Biographies in the Movies II Trivia Quiz

Answer: Alexander the Great

Criticially panned, Stone's film (I would have used the word 'controversial' as an adjective there, but what's the point...all of Stone's films are controversial!) featured the likes of Anthony Hopkins, Val Kilmer, Christopher Plummer, Angelina Jolie and Colin Farrell (as Alexander) in its cast. One of the controversial topics in the film centered on Alexander's bisexuality.

Answer: Will Smith

Will Smith was not the first person to portray Muhammad Ali in a biographical film about the self proclaimed 'Greatest Boxer of All-Time'. That honor would go to Muhammad Ali himself, who appeared as himself in the 1977 film 'The Greatest'. Though I was fond of Will Smith's attempt to play Muhammad Ali in the 2001 film 'Ali', I think that Ali himself did a better job in 'The Greatest'.

Answer: Paul Newman and Robert Redford

'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kidd' was directed by George Roy Hill, and featured a screenplay by William Goldman. Newman and Redford resonate on the silver screen with their perfect chemistry, and Katharine Ross provides the perfect dose of feminity, creating just that tiny touch of tension that a great buddy film needs.

Answer: Loretta Lynn

Sissy Spacek won a Best Actress Oscar for her subtle and heartfelt portrayal of legendary singer Loretta Lynn. This was the only Academy Award garnered by the film.

Answer: Farmer

'Frances' is the shocking story of the tragic life of Frances Farmer, an actress whose life was seemingly destroyed by the rigors of Hollywood. Jessica Lange was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her performance, but did not win.

Answer: Pride of the Yankees

Sam Wood directed and Gary Cooper starred in this film, which also featured Babe Ruth portraying himself. The movie was nominated for 11 Oscars, including nominations for Best Picture and Best Actor, but only won a single award (for Best Film Editing).

Answer: Henri Charrière

The story of Henri Charrière's stay at the prison in French Guiana is harrowing indeed. Happily, Steve McQueen (alongside his pal Dustin Hoffman, who played the prisoner Louis Dega) brings out the essence of his character in a remarkably humanistic performance. If you haven't seen this film, better mark it down as a 'must see'!

Answer: Robert Downey Jr.

In my estimation, Robert Downey Jr. does quite a convincing job playing the silent screen legend Charlie Chaplin, even down to his facial mannerisms and body language. The film is interesting also in its casting of Geraldine Chaplin, Charlie Chaplin's daughter, as Hannah Chaplin, the actor's mother.

Answer: Wired

One of the least well-received biographical films that I can recall, it featured Michael Chiklis in the lead role as John Belushi. Friends and relatives of Belushi, including Dan Aykroyd and John's brother James, decided to boycott the film, which they viewed as an unfair portrayal of the troubled but talented funnyman.

Answer: Jake La Motta

In one of the most hard-hitting and personal biopics to ever emerge from the cinema, Robert De Niro put on a performance for the ages as the self-destructive former boxing champion Jake La Motta. Martin Scorsese, the master of biopics, does a perfect job of portraying the brutality of La Motta's life while not allowing us to dismiss the human side of the confrontational boxer.

Thank you for playing this quiz, I hope you have enjoyed it.