Biographical movies and TV shows have seen a resurgence in recent years, with the likes of Bohemian Rhapsody becoming extremely acclaimed and bringing in multiple awards. With Elvis and I Wanna Dance With Somebody both coming out in 2022, the biopic frenzy doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
Often, modern biopics allow LGBT figures from history a chance to be presented in a way that represents who they truly were when the same cannot be said for how they appeared to the world during their lives. Due to unaccepting time periods or societies in which they lived, many LGBT figures in history were forced to hide, unable to fully express themselves.
10 Taron Egerton Portrays Elton John In Rocketman
The popular 2019 biographical movie musical Rocketman stars Taron Egerton as iconic musician Elton John. The movie follows Elton’s rise to fame, his relationship with his musical partner Bernie Taupin, and his journey to discover himself and his sexuality.
The movie is somewhat unique, as Elton John is still alive and was able to have input on the story, even releasing a new song for the soundtrack. The story gives viewers an insight into what became a truly difficult career for Elton, even if it did propel him to queer icon status.
9 Alan Turing’s Brilliance Is Immortalized In The Imitation Game
The Imitation Game is a 2014 movie based on the biography Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges. Portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch, Alan Turing was a mathematician and computer scientist who build a machine that helped decrypted German intelligence messages during the Second World War.
Despite his being largely responsible for helping Britain win the war, Turing was treated terribly due to his homosexuality by everyone except his close friend Joan. Following a relationship with a man named Arnold Murray, Turing was charged with gross indecency and was forced to undergo hormonal treatments and inject synthetic estrogen. The Imitation Game helped Turing to get recognized for his genius in a world that chose to push him to suicide during his life.
8 Salma Hayek Played Frida Kahlo
The 2002 biographical drama Frida follows the life of celebrated Mexican surrealist artist Frida Kahlo. The movie shows Frida’s lifelong battles with illness and injury and the emotion that she channeled into her artwork.
Frida does not shy away from showing Kahlo’s many relationships or from depicting her as the bisexual woman she was, even depicting her having an affair with the same woman her husband entered into a relationship with. Hayek’s portrayal of Kahlo was praised by critics and earned her an Academy Award nomination.
7 Kill Your Darlings Sees The Beginning Of The Beat Generation
Kill Your Darlings is the story of the Beat Generation, including poet Allen Ginsberg during his college days at Columbia University. Daniel Radcliffe and Dane DeHaan play Ginsberg and Lucien Carr, a young man with a lot of trauma in his past.
The two meet and become caught up in a messy friendship that ends in death. The film’s accuracies have been questioned but it has also been praised, both for the chemistry between Radcliffe and DeHaan and its “dark academia” aesthetic.
6 Stephen Fry Portrayed Oscar Wilde
British actor and comedian Stephen Fry completely embodied the role of Oscar Wilde in the 1997 movie Wilde, based on the 1987 Pulitzer Prize-winning biography. The movie follows Wilde’s relationships as he comes to terms with his homosexuality, his time spent in prison after being tried for gross indecency, and the time up until he died in 1900. Being released in the late 90s, Wilde was ahead of its time in its portrayal of homosexual relationships and told Oscar’s story with sincerity and care, quite rightfully painting him as someone who was wronged by society.
5 Bessie Shows The Journey From Struggling Singer To Icon
The 2015 HBO Original movie Bessie stars Queen Latifah as beloved blues singer Bessie Smith. During her life, Smith had many same-sex partners and had a rocky relationship with her husband Jack Gee due to infidelity on both sides and his inability to accept her attraction to women. The movie mostly focuses on Bessie overcoming the traumas of her childhood, gaining experience under the mentorship of Ma Rainey, and the constant fight against racism to share her talent with the world.
4 Gentleman Jack Pulls Anne Lister Straight Out Of Her Diaries.
BBC and HBO drama Gentleman Jack stars Suranne Jones as Anne Lister. Dubbed “the first modern lesbian,” Lister was a prominent figure in West Yorkshire during the early 1800s who came from a wealthy, landowning family and wrote extensive diaries in code.
Many years after her death, her diaries began to be decoded, revealing intimate details of her relationships with women, especially her life partner Ann Walker. Gentleman Jack brilliantly constructs the struggles of Anne’s life as a confident, more masculine-presenting woman, whilst also depicting her relationship with Walker as a safe space away from the hatred of the world.
3 Rami Malek Gave A Brilliant Performance In Bohemian Rhapsody
Bohemian Rhapsody features the music of the legendary band Queen and tells the story of Freddie Mercury from the band’s formation until their 1985 Live Aid performance. The movie stars Rami Malek in the lead role, whose performance received high praise, including winning the Academy Award for Best Actor.
While Bohemian Rhapsody drew some criticism for the writing and portrayal of Mercury’s sexuality, it is obvious that it was made with love and the best intentions, with the other members of Queen serving as consultants. Bohemian Rhapsody was extremely popular with audiences and set the all-time box office record for biopics.
2 Dickinson Brings Emily’s Poetry To Life
AppleTV+’s biographical comedy-drama Dickinson boasts brilliant performances from Hailee Steinfeld as celebrated American poet Emily Dickinson and Ella Hunt as her lifelong friend and lover Sue Gilbert. While Emily’s poetry is threaded with hints about her romantic relationship with Sue, Emily is often believed to be a miserable, isolated woman who avoided attachment.
Through its beautiful writing, stunning visuals, and brilliant comedy, Dickinson helps reconstruct the reality of Emily’s life as an intelligent woman in the 1850s. The show allows her to express her attraction to Sue and build a relationship in a way that she could not be so open about during her life.
1 Pride Unites Two Very Different Communities
Pride is a comedy-drama that tells the true story of the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners group during the 1984 British Miners’ Strike. Despite being rejected by most of society, a group of LGBT people, led by Mark Ashton, saw the similarities between the way society treated themselves and the miners and decided to help.
A small Welsh town accepts the assistance from LGSM an unlikely allyship materializes that leads to a friendship between the two groups. While Pride is funny and touching, it also depicts the reality of the lack of support LGBT people received in the 1980s, with it being revealed that Mark Ashton passed away two years after the events of the movie due to HIV.