Top 16 Biography Movies Picks from 1984

The life, success and troubles of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as told by Antonio Salieri, the contemporaneous composer who was deeply jealous of Mozart's talent and claimed to have murdered him. See more about Amadeus / IMDB / YouTube

The U.S. space program's development from the breaking of the sound barrier to selection of the Mercury 7 astronauts, from a group of test pilots with a more seat-of-the-pants approach than the program's more cautious engineers preferred. Details on The Right Stuff / IMDB / YouTube

A worker at a plutonium processing plant is purposefully contaminated, psychologically tortured and possibly murdered to prevent her from exposing worker safety violations at the plant. Learn about Silkwood / IMDB / YouTube

A successful young model finds trouble when her obsessive manager-turned-husband becomes dangerously jealous. Learn about Star 80 / IMDB / YouTube

Based on the life of the young Guy Burgess, who would become better known as one of the Cambridge Spies. See more about Another Country / IMDB / YouTube

An abused battered wife has had enough of her husband beating up on her. Everywhere she turns for help, there's not much anyone will do. After he rapes her one night, she sets the bed on fire with him in it asleep. Info on The Burning Bed / IMDB / YouTube

This eye-opening episode uncovers human nature and the desire to survive and succeed in all its heart-breaking glory. More about 28 Up / IMDB / YouTube

The true story of a New Zealand racehorse that became a champion, with the help of a local stable-boy. See more about Phar Lap / IMDB / YouTube

Having lost her parents to Stalin's purges, a girl returns from Soviet Union to her native Hungary to live with her Stalinist aunt. More about Diary for My Children / IMDB / YouTube

Retrospective on the career of enigmatic screen diva Marlene Dietrich. Explore Marlene / IMDB / YouTube

Burroughs: The Movie explores the life and times of controversial Naked Lunch author William S. Burroughs, with an intimacy never before seen and never repeated. The film charts the development of Burroughs' unique literary style and his wildly unconventional life, including his travels from the American Midwest to North Africa and several personal tragedies. Burrough. Explore Burroughs: The Movie / IMDB / YouTube

A British steeple chase jockey who, in the late 1970s, was diagnosed with cancer. Rather than succumb to the disease, however, Bob stages a miraculous recovery and goes on to win the 1981 Grand National steeplechase on the horse Aldaniti. Read about Champions / IMDB / YouTube

This is the compelling story of Jesse Owens, a man who overcame racial barriers to become one of history's greatest Olympic athletes by disproving Adolf Hitler's theory of Aryan athletic superiority through his success in track and field. Explore The Jesse Owens Story / IMDB / YouTube

The true story of the brutal attack on actress Theresa Saldana by an unbalanced fan. As a result of her ordeal and its aftermath, Saldana becomes involved in the victims' rights movement. Details on Victims for Victims: The Theresa Saldana Story / IMDB / YouTube

Biography of the famous cowgirl Martha Jane Canary--the Wild West heroine Calamity Jane. Get info on Calamity Jane / IMDB / YouTube

Annie Sullivan Macy accompanies her student Helen Keller to Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1898 and supports her as she attends Radcliffe College. Check out Helen Keller: The Miracle Continues / IMDB / YouTube