Movies involving Portrayals of Real Life Teachers
by lishengovender | created - 23 Dec 2017 | updated - 23 Dec 2017 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)
Unrated | 114 min | Drama, Romance
An aged teacher and former headmaster of a boarding school recalls his career and his personal life over the decades.
Directors: Sam Wood, Sidney Franklin | Stars: Robert Donat, Greer Garson, Terry Kilburn, John Mills
Votes: 11,581
W. H. Balgarnie, inspiration for Mr Chippin
2. Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969)
G | 155 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
A shy, withdrawn English schoolteacher falls for a flashy showgirl.
Director: Herbert Ross | Stars: Peter O'Toole, Petula Clark, Michael Redgrave, George Baker
Votes: 3,810 | Gross: $2.55M
W. H. Balgarnie, inspiration for Mr Chippin
3. Goodbye, Mr. Chips (2002 TV Movie)
99 min | Drama
In the later years of the nineteenth century Latin master Mr. Chipping is the mainstay of Brookfields boys boarding school, a good teacher and a kindly person but he is considered to be ... See full summary »
Director: Stuart Orme | Stars: Martin Clunes, Victoria Hamilton, Conleth Hill, John Wood
Votes: 963
W. H. Balgarnie, inspiration for Mr Chippin
4. Beyond the Blackboard (2011 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 95 min | Biography, Drama, Family
A 24-year-old first-time teacher overcomes her initial fears and prejudices and makes a difference in the lives of the homeless children she teaches in a shelter's makeshift classroom.
Director: Jeff Bleckner | Stars: Emily VanCamp, Steve Talley, Timothy Busfield, Julio Oscar Mechoso
Votes: 2,655
Stacey Bess
5. Remember the Titans (2000)
PG | 113 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
In 1971 Virginia high school football was everything to the people of Alexandria. But when the school board was forced to integrate an all-black school with an all-white one, the very foundation of football's tradition was put to the test.
Director: Boaz Yakin | Stars: Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Wood Harris, Ryan Hurst
Votes: 231,796 | Gross: $115.65M
Herman Boone and Bill Yoast, high school football coaches
6. Up the Down Staircase (1967)
Approved | 124 min | Drama
The experiences of a young female English teacher in an inner-city New York high school.
Director: Robert Mulligan | Stars: Patrick Bedford, Sandy Dennis, Eileen Heckart, Ruth White
Votes: 2,477
Sylvia Barrett, new teacher at a New York City high school
7. Without Limits (1998)
PG-13 | 117 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
The life of renowned runner Steve Prefontaine and his relationship with legendary coach Bill Bowerman.
Director: Robert Towne | Stars: Billy Crudup, Donald Sutherland, Monica Potter, Jeremy Sisto
Votes: 7,529 | Gross: $0.78M
Bill Bowerman, track and field coach
8. To Sir, with Love (1967)
Approved | 105 min | Drama
Idealistic engineer-trainee and his experiences in teaching a group of rambunctious white high school students from the slums of London's East End.
Director: James Clavell | Stars: Sidney Poitier, Judy Geeson, Christian Roberts, Suzy Kendall
Votes: 20,399 | Gross: $42.43M
E. R. Braithwaite, British secondary school teacher and visiting professor at Manchester Community College
9. Miracle on Ice (1981 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 150 min | Drama, Sport
The fact-based story of how the U. S. Olympic hockey team beat the Soviets at the 1980 Lake Placid, N. Y., winter Olympics, then went on to win the gold medal.
Director: Steven Hilliard Stern | Stars: Karl Malden, Andrew Stevens, Steve Guttenberg, Jerry Houser
Votes: 670
Herb Brooks, hockey coach
10. Miracle (2004)
PG | 135 min | Biography, Drama, History
The true story of Herb Brooks, the player-turned-coach who led the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team to victory over the seemingly invincible Soviet squad.
Director: Gavin O'Connor | Stars: Kurt Russell, Patricia Clarkson, Nathan West, Noah Emmerich
Votes: 58,862 | Gross: $64.38M
Herb Brooks, hockey coach
11. The Junction Boys (2002 TV Movie)
93 min | Drama, Sport
Story of Bear Bryant's first summer as head football coach at Texas A&M. Bear takes his charges out onto the scorched plains and sees who survives.
Director: Mike Robe | Stars: Tom Berenger, Bernard Curry, Fletcher Humphrys, Ryan Kwanten
Votes: 989
Paul "Bear" Bryant, American football coach
12. Coach Carter (2005)
PG-13 | 136 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Controversy surrounds high school basketball coach Ken Carter after he benches his entire team for breaking their academic contract with him.
Director: Thomas Carter | Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Rick Gonzalez, Robert Ri'chard, Rob Brown
Votes: 171,776 | Gross: $67.26M
Ken Carter, education activist and former high school basketball coach
13. Racing for Time (2008 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 86 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
From Emmy-winning director and actor Charles S. Dutton, comes the true story of a guard (Dutton) at a Teen Correctional Facility-- who saw the cycle of destructive choices and racial ... See full summary »
Director: Charles S. Dutton | Stars: Charles S. Dutton, Yaya DaCosta, Zulay Henao, Alessandra Ford Balazs
Votes: 259
Noel Chestnut, track team coach and prison guard
14. Lean on Me (1989)
PG-13 | 108 min | Drama
The dedicated but tyrannical Joe Clark is appointed the principal of a decaying inner-city school he is determined to improve by any and all means.
Director: John G. Avildsen | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Beverly Todd, Robert Guillaume, Alan North
Votes: 22,967 | Gross: $31.91M
Joe Louis Clark, high school principal
15. The Ron Clark Story (2006 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 90 min | Biography, Drama
A small-town teacher relocates to one of the country's toughest classrooms.
Director: Randa Haines | Stars: Matthew Perry, Judith Buchan, Griffin Cork, Jerry Callaghan
Votes: 12,363
Ron Clark
16. The Marva Collins Story (1981 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 100 min | Biography, Drama
In this touching story, a dedicated African-American teacher in an inner-city school in the midwestern United States facing tough odds helps inner-city children to succeed. Meanwhile, she ... See full summary »
Director: Peter Levin | Stars: Cicely Tyson, Morgan Freeman, Rodrick F. Wimberly, Mashaune Hardy
Votes: 306
Marva Collins, American educator who in 1975 started Westside Preparatory School in the impoverished Garfield Park neighborhood of Chicago
17. Conrack (1974)
PG | 106 min | Drama
The true story of Pat Conroy, a handsome, idealistic Caucasian who is an elementary-school instructor for a group of poor Black children in an isolated school.
Director: Martin Ritt | Stars: Jon Voight, Paul Winfield, Madge Sinclair, Tina Andrews
Votes: 2,290
Pat Conroy, teacher and later writer
18. The Water Is Wide (2006 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 100 min | Drama
Pat Conroy, an ambitious, slightly rebellious, idealistic teacher, accepts Beaumont County South Carolina's school board superintendent's offer to teach the all-black kids of the pauper ... See full summary »
Director: John Kent Harrison | Stars: Jeff Hephner, Frank Langella, Julianne Nicholson, LaTanya Richardson Jackson
Votes: 460
Pat Conroy, teacher and later writer
19. The Corn Is Green (1945)
Approved | 115 min | Drama
A schoolteacher becomes the mentor of a talented young miner and seeks to get him into a university.
Director: Irving Rapper | Stars: Bette Davis, John Dall, Nigel Bruce, Rhys Williams
Votes: 3,217
Sarah Grace Cooke, on whom the character Miss Moffatt was closely modeled
20. The Corn Is Green (1979 TV Movie)
93 min | Drama
A strong-willed teacher, determined to educate the poor and illiterate youth of an impoverished Welsh village, discovers one student whom she believes to have the seeds of genius in him.
Director: George Cukor | Stars: Katharine Hepburn, Ian Saynor, Bill Fraser, Patricia Hayes
Votes: 649
Sarah Grace Cooke, on whom the character Miss Moffatt was closely modeled
21. Blackboard Jungle (1955)
Approved | 101 min | Crime, Drama
A new English teacher at a violent, unruly inner-city school is determined to do his job, despite resistance from both students and faculty.
Director: Richard Brooks | Stars: Glenn Ford, Anne Francis, Louis Calhern, Margaret Hayes
Votes: 9,872
Richard Dadier, English teacher
22. We Are Marshall (2006)
PG | 131 min | Drama, Sport
When a plane crash claims the lives of members of the Marshall University football team and some of its fans, the team's new coach and his surviving players try to keep the football program alive.
Director: McG | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Matthew Fox, Anthony Mackie, David Strathairn
Votes: 64,805 | Gross: $43.55M
Jack Lengyel, coach & William "Red" Dawson, assistant coach of Marshall University Thundering Herd football
23. Prefontaine (1997)
PG-13 | 106 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
Based on the life of Olympic hopeful Steve Prefontaine, a long distance runner who lived in Oregon and died young.
Director: Steve James | Stars: Jared Leto, R. Lee Ermey, Ed O'Neill, Breckin Meyer
Votes: 7,665 | Gross: $0.53M
Bill Dellinger, assistant track and field coach
24. Take the Lead (2006)
PG-13 | 118 min | Drama, Music
A dance teacher offers to conduct detention for a group of misfit students by teaching them ballroom dancing. He overcomes their insecurities and prejudices, to enter them in a dance competition.
Director: Liz Friedlander | Stars: Antonio Banderas, Rob Brown, Yaya DaCosta, Alfre Woodard
Votes: 26,649 | Gross: $34.74M
Pierre Dulaine, dancer and dance educator
25. Pride (2007)
PG | 104 min | Drama, Sport
The determined Jim Ellis starts a swim team for troubled teens at the Philadelphia Department of Recreation.
Director: Sunu Gonera | Stars: Terrence Howard, Bernie Mac, Kimberly Elise, Tom Arnold
Votes: 6,896 | Gross: $7.04M
Jim Ellis, swimming coach
26. Stand and Deliver (1988)
PG | 103 min | Biography, Drama
The story of Jaime Escalante, a high school teacher who successfully inspired his dropout-prone students to learn calculus.
Director: Ramón Menéndez | Stars: Edward James Olmos, Estelle Harris, Mark Phelan, Virginia Paris
Votes: 22,314 | Gross: $13.99M
Jaime Escalante, high school math teacher
27. Friday Night Lights (2004)
PG-13 | 118 min | Action, Drama, Sport
Based on H.G. Bissinger's book, which profiled the economically depressed town of Odessa, Texas and their heroic high school football team, The Permian High Panthers.
Director: Peter Berg | Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Jay Hernandez, Derek Luke, Lucas Black
Votes: 66,814 | Gross: $61.26M
Gary Gaines, football coach
28. Fighting the Odds: The Marilyn Gambrell Story (2005 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 120 min | Biography, Drama
Based on a true story, former parole officer Marilyn Gambrell and a colleague set up a pioneer trial-based program in one of America's toughest high schools to help the children of ... See full summary »
Director: Andy Wolk | Stars: Jami Gertz, Ernie Hudson, Eugene Clark, Sicily Johnson
Votes: 405
Marilyn Gambrell, parole officer-turned high school teacher
29. Freedom Writers (2007)
PG-13 | 123 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A young teacher inspires her class of at-risk students to learn tolerance, apply themselves and pursue education beyond high school.
Director: Richard LaGravenese | Stars: Hilary Swank, Imelda Staunton, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Glenn
Votes: 85,339 | Gross: $36.61M
Erin Gruwell, high school teacher
30. Music of the Heart (1999)
PG | 124 min | Drama, Music
After Roberta Guaspari separates from her husband, she receives encouragement from her mother to take up a job of a music teacher at the Central Park East School in East Harlem.
Director: Wes Craven | Stars: Meryl Streep, Cloris Leachman, Henry Dinhofer, Michael Angarano
Votes: 13,326 | Gross: $14.86M
Roberta Guaspari, music teacher and violinist
31. Glory Road (2006)
PG | 118 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
In 1966, Texas Western coach Don Haskins led the first all-black starting line-up for a college basketball team to the NCAA national championship.
Director: James Gartner | Stars: Josh Lucas, Derek Luke, Austin Nichols, Jon Voight
Votes: 48,805 | Gross: $42.64M
Don Haskins, American collegiate basketball coach
32. Dangerous Minds (1995)
R | 99 min | Biography, Drama
LouAnne, a retired US marine, becomes a teacher in a Californian high school. But her mostly Latino and black students from an impoverished and racially segregated locality do not easily embrace her.
Director: John N. Smith | Stars: Michelle Pfeiffer, George Dzundza, Courtney B. Vance, Robin Bartlett
Votes: 57,046 | Gross: $84.92M
LouAnne Johnson, teacher and retired United States Marine
33. Radio (2003)
PG | 109 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
The story of a high school coach and the developmentally challenged man who he took under his wing.
Director: Michael Tollin | Stars: Cuba Gooding Jr., Ed Harris, Debra Winger, S. Epatha Merkerson
Votes: 43,971 | Gross: $52.33M
Harold Jones, T.L. Hanna High School, football coach
34. Anna and the King of Siam (1946)
Passed | 128 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
In 1862, a young Englishwoman becomes royal tutor in Siam and befriends the King.
Director: John Cromwell | Stars: Irene Dunne, Rex Harrison, Linda Darnell, Lee J. Cobb
Votes: 2,633
Anna Leonowens, teacher and tutor to the children of Mongkut, King of Siam
35. Anna and the King (1999)
PG-13 | 148 min | Drama, History, Romance
The story of the romance between the King of Siam and widowed British schoolteacher, Anna Leonowens, during the 1860s.
Director: Andy Tennant | Stars: Jodie Foster, Chow Yun-Fat, Bai Ling, Tom Felton
Votes: 38,967 | Gross: $39.26M
Anna Leonowens, teacher and tutor to the children of Mongkut, King of Siam
36. The King and I (1956)
G | 133 min | Biography, Drama, Musical
A widow accepts a job as a live-in governess to the King of Siam's children.
Director: Walter Lang | Stars: Yul Brynner, Deborah Kerr, Rita Moreno, Martin Benson
Votes: 27,908 | Gross: $21.30M
Anna Leonowens, teacher and tutor to the children of Mongkut, King of Siam
37. The King and I (1999)
G | 88 min | Animation, Family, Fantasy
Traveling to the exotic kingdom of Siam, English schoolteacher Anna Leonowens soon discovers that her most difficult challenge is the stubborn, imperious King himself.
Director: Richard Rich | Stars: Miranda Richardson, Martin Vidnovic, Christiane Noll, Ian Richardson
Votes: 4,305 | Gross: $11.96M
Anna Leonowens, teacher and tutor to the children of Mongkut, King of Siam
38. The George McKenna Story (1986 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 100 min | Biography, Drama
He risked it all to make the grade.
Director: Eric Laneuville | Stars: Denzel Washington, Lynn Whitfield, Akosua Busia, Richard Masur
Votes: 1,076
George McKenna, educator, teacher, administrator, and superintendent
39. The Rookie (2002)
G | 127 min | Drama, Family, Sport
A Texas baseball coach makes the major league after agreeing to try out if his high school team made the playoffs.
Director: John Lee Hancock | Stars: Dennis Quaid, JD Evermore, Rachel Griffiths, Jay Hernandez
Votes: 37,141 | Gross: $75.60M
Jim Morris, high school science teacher and baseball coach who became a major league baseball player after his students encouraged him to try out
40. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
PG-13 | 135 min | Biography, Drama, Mystery
A mathematical genius, John Nash made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a harrowing journey of self-discovery.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher Plummer
Votes: 986,341 | Gross: $170.74M
John Forbes Nash, Jr., mathematics professor at MIT and Princeton
41. The Fighter (I) (2010)
R | 116 min | Action, Biography, Drama
Based on the story of Micky Ward, a fledgling boxer who tries to escape the shadow of his more famous but troubled older boxing brother and get his own shot at greatness.
Director: David O. Russell | Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo
Votes: 388,710 | Gross: $93.62M
Mickey O'Keefe, boxing coach and police sergeant portraying himself
42. Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)
PG | 109 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
A prepubescent chess prodigy is encouraged to harden himself in order to become a champion like the famous but unlikable Bobby Fischer.
Director: Steven Zaillian | Stars: Joe Mantegna, Ben Kingsley, Max Pomeranc, Joan Allen
Votes: 42,395 | Gross: $7.27M
Bruce Pandolfini, chess master who instructed young prodigy Joshua Waitzkin
43. Dead Poets Society (1989)
PG | 128 min | Comedy, Drama
Maverick teacher John Keating returns in 1959 to the prestigious New England boys' boarding school where he was once a star student, using poetry to embolden his pupils to new heights of self-expression.
Director: Peter Weir | Stars: Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke, Josh Charles
Votes: 545,330 | Gross: $95.86M
Samuel F. Pickering, Jr., English professor
44. Gridiron Gang (2006)
PG-13 | 125 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Teenagers at a juvenile detention center, under the leadership of their counselor, gain self-esteem by playing football together.
Director: Phil Joanou | Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Xzibit, L. Scott Caldwell, Leon Rippy
Votes: 80,644 | Gross: $38.43M
Sean Porter, Kilpatrick Mustangs, coach and prison guard
45. October Sky (1999)
PG | 108 min | Biography, Drama, Family
The true story of Homer Hickam, a coal miner's son who was inspired by the first Sputnik launch to take up rocketry against his father's wishes.
Director: Joe Johnston | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, Laura Dern, Chris Owen
Votes: 97,837 | Gross: $32.48M
Freida J. Riley, teacher who inspired a love for science and mathematics in her rural West Virginia high school students, particularly future NASA engineer Homer Hickam
46. Knute Rockne All American (1940)
Approved | 98 min | Biography, Drama, Family
The story of legendary Notre Dame football player and coach Knute Rockne.
Directors: Lloyd Bacon, William K. Howard | Stars: Pat O'Brien, Gale Page, Ronald Reagan, Donald Crisp
Votes: 2,154
Knute Rockne, football coach
47. The Express (2008)
PG | 130 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
A drama based on the life of college football hero Ernie Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy.
Director: Gary Fleder | Stars: Rob Brown, Dennis Quaid, Clancy Brown, Darrin Dewitt Henson
Votes: 22,862 | Gross: $9.59M
Ben Schwartzwalder, football coach
48. From the Rough (2013)
PG | 97 min | Drama, Sport
Tennessee State University's new female golf coach assembles a team of international misfits for the PGA Minority Collegiate Championship.
Director: Pierre Bagley | Stars: Taraji P. Henson, Tom Felton, Michael Clarke Duncan, Henry Simmons
Votes: 1,073
Catana Starks, former Tennessee State Tigers swim coach, who became the first woman ever to coach a college men's golf team
49. Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993)
PG | 107 min | Comedy, Family, Music
Showgirl Deloris Van Cartier returns as Sister Mary Clarence to teach music to a group of Catholic students whose run-down school is slated for closure.
Director: Bill Duke | Stars: Whoopi Goldberg, Kathy Najimy, Maggie Smith, Barnard Hughes
Votes: 58,449 | Gross: $57.32M
Iris Stevenson, award-winning choir instructor
50. The Miracle Worker (1962)
Approved | 106 min | Biography, Drama
The story of Anne Sullivan's struggle to teach the blind and deaf Helen Keller how to communicate.
Director: Arthur Penn | Stars: Anne Bancroft, Patty Duke, Victor Jory, Inga Swenson
Votes: 20,494 | Gross: $5.45M
Anne Sullivan, teacher and mentor to Helen Keller, a blind and deaf girl
51. The Miracle Worker (1979 TV Movie)
Unrated | 98 min | Biography, Drama
Devoted teacher Anne Sullivan leads deaf and blind Helen Keller into the light of learnedness.
Director: Paul Aaron | Stars: Patty Duke, Diana Muldaur, Charles Siebert, Anne Seymour
Votes: 758
Anne Sullivan, teacher and mentor to Helen Keller, a blind and deaf girl
52. The Great Debaters (2007)
PG-13 | 126 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
A drama based on the true story of Melvin B. Tolson, a professor at Wiley College Texas. In 1935, he inspired students to form the school's first debate team, which went on to challenge Harvard in the national championship.
Director: Denzel Washington | Stars: Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, Kimberly Elise, Nate Parker
Votes: 62,837 | Gross: $30.23M
Melvin B. Tolson, debating coach and teacher
53. Never Give Up: The Jimmy V Story (1996 TV Movie)
90 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
The biography of Jimmy Valvano, American sports reporter and basketball coach, who died of cancer in 1993.
Director: Marcus Cole | Stars: Anthony LaPaglia, Ashley Crow, Ronny Cox, Wendell Pierce
Votes: 60
Jim Valvano, basketball coach
54. Invincible (2006)
PG | 105 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Based on the story of Vince Papale, a 30-year-old bartender from South Philadelphia who overcame long odds to play for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles in 1976.
Director: Ericson Core | Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear, Elizabeth Banks, Kevin Conway
Votes: 75,299 | Gross: $57.81M
Dick Vermeil, football coach
55. McFarland, USA (2015)
PG | 129 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Jim White moves his family after losing his last job as a football coach, and at his new school he turns seven disappointing students into one of the best cross-country teams in the region.
Director: Niki Caro | Stars: Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, Ramiro Rodriguez, Carlos Pratts
Votes: 42,214 | Gross: $44.47M
Jim White, high school cross country coach at McFarland High School
56. Hoosiers (1986)
PG | 114 min | Drama, Sport
A coach with a checkered past and a local drunk train a small-town high school basketball team to become a top contender for the state championship in 1950s Indiana.
Director: David Anspaugh | Stars: Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey, Dennis Hopper, Sheb Wooley
Votes: 51,039 | Gross: $28.61M
Marvin Wood, basketball coach portrayed as Norman Dale
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