http://www.history.com/photos/academy-awards Like "The King's Speech" and "The Social Network," movies about real people and actual historical events win big at the Academy Awards. en Copyright 2013, History.com Sat, 25 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT History.com 2013-05-25T04:00:00Z en Copyright 2013, History.com http://www.history.com/photos/academy-awards/photo1 Based on a novel by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall that chronicles the true tale of a 1789 mutiny aboard the British ship Bounty, this early Best Picture winner stars Clark Gable as the rebel Fletcher Christian and Charles Laughton as the vessel's hapless captain, William Bligh. http://www.history.com/photos/academy-awards/photo1 http://www.history.com/photos/academy-awards/photo2 Featuring Paul Muni as Zola, this biopic follows the career of the influential French writer from his early days exposing the dark underbelly of Parisian life to his involvement in the Dreyfus affair. http://www.history.com/photos/academy-awards/photo2 http://www.history.com/photos/academy-awards/photo3 Featuring Peter O'Toole in the title role, this British epic depicts the exploits of Thomas Edward Lawrence, a British officer, scholar and adventurer remembered for his participation in the Arab Revolt against the Ottomans from 1916 to 1918. http://www.history.com/photos/academy-awards/photo3 http://www.history.com/photos/academy-awards/photo4 One of the top three box office hits of all time, this classic film starring Julie Andrews was based on the Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was inspired by "The Story of the Trapp Family Singers," a memoir by the real-life Maria von Trapp. http://www.history.com/photos/academy-awards/photo4 http://www.history.com/photos/academy-awards/photo5 This timeless biopic focuses on the battlefield experiences and complex persona of the controversial World War II commander George S. Patton, played by George C. Scott. http://www.history.com/photos/academy-awards/photo5 http://www.history.com/photos/academy-awards/photo6 Starring Ben Kingsley as Mahatma Gandhi, the movie opens with the Indian leader's assassination and flashes back to key moments in his life, including the nonviolent campaign he led to achieve civil rights for Indians in South Africa and the fight for Indian independence from the British. http://www.history.com/photos/academy-awards/photo6 http://www.history.com/photos/academy-awards/photo7 Adapted from the screenwriter Peter Shaffer's earlier stage play, this highly fictionalized biopic stars Tom Hulce as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and F. Murray Abraham as Antonio Salieri, a fellow composer and acquaintance who also narrates the film. Both actors are pictured here. http://www.history.com/photos/academy-awards/photo7 http://www.history.com/photos/academy-awards/photo8 This film tells the story of Oskar Schindler, who saved the lives of an estimated 1,200 Jews by employing them in his enamelware and munitions factories. It was directed by Steven Spielberg, pictured here with survivors of the Holocaust rescued by Schindler. http://www.history.com/photos/academy-awards/photo8 http://www.history.com/photos/academy-awards/photo9 In this epic blockbuster, Mel Gibson stars as William Wallace, the Scottish hero who fought against English oppression until his brutal execution in 1305. http://www.history.com/photos/academy-awards/photo9