Biographies

The lives you think you know may have backstories you haven't heard; explore the biographies of the famous and infamous in this collection.

  • Original
    • E5
    • 51m
    • 94%
    • 4K

    Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast, is the world’s first digital philanthropist. After becoming obsessed with YouTube at a young age, Jimmy built a viral video empire based on the joy he gets from helping others.

  • Original
    • 15m
    • 95%

    Before they led America through national crises, Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson were all transformed by personal trauma. Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin reveals the all too human men who became legends.

    • 51m
    • 97%

    A complex and complicated artist, Georges Remi created one of the most famous characters in the world, Tintin, for young readers. With exceptional access to the archives of Studios Hergé and Moulinsart, this program looks at Remi's life and the way he changed the art of comic strips.

  • Original
    • E5
    • 3m
    • 97%

    Pulitzer prize-winning historian David McCullough explores how the Wright Brothers achieved the impossible -- and did it without formal education, government support or powerful friends.

    • 56m
    • 94%

    We draw upon Philip K. Dick’s work as well as various cinematographic adaptations of his novels in order to illustrate the extent to which K. Dick’s oeuvre foretold the world that has become our own today. We will take the viewer on a fascinating journey to discover this extraordinary writer.

    • 1h 14m
    • 91%

    This documentary feature chronicles the amazing life story of Joseph Greenstein, “The Mighty Atom – Strongest Man In The World”. Given a death sentence as a young child, standing only 5’4”, Greenstein would go on to create and master unusual feats of strength.

    • 1h 32m
    • 94%

    The incredible true story of the renowned magician turned skeptic and exposer of frauds and hoaxes, James "The Amazing" Randi.

    • 52m
    • 95%

    When Martin Luther nailed his 95 ‘points for discussion’ to Wittenberg’s Castle Church, his quiet life exploded into international confrontation, an argument with the Pope, and ultimately, the Protestant Reformation.

    • 1h 2m
    • 91%

    Go beyond the legends and clichés to discover the real St. Patrick: a fifth-century Christian who was brought to Ireland as a slave, where he labored six long years before finally escaping, only to voluntarily return to bring his message of peace to the Irish people.

  • Original
    • 1h 32m
    • 91%

    Widely regarded as the first woman of African American descent to have a pilot’s license, Bessie Coleman soared across the sky. Her goal was to encourage women and African Americans to reach their dreams. Unfortunately, her career ended with a tragic plane crash, but her legacy lives on.

  • Original
    • 27m
    • 94%

    It took an extraordinary set of circumstances to bring Abraham Lincoln to the White House. Violence in the streets... and in the U.S. capital. Dueling Newspapers. An unpredictable election with four main candidates, and an obscure frontier lawyer destined for greatness.

    • 48m
    • 90%

    In 2013, Edward Snowden, an IT subcontractor working for the American signals intelligence agency, the NSA, traveled to Hong Kong to leak thousands of classified US documents on domestic data collection to a group of journalists.

    • 49m
    • 97%

    John Philip Holland was the Irish-born inventor of the modern submarine. A mild-mannered teacher, he created one of the most formidable modern weapons of war. An Irish patriot, whose first working submarines were funded by Irish revolutionaries, he later developed the first US and British submarines

    • 50m
    • 92%

    In 2011, US-troops killed the leader of Al-Qaeda and recovered documents and hard drives. This material is now available and offers a new perspective on Osama Bin Laden.

    • 1h 30m
    • 90%

    Napoleon Bonaparte met with diplomat Metternich, known as Austria’s “strong man” and the Emperor’s closest confidant. This fateful showdown between two of the most powerful men of this time period marked the beginning of the end for Napoleon.

  • Original
    • 43m
    • 90%

    In 2003 Vladimir Putin publicly caged and exiled the richest man in Russia. When Oligarchs asked how to avoid that fate, Putin responded: “50 percent.” In one bold stroke, Putin spread fear and consolidated his power. The inside story of Russia’s super-rich and the man who rules over them.

  • Original
    • 1h 31m
    • 84%

    Dean Reed’s story is the story of a wild and changing world. Through the prism of his life, we witness global youth rebellion, revolutions in popular music, and the shifting tectonics of superpower rivalry.

  • Original
    • E9
    • 46m
    • 92%

    When the lost tomb of King Tut is opened in 1922, it's not only the famous Curse that is unleashed. Fashion, movies and architecture all come under the pharaoh's spell as the world goes mad for Tut-mania. Discover how a 3,000-year-old teenager becomes a celebrity pharaoh and changes the modern world

  • Original
    • E19
    • 46m
    • 95%

    It takes just 25 years for Genghis Khan to conquer the greatest land empire the world has ever seen. It's said he's responsible for over 40 million deaths, and even now 16 million people carry his personal DNA.

    • 1h 15m
    • 96%

    This feature-length documentary tells the story of jockey Ron Turcotte, who, along with his legendary horse Secretariat, won the prestigious American Triple Crown in 1973.

  • Original
    • 1h 35m
    • 96%

    Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera. You know him as El Chapo – a ruthless drug lord who became famous for using slick maneuvers to evade capture. But Chapo is not only a dark and devious character. He is also a wildly successful billionaire entrepreneur with business acumen.

    • 52m
    • 94%

    Picasso died 40 years ago and his legacy radiates beyond words and auction prices. This program offers insights into the artist's rich creative process and life, thanks to unprecedented access to family archives and exclusive interviews with family members and some of his closest friends.

  • Original
    • 1h 46m
    • 93%

    British actor Michael Enright rose to fame in Hollywood and then did something most of us would never dream of doing… he gave it all up for a chance to join the fight against ISIS with the Kurdish forces, known as the YPG, as they battled on the front lines in Syria.

    • 1h 41m
    • 85%

    After bringing democracy to his country, President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives, the lowest-lying country in the world, takes up the fight to keep his homeland from disappearing under the sea.

    • 52m
    • 92%

    Mata Hari is the very epitome of beauty and feminine seduction. Who is this woman, who exerts a hold over our imagination to this very day? Did Mata Hari really betray secrets revealed to her by influential lovers in moments of weakness?

    • 50m
    • 98%

    Did Marco Polo, the most illustrious traveler in history, ever go to China? A debate continues as to whether the Venetian’s book is a personal account of China’s 13th-century the Middle Kingdom and its marvels.

    • 52m
    • 97%

    He is revered in China as a Buddha, as the 'Schindler of Nanking'. But his deeds have barely been recognized in the West. The German John Rabe, a Siemens manager and fervent admirer of the 'Führer', saved the lives of more than 200,000 Chinese in 1937.

    • 52m
    • 95%

    Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi would have been 100 years in October 2019. His wealth was legendary, and his marriages made tabloid headlines for years. However, his name also stands for a time of human rights violations, vicious oppression, and intolerance.

    • 51m
    • 96%

    Josephine de Beauharnais was Napoleon's Empress, his muse, and his great love. It is next to impossible to imagine him without her or her without him. Hundreds of letters, long thought to be lost, have allowed us to reveal the true life of the clandestine Empress.

    • 1h 29m
    • 92%

    Nowadays we associate Johannes Kepler with his famous laws of planetary motion. But the history of his discoveries is a drama of Shakespearian proportions. Originally a mathematician, Kepler's discoveries have secured him recognition as the father of modern natural sciences.

  • Original
    • 11m
    • 91%
    • 4K

    Take a trip down memory lane with acclaimed director Doug Liman, of Swingers and Bourne Identity fame, as we see his very first short films and hear first-hand the lessons learned before Hollywood came calling.

    • 1h 25m
    • 96%

    The Bit Player tells the story of an overlooked genius, Claude Shannon (the "Father of Information Theory"), who revolutionized the world, but never lost his childlike curiosity.

    • 1h 24m
    • 96%

    The husband-and-wife team of Charles and Ray Eames are widely considered America’s most important designers. The work of Charles and Ray Eames remains for designers and consumers an ideal of design at its most virtuous – an alchemical combination of beauty and purpose.

    • 1h 39m
    • 97%

    Harrison Ford gives voice to the first man to walk on the moon. ARMSTRONG tells the definitive life story of Neil Armstrong: from his childhood in rural Ohio, through aerial combat in Korea, to his first steps on the Moon – and the unwanted celebrity...

    • 52m
    • 93%

    Karl Ludwig Schulmeister’s stint as a smuggler led him into the world of espionage. His knowledge of the German terrain, persuasiveness, and ability to be sly allowed him to grow swiftly in the ranks.

  • Original
    • 12m
    • 93%

    Meet the Father of Our Country in a whole new way as historians analyze George Washington's voluminous correspondence. Setting out his contacts and letters in the modern framework of a Facebook profile gives Washington's busy and productive career a new transparency.

  • Original
    • 5m
    • 97%

    Author and historian Howard Means reveals the real story of the man who inspired the legend of Johnny Appleseed and the impact he had on pioneers settling the American frontier.

    • 1h 10m
    • 95%

    The untold story of one of the world's greatest women artists and why her name was nearly lost to history.

    • 9m
    • 94%
    • 4K

    History is full of messy figures; rarely is one so controversial as Tipu Sultan, the Tiger of Mysore. Even the question of whether his birthday should be officially celebrated in India caused protests in 2015. So what makes him so controversial?

    • 1h 40m
    • 94%

    Blind Melon singer Shannon Hoon's closest confidant was his camcorder. 25 years after his death, Shannon's own footage is masterfully assembled to create an intimate account of the band, their creative process, and the tragedy of addiction.

    • 1h 29m
    • 92%

    SpaceX and Elon Musk weren’t the first! About the meteoric rise and sudden fall of the first-ever private space company: foolhardy, ingenious, and "Made in Germany". Like a political thriller, FLY ROCKET FLY tells of the charismatic visionary and entrepreneur Lutz Thilo Kayser.

    • 42m
    • 89%

    This short documentary, part animation, and part live-action is a portrait of Canadian cartoonist Seth, best known for his Palookaville comic books. Throughout his works, Seth transforms a poignant inner life into observant and witty graphic stories.

  • Original
    • E2
    • 51m
    • 92%
    • 4K

    At age 19, on a missionary trip to a clinic in Brazil, Kristen Bell helped to deliver two babies. The experience ignited her nurturing nature, which endures today in good works like the snack bars “This Saves Lives” and the organization she co-founded, “No Kid Hungry.”

  • Original
    • E1
    • 52m
    • 94%
    • 4K

    Shaquille O’Neal went from being poor and bullied – and becoming a bully himself – to fame in the NBA. The greatest influence on Shaq’s life was his step-father, who taught him that “true pressure is not knowing where your next meal is coming from.”

  • Original
    • E3
    • 51m
    • 92%
    • 4K

    At age 20 Samuel L. Jackson served as an usher at Martin Luther King’s funeral. Jackson and his wife LaTanya have fought for civil rights around the world, but their greatest satisfactions are hand written thank you notes from children they have supplied with books.

  • Original
    • E4
    • 51m
    • 92%
    • 4K

    Inspired by his mother to be “of service”, LeVar Burton entered the seminary at 13 years old. But after deciding the church didn’t have the answers to his many questions about life, he changed his focus to theater arts, ultimately becoming known for Roots, Reading Rainbow, and Star Trek.

  • Original
    • E6
    • 51m
    • 88%
    • 4K

    These are the intriguing people who capture our attention, fill our social feeds and shape pop culture. In this episode, an intimate portrait of NFL legend Joe Namath, including his journey to help fellow players deal with long-term brain trauma.

    • 1h 32m
    • 84%

    Here's To Life tells the story of the Tempe Arizona band The Refreshments and how they managed to turn one mid-90s hit into an entire career. The film portrays their rise and fall, and their triumphant return in the modern era of independent music.

    • 51m
    • 97%

    Nikita Khrushchev - The Red Tsar chronicles the life and legacy of a controversial Soviet leader. On one hand, he was a Stalinist who ended the terror regime of his predecessor. On the other hand, he was a statesman and reformer who brought the world to the brink of catastrophe.

    • 1h 26m
    • 89%

    Filmmaker Cheryl Furjanic chronicles the complex life of Olympic champion Greg Louganis as he re-emerges to return to the diving world and act as a mentor to up-and-coming athletes.

    • 39m
    • 91%

    During a short career spanning just about one decade, Vincent Van Gogh created more than 900 paintings. This film retraces the famous artist’s journey from age 27, when he painted his first canvases, to his tragic death ten years later.

    • 1h 30m
    • 88%

    This is the untold story of space visionary Gerard K. O'Neill, who wrote the 1977 book "The High Frontier: Human Colonies in Space." The Princeton physicist sparked a grassroots movement to build Earth-like habitats in space with the hope of solving Earth's greatest crises.

    • 2 episodes
    • 95%

    Legendary military leader and conqueror of the ancient world, Alexander the Great is brought to life in this stunning documentary.

  • Original
    • 9 episodes
    • 97%

    An original series that tells the often unknown stories of the men and women who have defined America and its place in the world.

    • 3 episodes
    • 94%

    This documentary series follows and observes three young European queens for an entire year.

  • Original
    • 5 episodes
    • 96%

    Traitor/Patriot gives you an insider's look at the motivation behind the people who committed espionage.

  • Original
    • 6 episodes
    • 97%
    • 4K

    Inspiration, power, greed, scandal – a story that was made for the movies. The gripping drama of how Hollywood was built.

  • Original
    • 8 episodes
    • 98%
    • 4K

    Money made America a global empire, and for the last 150 years, America’s riches have been controlled by the titans of Wall Street.

    • 7 episodes
    • 97%

    Featuring profiles on some of the world’s favorite comedy stars. Barry Cryer, recalls some of his funniest moments working with each of them

    • 11 episodes
    • 96%

    Featuring profiles on some of the world’s favorite comedy stars. Barry Cryer, recalls some of his funniest moments working with each of them

    • 10 episodes
    • 94%

    Featuring profiles on some of the world’s favorite comedy stars. Barry Cryer, recalls some of his funniest moments working with each of them

    • 10 episodes
    • 96%

    Featuring profiles on some of the world’s favorite comedy stars. Barry Cryer, recalls some of his funniest moments working with each of them

  • Original
    • 3 episodes
    • 87%

    Journey into the lives of the planet’s billionaire innovators. Discover how they’ve shaped our lives.

    • 12 episodes
    • 98%

    The relationship between music and film is nearly as old as cinema itself.

    • 6 episodes
    • 92%

    This dramatized series portrays six remarkable women in unprecedented detail.

    • 22 episodes
    • 97%

    We will take a look into the lives of 22 inventors and see how they work, invent and most of all think!

    • 2 episodes
    • 97%

    She was the “empty-headed” mistress of Adolph Hitler. Now, biographer Heike B. Görtemaker seeks to revise Eva Braun’s image.