We’ve brought you films about aspiring writers and about authors in scary situations. Now here are eight biopics about some famous real-life wordsmiths and their fascinating lives, real or otherwise.
Agatha (1979)
Starring Vanessa Redgrave, Dustin Hoffman, and Timothy Hoffman, this film is a fictionalized version of the 11-day disappearance of the queen of mystery writing, Agatha Christie.
Watch the trailer and the full film on Amazon Prime.
Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994)
Jennifer Jason Leigh as Dorothy Parker heads up a star-studded cast in this film about the legendary critic, satirist, and poet. It also features members of the Algonquin Round Table, a group of writers, actors, and critics who met nearly every day at the Algonquin Hotel in New York City during the roaring '20s.
Watch the trailer and the full film on Apple TV and Amazon Prime.
Iris (2001)
Kate Winslet and Judi Dench portray novelist Iris Murdoch at different stages in her life, the former during her younger years and the latter as she battled Alzheimer’s disease. The film also focuses on the changing relationship with Murdoch’s husband, critic and writer John Bayley.
Watch the trailer and the full movie on Amazon Prime.
Capote (2005)
Focusing on the time during which Truman Capote wrote his seminal masterpiece, In Cold Blood, this film stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as the titular writer and Catherine Keener as childhood friend, researcher, and author of a little book called To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee. Hoffman won multiple awards for his role, including the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Watch the trailer and the full film on Amazon Prime.
Bright Star (2009)
From director Jane Campion, Bright Star focuses on the last few years of the life of poet John Keats and his romance with muse Fanny Brawne.
Watch the trailer and the full film on Apple TV and Amazon Prime.
Kill Your Darlings (2013)
With Daniel Radcliffe as Allen Ginsberg, Kill Your Darlings spotlights the college days of the writers who would become members of the Beat Generation, including Ginsberg, Lucien Carr, William S. Burroughs, and Jack Kerouac. It also delves into the real-life killing of Carr’s longtime friend, David Kammerer, and subsequent arrests of Ginsberg and Burroughs.
Watch the trailer and the full film on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and Vudu.
Colette (2018)
Keira Knightley stars in this film about the tumultuous life of the one-named French writer, from ghostwriting for her novelist husband to her multiple affairs to becoming an author in her own right.
Watch the trailer and the full film on Hulu.
Shirley (2020)
Elisabeth Moss portrays American writer Shirley Jackson, best known for her disturbing short story, “The Lottery,” and her gothic novels, The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle. The movie is a fictionalized account of the author’s time while writing her second novel, The Hangasman, and centers on her obsessive relationship with a young student.
Watch the trailer and the full film on Hulu.