Greatest 27 Biography Movies Worth Watching Released in 1997

An FBI undercover agent infiltrates the mob and finds himself identifying more with the Mafia life--at the expense of his regular one. See more about Donnie Brasco / IMDB / YouTube

Heinrich Harrer, an Austrian climber, breaks out of prison and travels to the holy city of Lhasa. He is employed as an instructor to the 14th Dalai Lama and soon becomes his close confidante. More about Seven Years in Tibet / IMDB / YouTube

The story of controversial pornography publisher Larry Flynt, and how he became a defender of free speech. Explore The People vs. Larry Flynt / IMDB / YouTube

In 1839, the revolt of Mende captives aboard a Spanish owned ship causes a major controversy in the United States when the ship is captured off the coast of Long Island. The courts must decide whether the Mende are slaves or legally free. Learn about Amistad / IMDB / YouTube

David Helfgott, a gifted pianist, struggles through childhood as his dysfunctional father abuses him and his siblings. Years later, he suffers a mental breakdown but manages to return as a legend. Look into Shine / IMDB / YouTube

The autobiographical story of Howard Stern, the radio rebel who is now also a TV personality, an author and a movie star. Explore Private Parts / IMDB / YouTube

The hit musical based on the life of Eva Perón (Evita Duarte), a B-picture Argentinian actress who eventually became the wife of Argentinian president Juan Domingo Perón, and the most beloved and hated woman in Argentina. Get info on Evita / IMDB / YouTube

The true story of Selena, a Texas-born Tejana singer who rose from cult status to performing at the Astrodome, as well as having chart-topping albums on the Latin music charts. Explore Selena / IMDB / YouTube

When Queen Victoria descends into deep mourning after the death of her husband Prince Albert in 1861, she finds solace in her trusted servant, Mr. John Brown, but their relationship also brings scandal and turmoil. Details on Mrs. Brown / IMDB / YouTube

A bitter love story between a talented writer and a gentle nurse. Read about In Love and War / IMDB / YouTube

Based on the life of Olympic hopeful Steve Prefontaine, a long distance runner who lived in Oregon and died young. Details on Prefontaine / IMDB / YouTube

The film chronicles the rise and fall of Germany's most famous a capella group, the Comedian Harmonists, in 1930s Germany. Check out The Harmonists / IMDB / YouTube

In 1946 Denver, an aspiring writer who enjoys irresponsible adventures with his friend writes a letter about his life before and after the suicide attempt by his sad, commitment-seeking girlfriend. Details on The Last Time I Committed Suicide / IMDB / YouTube

During World War II a Jewish boy is left on his own for months in a ruined house in the Warsaw Ghetto, where he must learn all the tricks of survival under constantly life-threatening conditions. See more about The Island on Bird Street / IMDB / YouTube

Norwegian Nobel Laureate Knut Hamsun's controversial support for the Nazi regime during World War II and its consequences for the Hamsun family after the war. Info on Hamsun / IMDB / YouTube

A dramatization of the disastrous 1996 Mount Everest expeditions. Get info on Into Thin Air: Death on Everest / IMDB / YouTube

A love story or a tale of the resistance, this poignant movie tells both the haunting story of a French resistance cell in Lyon but also the love of Lucie Aubrac for her husband, and the lengths she goes to to rescue her husband from prison on more than one occasion. Based on a true story Lucie Aubrac works as both history lesson and love story. Find out about Lucie Aubrac / IMDB / YouTube

The story of the most important American exploration expedition in American history and the participants in it. Get info on Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery / IMDB / YouTube

A cinematic portrait of the famous fight promoter and boxing manager. Details on Don King: Only in America / IMDB / YouTube

A journalist starts an investigation into the disappearance of famed poet and political agitator, Garcia Lorca, who disappeared in the early days of the Spanish Civil War in the the 1930's. Look into Death in Granada / IMDB / YouTube

From an early age, David Lynch was inspired by the arts and the warm inner glow that comes with the pursuit of creative expression. Pretty as a Picture:The Art of David Lynch examines how this modern day Renaissance man makes a motion picture, and examines, through his artistic explorations, the very nature of creativity. Get info on Pretty as a Picture: The Art of David Lynch / IMDB / YouTube

A mockumentary about Elvis's real-life trip to the White House to become a federal marshal under the DEA, but meets the President instead. Along the way, the film exposes Elvis's humor, drug problem, and even him pulling a gun out at a doughnut shop. Get info on Elvis Meets Nixon / IMDB / YouTube

Breaking the Surface is about the tough times Greg Louganis had on his way to becoming one of the world's top Olympic divers. Some topics discussed were Greg's childhood problems, his homosexuality, and him contracting the HIV virus. Read about Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story / IMDB / YouTube

A biography of the English mathematician Alan Turing, who was one of the inventors of the digital computer and one of the key figures in the breaking of the Enigma code, used by the Germans to send secret orders to their U-boats in World War II. Turing was also a homosexual in Britain at a time when this was illegal. Info on Breaking the Code / IMDB / YouTube

The legendary life story of Cantonese opera playwright Mad Phoenix Kiang Yu-kou. Details on The Mad Phoenix / IMDB / YouTube

Follows Nelson Mandela, from his early protests against racial discrimination, to his election as South Africa's first Democratically elected leader. Find out about Mandela / IMDB / YouTube

Casper Van Dien of STARSHIP TROOPERS stars as James Dean, whose remarkable talent and rebel attitude took Hollywood by storm. But as Dean's star begins to rise, his passionate affair with Italian Pier Angeli (Carrie Mitchum of THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL) angers her disapproving mother (Academy Award nominee Diane Ladd) and studio chief Jack Warner (Mike Connors). How . More about James Dean: Race with Destiny / IMDB / YouTube