US
Presidents that have a non-documentary biographical film and or mini-series.
At this time there is a total of 68 movies, and miniseries. From that 20 out of the 45 men that have held the office of President of the United States have a non-documentary film.
All of
these films are biographical but not a documentary. In
other words, no docudramas, or fiction such as Lincoln fighting
vampires and zombies [Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012), Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies (2012)], FDR battling
werewolves [FDR: American Badass (2012) or Trump Vs The Illuminati (2020)]
At the time of writing this The President with the most movies etc... is John F Kennedy with 12, second is Franklin Delano Roosevelt with 9 and Abraham Lincoln in third place with 9 The other 14 Presidents have 1 to 6 movies. The remaining 31 have 0.
George
Washington 1789-1797
The
Crossing (2000)
Based on the book The Crossing by
Howard Fast [First Published in 1971] Washington’s crossing of the
Delaware and attacking the Hessian forces at Trenton.
George
Washington II: The Forging of a Nation (1986)
Based on the biography Washington: The
Indispensable Man by James Thomas Flexner [First
Published in1974]. This picks up after part one and is about his time as
the first President of the United States of America.
George Washington (1984)
Based on the Biography Washington: The
Indispensable Man by James Thomas Flexner [First
Published in1974]. General George Washington and what he did during The
Revolutionary War.
John
Adams 1797-1801
John
Adams (2008)
Based on the biography John Adams by
David McCullough [First Published in 2001]. The story of the second US
President starting with the Boston Massacre and following him through the
revolution, his time as a US Ambassador, Vice President, and as the
second President Of the United States of America.
The
Adams Chronicles (1976)
PBS miniseries about several generations of the
Adams Family. The miniseries is inspired by/based on The Adams
Chronicles: Four Generations of Greatness by Jack Shepherd [First Published in 1975].
Thomas
Jefferson 1801-1809
Sally
Hemings: An American Scandal (2000)
Miniseries about Jefferson’s romantic relationship with his mistress and slave
Sally Hemings.
Jefferson
in Paris (1995)
Set in France during the years of 1784-1789. The film is about Jefferson’s years as the US Ambassador to France before the French Revolution.
James
Madison 1809-1817
Magnificent
Doll (1946)
James
Madison and Aaron Burr compete to win the heart of future First Lady Dolly Madison.
James Monroe 1817-1825
John
Quincy Adams 1825-1829
Amistad (1997)
Mende captives on a Spanish
ship revolt and try to return home. Only
to be recaptured in US waters. This leads to a trial on wither they are slaves
or free. Former President John Q Adams helps defend the captives in the court of law.
The
Adams Chronicles (1976)
PBS miniseries about several generations of the
Adams Family. The miniseries is inspired by/based on The Adams
Chronicles: Four Generations of Greatness by Jack Shepherd [First Published in 1975].
Andrew
Jackson 1829-1837
The
Presidents Lady (1953)
Based on the book The Presidents Lady by Irving Stone [First Published in 1951]. The pre-presidential life of Andrew Jackson and his relationship with his future wife with Rachael Donaldson.
Martin Van Buren 1837-1841
William Henry Harrison 1841-1841
John Tyler 1841-1845
James K Polk 1845-1849
Zachary Taylor 1849-1850
Millard Fillmore 1850-1853
Franklin Pierce 1853-1857
James Buchanan 1857-1861
Abraham Lincoln 1861-1865
Lincoln (2012)
Based on the book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abrham Lincoln by Doris Kerns Goodwin [First Published in 2005]. Near the end of the US Civil War President Lincoln fights to add an amendment to the Constitution to ban slavery.
Gore
Vidal’s: Lincoln (1988)
Based on the novel, Lincoln by
Gore Vidal [First Published in 1984]. This Miniseries is about Abraham
Lincoln’s Presidency from the beginning to the end of his life and presidency.
Lincoln (1974)
Miniseries on the life of
President Abraham Lincoln
Abe
Lincoln in Illinois A.K.A. Spirit
of the People (1940)
Based on the 1938 stage play Abe Lincoln in Illinois by Robert E. Sherwood [First Published in 1938]. The Life of Abraham Lincoln before he became President.
Young
Mr. Lincoln (1939)
This is the story of the 10 years in which Abraham
Lincoln worked as a Lawyer.
Abraham
Lincoln (1930)
An
early biopic of Lincolns life and times.
The
Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln
(1924)
The life, the Presidency and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theater in Washington D.C.
Andrew Johnson 1865-1869
Tennessee Johnson (1942)
After President Lincoln is killed Vice President Andrew Jackson becomes President. The film covers the life of Johnson from his escape from indentured servitude thru his impeachment.
Ulysses S Grant 1869-1877
Rutherford B Hayes 1877-1881
James A Garfield 1881-1881
Chester A Arthur 1881-1885
Grover Cleveland 1885-1889
Benjamin Harris 1889-1893
Grover Cleveland 1893-1897
William McKinley 1897-1901
Theodore
Roosevelt 1901-1909
Elkhorn (2024)
February 14, 1884 A young Theodore Roosevelt faces the loss of both his wife Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt and mother Mittie Roosevelt. These events causes to take a break from New York politics Theodore Roosevelt heads west to The Dokata Territory. There he establishes The Elkhorn Ranch.
The Rough
Riders (1997)
The
military unit created by Theodore Roosevelt and their exploits in Cuba during
the Spanish-American War (April 21,1898 - August 13, 1898).
Rough
Riders (1927)
Silent film about Theodore Roosevelt creating a
volunteer unit named The Rough Riders to fight in the Spanish-American War and
their various adventures.
William Howard Taft 1909-1913
Woodrow
Wilson 1913-1921
Wilson (1944)
The political career of Woodrow Wilson which starts
with his final year as the Dean of Princeton University and the start of his
political career with his run for Governor of New Jersey. With the film proceeding to his last years in
the White House as the 28th President of the United States of America.
Warren G Harding 1921-1923
Calvin College 1923-1929
Herbert Hoover 1929-1933
Franklin
D Roosevelt 1933-1945
Atlantic
Crossing (2021)
Miniseries about the wartime relationship
between President Roosevelt and The Norwegian Crown Princess Martha Sofia Lovisa
Dagmar Thyra.
Hyde
Park on Hudson (2012)
President FDR hosting Great Britain’s Royal
Family during their 1939 visit to the US and specifically The Hyde Park retreat
in New York.
Warm
Springs (2005)
After Franklin D Roosevelt contracts Polio, he searches
for a cure. This is his story about that search.
World
War II: When Lions Roared (1994)
TV Movie on the subject of the Tehran Conference
between President Frankin Delano Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Dictator Joseph
Stalin.
FDR That
Man in the White House
(1982)
Based on the one man play That Man In The White House by Frank Kingdom [First Published in 1944].
F.D.R.:
The Last Year (1980)
Based on the book FDR's Last Year by Jim Bishiop [First Published in 1974] Biopic of FDR's
last year of life April 1944-1945.
Eleanor
and Franklin: The White House Years
(1977)
Based on the Biography Eleanor & Franklin by Joseph P. Lash [First Published in 1971]. Part 2 picks up after part 1 and is about their 12 years in the White House as President and First Lady.
Eleanor
& Franklin: The Early Years
(1976)
Based on the Biography Eleanor & Franklin by Joseph P. Lash [First Published in 1971]. Part 1 of a Miniseries on the pre–White House life of Eleanor & Franklin Roosevelt.
Sunrise at
Campobello (1960)
Based on the stage play Sunrise At Campobello by Dore Schary [First Published in 1958]. After contracting Polio at Campobello, South Carolina, Franklin D Roosevelt looks to find a cure and seeks to reenter politics.
Harry
S Truman 1945-1953
Truman (1995)
Based on the biography Truman by Davis McCullough [First Published in 1992] This Biopic of President Truman starting with his life before entering politics to the end of his presidency from HBO.
Harry S
Truman: Plain Speaking
(1976)
Based on the book Plain Speaking: A Oral Biography of Harry S Truman by Merle Miller [First Published in 1974]. A TV movie about the life of President Truman.
Collision
Course: Truman VS MacArthur
(1976)
President Truman and General MacArthur disagree on how the war in Korea
is to be fought and won. The disagreement escalated resulting in Truman
relieving MacArthur from command.
Give ‘em Hell Harry! (1975)
One man play Give ‘em Hell Harry!: Reminiscences by Samuel Gallu [First Published in 1975].
Dwight
D Eisenhower 1953-1961
Ike:
Countdown to D-day
(2004)
This is a TV movie about General Eisenhower and the 90 days lading to
D-Day June 6, 1944.
Ike: The
War Years (1980)
An Edited shorter edited version of the 1979 miniseries.
An account of General Dwight
D. Eisenhower and his many accomplishments during WWII
Ike:
The War Years (1979)
An account of General Dwight D. Eisenhower and
his many accomplishments during WWII.
John
F Kennedy 1961-1963
Parkland (2013)
Based on the book Four Days in November:
The Assassination of President John F Kennedy by Vincent Bugliosi [First
Published in 2007]. The events that happened at the Parkland hospital on Friday
November 22, 1963, the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated and the
following days and beginning of the investigation into his death.
The
Kennedy's (2011)
Miniseries about a few generations of the Kennedy
family, and their triumphs and tragedies beginning with Joe Kennedy and ending with
Robert Kennedy’s death in 1968. The miniseries is followed by the
miniseries The Kennedy’s After Camelot (2017) which is about
Ted Kennedy, Jackie Kennedy and her children.
Thirteen
Days (2000)
Based on the book The Kennedy Tapes: Inside The White House During the Cuban Missile Crisis by Erenst R May [First Published in 1997]. A dramatic depiction of the Kennedy administration’s handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
JFK
Reckless Youth (1993)
Based on the biography JFK: Reckless Youth by Nigel Hamilton [First Published in 1992]. Miniseries on John F Kennedy from childhood to his life as a three term Congressman for Massachusetts.
JFK (1991)
Based on the books On The Trail of Assassins by Jim Garrison [First Published in 1988] and Crossfire: The Plot That Killed Kennedy by Jim Marrs [First Published in 1989]. Louisiana district attorney Jim Garrison examines the assassination of JFK and the events that followed.
The
Kennedy's of Massachusetts
(1990)
Based on the book The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys: An American Saga by Doris Kearns Goodwin [First Published in 1987]. Miniseries on 55 years of the Kennedy clan starting with Joe Kennedy graduating from Harvard University in 1912.
Hoover Vs The Kennedy’s: The Second Civil War (1987)
Miniseries on the feud between FBI Director J Edgar Hoover and the Kennedy Family. Starting at the 1960 Democratic Convention and ending with the death of Robert Kennedy in 1968.
Prince
Jack (1984)
President
John F Kennedy making decisions about Civil Rights issues during his
Presidency.
Kennedy (1983)
Miniseries about President John F. Kennedy and his years in the White House.
The
Missiles of October
(1974)
Based on the book Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis by Robert F Kennedy [First Published in 1968]. TV movie about the Kennedy administration’s handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.
Executive
Action (1973)
This is
a film version of one of the conspiracy theories about the Kennedy
assassination.
PT
109 (1963)
Based on the book PT 109 John F Kennedy
in World War II by Robert John Donovan [First Published in
1961]. During WWII Lieutenant John F Kennedy takes command of a PT boat in the
Solomon Islands. During his command the boat is sunk by the Japanese and the
survivors make their way to Kasolo Island (also known as Plum Pudding Island
and later Kennedy Island) in the Solomon Island Chain where they work on being found
and rescued.
Lyndon
B Johnson 1963-1969
LBJ (2016)
Story of LBJ becoming President after the assignation of John F Kennedy and his term as the US President.
All The
Way (2016)
Based on the book All The Way by Robert Schenkkan [First Published in 2012]. This is an HBO film is about LBJ’s first year as the US President.
Path to
War (2002)
Johnson
and his administration deal with the escalation of the Vietnam War.
Lyndon
Johnson (1987)
One
man play about President LBJ.
LBJ The
Early Years (1987)
TV
movie about LBJ’s life during the years of 1934 – 1963.
Richard
Nixon 1969-1974
Elvis
& Nixon (2016)
The true story of the most requested photo in the national archives. One day
Elvis decides to meet President Nixon. Elvis goes to the White House and the two have a meeting.
Frost/Nixon (2008)
Based on the book Frost/Nixon by Peter Morgan [Fiest Published in 2007]. Three years after Nixon left office, he gave an all-inclusive interview to Davis Frost. This film is a dramatized account of those events.
Nixon (1995)
A biopic of Richard Nixon from
childhood to his term as the US President.
Kissinger and Nixon (1995)
Based on the book Kissinger by Walter Isaacson [First Publishd in
1992] This TV movie is about Nixon and Kissinger working together in the lead
up to the Paris Peace Accords in 1973.
The Final
Days (1989)
Based on
the book The Final Days by Washington Post Reporters Woodward and Bernstein [First Published in 1976]. The film
chronicles the final days of President Richard Nixon's administration.
All The
President's Men (1976)
Washington Post reporters Woodward and Bernstein uncover and report on the Watergate
scandals which lead to President Nixon resigning. Based All
The President’s Men by
Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward [First published in 1974].
Gerald Ford 1974-1977
Jimmy Carter
1977-1981
Ronald
Reagan 1981-1989
Reagan (2024)
Based on the book The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and The Fall of Communism by Paul Kengor [First Published in 2006]. The story of Ronald Reagan with perspectives of from The Soviet Union on Ronald Regan and why he went into politics and as well as going over his important moments of his life from childhood to college student, Hollywood actor, Governer of California and President of The United States of America.
The
Reagan’s (2003)
This
is a TV movie about Ronald Reagan early life and ending with his last day in
office as the US President.
The Day
Reagan Was Shot
(2001)
Based on the true events with John Hinckley shooting President Ronald Reagan and what followed.
George HW Bush 1989-1993
Bill Clinton 1993-2001
George
W Bush 2001-2009
W. (2008)
A biographical film of George W Bush just after his finished his eight years in office.
Barack
Obama 2009-2017
Barry (2016)
The college years of Barack Obama as he attended
Occidental College in Los Angeles.
Southside
With You (2016)
