biopic

American  

[bahy-oh-pik] / ˈbaɪ oʊˌpɪk /

noun

1. a biographical movie or TV show.

---

biopic British  

/ ˈbaɪəʊˌpɪk /

noun

1. informal a film based on the life of a famous person, esp one giving a popular treatment

---

Etymology

Origin of biopic

1950–55; bio(graphy) + (motion) pic(ture)

Explanation

A biopic is a fictional film that's based on a true story of a famous person. If you develop a cure for cancer or get elected president, someone may make a biopic about you one day! Biopic is a shorthand term for biographical (moving) picture that's been around since the 1950s. Some of these films stick very closely to the biography of their subject, in an attempt to tell a true story of a real person. Others take great liberties with the biographical details in order to make a more interesting plot. Either way, if you like movies about historical figures, movie stars, and sports legends, you should check out some biopics!

Example Sentences

Cate Blanchett is set to play Martha Stewart in an upcoming biopic about the lifestyle mogul’s illustrious career, Variety first reported.

From Salon • Apr. 16, 2026

As for “Good Thing,” the biopic will be helmed by “Zola” director Janicza Bravo, Variety reported.

From Salon • Apr. 16, 2026

But history’s greatest warriors know — to quote the conclusion of the Oscar-winning biopic “Patton” — that glory is fleeting.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

“Iconic artists, particularly the ones that live in very rarefied air towards the end of their life, become ossified,” said Luhrmann, who previously co-wrote and directed “Elvis,” a 2022 biopic starring Austin Butler as Presley.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026

As luck would have it, though, the only English-language film being shown in Belgrade was Lust for Life, the lush biopic of the mad nineteenth-century Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady