Bio-pics about living people (films, crime, cast, drama)

[jtur88]

It's pretty rare, but Stephen Hawking is one of the few people ever to be portrayed by another actor in a biographical film while still alive. I've made a list of a few others I can think of, maybe you can add more.

Loretta Lynn (Sissy Spacek in "Coal Miner's Daughter")
Dizzy Dean (Dan Dailey in "Pride of St. Louis")
Rocky Graziano (Paul Newman in "Somebody Up There Likes Me")
Blaze Starr (Lolita Davidovich in "Blaze")
Buster Edwards (Phil Collins in "Buster")
Aileen Wuronos (Charlize Theron in "Monster")
Anne Perry aka Juliet Hulme (Kate Winslet in "heavenly Creatures")
Blanche Barrow (Estelle Parsons in "Bonnie and Clyde"
Queen Elizabeth II (many times, most recently by Emily Watson in "A Royal Night Out")
Caril Fugate (Shannon Lucio in "Starkweather")

Interestingly, Caril Fugate has been played five times in movies, either directly, or as a character based onn Fugte in a screen adaptation. One of those by Sissy Spacek, in "Badlands", which gives Spacek two credits as a portrayer of a living person

[apexgds]

I don't think it's all that rare. Just look at the Lifetime network to see a movie made about just about every "ripped from the headlines" crime drama in recent years.

A few others that come to mind:
Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat Pray Love)
Aron Ralston (127 Hours)
Mark Zuckerburg, et. al. (The Social Network)
Temple Grandin
Sarah Palin, John McCain (Game Change)
Margaret Thatcher (The Iron Lady) (alive when the move came out)
Prince William & Kate Middleton (William & Kate)
The whole cast of Saved By the Bell (LOL)

[jtur88]

In at lest one case, there was a lawsuit, filed by Lana Tisdel, for the Chloe Sevigny portrayal in "Girls Don't Cry".

[Gaylenwoof]

In 1995 there was a miniseries about Woody Allen and Mia Farrow called Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story. I actually didn't realize it was a miniseries until I googled it in order to find the info for this post - I thought it was a TV movie. I suspect I only saw part of it. Anyway, it was embarrassingly bad.

Here is a little quote from the webpage linked above:
The movie was based on the book, Mia & Woody: Love and Betrayal, written by Kristi Groteke (with the help of a People magazine writer) who worked as a nanny for Mia's four youngest kids from 1991 to 1993. She interviewed Mia for the book, and then played herself in the TV movie. It was the end of her acting career.

[baileyvpotter]

100 here:
IMDb: 100 Best Biography movies - a list by omidpacino

Then there are biographies about artists:
IMDb: 100 Best Biography movies - a list by omidpacino

[citylove101]

Also, include several of the Jewish concentration camp inmates who were still alive (and played as their younger selves by actors) in Schindler's List. Emilie Schindler, wife of the title character, didn't die until 2001.

[Sundaydrive00]

Originally Posted by baileyvpotter

100 here:
IMDb: 100 Best Biography movies - a list by omidpacino

Then there are biographies about artists:
IMDb: 100 Best Biography movies - a list by omidpacino

Yeah, but how many are relevant to the OP? Pretty sure anyone in the real life events of Braveheart and Spartucus were long dead by the time their movies came out.

[baileyvpotter]

^^^Just offered a lengthy list for people. Most of the films are relatively new (other than Spartucus & those done in the
90's).

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by Sundaydrive00

Yeah, but how many are relevant to the OP? Pretty sure anyone in the real life events of Braveheart and Spartucus were long dead by the time their movies came out.

And Braveheart can't really be called a biography. At best it could be called story inspired by or VERY loosely based on actual events and persons. But about the only thing Braveheart got right in its history was that William Wallace was indeed Scottish.