25 of the best music biopics

Diana Ross earned an Oscar nomination for her extraordinary portrayal of legendary but troubled jazz singer Billie Holiday. Billy Dee Williams and Richard Pryor provide worthy supporting performances in a film that received five Academy Award nominations. But it's Ross who carries the film in a complex role that many, at the time, felt she might not be able to pull off.

In 1975, British director Ken Russell and Roger Daltrey, frontman of The Who, teamed for two movies. "Tommy," the well-known film adaptation of The Who concept classic and this surrealistic look into the life of 19th century Hungarian composer Franz Liszt. With Daltrey again in the lead, Russell takes the viewer on an often bizarre musical journey in the life of this virtuoso. 

David Carradine wasn't the first choice to play folk singer/songwriter Woody Guthrie — Dustin Hoffman and Jack Nicholson reportedly turned down the role. It's an interesting depiction of Guthrie, told among fictional events while still showcasing the music that created the legend he became. 

This was the film that made Gary Busey a star. The eccentric actor we know today earned an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of the late 1950s rock n' roller. Busey and other actors did their own singing and some instrumental work for a film that grossed more than $14 million at the box office.

This is one of the most popular biopics ever, thanks to Sissy Spacek's Oscar-winning portrayal of country music legend Loretta Lynn. Spacek did all her own singing in the Golden Globe-winning picture that also included riveting performances from Tommy Lee Jones as Lynn's husband and Beverly D'Angelo as fellow country star Patsy Cline.

The jewel of the 1985 Academy Awards, this film brilliantly depicts Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's rivalry with Italian composer Antonio Salieri. The movie took home eight Oscars, highlighted by Milos Forman for Best Director and F. Murray Abraham (Salieri) as Best Actor, who shared the same nomination with "Animal House" alum Tom Hulce (Mozart). It's the last time a movie received more than one Best Actor nomination.

Hardly a box office smash, the film about the relationship between dysfunctional Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious and girlfriend Nancy Spungen has blossomed into a cult classic over the years. Dark, yet poignant, the movie is driven by a strong performance from Gary Oldman and a solid effort from Chloe Webb as the title characters. Vicious' bandmate and Pistols leader, John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten), however, was not a fan.

Lou Diamond Phillips' role as Ritchie Valens not only defined his career but superbly took the audience into the life of the Chicano pop legend killed on the "Day the Music Died." The film won over audiences for its stellar depiction of the relationship between the young Valens and his family. Los Lobos provided covers of Valens' hits on a successful soundtrack that accompanied a movie widely regarded for its cultural significance.

Clint Eastwood won a Golden Globe for his direction of a film about the life of gifted but troubled jazz legend Charlie "Bird" Parker. With Parker's music as a backdrop, Eastwood's work of montage takes the viewer through various aspects of the musician's life as a performer and drug and alcohol abuser. Forest Whitaker was praised for his role of Parker, a truly gifted saxophonist who died at age 34.

Though the project about the early career of rockabilly star Jerry Lee Lewis received mixed reviews, several critics lauded Dennis Quad's performance of Lewis and Winona Ryder as his 13-year-old wife — and cousin — Myra Gale Brown. Lewis has gone on record as disliking the film as well as the biography — written by Brown — it was based on.

In keeping with the tradition of complex Oliver Stone films, "The Doors"  isn't simply about a rock band and its iconic leader, Jim Morrison. It features Stone's take on America while digging into the inner workings of Morrison's soul and often polluted mind, all while on a trippy journey that left fans confused at times. Val Kilmer's portrayal of Morrison is worthy of acclaim, but it's hard to feel much compassion or reverence for the singer through this depiction.

This is the perfect pairing of a compelling story and exceptional individual performances. Emotions run wild in Brian Gibson's film about the lives of Ike and Tina Turner. Both Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne — who also starred in "Boyz n the Hood" two years earlier — earned Academy Award nominations for their portrayals of the lead characters.

One of the more unique takes on the Beatles story, it focuses on the band's early days in Germany and former member Stu Sutcliffe. Audiences found the film entertaining and Stephen Dorff's portrait of Sutcliffe engaging, However, Beatles Paul McCartney and the late George Harrison were not as positive. The film has also been adapted to the stage.

Jennifer Lopez's portrayal of the slain Tejano singer ignited what's become a popular film career and set the stage for her own success as a pop artist. Fueled by Lopez's honest and endearing Golden Globe-nominated performance, and that of Edward James Olmos as Selena's often demanding father, the film grossed more than $35 million.

While several critics felt this Ray Charles biopic was too simplistic, practically all agreed with Jamie Foxx's stellar portrayal of the legendary singer. Foxx, known more for his comedic work prior to 2004, won most of the major awards for Best Actor by truly showing his range as a complete entertainer. The box-office hit has grossed $125 million.

Though the film falls outside the traditional definition of a biopic, Gus Van Sant makes an obvious attempt at showing the final days of late Nirvana frontman, Kurt Cobain. Michael Pitt gives an admirable performance as the Cobain-inspired "Blake," and even provided music for the film. The movie, which drew mixed reviews, manages to have a loyal following among Van Sant fans. 

It's one of the most popular biopics of all time. Reese Witherspoon took home the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as June Carter, and Joaquin Phoenix got a Best Actor nomination for playing Johnny Cash. While the chemistry between the film's two stars is obvious, Phoenix's brooding portrayal of the complex "Man in Black" is truly exceptional.

The use of black and white cinematography plus compelling performances from then unknown Sam Riley and fellow Brit Samantha Morton made this one of the most talked about films at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. Riley shined as the talented but physically tortured Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis, while Morton offered a sympathetic portrayal of his wife, Deborah.  

It's hard to find a more original and creative film that falls within the realm of a biopic than director Todd Haynes' project inspired by the music — and life — of Bob Dylan. In a type of disjointed narrative, six different actors, including Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett , Richard Gere and the late Heath Ledger, portray characters representing Dylan's persona. Blanchett earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominee and Golden Globe win, while the film enjoyed plenty of critical acclaim and a positive endorsement from its subject matter.

The film was praised by several critics for intelligently telling the story of the off-stage life of Christopher Wallace, aka "The Notorious B.I.G." Fellow rapper Jamal "Gravy" Woolard portrays the adult Wallace, while Biggie's own son, Christopher Wallace Jr., takes on the role of his father as a youngster. 

Released first in the United Kingdom then in the U.S. a year later, "Nowhere Boy" offers an interesting look into the younger life of John Lennon. Before joining the Marvel Universe, Aaron Johnson — who met his wife and the film's director, Sam Taylor-Wood, 23 years his senior, on the film — earned solid reviews as Lennon. The piece successfully translates the biography "Imagine This – Growing up with my brother John Lennon"  by the late Beatle's half-sister, Julia Baird, to the big screen. 

Based on "Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway"  by the band's singer, Cherie Currie, the film focuses heavily on the relationship between Currie (Dakota Fanning) and guitarist Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart) as they begin the all-female, teenage rock band in the 1970s. It also depicts the controlling nature of record producer Kim Fowley, brilliantly played by Michael Shannon. 

Directed by Steven Soderbergh and aired on HBO in the U.S., the movie offers a look into the later life of flamboyant pianist and entertainer Liberace and his relationship with the much younger Scott Thorson. Soderbergh earned a prime-time Emmy, as did Michael Douglas for his role as Liberace. Matt Damon garnered plenty of acclaim as Thorson in this dramatic interpretation of the latter's memoir, "Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace."

An interesting take on the Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson, the film is done in a serviceable way by bouncing back and forth between the 1960s and '80s. Paul Dano earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor as the young Wilson. John Cusack tackled the part of the older Wilson, who reportedly was pleased with the finished product, particularly Dano's work.

Depicting the rise and fall of 1980s rap group N.W.A., "Straight Outta Compton" made more than $200 million to become the top grossing music biopic ever. Surviving members of the group had a heavy hand in the making of the film, and Ice Cube's son, O'Shea Jackson Jr., gave a critically acclaimed character portrayal of his own father. The film generated even more interest when it was not among the nominees for a Best Picture Oscar in 2016.