Was That Funny?: The Comedian Biopic In Film

With the recent news of Mike Epps being slated to play Richard Pryor in the late funny man's upcoming Lee Daniels-helmed biopic, here's a look back at some of Hollywood's cinematic tributes to classic comedians.

Lenny (1974)

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Dustin Hoffman stars as Lenny Bruce in director Bob Fosse's Lenny. After racking up numerous Oscar nominations, in many eyes, Lenny is the quintessential comedian biopic serving as a wonderful look into the mind of the man whom challenged the first amendment so passionately.

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Wired (1989)

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Wired, director Larry Peerce's gritty look at the life of John Belushi, starred a young and green around the ears Michael Chiklis as the wild comedian (above) and came under a great deal of criticism from Belushi's friends and family for being based upon a book about the funny man widely deemed an unfair look at his life. But fear not, fans of Belushi, a brand-new look at the man is being undertaken now by Todd Phillips.

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Chaplin (1992)

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Perhaps Lenny was a better film, but there is probably no better singular depiction of a comedian when his character has been turned off than Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of Charlie Chaplin in Richard Attenborough's Chaplin. Downey captured Chaplin's personality both as his on-screen character, The Tramp, and his off-camera self, a weighty juxtaposition.

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Man On The Moon (1999)

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Jim Carrey's performance as eccentric comedian, Andy Kaufman, in Man On The Moon served to springboard the long-heralded funny man in the serious world of acting in film and allowed viewers a look into the humorous, child-like mind of a great.

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