biopic en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈbaɪ.əʊ.pɪk/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /baɪˈɑp.ɪk/ (US, nonstandard)
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈbaɪ.oʊ.pɪk/ (US)
- bīʹōpĭk (US)
Etymology
Clipping of biographical picture; synchronically bio + pic.
Meanings
-
A motion picture based on the life (or lives) of a real, rather than fictional, person (or people).
This truism helps explain why the music biopic is stuck in such a compromising loop. […] Between 2000 to 2019, 55% of leading actor and actress Oscars went to performances in a biopic. Over the past four years, the genre has been responsible for 63 Oscar nominations. Yet at the same time, hagiography has resurfaced as a pre-requisite for success. […] While one might have supposed the advent of the internet could render biopics redundant – if facts and archive footage are readily accessible, why bother making stuff up?
2026 April 26, Catherine Shoard, “Bad movies, good business: how sanitised biopics became a Hollywood staple”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 26 Apr 2026:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| biopics | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Relateds
biography · biodoc · biographical · biographer
Translations (4)
cmn 傳記片 /传记片 (biographical film) · pt cinebiografia (biographical film) · fr biopic (biographical film) · es biopic (biographical film)