The fascination with the idea of celebrity has fueled the media for decades. The desire to get to know the real people behind a fictional character, a stage persona, or a glossy portrait in a history book or museum has helped sell countless magazines, books, and movie theater tickets. 

In the early 1900s, those who wrote for celebrity-focused magazines often worked directly with the studios to help cultivate a performer's image, which led to limited views of who those people really were. But as time has gone on, the landscape has widened to allow for more thorough and unbiased looks at those making headlines in their fields — and admittedly, the landscape has also widened when it comes to who is even thought of as a celebrity — and it is those extras layers that has made the celebrity biopic such a lucrative and popular genre.

Everyone from entertainers and politicians, to athletes, tech giants, and inventors can be given the celebrity biopic treatment. (Technically, so can criminals, though we don't condone that.) With such wide-ranging fields to explore, many of these films cross genres, into historical dramas and/or musicals, for example. This allows them to span equally expansive tones.

Here, Metacritic highlights the top 10 celebrity biopics, ranked by Metascore.

The Social Network

Metascore: 95
Best for: Fans of controversial male protagonists and peeks into the tech world
Where to watch: 

, Google Play, iTunes, Netflix, Vudu
Runtime: 120 minutes

Jesse Eisenberg portrays Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg in Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher's deep dive into the early days of the social media platform, including the inspiration behind the site and working with Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (Armie Hammer in both roles) and Divya Narendra (Max Minghella) on another platform at Harvard. Since the film was released in 2010, it doesn't include some of Facebook's more recent controversies, such as being accused of spreading political misinformation or the Cambridge Analytica scandal of 2018. But it does dig into Zuckerberg's legal troubles with both the Winklevoss' and his co-founder Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield). The film won three Oscars, including best adapted screenplay for Sorkin, who based the project on Ben Mezrich's book, The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, a Tale of Sex, Money, Genius, and Betrayal.

"The Social Network is mesmerizing." — Pete Hammond, Boxoffice Magazine

The Favourite

Metascore: 91
Best for: Fans of period pieces, twisted relationships, and dark humor
Where to watch: 

, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu
Runtime: 119 minutes

Olivia Colman won an Oscar for her performance as Queen Anne in this 18th century royal family dark comedy. In it, Queen Anne is not interested in governing, but Great Britain and France are at war, so someone has to. Enter Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz), who is the queen's confidante and lover, and has enough influence over her to sway the way she rules. However, she can't quite control those in the queen's orbit, and her cousin Abigail (Emma Stone) sidles up to Anne to improve her station in life. This begins a complicated love triangle and jockeying for power that includes attempted murder, blackmail, and a lot of lies.

"This is a work of art that embraces and embellishes all the joys of cinema while offering a more enjoyable and progressive revisionist history." — Theo Schear, Film Threat

The Queen

Metascore: 91
Best for: Fans of the royal family, period pieces, and sharp writing
Where to watch: 

, Google Play, HBO Max, iTunes, Vudu
Runtime: 103 minutes

Before Peter Morgan dramatized decades of the British royal family's life and politics for Netflix, he wrote this late-1990s set film that explores the aftermath of the election that put the Labour Party in power, and the car accident that took Princess Diana's life. Directed by Stephen Frears, the film follows the family as they lose favor in the public eye for staying private and quiet about Diana's influence on society, but Queen Elizabeth II (Helen Mirren, who won an Oscar for this performance) holds firm. At the same time, the film charts new Prime Minister Tony Blair's (Michael Sheen) rise as he speaks out about the tragedy. It is a personal and witty look into how the world, and therefore feelings about the monarchy, has changed, made more credible by its use of real-life archival footage mixed into its scripted story.

"Politically shrewd, unexpectedly funny yet immaculately tasteful." — Scott Foundas, LA Weekly

The Right Stuff

Metascore: 91
Best for: Fans of history epics and the space program
Where to watch: 

, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu
Runtime: 193 minutes

Based on the book of the same title by Tom Wolfe, Philip Kaufman's 1983 film follows the Mercury Seven — the military pilots who were selected for the U.S.' first human spaceflight. Spanning approximately 16 years, the three-plus hour film covers everything from Chuck Yeager (Sam Shepard) being the first person to fly at supersonic speed to the 1957 launch of Sputnik that kicks off the new Space Race and the missions that it created. Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, Fred Ward, Lance Henriksen, Scott Glenn, Charles Frank, and Scott Paulin play the astronauts that make up the Mercury Seven. The film won four artisans Oscars.

"Rarely has a film made a historic accomplishment seem so vivid and personal." — Arthur Knight, The Hollywood Reporter

Young Mr. Lincoln

Metascore: 91
Best for: Fans of legal dramas
Where to watch: 

, Google Play, iTunes, Tubi, Vudu
Runtime: 100 minutes

Henry Fonda stars as the titular president well before he held the highest office in the United States. The film, which is written by Lamar Trotti (who was nominated for an Oscar for the screenplay) and directed by John Ford, takes place three decades prior to Lincoln taking office, instead watching his journey as a lawyer. It chronicles him setting up his practice and taking on the case of two brothers accused of murder, refusing to pit one of his clients against the other. It also introduces the early days of his relationship with Mary Todd (Marjorie Weaver).

"One of John Ford's most memorable films." — Pauline Kael, The New Yorker

Yankee Doodle Dandy

Metascore: 89
Best for: Fans of vaudeville, the early entertainment industry, and stories that span many years
Where to watch: 

, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu
Runtime: 126 minutes

George M. Cohan was a playwright, producer, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, and at least for a time, "The Man Who Owned Broadway." He got the biopic treatment in 1942 with James Cagney starring as him in this Michael Curtiz-directed film. Starting with Cohan at the height of his success, visiting the White House to receive a special honor, the film then flashes back to his origins to show how he got there. This includes joining a family vaudeville act before striking out on his own and eventually partnering with Sam Harris (Richard Wharf). The film showcases some of his failures, in addition to his successes, but it still serves as a celebration to a pioneer in entertainment. The film won three Oscars, including Best Actor for Cagney.

"There may be no American movie more patriotic than Yankee Doodle Dandy." — Nick Schager, The A.V. Club

Amadeus

Metascore: 88
Best for: Fans of creative liberties taken with history, music, witty humor, and the exploration of genius
Where to watch: 

, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu
Runtime: 160 minutes

Adapted by Peter Shaffer from his play of the same title, this Oscar-winning film, directed by Miloš Forman, fictionalizes acclaimed composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's (Tom Hulce) life, centering on a rivalry with Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham). With the real Mozart's music serving as a soundtrack, the story explores his demons (alcoholism) and losses (his marriage, his father), in addition to his genius (the music he creates). The film won eight Oscars in total; in addition to Best Picture, other notable ones include Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor (for Abraham).

"As close to perfection as movies get." — Jack Matthews, Daily News

Capote

Metascore: 88
Best for: Fans of crime dramas and complex psychology
Where to watch: 

, Google Play, HBO Max, iTunes, Vudu
Runtime: 114 minutes

Philip Seymour Hoffman stars as the titular writer, a performance for which he won an Oscar, in this feature film adaptation of Gerald Clarke's biography, also simply titled Capote. The film follows the man as he becomes captivated by the story of the Clutter family, murdered on their farm, and travels to get closer to those who knew the family with plans to write about them. (That book becomes In Cold Blood.) Through a combination of charm, wit, and bribery, he manages to get unprecedented access, including to the suspects, and he gets more emotionally involved in their case than he probably originally expected.

"One of the most eerie, morbidly absorbing and psychologically compelling movies ever made about a writer." — William Arnold, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The King's Speech

Metascore: 88
Best for: Fans of stories about resilience, complicated families, and life-changing friendship
Where to watch: 

, Google Play, iTunes, Starz, Vudu
Runtime: 118 minutes

George VI (Colin Firth), who won an Oscar for this performance) is in line to be king, but because he lives with a stutter, there are concerns about his ability to communicate authoritatively. He begins working with Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), a speech therapist with unconventional methods, and the two become friends while also digging into the psychological causes behind George's situation. The film — which also won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Directing, and Best Original Screenplay — also explores the complicated family dynamics that surround George, including what has to befall his father and brother before he can take the throne.

"It's the kind of absorbing, attractive, unfailingly tasteful enterprise that a critic can recommend without caveat." — Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post

Coal Miner's Daughter

Metascore: 87
Best for: Fans of country music and female-focused character dramas
Where to watch: 

, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu
Runtime: 124 minutes

This musical biopic about Loretta Lynn (Sissy Spacek, who won an Oscar for the performance) is based on George Vecsey's biography of the same name. It follows Lynn from her teenage years, including her marriage and young motherhood, through her ascendancy as a country artist. The film covers seminal moments such as when her first single "I'm a Honky Tonky Girl" charts and her friendship with Patsy Cline (Beverly D'Angelo), but also a breakdown on the concert stage. It's a thorough and thoughtful portrait of a multiple Grammy winner and genre-changing musician.

"Wonderful performances anchor this biopic." — Marjorie Baumgarten, The Austin Chronicle