Last year Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones brilliantly and beautifully portrayed Professor Stephen and Jane Hawking in James Marsh’s sublime The Theory of Everything which is earning critical plaudits and awards by the bag-full.
With so many fascinating personalities to embody, it is no wonder that biopic pictures have skyrocketed in appeal in recent years. To celebrate the film’s release, we take a look at ten of cinema’s finest biopic performances and with so many to choose from, this list was anything but easy…
Johnny Cash (Joaquin Phoenix) – Walk the Line
There are few performers who truly absorb every tiny, intricate detail of their character quite like Joaquin Phoenix, and his portrayal as the wildly talented and deeply complex Johnny Cash is a hallmark of modern acting.
The film follows Cash’s transition from his humble early roots singing hymns, through to his explosion on the country scene and his whirlwind romance with June Carter (Reese Witherspoon – who claimed a rightful Academy Award).
Phoenix is wholly immersive as Cash; in fact, he is hypnotic. His posture, slurring dialogue, even his aura is so expertly realised that audiences believe they are witnessing history repeated, not a gaggle of actors at work pretending.
