List of Films Based On Actual Events - 1980s

1980s

• Breaker Morant (1980) — Based on a 1902 incident in the Boer War.
• Coal Miner's Daughter (1980) — Adapted from the autobiographical book by Loretta Lynn and George Vecsey. Directed by Michael Apted.
• The Elephant Man (1980) — Story of Joseph Merrick. Directed by David Lynch.
• Raging Bull (1980) — Based on the life and career of middleweight boxing champ Jake LaMotta, played by Robert De Niro.
• Gallipoli (1981) — Depicts the Anzac battlefield at Gallipoli and the Battle of the Nek on August 7, 1915.
• Mommie Dearest (1981) — Joan Crawford's adopted daughter opens Joan's closet and exposes the wire hangers therein.
• Gandhi (1982) — Biographical film based on the life of Mahatma Gandhi.
• 10 to Midnight (1983) — Parallels the murders committed by Richard Speck. Directed by J. Lee Thompson.
• Cross Creek (1983) — Mary Steenburgen as The Yearling author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. The film is based, in part, on the author's 1942 memoir, "Cross Creek".
• Frances (1983) — Based on the story of actress Frances Farmer who battled the studio system and mental illness.
• Silkwood (1983) — Inspired by the true-life story of Karen Silkwood, who died in a suspicious car accident while investigating alleged wrongdoing at the Kerr-McGee plutonium plant where she worked.
• The Right Stuff (1983) — Based on Tom Wolfe's 1979 book about the test pilots involved in early high-speed aeronautical research and the United States' first attempt at manned spaceflight.
• Adi Shankaracharya (1983)- Sanskrit film based on the life of philosopher Adi Shankaracharya by G. V. Iyer.
• Amadeus (1984) — Adapted by playwright Peter Shaffer; directed by Miloš Forman. Based on the theory that composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was murdered by fellow composer Antonio Salieri.
• The Killing Fields (1984) - Based on the Cambodian civil war
• Marie (1985) — Based on Marie Ragghianti's exposure of the 1970s Tennessee parole board scandals; adapted from the book Marie: A True Story by Peter Maas.
• Out of Africa (1985) — Meryl Streep maintains a lovely home while spinning tales, shooting lions and falling in love with Robert Redford in the story of Karen Blixen's years on her coffee farm in Kenya. Danish accent. Directed by Sydney Pollack.
• Sweet Dreams (1985) — Country music legend Patsy Cline's story, played by Jessica Lange.
• The Falcon and the Snowman (1985) — Based on the story of childhood friends turned traitor spies Christopher Boyce and Andrew Daulton Lee.
• At Close Range (1986) — Based on rural Pennsylvania crime family led by Bruce Johnston, Sr. Directed by James Foley.
• The Delta Force (1986) — Based heavily on the hijacking of TWA Flight 847 in 1985. Directed by Menahem Golan.
• Heartburn (1986) — Based on Nora Ephron's autobiographical novel about the breakup of her marriage to Carl Bernstein.
• Hoosiers (1986) — Based loosely on the 1953-54 Milan High School basketball team, winners of that year's Indiana state H.S. basketball championship despite representing a school of just 160 students.
• The Mission (1986) - The experiences of 18th century Jesuits in South America starring Robert De Niro
• Act of Vengeance (1986) — Based on the Joseph Yablonski Family murders in connection with the United Mine Workers.
• Sid and Nancy (1986) — Based on the relationship of Sex Pistols bassist, Sid Vicious and his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, Sid's drug use, and the controversy surrounding
• Cry Freedom (1987) — Based on the life of South African activist Steve Biko.
• La Bamba (1987) — Based on the real life events that affected the lives of rock star Ritchie Valens, his half-brother Bob Morales, his girlfriend Donna Ludwig and the rest of their families.
• The Last Emperor (1987) — Based on the life of Chinese emperor Pu Yi.
• Matewan (1987) — John Sayles film about a coal miners' strike in the 1920s.
• Nayagan (1987) — Based on the life of Underworld Don Varadarajan Mudaliar.
• Salvador (1986) - The story of an American journalist in El Salvador during the Salvadoran civil war
• The Untouchables (1987) — Loosely based on the 1930s crackdown on Chicago gangster Al Capone by Treasury Department agent Eliot Ness.
• The Accused (1988) — After two trials the 1983 gang rape of Cheryl Araujo at Big Dan's Tavern in New Bedford, Massachusetts is finally avenged. This film frankly addresses unspoken prejudice against rape victims.
• Bird (1988) - Forest Whitaker portrays the troubled life of jazz musician Charlie 'Bird' Parker. Directed by Clint Eastwood.
• A Cry in the Dark (1988) — Meryl Streep plays an unlikeable woman convicted of her child's murder by the court of public opinion. Australian accent. Directed by Fred Schepisi.
• Eight Men Out (1988) - Based on the 1919 Black Sox scandal
• Mississippi Burning (1988) — Based on the FBI investigation following the 1964 slayings of three political activists. Directed by Alan Parker.
• Talk Radio (1988) - Based on the assassination of radio host Alan Berg. Directed by Oliver Stone
• Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988) — The story of Preston Tucker, the maverick car designer and his ill-fated challenge to the auto industry with his revolutionary car concept.
• Casualties of War (1989) — Based on the events of the incident on Hill 192 in 1966 during the Vietnam War.
• Glory (1989) — Based on the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry during the American Civil War. Directed by Edward Zwick.
• My Left Foot (1989) — Story of Christy Brown, disabled Irish writer who could type only with the toes on his left foot.
• Born On The Fourth Of July (1989) - Autobiography of Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic. Directed by Oliver Stone
• A City of Sadness (1989) — Story based on 228 Massacre. It tells the story of a family embroiled in the tragic "White Terror" that was wrought on the Taiwanese people by the Kuomintang government (KMT) after their arrival from mainland China in the late 1940s, during which tens of thousands of Taiwanese were rounded up, shot, and/or sent to prison. The film won the Golden Lion Award (i.e., Best Film Award) at the 1989 Venice Film Festival.
• Full Metal Jacket (1987) - Based on the book The Short-Timers which tells the experience of a soldier during Vietnam war
• White Mischief (1987) — Based on the events of John "Jock" Delves Broughton and the Valley Set in 1940 during WWII.