The year 2005 was the year of “biopics.” Exactly half of all domestic feature films which received a Golden Globe nomination that year were biographical pictures. And the two Best Actor awards went to men who portrayed historical figures: in the drama category, Leonardo DiCaprio for his role as Howard HughesJamie Foxx for his portrayal of R&B giant Ray Charles.

Since the earliest days of cinema, the subgenre of biopics was enormously attractive. Audiences saw countless films about kings and other rulers, such as Henry VIII, Julius Cesar, Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, and Joseph Stalin, as well as queens mostly named Victoria and Elisabeth. Viewers followed the lives of artists like Mozart, Michelangelo or Vincent van Gogh, and of men and women with extraordinary achievements from the worlds of sports, science, or exploration.
Film historian Dennis Bingham, in his 1995 book “Whose Lives Are They Anyway?,” explains the reason for the popularity: “The biopic is a genuine, dynamic genre and an important one — it narrates, exhibits, and celebrates a subject’s life and demonstrates, investigates, or questions his or her importance in the world.”
He concludes with the main reason for our attraction to observe the lives of others: “Ultimately, (the biopic) provides a medium for both artist and spectator to discover what it would be like to be that person.”

That is certainly the case with the nominated movies of 2005. There is the evening’s big winner, Martin Scorsese’s Aviator, depicting the early years of legendary aviator and director Howard Hughes. The film received five nominations, notching wins for Best Film – Drama and Best Original Score to go alongside DiCaprio’s victory.

Then there is Bill Condon’s drama Kinsey. Liam Neeson portrayed Alfred Kinsey, who caused a monumental stir by investigating the elusive mystery of human sexuality. Neeson got a nomination for his role, as did Laura Linney in her role as Kinsey’s free-spirited wife (one of a total of eight Golden Globe nominations for Linney over the years).
Director Marc Foster’s Finding Neverland, starring Johnny Depp as writer J. M. Barrie, focused on his inspirations in the creation of the character Peter Pan, himself the subject of many films. Hotel Rwanda retold the gripping experience of hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina during the horrific struggle against the Hutu militia in Rwanda. Don Cheadle received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance.
And finally, director Taylor Hackford’s music-filled Ray tackled the life story of Ray Charles, from his poor childhood and coping with blindness at a young age to his herculean efforts to overcome his loss of eyesight and his growing success even amid his mounting drug use. It was a masterstroke turn for Foxx, who could bring his own musical chops as a singer and pianist into the role. For his efforts, he was awarded the Golden Globe in the Best Actor – Musical or Comedy category.