What can be the better idea of filming than the life and professional achievements of recognized geniuses? In the world’s history there are lots of such people, but we rarely can see them in movies that were filmed really well. However, there are some of the examples!

Let’s look at the appearances of geniuses of different areas in world cinema, where they were portrayed by well-known actors. At once we will notice that Benedict Cumberbatch is the one who usually plays the roles of geniuses in movies. Take a look for yourself!

1. Nikola Tesla (1856-1943)

Marc Seifer Archive / Warner Bros.
Lantern Entertainment / Passage Pictures

The inventor of Serbian origin that made a great contribution to the production of devices supplied with alternating current.

Shown in films: The Prestige (2006), The Current War (2017) and Tesla (2020).

Played by: David Bowie, Nicholas Hoult and Ethan Hawke.

2. Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Popperfoto / National Geographic

The German, Swiss and American theoretical physicist, Nobel Laureate in Physics (1921).

Shown in series: Genius (2017-…).

Played by: Geoffrey Rush.

3. Stephen Hawking (1942-2018)

The English theoretical physicist, the first to set out a theory of cosmology explained by a union of the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics.

Shown in films: Hawking (2004) and The Theory of Everything (2014).

Played by: Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne.

4. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Barbara Krafft / Riga Film Studio
Mosfilm / The Saul Zaentz Company

The Austrian composer and musician.

Shown in films: Mozart and Salieri (1962), Little Tragedies (the first part of Mozart and Salieri, 1979) and Amadeus (1984).

Played by: Innokenty Smoktunovsky, Valeri Zolotukhin and Tom Hulce.

5. Marie Curie (1867-1934)

StudioCanal

The Polish and French experimental scientist, Nobel Laureate in Physics (1911). One of the first to discover the radioactivity.

Shown in films: Radioactive (2019).

Played by: Rosamund Pike.

6. Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)

aftonbladet-cdn / MGM
RAI / BBC / CBS Films

The Dutch post-impressionist painter, greatly influenced painting of 20th century. Today, his paintings are considered one of the most expensive in the world.

Shown in films: Lust for Life (1956), Vincent & Theo (1990), Van Gogh: Painted with Words (2010), At Eternity’s Gate (2018).

Played by: Kirk Douglas, Tim Roth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Willem Dafoe.

7. John Forbes Nash (1928-2015)

Universal Pictures

The American mathematician, Nobel Laureate in Economy (1994).

Shown in films: A Beautiful Mind (2001).

Played by: Russell Crowe.

8. Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)

nobelprize / Gravier Productions
HBO / Summit Entertainment 

The American writer, Nobel Laureate in Literature (1954).

Shown in films: Midnight in Paris (2011), Hemingway & Gellhorn (2012), Genius (2016).

Played by: Corey Stoll, Clive Owen, Dominic West.

9. Alan Turing (1912-1954)

britannica / Black Bear Pictures

The English mathematician, made a widely recognized contribution to the development of theoretical computer science.

Shown in films: The Imitation Game (2014).

Played by: Benedict Cumberbatch.

10. Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

Matthew Yoh / Dillywood / Universal Pictures

The American businessman and inventor. One of the founders of Apple and Pixar.

Shown in films: Jobs (2013), Steve Jobs (2015).

Played by: Ashton Kutcher, Michael Fassbender.