politics The Best Activist Biopics
List Rules Vote up the best biographical movies about social activists and whistleblowers
Martin Luther King. Malcolm X. Gandhi. These are just a few of the famous activists and civil rights crusaders featured on this list of the best activist biopics. David Oyelowo portrays MLK in Selma, a look at the 1965 voting march from Selma to Montgomery. Denzel Washington plays Malcolm X in Spike Lee’s epic biographical film. The movie takes a broad look at the Civil Rights movement as well as a closer study of the life and death of Malcolm X.
On this list of the greatest activist biopics, you will also find two films portraying South African activist and political leader Nelson Mandela, played by Idris Elba and Danny Glover, respectively. Other political leaders featured in biopics include Che Guevara in Che, Cesar Chavez in the film of the same name, and Gandhi, played by Sir Ben Kingsley.
We also included Goodnight, and Good Luck. This George Clooney-directed biopic deals with newsman Edward R. Murrow standing up to Joseph McCarthy during the HUAC days. Although not an activist in the traditional sense, Murrow stood up for freedom of thought and expression, and remains a hero to this day. Vote up the best activist biopics below, and be sure to let us know what you think in the comment section.