Political biographies movies of singers

  • Best movies about famous singers

    • From ‘A Complete Unknown’ to ‘Selena’ to ‘Ray’: 33 Notable Music Biopics

    John Lennon once said that “Music is everybody’s possession,” and for Hollywood filmmakers, they have taken that “ownership” to portray the stories of some of the recording industry’s most renowned musicians.

    Whether it be the rise and fall of one of Tejano music’s most noteworthy stars, or depicting the different facets of singer-songwriter Bob Dylan (in multiple movies), many of the actors’ portrayals have been recognized as prominent roles in their careers (some even earning Oscars along the way).

    With the Dylan movie A Complete Unknownabout to hit theaters, The Hollywood Reporter takes a look at 33 films — from Selena to Walk the Line — depicting the lives of music legends. 

    • ’24-Hour Party People’

      Maybe the first movie to tackle a city’s era-defining music scene — Manchester, from Joy Division’s late-’70s hatching of post-punk through the Madchester heyday of rave culture in the ’90s — this is also the story of Factory Records, the label that presented New Order, the Happy Mondays and James to the world; it’s also about Factory owner, TV presenter and scene captain Tony Wilson, played here by Steve Coogan in a role that introduced him globally. Ripping up the music biopic playbook, Coogan’s Wilson breaks the fourth wall throughout the loose plot; musicians appear as themselves to question the veracity of the film’s plot; and viewers are nodded into the legendary Hacienda nightclub (painstakingly re-created here). Wilson opened that club while running his label (eventually, into the ground) and DJ culture overtook the scene. Rooted in real events, clear rumors, urban myths and speculation, director Michael Winterbottom’s dizzying nostalgia trip invites you to the party and captures an era. — Kevin Dolak

    • ‘8 Mile’

      Inspired by Marshall Mathers‘ (aka E

  • Biography movies about singers
  • Female singer biography movies

    • Kinky Friedman

    American country musician (1944–2024)

    Richard Samet "Kinky" Friedman (November 1, 1944 – June 27, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, novelist, humorist, politician, and columnist for Texas Monthly, who styled himself in the mold of popular American satirists Will Rogers and Mark Twain.

    Friedman was one of two independent candidates in the 2006 Texas gubernatorial election. Receiving 12.6% of the vote, Friedman placed fourth in the six-person race.

    Biography

    Richard Samet Friedman was born in Chicago on November 1, 1944, to Jewish parents, Dr. S. Thomas Friedman and his wife Minnie (Samet) Friedman. Both of his parents were the children of Russian Jewish immigrants. When Friedman was young, his family moved to the Texas Hill Country where they opened a summer camp called Echo Hill Ranch.

    Friedman had an early interest in both pop music and chess, and was chosen at age seven as one of 50 local players to challenge U.S. grandmaster Samuel Reshevsky to simultaneous games in Houston. Reshevsky won all 50 games, but Friedman was, by far, the youngest competitor.

    Friedman graduated from Austin High School in Austin, Texas, in 1962. He subsequently earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin in 1966, majoring in psychology. He took part in the Plan II Honors program and was a member of the Tau Delta Phi fraternity. During his first year, Chinga Chavin gave Friedman the nickname "Kinky" because of his curly hair.

    Friedman served two years in the United States Peace Corps, teaching in Borneo, Malaysia with John Gross. During his service in the Peace Corps, he met future road manager Dylan Ferrero, with whom he worked for the remainder of his life. Friedman lived at Echo Hill Ranch, his family's summer camp near Kerrvi

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    METHODOLOGY

    The New Republic asked each critic to submit a list of at least 10 films, ranked from most to least significant. For each list, the highest-rated film received 10 points, the second highest received nine points, etc., with the lowest rated receiving one point. For lists that contained more than 10 films, each additional film received just one point. Because 10 ranked films received a total of 55 points, films listed by critics who submitted their choices “unranked” and in no particular order received 5.5 points each. The points for each film were then added together. Films that tied—that is, when two or more received the same number of total points—were ordered by the number of individual votes.

    THE CRITICS

    Sam Adams, Slate; Siddhant Adlakha; David Ansen, Palm Springs International Film Festival; Michael Atkinson, The Village Voice; Jami Bernard; Manuel Betancourt; Peter Biskind; Charles Bramesco; Richard Brody, The New Yorker; Dwight Brown, nnpa News Wire; Jeannette Catsoulis, The New York Times; Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times; Karen Cooper, Film Forum; Jordan Cronk, Film Comment; Gary Crowdus, Cineaste; Gary Dauphin; Peter Debruge, Variety; David Denby, The New Yorker; Thomas Doherty, Brandeis University; Alonso Duralde, The Film Verdict; Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine/Vulture; David Edelstein; Steve Erickson, UC Riverside; David Fear, Rolling Stone; Kathy Fennessy, Video Librarian; Kenji Fujishima, Slant Magazine & TheaterMania; Chris Fujiwara; Graham Fuller, Cineaste; Devika Girish, Film Comment; Bruce Goldstein, Film Forum; Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine; A.S. Hamrah, The Baffler & n+1; Odie Henderson, Boston Globe; J. Hoberman; Travis Hopson, Punch Drunk Critics; Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post; Peter Howell, Toronto Star; Dave Kehr, Museum of Modern Art; Ben Kenigsberg; Lisa Kennedy; Glenn Kenny, RogerEbert.com; Stuart Kla

    Bob Geldof

    Irish singer-songwriter and political activist (born 1951)

    Robert Frederick Zenon Geldof (; born 5 October 1951) is an Irish singer-songwriter and political activist. He rose to prominence in the late 1970s as the lead singer of the Irish rock band the Boomtown Rats, who achieved popularity as part of the punk rock movement. The band had UK number one hits with his co-compositions "Rat Trap" and "I Don't Like Mondays". Geldof starred as Pink in Pink Floyd's 1982 film Pink Floyd – The Wall. As a fundraiser, Geldof organised the charity supergroup Band Aid and the concerts Live Aid and Live 8, and co-wrote "Do They Know It's Christmas?", one of the best-selling singles to date.

    Geldof is widely recognised for his activism, especially his anti-poverty efforts concerning Africa. In 1984, he and Midge Ure founded the charity supergroup Band Aid to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. They went on to organise the charity super-concert Live Aid the following year and the Live 8 concerts in 2005. Geldof currently serves as an adviser to the ONE Campaign, co-founded by fellow Irish rock singer and activist Bono, and is a member of the Africa Progress Panel (APP), a group of ten distinguished individuals who advocate at the highest levels for equitable and sustainable development in Africa.

    Geldof was granted an honorary knighthood (KBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 1986 for his charity work in Africa: it is an honorary award as Geldof is an Irish citizen, but he is often referred to as 'Sir Bob'. He is a recipient of the Man of Peace title which recognises individuals who have made "an outstanding contribution to international social justice and peace", among numerous other awards and nominations. In 2005, he received the Brit Award for Ou