13 Films Based on Real Actors’ Lives: ‘The King of Staten Island,’ ‘Judy’ and More!

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13 Films Based on Real Actors’ Lives: ‘The King of Staten Island,’ ‘Judy’ and More!

Walking a mile in someone else’s shoes! Actors are afforded the opportunity to play an assortment of characters — and sometimes they’re tasked with playing one of their own. Pete Davidson, for one, starred in a semi-autobiographical movie based on his own life in 2020, titled The King of Staten Island. He cowrote the film with Dave Sirus and director Judd Apatow. The Saturday Night Live star has been vocal about his struggles in the past, including his mental health and drug addiction battles. Speaking to CBS Sunday Morning in June 2020, Davidson opened up about how making the comedy-drama was a therapeutic process. “I really wanted this to be, like, cleansing for me,” the comedian explained. “I feel like I got to speak about it in the biggest way possible, and I could get my story out there. So I feel like, now I could, like, let it go.” [jwplayer grQQootH-l3ahXupL] In September 2019, Renée Zellweger appeared as industry icon Judy Garland in the Rupert Goold biopic, Judy. The film saw the Chicago actress channeling the Wizard of Oz star in 1968, the year before Garland died from a barbiturate overdose. “It’s hard to fully appreciate the context of the circumstances that she was grappling with at the time,” Zellweger told USA Today of Garland in 2019. “And when you see what she was able to achieve in spite of the challenges she faced, then you can really see how extraordinary she was. It sort of sets her apart, in my opinion.” Meanwhile, Jim Carrey put his character acting skills to work when he played Andy Kaufman in 1999’s Man on the Moon. In the years since the film’s release, the Truman Show actor shared how invested he was in the role. “It was psychotic at times,” Carrey explained at the 2019 Venice Film Festival, per The Hollywood Reporter. “Jim Carrey didn’t exist at that time. Andy actually affected The Grinch as well.” The Kidding actor claimed that Kaufman took over during the filming of the biopic, adding, “The true author of the project is Andy and his genius, the fact that he committed so completely to what he did, really made that possible and made it essential for me to lose myself. I don’t feel like I made the film at all. I feel like Andy made the film.” Scroll down to see actors playing other actors over the years. [podcast_block]

Credit: Mary Cybulski/Universal Pictures; Shutterstock (3)

13 Films Based on Real Actors’ Lives: ‘The King of Staten Island,’ ‘Judy’ and More!

Walking a mile in someone else’s shoes! Actors are afforded the opportunity to play an assortment of characters — and sometimes they’re tasked with playing one of their own. Pete Davidson, for one, starred in a semi-autobiographical movie based on his own life in 2020, titled The King of Staten Island. He cowrote the film with Dave Sirus and director Judd Apatow. The Saturday Night Live star has been vocal about his struggles in the past, including his mental health and drug addiction battles. Speaking to CBS Sunday Morning in June 2020, Davidson opened up about how making the comedy-drama was a therapeutic process. “I really wanted this to be, like, cleansing for me,” the comedian explained. “I feel like I got to speak about it in the biggest way possible, and I could get my story out there. So I feel like, now I could, like, let it go.” [jwplayer grQQootH-l3ahXupL] In September 2019, Renée Zellweger appeared as industry icon Judy Garland in the Rupert Goold biopic, Judy. The film saw the Chicago actress channeling the Wizard of Oz star in 1968, the year before Garland died from a barbiturate overdose. “It’s hard to fully appreciate the context of the circumstances that she was grappling with at the time,” Zellweger told USA Today of Garland in 2019. “And when you see what she was able to achieve in spite of the challenges she faced, then you can really see how extraordinary she was. It sort of sets her apart, in my opinion.” Meanwhile, Jim Carrey put his character acting skills to work when he played Andy Kaufman in 1999’s Man on the Moon. In the years since the film’s release, the Truman Show actor shared how invested he was in the role. “It was psychotic at times,” Carrey explained at the 2019 Venice Film Festival, per The Hollywood Reporter. “Jim Carrey didn’t exist at that time. Andy actually affected The Grinch as well.” The Kidding actor claimed that Kaufman took over during the filming of the biopic, adding, “The true author of the project is Andy and his genius, the fact that he committed so completely to what he did, really made that possible and made it essential for me to lose myself. I don’t feel like I made the film at all. I feel like Andy made the film.” Scroll down to see actors playing other actors over the years. [podcast_block]

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‘My Week With Marilyn’

Marilyn Monroe’s life was explored in a 2011 drama film based on two books by Colin Clark. The late actress was played by Michelle Williams, who earned a Golden Globe win and Academy Award nod for her efforts.

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‘Man on the Moon’

Carrey starred as the late performance artist in the 1999 biographical comedy-drama. Years later, Carrey would relive the moment by appearing in the 2017 Netflix documentary, Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond. The film featured 100 hours of footage of Carrey in character as Kaufman on and offscreen.

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‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’

Tom Hanks portrayed Fred Rogers, a.k.a. Mister Rogers of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, in 2019 just one year after a documentary on the star debuted. The Marielle Heller-directed biographical film is inspired by journalist Tom Junod’s 1998 Esquire article “Can You Say ... Hero?” Hanks’ performance was recognized with nominations at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards and BAFTA Awards.

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‘Judy’

Zellweger starred as Garland in the 2019 historical drama based on the Tony-nominated musical drama, End of the Rainbow. The acclaimed film followed the singer-actress in the final year of her life. The Bridget Jones’s Baby star’s performance was honored with an Academy Award in 2020 for Best Actress.

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‘James Dean’

James Franco starred as the late James Dean in the 2001 namesake biographical drama. The film explored the Rebel Without a Cause actor’s rocky life, starting with his early beginnings and leading up to his early death at 24. Franco received a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film, and he also was nominated for a SAG Award.

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‘The King of Staten Island’

Davidson starred in a movie loosely based on his own life. The 2020 film sees the comedian as Scott, a Staten Island resident who works to turn his life around following the tragic death of his father.

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‘Mommie Dearest’

Faye Dunaway starred as Joan Crawford, who was portrayed as an abusive mother to adopted daughter Christina Crawford. The 1981 film, directed by Frank Perry, is based on Christina’s 1978 memoir of the same name.

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‘Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story’

Jason Scott Lee took on the role of Bruce Lee in Rob Cohen’s 1993 biopic. The drama follows Bruce’s journey to becoming a well-known martial arts figure.

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‘Burton and Taylor’

Helena Bonham Carter and Dominic West played former real-life couple Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in the BBC Four TV film in 2013. The movie followed Taylor and Burton during production for their 1983 play, Private Lives. The acting pair’s relationship was also explored the year before in Liz & Dick, a dramatized Lifetime movie starring Lindsay Lohan and Grant Bowler.

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‘The Life and Death of Peter Sellers’

The 2004 biographical drama saw Geoffrey Rush portray Peter Sellers, an actor known for being in the Pink Panther movies and for his BBC Radio comedy series The Goon Show. The film is based on Roger Lewis’ book about Sellers.

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‘Chaplin’

In 1992, Robert Downey Jr. embodied English comic actor Charlie Chaplin. The film followed Chaplin’s early beginnings residing in London up into his successful career as a silent film star. The Richard Attenborough-directed flick also examined the late actor’s rocky personal life, which included four marriages and his eventual ban from the U.S.

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‘Frances’

The 1982 biopic is based on the life of actress Frances Farmer, played by Jessica Lange. Directed by Graeme Clifford, Frances follows the actress’ rise and fall in Hollywood.

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‘The Buster Keaton Story’

Donald O’Connor played silent-film comedian Buster Keaton in the 1957 drama. The movie, written and directed by Sidney Sheldon, has been described as an inaccurate exploration of the late star’s life.