Walk The Line
Over the last few years in particular the biopic picture has really dominated the box office, looking at musical icons, political figures as well as members of the royal family and, more often than not, the films have stormed the major Oscar success.
And it looks like the 2010 Oscar ceremony could be no different as the release of Amelia this is sure to be in contention in some form or another.
Hilary Swank looks to add to her two Best Actress Academy awards as she takes on the role of Amelia Earhart in Mira Nair's latest movie.
After becoming the first woman to fly across the Atlantic, Amelia was thrust into a new role as America's sweetheart - the legendary "goddess of light," known for her bold, larger-than-life charisma.
Yet, even with her global fame solidified, her belief in flirting with danger and standing up as her own, outspoken woman never changed.
She was an inspiration to people everywhere, from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to the men closest to her heart: her husband, promoter and publishing magnate George P. Putnam, and her long time friend and lover, pilot Gene Vidal.
In the summer of 1937, Amelia set off on her most daunting mission yet: a solo flight around the world that she and George both anxiously foresaw as destined, whatever the outcome, to become one of the most talked-about journeys in history.
The Best Actress category has had major wins for this genre of film with six of the last eight winners being based on real-life stories and people.
Marion Cotillard was the surprise winner this year for her portrayal of French singer Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose, which looked at her career and her drug abuse.
The year before Helen Mirren dominated the award season with her role as Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen, which was an account of the immediate events following the death of Diana Princess of Wales in 1997 and the turn of public opinion towards the monarch.
Other winner since 2000 include Julia Roberts as Erin Brockovich, Nicole Kidman as troubled Virginia Woolf, Charlize Theron as Aileen Wuornos and Reese Witherspoon for her portrayal of June Carter in Walk the Line.
Similarly four of the eight Best Actors have been for taking on real life figures, as well as a string of nominations. In 2002 Adrien Brody took on the role of musician Wladyslaw Szpilman, which was based on his autobiography, as he survived the German deportations of Jews to extermination camps, the 1943 destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto, and the 1944 Warsaw Uprising during World War II.
That same year Brody found himself going head to head with Nicolas Cage who starred as Charlie Kaufman and his struggle to adapt Susan Orlean's novel The Orchid Thief.
In 2004 biopic performances dominated the Best Actor category as Jamie Foxx, who took on the role of legendary singer Ray Charles, took many awards on the road to the Oscars as well as the main prize. But joining him in that category was Don Cheadle for her role as hotelier Paul Rusesabagina during the Rwandan Genocide of 1994 and Leonardo DiCaprio who played Howard Hughes in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator.
Just twelve months later Philip Seymour Hoffman too the Oscar for his role as Truman Capote in the film Capote, which followed the events during the writing of Capote's non-fiction book In Cold Blood.
But he was joined by Joaquin Phoenix for his role as Johnny Cash. 2006 made it a hatrick for the biopic as Forest Whitaker became Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland and Will Smith told the story of Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happiness.
More and more top named actors are taking on these roles as Sean Penn took on the role of Harvey Milk, an American politician and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, in Milk winning the Best Actor gong back in February.
So do they take on these roles because the Academy seems to shine kindly on impersonation roles is it truly the best way to get an Oscar?
Amelia is released 13th November.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Tagged in Hilary Swank