6 Best Old Hollywood Biopic Movies

By Vlad Zakh · June 8, 2026

Golden-age Hollywood was all glamor and hidden struggle, and these biopics get under the surface. Mank has a screenwriter racing to finish Citizen Kane, Trumbo follows a blacklisted writer working in secret, and My Week with Marilyn has a young assistant bonding with Marilyn Monroe during a turbulent London shoot. The Aviator, Chaplin and Singin’ in the Rain round out the six.

Mank (2020)

IMDb ★ 6.8 RT 83% Metacritic 79

A blacklisted screenwriter races to finish the script that becomes Citizen Kane.

Directed by David Fincher · 2h 12m · Rated R

Won 2 Oscars65 wins & 270 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Trumbo (2015)

TMDB ★ 7.3

A blacklisted Hollywood screenwriter keeps working in secret under other writers' names during the Red Scare.

Directed by Jay Roach · 2h 04m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

My Week with Marilyn (2011)

TMDB ★ 6.8

A young film assistant forms an unlikely bond with Marilyn Monroe during a turbulent London production.

Directed by Simon Curtis · 1h 39m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Britbox Apple TV channel, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Aviator (2004)

TMDB ★ 7.5

Howard Hughes's aviation ambitions and Hollywood career are gradually eaten away by his own mental illness.

Directed by Martin Scorsese · 2h 50m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel · Rent: Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Chaplin (1992)

TMDB ★ 7.1

The tumultuous life and career of cinema's first great comic genius, from poverty to global stardom.

Directed by Richard Attenborough · 2h 25m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, Britbox Apple TV channel, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Singin' in the Rain (1952)

IMDb ★ 8.3 RT 100% Metacritic 99

Silent film stars scramble to adapt as their industry goes through the chaotic transition to talkies.

Directed by Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly · 1h 43m · Rated G

Nominated for 2 Oscars11 wins & 11 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Old Hollywood Biopic Movies

Mank (2020)

Trumbo (2015)

My Week with Marilyn (2011)

The Aviator (2004)

Chaplin (1992)

Singin' in the Rain (1952)

You might also like

250 Best Movies of All Time

6 Best Silent Film Era Nostalgia Movies

6 Best Magic Lantern and Early Cinema Movies

6 Best Ghostwriter and Literary Fraud Movies

6 Best Hollywood Scandal and Tragedy Movies

50 Best Movie Musicals of All Time