10 Biographical Films About Double Lives

Description: Władysław Szpilman, a Polish-Jewish pianist, lives a double life during WWII, hiding from the Nazis while continuing to play music in secret.

Fact: Adrien Brody learned to play Chopin's music for the film, and he lost 30 pounds to portray Szpilman's emaciated condition.

Description: Based on the true story of Frank Abagnale Jr., who before his 19th birthday, successfully conned millions of dollars by posing as a Pan Am pilot, a doctor, and a legal prosecutor, all while evading the FBI.

Fact: Leonardo DiCaprio met with the real Frank Abagnale Jr. to prepare for the role. The film's title is a direct quote from Abagnale's book.

Description: This film tells the story of John Nash, a brilliant mathematician who leads a double life, one as a celebrated academic and the other as a man battling schizophrenia, which leads him to believe he's a secret agent.

Fact: The film was based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of the same name by Sylvia Nasar. Russell Crowe gained 40 pounds for the role to portray Nash's physical decline.

Description: Jean-Dominique Bauby, the editor of French Elle, suffers a massive stroke, leaving him with locked-in syndrome, yet he finds a way to communicate and write his memoir, living a double life through his mind.

Fact: The film was shot from the perspective of Bauby, with the camera often representing his point of view. The title refers to the contrast between his physical state and his vivid imagination.

Description: Queen Elizabeth II faces public scrutiny after the death of Princess Diana, revealing the private and public aspects of her life, showcasing her struggle to balance duty and emotion.

Fact: Helen Mirren won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II. The film was shot in Buckingham Palace with the Queen's permission.

Description: A ghostwriter hired to complete the memoirs of a former British Prime Minister uncovers secrets that suggest the politician might have led a double life, involving espionage and political intrigue.

Fact: The film is based on the novel "The Ghost" by Robert Harris. Roman Polanski, the director, was under house arrest in Switzerland during the film's production due to a 1978 warrant for his arrest in the U.S.

Description: King George VI, who must overcome his stammer to lead his nation through WWII, lives a double life as a monarch and a man struggling with personal insecurities.

Fact: The film was banned in Pakistan due to its depiction of the British monarchy. Colin Firth won an Oscar for his role as King George VI.

Description: Alan Turing, a genius mathematician, leads a double life during WWII, working as a codebreaker for the British government while hiding his homosexuality, which was illegal at the time.

Fact: The film's title refers to the Turing Test, a test of a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, a human.

Description: This film explores the life of Stephen Hawking, who, despite his physical limitations due to motor neuron disease, lived a double life as both a groundbreaking physicist and a man facing personal challenges.

Fact: Eddie Redmayne won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Hawking. The film's title is a reference to Hawking's quest for a "theory of everything."

Description: Set in East Germany, a Stasi officer assigned to spy on a playwright ends up living a double life, torn between his duty and his growing empathy for the subjects he surveils.

Fact: The film was inspired by the real-life experiences of the director's friends who were under surveillance by the Stasi.