc Besson | Stars: Michelle Yeoh, David Thewlis, Jonathan Raggett, Jonathan Woodhouse
Votes: 11,287 | Gross: $0.36M
Aung San Suu Kyi: State Counsellor of Myanmar, the de facto Head of State of Myanmar. The Nobel Peace Prize winning opposition leader spent two decades as a political prisoner, when the military refused to hand over power, after she won the countries' election in a landslide.
11. Queen Christina (1933)
Approved | 99 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
Queen Christina of Sweden is a popular monarch who is loyal to her country. However, when she falls in love with a Spanish envoy, she must choose between the throne and the man she loves.
Director: Rouben Mamoulian | Stars: Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Ian Keith, Lewis Stone
Votes: 8,609 | Gross: $0.77M
Queen Christina: Queen of Sweden, one of the most educated women of the 1600s, sought to establish Stockholm as the "Athens of the North". An independent thinker, she broke with tradition by refusing to marry. She converted to Roman Catholicism, thus becoming a symbol of the Counter Reformation and one of the few women buried in the Vatican grotto.
Alternate Biopic: The Girl King (2015)
12. The Lion in Winter (1968)
PG | 134 min | Biography, Drama, History
1183 A.D.: King Henry II's three sons all want to inherit the throne, but he won't commit to a choice. When he allows his imprisoned wife Eleanor of Aquitaine out for a Christmas visit, they all variously plot to force him into a decision.
Director: Anthony Harvey | Stars: Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, John Castle
Votes: 34,200 | Gross: $22.28M
Eleanor of Aquitaine: First Queen of France, influenced the politics of many western European nations, personally and through her sons, English kings: King Richard and King John.
Alternate Biopic The Lion in Winter (2003) and upcoming biopic: Eleanor of Aquitaine
13. Catherine the Great (2019)
TV-MA | 60 min | Biography, Drama, History
The life and times of the woman who reformed the Russian empire.
Stars: Helen Mirren, Jason Clarke, Gina McKee, Kevin McNally
Votes: 6,478
Catherine the Great: Empress of Russia, one of the great political leaders of 18th century.
Alternate Biopics: The Scarlet Empress (1934), A Royal Scandal (1945), Catherine the Great (1995), Young Catherine (1991) and upcoming Catherine the Great
14. 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: 12,572
Gertrude Bell: Political Officer aka Queen of the Desert, Bell played a major role in establishing and helping administer the modern state of Iraq. Her knowledge as an archaeologist and writer gave her a unique perspective from her travels and relations with tribal leaders. As a result, she was respected by both British and Arab officials alike and commanded an immense amount of power.
15. Jodhaa Akbar (2008)
Not Rated | 213 min | Action, Drama, History
A sixteenth century love story about a marriage of alliance that gave birth to true love between a great Mughal emperor, Akbar, and a Rajput princess, Jodha.
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker | Stars: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonu Sood, Poonam Sinha
Votes: 34,583 | Gross: $3.44M
Rajkumari Mariam-uz-Zamani aka Jodhaa Bai: Empress of the Mughal Empire, personally agreed to a loveless arranged marriage of political alliance between the Mughal empire Akbar and Rajput empire. Her personal sacrifice resulted in one of the world's greatest love stories and forever changed the fate of India.
Alternate Biopic: Mughal-E-Azam (1960)
16. Eleanor, First Lady of the World (1982 TV Movie)
G | 120 min | Biography, Drama, History
Biography of former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who forged a new role for herself in the years after her husband's death.
Director: John Erman | Stars: Jean Stapleton, E.G. Marshall, Coral Browne, Joyce Van Patten
Votes: 140
Eleanor Roosevelt: USA First Lady, Unofficial co-president of United States 1933-1945, plus an iconic human rights advocate/leader.
17. One Night with the King (2006)
PG | 123 min | Biography, Drama, History
In Biblical times, a girl disguises her Jewish origins when the Persian king comes looking for a new bride among his subjects.
Director: Michael O. Sajbel | Stars: Tiffany Dupont, Luke Goss, John Noble, Omar Sharif
Votes: 7,829 | Gross: $13.40M
Esther: Queen of Persia, the iconic biblical figure saved her Herbrew people by preventing a genocide.
Alternate Biopic: The Book of Esther (2013)
18. Southside with You (2016)
PG-13 | 84 min | Biography, Drama, History
Chronicles the 1989 summer afternoon when the future President of the United States, Barack Obama, wooed his future First Lady, Michelle Obama, on a first date across Chicago's South Side.
Director: Richard Tanne | Stars: Tika Sumpter, Parker Sawyers, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Phillip Edward Van Lear
Votes: 10,134 | Gross: $6.30M
Michelle Obama: USA First Lady, an advocate for poverty awareness, nutrition, physical activity, and healthy eating. She is known a fashion icon, a role model for women, and important part of her husband's Barack rise and success.
19. Golda (2023)
PG-13 | 100 min | Biography, Drama, History
Focuses on the intensely dramatic and high-stakes responsibilities and decisions that Golda Meir, also known as the 'Iron Lady of Israel,' faced during the Yom Kippur War.
Director: Guy Nattiv | Stars: Helen Mirren, Zed Josef, Henry Goodman, Olivia Brody
Votes: 11,766
Golda Meir: First Prime Minister of Israel, the Iron Lady of Israel was crucial to Israel's survival during it's formative years.
Alternate Biopic: A Woman Called Golda (1982)
20. Queen Margot (1994)
R | 161 min | Biography, Drama, History
Young Queen Margot finds herself trapped in an arranged marriage amidst a religious war between Catholics and Protestants. She hopes to escape with a new lover, but finds herself imprisoned by her powerful and ruthless family.
Director: Patrice Chéreau | Stars: Isabelle Adjani, Daniel Auteuil, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Vincent Perez
Votes: 18,988 | Gross: $2.02M
Queen Margot: Queen Consort of France and Navarre, the victim of a manipulative mother, a loveless arranged marriage, imprisoned by her ruthless brothers and trapped in religious war between Catholics and Protestants. She survives them all to become the queen of two countries and had a profound influence that continues to this day.
21. Marie Antoinette (2006)
PG-13 | 123 min | Biography, Drama, History
The retelling of France's iconic but ill-fated queen, Marie Antoinette. From her betrothal and marriage to Louis XVI at 14 to her reign as queen at 19 and to the end of her reign as queen, and ultimately the fall of Versailles.
Director: Sofia Coppola | Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman, Rip Torn, Steve Coogan
Votes: 121,830 | Gross: $15.96M
Marie Antoinette: Queen of France, brought the French monarchy tumbling down.
Alternate Biopic: Marie Antoinette (1938)
22. Evita (1996)
PG | 135 min | Biography, Drama, History
The hit musical based on the life of Eva Perón (Evita Duarte), a B-picture Argentinian actress who eventually became the wife of Argentinian president Juan Domingo Perón, and the most beloved and hated woman in Argentina.
Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Madonna, Jonathan Pryce, Antonio Banderas, Jimmy Nail
Votes: 37,568 | Gross: $50.05M
Evita Peron: First Lady of Argentina, inspiration to the Argentinian people.
Alternate Biopic: Evita Peron (1981)
23. Salomé (2013)
R | 81 min | Drama
The Biblical story of Salomé, a girl who agrees to perform the "dance of the seven veils" in return for John the Baptist's head on a silver platter.
Director: Al Pacino | Stars: Kevin Anderson, Jessica Chastain, Phillip Rhys Chaudhary, Kat Fairaway
Votes: 2,180
Salome: Queen of Chalcis and Armenia Minor, infamous for demanding and receiving the head of John the Baptist.
Alternate Biopic: Wilde Salomé (2011)
24. Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)
GP | 183 min | Biography, Drama, History
Tsar Nicholas II, the inept last monarch of Russia, insensitive to the needs of his people, is overthrown and exiled to Siberia with his family.
Director: Franklin J. Schaffner | Stars: Michael Jayston, Janet Suzman, Roderic Noble, Ania Marson
Votes: 5,561 | Gross: $3.96M
Tsarina Alexandra: Empress of Russia, best known for her faith in the mystic Rasputin and for influencing the King's resistance to a surrender of autocratic authority over Russia. Both, severely damaged her popularity and that of the Romanov monarchy in its final years and resulted in her being the last Tsarina of Russia.
25. Kurmanjan datka (2014)
PG-13 | 135 min | Action, Biography, Drama
The relevant epic story of the strong-willed, courageous and independent woman before her time, Kurmanjan, who is revered to this day for her diplomacy for saving her nation from complete destruction when the Russians invaded.
Director: Sadyk Sher-Niyaz | Stars: Elina Abai Kyzy, Nasira Mambetova, Jamal Seidakmatova, Lunara Ayaskanova
Votes: 3,514
Tsaritsa Kurmanjan Datka: Queen of Alai (Kyrgyzstan), persuaded her people to accept Russian annexation, wisely recognizing the futility of resistance and for the welfare of her people at a great personal cost.
26. Lady Jane (1986)
PG-13 | 136 min | Biography, Drama, History
The story of Lady Jane Grey, who was Queen of England for only nine days.
Director: Trevor Nunn | Stars: Helena Bonham Carter, Cary Elwes, John Wood, Michael Hordern
Votes: 7,083 | Gross: $0.28M
Lady Jane Grey: Nine-Day Queen, the de facto monarch of England and Ireland for nine days. She was a traitor-heroine of the Reformation and whose Protestant martyrdom grew to legendary proportions over the centuries.
27. Warrior Queen Boudica (2006 TV Special)
History
When the cowardly bureaucrat Catus Decianus breaks a peace treaty with the Iceni by brutalizing and humiliating their queen Boudica and her daughters the Iceian and allies join the queen in... See full summary »
Directors: Patrick Taulère, Kim Hawkins | Stars: Charlotte Comer, Simona Cuciurianu, Danny Green, Radu Andrei Micu
Votes: 125
Boudica: Celtic Queen, a British Iceni tribe chieftain who led an uprising against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire in AD 60.
28. Mary Queen of Scots (2018)
R | 124 min | Biography, Drama, History
Mary Stuart's (Saoirse Ronan's) attempt to overthrow her cousin Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie), Queen of England, finds her condemned to years of imprisonment before facing execution.
Director: Josie Rourke | Stars: Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Jack Lowden, Joe Alwyn
Votes: 55,299 | Gross: $16.47M
Queen Mary: Queen of Scots, only six days old when she asceded to the throne of Scotland. She also was briefly the Queen consort of France and laid claim to the English throne. Held captive for two decades, she was executed for being a threat to Queen Elizabeth.
Alternate Biopics: Mary, Queen of Scots (1971) and Mary of Scotland (1936)
29. Mad Love (2001)
R | 115 min | Biography, Drama, History
The love story that transformed Juana, Queen of Spain, into Juana "the Mad". A story of passions, lies and jealousy with a political motive behind.
Director: Vicente Aranda | Stars: Pilar López de Ayala, Daniele Liotti, Rosana Pastor, Giuliano Gemma
Votes: 4,053 | Gross: $0.28M
Joanna of Castile: Queen of Spain, established modern Spain and became its first queen by uniting the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon under her rule.
30. Spencer (2021)
R | 117 min | Biography, Drama
Diana Spencer, struggling with mental-health problems during her Christmas holidays with the Royal Family at their Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England, decides to end her decade-long marriage to Prince Charles.
Director: Pablo Larraín | Stars: Kristen Stewart, Timothy Spall, Sally Hawkins, Jack Nielen
Votes: 76,559
Diane Spencer: People's Princess, the beloved Princess of Wales was known for her HIV/AIDS, Landmines, and Cancer charitable work. Her fashion, style, beauty and compassion made her admired the world round; while also increasing the profile and popularity of the royal family.
Alternate Biopic Diana (2013)
31. Grace of Monaco (2014)
Not Rated | 103 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
The story of former Hollywood star Grace Kelly's crisis of marriage and identity, during a political dispute between Monaco's Prince Rainier III and France's Charles De Gaulle, and a looming French invasion of Monaco in the early 1960s.
Director: Olivier Dahan | Stars: Nicole Kidman, Tim Roth, André Penvern, Frank Langella
Votes: 21,180
Grace Kelly: Princess of Monaco, an immensely successful Academy Award winning actress over a very short career. She used her popularity as a fashion and style icon to promote her philanthropic work as princess.
32. Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi (2019)
Not Rated | 148 min | Action, Biography, Drama
Story of Rani Lakshmibai, one of the leading figures of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, and her resistance to the British Rule.
Directors: Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi, Kangana Ranaut | Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Danny Denzongpa, Suresh Oberoi, Atul Kulkarni
Votes: 16,226
Rani Lakshmibai: Queen of Jhansi, Rani Lakshmibai, one of the leading figures of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and her resistance to the British Rule.
added 10 April 2021
33. Winnie Mandela (2011)
R | 104 min | Biography, Drama, History
A drama that chronicles the life of Winnie Mandela from her childhood through her marriage and her husband's incarceration.
Director: Darrell Roodt | Stars: Jennifer Hudson, Terrence Howard, Elias Koteas, Wendy Crewson
Votes: 997
Winnie Mandela: "Mother of the Nation" She served as a Member of Parliament from 1994 to 2003 and from 2009 to 2018. Also, Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid activist serving on the ANC's National Executive Committee and heading its Women's League.
Alternate Biopics: Winnie was portrayed by Sophie Okonedo in Mrs Mandela (2010), by Alfre Woodard in Mandela (1987), and by Naomie Harris in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013).
added 05 February 2023
34. Corsage (2022)
114 min | Biography, Drama, History
A fictional account of one year in the life of Empress Elisabeth Of Austria. On Christmas Eve 1877, Elisabeth, once idolized for her beauty, turns 40 and is officially deemed an old woman; she starts trying to maintain her public image.
Director: Marie Kreutzer | Stars: Vicky Krieps, Florian Teichtmeister, Katharina Lorenz, Jeanne Werner
Votes: 9,667
Elisabeth of Bavaria: Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary She helped to bring about the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary in 1867. Sissi's was a popular royal, famed for being an unusual royal, as well as, for her more democratic leanings.
Alternate Biopics: Sissi (1955), Sissi - Die junge Kaiserin (1956), Sissi - Schicksalsjahre einer Kaiserin (1957), Mayerling (1968), and Sisi & Ich (2023)
added 05 February 2023
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