Some of the most memorable sports movies didn’t start as screenplays—they began as books. The Academy has a strong track record with true stories of long-shot athletes and unlikely champions.

Here’s the roster of Oscar-nominated sports films that began as books.

‘National Velvet’

Elizabeth Taylor stars as horse-loving teenager Velvet Brown in “National Velvet,” which was released Dec. 14, 1944. The family drama was adapted from Enid Bagnold’s 1935 novel of the same name. The film earned five Academy Award nominations at the 17th Oscars: Best Director for Clarence Brown, Best Supporting Actress for Anne Revere, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction and Best Film Editing. It won two Oscars for Best Supporting Actress and Best Film Editing.

‘Somebody Up There Likes Me’

Paul Newman stars as middleweight boxing champion Rocky Graziano in “Somebody Up There Likes Me,” which was released July 4, 1956. The biographical drama was adapted from Graziano’s 1955 autobiography of the same name. The film earned three Academy Award nominations at the 29th Oscars: Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction and Best Film Editing. It won two Oscars for Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction.

‘The Hustler’

Paul Newman stars as small-time pool hustler Fast Eddie Felson in “The Hustler,” which was released Sept. 25, 1961. The drama was adapted from Walter Tevis’ 1959 novel of the same name. The film earned nine Academy Award nominations at the 34th Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director for Robert Rossen, Best Actor for Newman, Best Supporting Actor for Jackie Gleason, Best Supporting Actress for Piper Laurie, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing and Best Adapted Screenplay. It won two Oscars for Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography.

‘This Sporting Life’

Richard Harris stars as rugby league player Frank Machin in “This Sporting Life,” which was released Feb. 7, 1963. The British drama was adapted from David Storey’s 1960 novel of the same name. The film earned two Academy Award nominations at the 36th Oscars: Best Actor for Harris and Best Actress for Rachel Roberts.

‘Bang the Drum Slowly’

Michael Moriarty and Robert De Niro star as New York baseball teammates Henry Wiggen and Bruce Pearson in “Bang the Drum Slowly,” which was released Aug. 26, 1973. The baseball drama was adapted from Mark Harris’ 1956 novel of the same name. The film earned one Academy Award nomination at the 46th Oscars for Best Supporting Actor for Vincent Gardenia.

‘Raging Bull’ 

Martin Scorsese’s boxing drama “Raging Bull” was released Dec. 19, 1980, and was adapted from boxer Jake LaMotta’s 1970 memoir “Raging Bull: My Story.” The film earned eight Academy Award nominations at the 53rd Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director for Scorsese, Best Actor for Robert De Niro, Best Supporting Actor for Joe Pesci, Best Supporting Actress for Cathy Moriarty, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography and Best Sound. De Niro won Best Actor and Thelma Schoonmaker won Best Film Editing.  

‘The Natural’

Robert Redford stars as mysterious baseball prodigy Roy Hobbs in “The Natural,” which was released May 11, 1984. The sports drama was adapted from Bernard Malamud’s 1952 novel of the same name. The film earned four Academy Award nominations at the 57th Oscars: Best Supporting Actress for Glenn Close, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction and Best Original Score.

‘Field of Dreams’

Released April 21, 1989, “Field of Dreams” was adapted from W.P. Kinsella’s 1982 novel “Shoeless Joe.” Kevin Costner stars as an Iowa farmer who builds a baseball field in his cornfield after hearing a mysterious voice telling him, “If you build it, he will come.” The film earned three Academy Award nominations at the 62nd Oscars: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score.

‘The Color of Money’

Paul Newman reprises his role as pool hustler Fast Eddie Felson in “The Color of Money,” which was released Oct. 17, 1986. The drama was adapted from Walter Tevis’ 1984 novel of the same name. The film earned four Academy Award nominations at the 59th Oscars: Best Actor for Paul Newman, Best Supporting Actress for Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film Editing. Newman won the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance as Fast Eddie, finally sinking the shot after decades of nominations.

‘The Hurricane’

Denzel Washington stars as boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter in “The Hurricane,” which was released Dec. 29, 1999. The biographical drama was adapted in part from Carter’s 1974 autobiography “The Sixteenth Round: From Number 1 Contender to Number 45472” and the 1991 non-fiction book “Lazarus and the Hurricane: The Freeing of Rubin ‘The Hurricane’ Carter” by Sam Chaiton and Terry Swinton. The film earned one Academy Award nomination at the 72nd Oscars for Best Actor for Washington.

‘Seabiscuit’

Released July 25, 2003, “Seabiscuit” was adapted from Laura Hillenbrand’s bestselling 1999 nonfiction book “Seabiscuit: An American Legend.” The film raced into awards season with seven nominations at the 76th Oscars: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design and Best Sound Mixing. It did not win any Oscars. 

‘Million Dollar Baby’

Clint Eastwood’s boxing drama “Million Dollar Baby,” released Dec. 15, 2004, was based on the 2000 short-story collection “Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner” by boxing trainer F.X. Toole. The film delivered a knockout awards season performance, earning seven nominations at the 77th Academy Awards and winning four: Best Picture, Best Director for Eastwood, Best Actress for Hilary Swank and Best Supporting Actor for Morgan Freeman. It was also nominated for Best Actor for Eastwood, Best Adapted Screenplay for Paul Haggis and Best Film Editing.

‘The Blind Side’

“The Blind Side” was adapted from Michael Lewis’ 2006 nonfiction book “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game.” The film, which was released Nov. 20, 2009, earned two nominations at the 82nd Academy Awards: Best Picture and Best Actress for Sandra Bullock, who won the Oscar for her performance as Leigh Anne Tuohy. It was a big year for Bullock, who also won a Golden Globe and a SAG Award for the role. 

‘Moneyball’

“Moneyball” was adapted from Michael Lewis’ 2003 nonfiction book “Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game.” The baseball drama was released in theaters on Sept. 23, 2011, and proved to be a home run with critics. It earned six Academy Award nominations at the 84th Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actor for Brad Pitt, Best Supporting Actor for Jonah Hill, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing. Though it was a box office success, the film didn’t score any Oscars. 

‘Ford v Ferrari’

Released Nov. 15, 2019, “Ford v Ferrari” was inspired in part by A.J. Baime’s 2009 nonfiction book “Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans.” The film featured an impressive lineup of actors including Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Jon Bernthal, Catriona Balfe, Tracy Letts and Josh Lucas. It earned four nominations at the 92nd Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing. The racing drama sped to two Oscar wins—Best Film Editing and Best Sound Editing.

About the writer

S. Lynn Bonanno is not a sports fan, but wanted to prove to herself that she could pack a story with several sports puns. As mentioned in past About the writer notes—she is a sucker for Oscar trivia and pop culture trivia in general and this knowledge only makes her stronger.