African american biographical movies

There are countless biopics out there that amazingly depict the lives of notable people in history.

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Certain actors have earned Oscars for immaculately impersonating real-life influential figures in movies — like Jamie Foxx did for his role as Ray Charles in Ray.

While many biopics are worthy of the awards and accolades that they receive, great biographical movies about African American legends often go unrecognized by the Academy Awards and Emmys. In celebration of Black History Month I am listing the 19 biopics about Black American icons that should've gotten an Oscar or Emmy.

1.Angela Bassett as Tina Turner in What's Love Got To Do With It

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Ms. Bassett should’ve taken home a Oscar for her flawless depiction of the Queen of Rock N’ Roll Tina Turner in What's Love Got To Do With It. The remarkable movie star gave us range, BAWDY and overall #BlackExcellence in that role.

2.Denzel Washington as Malcolm X in Malcolm X

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Denzel Washington is an incredible actor, and his embodiment of Civil Rights leader and Muslim minister Malcolm X in the 1992 biopic Malcolm X displayed how stellar his skills truly are. This role should’ve been an Oscar win for Denzel.

3.Chadwick Boseman as James Brown in Get on Up

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Chadwick Boseman had everything about The Godfather of Soul James Brown down pat, from his walk to his raspy higher-pitched voice. Boseman’s performance was most definitely Oscar-worthy.

4.Andra Day as Billie Holiday in The United States vs. Billie Holiday

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Watching Andra Day as the enigmatic legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday is like watching a reincarnation of Billie Holiday. There was

Movies about Black culture often focus on well-known historical events like the enslavement of Africans and the civil rights movement. However, there are films that depict Black joy and everyday life and are equally important.

While BHM is a great time to brush up on our history and our ongoing journey to overcome, any month in the year is a good time to look at our varying stories, perspectives, and messages conveyed through art. Some of these films tell the incredible stories of so many Black historical figures. From athletes to musicians to politicians, we’ve compiled a wide variety of media for your next binge session.

1. Judas and the Black Messiah

Director Shaka King brings us a powerful rendition of a true story set in the late-1960s. It stars Get Out actors LaKeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya, who won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his performance. This historical biopic follows FBI informant William O’Neal infiltrates the Illinois Black Panther Party, with an aim to keep an eye on chairman Fred Hampton. But as Hampton’s power grows, so does O’Neal’s moral quandary in this stunning portrait of the Black Panther movement.

2. Marshall

It stars Chadwick Boseman as Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court Justice. Marshall is a lawyer primarily working to fight against racial prejudice. He takes on a case to defend Joseph Spell, an African American man accused of raping a wealthy Caucasian woman. At the 90th Academy Awards, it received a nomination for Best Original Song for “Stand Up for Something”.

3. Ghosts of Mississippi

Focusing on the 1989 trial of the white supremacist who killed Civil Rights Leader Medgar Evers in his driveway in 1963, Ghosts of Mississippi focuses on Evers’ widow Myrlie, who sought the help of a decorated lawyer with political aspirations to bring her husband’s killer to trial for the third time in 30 years

Though we tend to get the most entertainment out of action-packed thrillers, sci-fi flicks, and comedies, a good biopic every now and then can be just as captivating. Not only that, but these biographical films can span a range of genres—no matter the subject at hand. Some of the most moving and interesting of them all, however, are African American biopics. As you can imagine, these typically fall within dramas and period pieces, but they're incredible movies nonetheless. Whether you're talking about breakthrough athlete biopics, notable figures in history, or the greatest musicians, Black biopics are aplenty. 

It's no secret: racial tension has long been a problem in our world and instead of sitting idly by, a great deal of African Americans have made great strides in such difficult circumstances. Considering this, such is often the topic of biopics. From being the first Black baseball player to becoming a leading political rights activist, these moving stories were rightfully made into biopics, and some are simply the greatest biographical films of all time. Jackie Robinson, Malcolm X, Winnie Mandela, and Ray Charles are just a few wonderful subjects of top African American biopics and there are plenty more where that came from. What's your favorite?

Check out the list of African American biopics below and vote up those you think are the best—whether that be the most influential, inspiring, or downright impactful films. Of course, feel free to add any others that may be missing from the list. 

The remarkable life and brilliant career of Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens gets the biopic treatment with this weekend’s Race, starring Stephan James as one of the premier athletes — and most inspiring figures — in American history. While it remains to be seen how critics receive Race, Owens’ story is definitely one that deserves the big-screen treatment, and in honor of its arrival, we’ve dedicated this feature to a fond look back at some Certified Fresh biopics focusing on African-American pioneers.

Malcolm X (1992)89%

A lightning rod in life and death, activist Malcolm X was a natural fit for the biopic treatment — but it isn’t hard to understand why producer Marvin Worth had to labor through 25 years of turnarounds, screenplay revisions, changing leading men (including Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy), and multiple directors before Malcolm X finally made its way to theaters in November of 1992. And even with Denzel Washington signed on to play the slain activist, and Spike Lee in the director’s chair, Malcolm didn’t see release without multiple controversies, a creative tug of war between Lee and Warner Bros., and a last-minute influx of cash from a group of donors that included Bill Cosby, Oprah Winfrey, and Michael Jordan. Somewhat predictably, given Malcolm X’s thorny reputation — not to mention the movie’s three-and-a-half-hour length — this wasn’t a biopic for everyone, but most of those who did see it (including 91 percent of Tomatometer critics) agreed that, for all its struggle in getting to the screen, Malcolm X was a tribute worthy of its subject. It is, wrote Vincent Canby of the New York Times, “An ambitious, tough, seriously considered biographical film that, with honor, eludes easy characterization.”

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What's Love Got to Do With It (1993)97%

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