30 Lifetime Movies Based on True Stories (2024)

Some are inspiring. Some are powerful. And some are just so outrageous you won't believe they are based on a true story.

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    Prosecuting Casey Anthony

    This true-crime drama starring Rob Lowe as Jeff Ashton, the prosecutor in the infamous Casey Anthony murder trial, provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the prosecution’s case against Anthony and what led to the controversial verdict.

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    Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story

    Overcoming impossible odds—negligent drug-addict parents, an abusive grandfather, and homelessness—Liz Murray finished high school in two years and won a scholarship to Harvard University through an essay contest sponsored by the New York Times. This adaptation stars “Now and Then”’s Thora Birch as Murray.

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    Taken in Broad Daylight

    17-year-old Anne slu*ti was abducted in broad daylight and held captive for six days before narrowly escaping. The movie version features James Van Der Beek as slu*ti’s abductor and Levar Burton as a heroic cop hot on their trail.

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    William & Kate

    Originally broadcast just a few days before the actual couple married, this film tells the true story of England’s Prince William and Kate Middleton courtship and engagement — a real-life fairy tale.

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    Natalee Holloway

    In 2005, 18-year-old Natalee disappeared while on vacation in Aruba. Based on her mother Beth Holloway’s book “Loving Natalee,” the film depicts the events leading up to Natalee’s disappearance and the frenzied investigation that followed.

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    Britney Ever After

    Curious about Britney Spears’ rise and fall — and redemptive arc? Look no further than this two-hour chronicle, which covers Spears’ staggering ascent to pop icon status, the implosion of her personal life and downward mental health spiral, and her steady recovery ever since.

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    Anna Nicole

    Anna Nicole Smith’s tragic real life — from small-town single mother and dancer to world-famous Playboy centerfold struggling with drug and alcohol addiction — is explored in this sympathetic biopic.

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    Mendez: The Blood Brothers

    When entertainment mogul Jose Menendez and his wife Kitty were murdered by their sons Lyle and Erik in 1989, the sensational trial gripped a scandalized America. This movie, starring Courtney Love and Nico Tortorella, delves into the abuse suffered by the infamous brothers and the motives behind their crimes.

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    Who is Clark Rockefeller?

    This twist-filled drama features Eric McCormack as a German con artist who throughout his life impersonated many people, including an advisor to the Pentagon, a talk show host, and a member of the Rockefeller family.

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    Magic Beyond Words: The JK Rowling Story

    Based on Sean Smith’s “J.K. Rowling: A Biography,” this biopic charts the “Harry Potter” author’s inspirational rise from struggling single mother to beloved household name.

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    Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy

    Starring Hayden Panettiere as Amanda Knox, this true-crime drama is based on the murder of Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy, and the subsequent trials of Knox and her Italian boyfriend for the crime.

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    Coco Chanel

    Chronicling legendary fashion designer Coco Chanel’s astonishing life and enduring style legacy, this biopic stars Shirley MacLaine, who received an Emmy nomination for her performance as Chanel.

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    Cries Unheard: The Donna Yaklich Story

    After years of suffering at his hand, Donna Yaklich murdered her abusive, steroid-addicted husband. The ensuing trial and her conviction were the focus of a media circus. This film recounts her harrowing story through flashbacks narrated by her character to the son she loves dearly.

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    The Two Mr. Kissels

    Told primarily through vivid flashbacks and interviews, this drama recounts the lurid details surrounding the murders of Andrew and Robert Kissel, two real-life brothers neck-deep in dirty deeds. Starring John Stamos and Anson Mount as the titular brothers.

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    Pregnancy Pact

    In 2008, a group of female high school students in Gloucester, Massachusetts, allegedly made a pact to get pregnant at the same time and raise their children as a group. This take on the story stars Thora Birch and Camryn Manheim.

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    Girl in the Box

    In 1977, 20-year-old Colleen Stan was kidnapped while hitchhiking by a young couple who held her prisoner for seven years in a coffin-sized box, letting her out only to watch their children and participate in violent, sad*stic sex. This dark psychological drama is not for the faint of heart.

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    Liz & Dick

    Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were one of Hollywood’s most fabled couples, and their tempestuous, passionate relationship is chronicled in this fittingly over-the-top biopic — featuring none other than Lindsay Lohan, an equally fabulous figure.

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    Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story

    The heart-pounding true story of Tiffany Rubin’s rescue of her kidnapped 7-year-old son — who’d been taken from his home in Queens to Seoul, South Korea in 2008 — is captured in this gripping drama, with an impassioned performance from a pre-“Empire” Taraji P. Henson.

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    Gracie's Choice

    Kristen Bell and Anne Heche star in this emotional drama, inspired by actual events, about a 16-year-old girl struggling to provide for her younger siblings while their drug-addicted mother self-destructs and lands in jail. Heche was Emmy-nominated for her performance.

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    Drew Peterson: Untouchable

    Rob Lowe returns to Lifetime as Drew Peterson, the infamous, womanizing Chicago police officer accused of murdering his third wife after his fourth goes missing in a disappearance that remains unsolved. The movie also features Kaley Cuoco as Stacy Peterson, the missing fourth wife.

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    Abducted: The Carlina White Story

    A young woman who was abducted as a baby from a New York hospital solves her own story and goes on to find her biological parents.

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    The Real MVP: The Wanda Durant Story

    The inspiring true story of Wanda Durant, a single mother who selflessly put aside her own dreams and desires to allow her son to have his, making him the NBA's Most Valuable Player: Kevin Durant.

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    Who Killed JonBenet?

    The murder of six-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey in 1996 is still unsolved, but recently surfaced information could potentially confirm what really happened.

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    I Am Elizabeth Smart

    A harrowing kidnapping story of Elizabeth Smart by a religious fanatic who held her captive for nine months, narrated by Elizabeth herself.

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    Girl in the Bunker

    A young woman is kidnapped and held inside an underground bunker by a man disguised as a sheriff deputy. In order to survive, she takes matters into her own hands.

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    Betty and Coretta

    After the tragic assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, their wives Betty and Coretta take on life by inheriting the mantle of the civil rights movement as single mothers.

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    Cocaine Godmother: The Griselda Blanco Story

    After moving to the U.S at the age of 17, Griselda Blanco embarks on a life full of drugs and crime making her Miami’s biggest drug lord and cocaine trade pioneer, nicknamed The Black Widow.

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    A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story

    This documentary follows the life of Lizzie Velasquez who weighing 58 pounds due to a rare syndrome goes from a cyber-bullying victim to an anti-bullying activist.

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    Flint

    A retelling of the biggest environmental crisis of our generation that shook the nation while highlighting the whistle-blowers who exposed it all.

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    Oscar Pistorius: Blade Runner Killer

    A Paralympic champion and the Olympic's first double-leg amputee participant was quickly a crowd favorite, but that all changed when his super model girlfriend is murdered on Valentine's Day.

30 Lifetime Movies Based on True Stories (31)

To watch Lifetime movies based on true stories, check out the Lifetime Movie Club.

30 Lifetime Movies Based on True Stories (2024)

FAQs

Which Lifetime movies are based on true stories? ›

Lifetime movies - based on true story
  • The Capture of the Green River Killer (2008) ...
  • Taken in Broad Daylight (2009 TV Movie) ...
  • Held Hostage (2009 TV Movie) ...
  • Happy Face Killer (2014 TV Movie) ...
  • Who Is Clark Rockefeller? ( ...
  • Drew Peterson: Untouchable (2012 TV Movie) ...
  • Prosecuting Casey Anthony (2013 TV Movie)

Who was the girl abducted in the movie lifetime? ›

The Lifetime Original Movie “ABDUCTED: The Carlina White Story”, starring Aunjanue Ellis (“The Help”), Keke Palmer (“True Jackson”, “VP”), and Emmy® Award winner Sherri Shepherd (“The View”) is based on a remarkable true story of the kidnapping of Carlina White (Palmer), who was abducted as an infant by Ann Pettway ( ...

How many lifetime original movies are there? ›

What is a movie about the life of a real person? ›

A biographical film or biopic (/ˈbaɪoʊpɪk/) is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people.

What is the most accurate movie based on a true story? ›

1. All the President's Men (1976) Wait, you're telling us Watergate is an actual thing that happened, and in 1974 two reporters really did take down a sitting US president?

What TV series are based on true events? ›

So, while most of these shows may spook or disturb you, they also renew your appreciation for all the good things in the world.
  1. 1 Narcos (2015)
  2. 2 Unbelievable (2019) ...
  3. 3 Landscapers (2021) ...
  4. 4 When They See Us (2019) ...
  5. 5 Alias Grace (2017) ...
  6. 6 I am the Night (2019) ...
  7. 7 Dr. ...
  8. 8 Des (2020) ...
Jun 1, 2023

What girl was kidnapped and found years later? ›

Elizabeth Smart was just 14 when she was kidnapped from her bedroom in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2002. She was found nine months later about 18 miles away from her home with her abductors. Now, nearly 20 years after she was rescued on March 12, 2003, Smart said she no longer feels fear as she marks her rescue.

What girl was abducted and found years later? ›

Kayla Unbehaun found in North Carolina 6 years after abduction, recognized from 'Unsolved Mysteries' A girl who was abducted six years ago in Illinois by her non-custodial mother has been found safe in North Carolina.

What movie is the girl locked in a shed for 7 years? ›

Room is a 2015 drama film directed by Lenny Abrahamson and written by Emma Donoghue, based on her 2010 novel of the same name. It stars Brie Larson as a young woman who has been held captive for seven years and whose five-year-old son (Jacob Tremblay) was born in captivity.

What is the oldest existing movie? ›

Roundhay Garden Scene is a short silent motion picture filmed by French inventor Louis Le Prince at Oakwood Grange in Roundhay, Leeds, in northern England on 14 October 1888. It is believed to be the oldest surviving film.

What was the very first lifetime movie? ›

Lifetime's first-ever film, “Memories of a Murder,” starring Nancy Allen, set the tone for the many dramatic Lifetime movie plots to come. Allen plays a wife and stepmom who hits her head, gets amnesia and forgets that a psychopath is trying to murder her family.

What is the most original movie? ›

The 20 Most Original Movies of All Time
  • 8 Mulholland Drive (2001)
  • 7 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
  • 6 The Wizard of Oz (1939)
  • 5 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
  • 4 Pulp Fiction (1994)
  • 3 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
  • 2 The Truman Show (1998)
  • 1 Memento (2000)
Jun 16, 2023

What movie counts down your life? ›

Amanda Seyfried and Justin Timberlake star as inhabitants of a society which uses time from one's lifespan as its primary currency, with each individual possessing a clock on their arm that counts down how long they have to live.

What is the best film to exist? ›

Best movies of all time
  1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Film. Science fiction. ...
  2. The Godfather (1972) Film. Thrillers. ...
  3. Citizen Kane (1941) Film. ...
  4. Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975) Film. ...
  5. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Film. ...
  6. La Dolce Vita (1960) Film. ...
  7. Seven Samurai (1954) Film. ...
  8. In the Mood for Love (2000) Film.
Jul 28, 2023

What is the movie about living in a fake reality? ›

The Truman Show
Directed byPeter Weir
Written byAndrew Niccol
Produced byScott Rudin Andrew Niccol Edward S. Feldman Adam Schroeder
StarringJim Carrey Laura Linney Noah Emmerich Natascha McElhone Holland Taylor Ed Harris
12 more rows

Which Tom Hanks films are based on true stories? ›

7 Tom Hanks Movies Based On True Stories
  • This list is originally published on True Story Movie Blog.
  • Saving Private Ryan ( 1998 )
  • Catch Me If You Can ( 2002 )
  • Charlie Wilson's War ( 2007 )
  • Captain Phillips ( 2013 )
  • Apollo 13 ( 1995 )
  • Saving Mr. Banks.
  • A League of Their Own ( 1992 )

How many wrong Lifetime movies are there? ›

The Wrong... is an American thriller television thriller film series starring and produced by Vivica A. Fox for Lifetime. The series was produced by Hybrid Films, and directed by David DeCoteau. More than 25 movies were produced between 2016 and 2021.

Is All My Life on Netflix Based on a true story? ›

All My Life is a 2020 American romantic drama film directed by Marc Meyers, from a screenplay by Todd Rosenberg, based on the true story of Solomon Chau and Jennifer Carter, a young couple that rushes to put their wedding together after Solomon is diagnosed with liver cancer.

What lifetime movie is about a life coach? ›

In the film “How to Live Your Best Death,” a woman named Kristin hires a life coach to help improve her life, love and work. But the coach, named Ashley, becomes abnormally focused on Kristin's life. Ashley turns out to be psychotic.

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