World War II Biography Movies

List of the best biography movies about the Second World War, selected by visitors to our site: Never Look Away, Kalashnikov AK-47, Hacksaw Ridge, Unbroken, The Imitation Game, The Hammer, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Straight Outta Compton, King Richard, The Walk.

In the top there are new films of 2023, a plot description and trailers for films that have already been released.

Markimdb: 7.7
Genremelodrama, drama, military, biography
CountryGermany, Italy
Duration02:16

Inspired by real events and spanning three eras of German history, film tells the story of Kurt, a young art student who falls in love with fellow student, Ellie. Ellie’s father, Professor Seeband, a famous doctor, is dismayed at his daughter’s choice of boyfriend, and vows to destroy the relationship. What neither of them knows is that their lives are already connected through a terrible crime Seeband committed decades ago.

Markimdb: 6.6
Genrebiography, history
CountryRussia

Tank commander Kalashnikov is severely injured in battle in 1941. The accident leaves him incapacitated and unable to return to the front line. While recovering in the hospital he begins creating the initial sketches of what will become one of the world’s most legendary weapons. A self-taught inventor, Mikhail Kalashnikov, is only 29 when he develops the now iconic assault riffle — the AK-47.

Markimdb: 8.1
Genredrama, military, biography, history
CountryAustralia, USA
Duration02:29

    WWII American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who served during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people and becomes the first Conscientious Objector in American history to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.

    Markimdb: 7.2
    Genredrama, military, biography, history, sport
    CountryUSA
    Duration02:17

      A chronicle of the life of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who was taken prisoner by Japanese forces during World War II.

      Markimdb: 8
      Genrethriller, drama, military, biography
      CountryUnited Kingdom, USA
      Duration01:54

        Based on the real life story of legendary cryptanalyst Alan Turing, the film portrays the nail-biting race against time by Turing and his brilliant team of code-breakers at Britain's top-secret Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, during the darkest days of World War II.

        Markimdb: 6.9
        Genredrama, biography, sport
        CountryUSA
        Duration01:48

        A coming of age drama following the life of Matt Hamill, the first deaf wrestler to win a National Collegiate Wrestling Championship.

        Markimdb: 7.2
        Genredrama, biography
        CountryUSA, China

        An award-winning cynical journalist, Lloyd Vogel, begrudgingly accepts an assignment to write an Esquire profile piece on the beloved television icon Fred Rogers. After his encounter with Rogers, Vogel's perspective on life is transformed.

        Markimdb: 7.8
        Genredrama, music, biography, history
        CountryUSA
        Duration01:35

          In 1987, five young men, using brutally honest rhymes and hardcore beats, put their frustration and anger about life in the most dangerous place in America into the most powerful weapon they had: their music. Taking us back to where it all began, Straight Outta Compton tells the true story of how these cultural rebels—armed only with their lyrics, swagger, bravado and raw talent—stood up to the authorities that meant to keep them down and formed the world’s most dangerous group, N.W.A. And as they spoke the truth that no one had before and exposed life in the hood, their voice ignited a social revolution that is still reverberating today.

          Markimdb: 7.6
          Genredrama, biography, sport
          CountryUSA

            The story of how Richard Williams served as a coach to his daughters Venus and Serena, who will soon become two of the most legendary tennis players in history.

            Markimdb: 7.3
            Genrethriller, drama, biography
            CountryUSA
            Duration02:28

              The story of French high-wire artist Philippe Petit's attempt to cross the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974.

              Markimdb: 7.3
              Genredrama, biography
              CountryUSA

              In the 1960s, two entrepreneurs hatch an ingenious business plan to fight for housing integration—and equal access to the American Dream.

              Markimdb: 6.8
              Genremelodrama, drama, military, biography
              CountryUSA
              Duration01:47

              England, early 20th century. The future writer and philologist John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973) and three of his schoolmates create a strong bond between them as they share the same passion for literature and art, a true fellowship that strengthens as they grow up, but the outbreak of World War I threatens to shatter it.

              Markimdb: 6.5
              Genredrama, music, biography
              CountryCanada, USA

              The rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom.

              Markimdb: 7.7
              Genremelodrama, drama, biography
              CountryUnited Kingdom, Japan, USA
              Duration02:03

                The Theory of Everything is the extraordinary story of one of the world’s greatest living minds, the renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, who falls deeply in love with fellow Cambridge student Jane Wilde.

                Markimdb: 7.4
                Genrethriller, drama, biography
                CountryUnited Kingdom, USA

                A detainee at the U.S military's Guantanamo Bay detention center is held without charges for over a decade and seeks help from a defense attorney for his release.

                Markimdb: 6.8
                Genredrama, biography
                CountryUSA

                1930s Hollywood is reevaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane.

                Markimdb: 6.4
                Genredrama, biography, history
                CountryUnited Kingdom
                Duration02:14

                London, England, May 2000. The peaceful life of elderly Joan Stanley is suddenly disrupted when she is arrested by the British Intelligence Service and accused of providing information to communist Russia during the forties.

                Markimdb: 7.1
                Genrethriller, drama, crime, biography
                CountryUSA, Canada

                  When Patrizia Reggiani, an outsider from humble beginnings, marries into the Gucci family, her unbridled ambition begins to unravel the family legacy and triggers a reckless spiral of betrayal, decadence, revenge, and ultimately…murder.

                  Markimdb: 8.2
                  Genrecomedy, drama, biography
                  CountryUSA, China
                  Duration02:10

                  Tony Lip, a bouncer in 1962, is hired to drive pianist Don Shirley on a tour through the Deep South in the days when African Americans, forced to find alternate accommodations and services due to segregation laws below the Mason-Dixon Line, relied on a guide called The Negro Motorist Green Book.

                  Markimdb: 7.8
                  Genremelodrama, drama, musical, music, biography
                  CountryUSA
                  Duration02:03

                  Joe Gideon is at the top of the heap, one of the most successful directors and choreographers in musical theater. But he can feel his world slowly collapsing around him - his obsession with work has almost destroyed his personal life, and only his bottles of pills keep him going.

                  Markimdb: 7.6
                  Genredrama, biography, sport
                  CountryUSA
                  Duration02:06

                    The story of Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to put together a baseball team on a budget, by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players.

                    Markimdb: 7.3
                    Genredrama, biography, sport
                    CountryUSA, Germany
                    Duration02:16

                    Based on a true story, in which Richmond High School head basketball coach Ken Carter made headlines in 1999 for benching his undefeated team due to poor academic results.

                    Markimdb: 7.3
                    Genredrama, crime, detective, biography
                    CountryUSA, China, Hong Kong
                    Duration02:30

                    Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, battles through one of his career-defining cases.

                    Markimdb: 7.7
                    Genredrama, music, biography
                    CountryUnited Kingdom, USA, Australia, Japan, France
                    Duration02:02

                    Control is the biography of Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis, taking his story from schoolboy days of 1973 to his suicide on the eve of the band's first American tour in 1980.

                    Markimdb: 7.2
                    Genredrama, biography, sport
                    CountryUSA
                    Duration01:58

                    In 1966, Texas Western coach Don Haskins led the first all-black starting line-up for a college basketball team to the NCAA national championship.

                    Markimdb: 7.2
                    Genredrama, biography, sport
                    CountryUSA
                    Duration02:27

                    The life story of Brazilian football legend, Pele.

                    Markimdb: 6.8
                    Genredrama, music, biography
                    CountryUSA
                    Duration02:07

                    In this biographical drama, Selena Quintanilla is born into a musical Mexican-American family in Texas. Her father, Abraham, realizes that his young daughter is talented and begins performing with her at small venues. She finds success and falls for her guitarist, Chris Perez, who draws the ire of her father. Seeking mainstream stardom, Selena begins recording an English-language album which, tragically, she would never complete.

                    Markimdb: 8
                    Genredrama, music, biography
                    CountryUnited Kingdom, USA
                    Duration02:09

                    Singer Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and bass guitarist John Deacon take the music world by storm when they form the rock 'n' roll band Queen in 1970. Hit songs become instant classics. When Mercury's increasingly wild lifestyle starts to spiral out of control, Queen soon faces its greatest challenge yet – finding a way to keep the band together amid the success and excess.

                    Markimdb: 6.9
                    Genreaction, drama, biography, history
                    CountrySouth Korea
                    Duration02:00

                    An account of karate competitor Choi Yeung-Eui who went to Japan after World War II to become a fighter pilot but found a very different path instead. He changed his name to Masutatsu Oyama and went across the country, defeating martial artists one after another. This film concentrates on the period when he is still young, and developing his famous karate style, Kyokushin.

                    Markimdb: 7.3
                    Genredrama, musical, music, biography
                    CountryUnited Kingdom, USA, Canada
                    Duration01:53

                    The story of Elton John's life, from his years as a prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music through his influential and enduring musical partnership with Bernie Taupin.

                    Markimdb: 7.2
                    Genredrama, military, biography, history
                    CountryUnited Kingdom, Hungary, USA, Australia
                    Duration01:59

                    England, 15th century. Hal, a capricious prince who lives among the populace far from court, is forced by circumstances to reluctantly accept the throne and become Henry V.

                    Markimdb: 7.4
                    Genredrama, crime, biography
                    CountryUSA, Canada, China
                    Duration02:08

                    Molly Bloom, a young skier and former Olympic hopeful becomes a successful entrepreneur (and a target of an FBI investigation) when she establishes a high-stakes, international poker game.

                    Markimdb: 7.3
                    Genrecomedy, drama, biography, sport
                    CountryUnited Kingdom, Germany, USA
                    Duration02:30

                    Inspired by true events, Eddie the Eagle is a feel-good story about Michael "Eddie" Edwards (Taron Egerton), an unlikely but courageous British ski-jumper who never stopped believing in himself - even as an entire nation was counting him out. With the help of a rebellious and charismatic coach (played by Hugh Jackman), Eddie takes on the establishment and wins the hearts of sports fans around the world by making an improbable and historic showing at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics.

                    Markimdb: 7.7
                    Genredrama, biography, history
                    CountryUnited Kingdom, Italy, France, China
                    Duration02:46

                    A dramatic history of Pu Yi, the last of the Emperors of China, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City, the object of worship by half a billion people; through his abdication, his decline and dissolute lifestyle; his exploitation by the invading Japanese, and finally to his obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People's Republic.

                    Markimdb: 7.5
                    Genredrama, western, crime, biography, history
                    CountryUSA, Canada, United Kingdom
                    Duration02:40

                    Outlaw Jesse James is rumored to be the 'fastest gun in the West'. An eager recruit into James' notorious gang, Robert Ford eventually grows jealous of the famed outlaw and, when Robert and his brother sense an opportunity to kill James, their murderous action elevates their target to near mythical status.

                    Markimdb: 7.2
                    Genredrama, biography
                    CountryUSA, Greece
                    Duration02:38

                    The true story of how Ray Kroc, a salesman from Illinois, met Mac and Dick McDonald, who were running a burger operation in 1950s Southern California. Kroc was impressed by the brothers’ speedy system of making the food and saw franchise potential. He maneuvered himself into a position to be able to pull the company from the brothers and create a billion-dollar empire.

                    Markimdb: 6.3
                    Genredrama, biography
                    CountryUSA

                    In 1955 Florida, a Korean vet has a breakdown and is incarcerated in a "maximum security" mental health prison, where patients are abused.

                    Markimdb: 7.8
                    Genredrama, music, biography
                    CountryAustralia, USA

                    The life story of Elvis Presley as seen through the complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

                    Markimdb: 8.1
                    Genreaction, drama, biography, sport
                    CountryUSA

                    American car designer Carroll Shelby and the British-born driver Ken Miles work together to battle corporate interference, the laws of physics, and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary race car for Ford Motor Company and take on the dominating race cars of Enzo Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966.

                    Markimdb: 7.6
                    Genredrama, crime, biography
                    CountryUSA

                    The powerful true story of Harvard-educated lawyer Bryan Stevenson, who goes to Alabama to defend the disenfranchised and wrongly condemned — including Walter McMillian, a man sentenced to death despite evidence proving his innocence. Bryan fights tirelessly for Walter with the system stacked against them.

                    Markimdb: 7.3
                    Genredrama, music, biography
                    CountryRussia
                    Duration02:20

                    Leningrad, one summer in the early eighties. Smuggling LP’s by Lou Reed and David Bowie, the underground rock scene is boiling ahead of the Perestroika. Mike and his beautiful wife Natasha meet with young Viktor Tsoï. Together with friends, they will change the destiny of rock’n’roll in the Soviet Union.

                    Markimdb: 7.5
                    Genrecomedy, drama, biography, sport
                    CountryUSA, United Kingdom, Qatar
                    Duration02:00

                    Competitive ice skater Tonya Harding rises amongst the ranks at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, but her future in the sport is thrown into doubt when her ex-husband intervenes.

                    Mark
                    Genredrama, biography, history
                    CountryBelarus

                    A story about the dramatic fate of the national poet of Belarus Yanka Kupala. The movie reveals the main milestones of the poet’s life and career, coinciding with the most tragic events of the 20th century.

                    Mark
                    Genredrama, military, biography, history
                    CountryRussia

                    The film tells about the passionate love of the son of Shamil Jamalutdin and Lisa Olenina against the backdrop of the dramatic events of the military history of Russia in the first half of the XIX century. Jamalutdin went down in history as a “great hostage,” and the film is an attempt to answer the question: hostage to big politics or big love. The historical context of the sunset of the Nikolaev era, against which the story of love and betrayal, honor and duty, serving the homeland and fidelity to this word unfolds, will be the key to the film.

                    Markimdb: 7
                    Genredrama, biography
                    CountryItaly, France

                    "Loro", in two parts, is a period movie that chronicles, as a fiction story, events likely happened in Italy (or even made up) between 2006 and 2010. "Loro" wants to suggest in portraits and glimps, through a composite constellation of characters, a moment in history, now definitively ended, which can be described in a very summary picture of the events as amoral, decadent but extraordinarily alive. Additionally, "Loro" wishes to tell the story of some Italians, fresh and ancient people at the same time: souls from a modern imaginary Purgatory who, moved by heterogeneous intents like ambition, admiration, affection, curiosity, personal interests, establish to try and orbit around the walking Paradise that is the man named Silvio Berlusconi.

                    Markimdb: 7.8
                    Genredrama, biography, sport
                    CountryUSA
                    Duration01:53

                    After leading his football team to 15 winning seasons, coach Bill Yoast is demoted and replaced by Herman Boone – tough, opinionated and as different from the beloved Yoast as he could be. The two men learn to overcome their differences and turn a group of hostile young men into champions.

                    Markimdb: 6.9
                    Genredrama, western, music, biography
                    CountryGermany, Canada, USA, France
                    Duration02:15

                    Six actors portray six personas of music legend Bob Dylan in scenes depicting various stages of his life, chronicling his rise from unknown folksinger to international icon and revealing how Dylan constantly reinvented himself.

                    Markimdb: 8.3
                    Genredrama, biography, sport
                    CountryIndia
                    Duration03:25

                    Dangal is an extraordinary true story based on the life of Mahavir Singh and his two daughters, Geeta and Babita Phogat. The film traces the inspirational journey of a father who trains his daughters to become world class wrestlers.

                    Markimdb: 7.5
                    Genredrama, biography, sport
                    CountryRussia
                    Duration02:14

                    Biopic of Russian ice hockey legend Valeri Kharlamov from early childhood, rising to the pinnacle of the sport and his untimely death

                    Markimdb: 6.3
                    Genredrama, biography, sport
                    CountryRussia

                    An ordinary working class boy, like all his peers, he played football day and night and dreamed of being a striker. But no matter which team he played for - in the yard, at the factory, or in the army - he was inevitably put in goal.




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