24 Best Biography Podcasts about Famous People to Listen to (2026)

There's a reason the History Channel has produced hundreds of documentaries about Hitler but only a few about Dwight D. Eisenhower. Bad guys (and gals) are eternally fascinating. Behind the Bastards dives in past the Cliffs Notes of the worst humans in history and exposes the bizarre realities of their lives. Listeners will learn about the young adult novels that helped Hitler form his monstrous ideology, the founder of Blackwater's insane quest to build his own Air Force, the bizarre lives of the sons and daughters of dictators and Saddam Hussein's side career as a trashy romance novelist. more

Author Dana Schwartz explores the stories of some of history's most fascinating royals: the tyrants and the tragic, the murderers and the murdered, and everyone in between. Because when you're wearing a crown, mistakes often mean blood. more

What is it like to be famous before you're famous? What is it like to walk in the shoes of another person? Each episode of Imagined Life takes you on an immersive journey into the life of a world-famous person. It'll be someone you may think you know, even admire -- or maybe the opposite. You'll get clues to your identity along the way. But only in the final moments will you find out who 'you' really are. So sit back, let go, and -- imagine your life, with our hosts, Oscar nominated Virginia Madsen and celebrated voice actor Robbie Daymond. Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of Imagined Life ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app. more

You Must Remember This is a storytelling podcast exploring the secret and/or forgotten histories of Hollywood's first century. It's the brainchild and passion project of Karina Longworth (founder of Cinematical.com, former film critic for LA Weekly), who writes, narrates, records and edits each episode. It is a heavily-researched work of creative nonfiction: navigating through conflicting reports, mythology, and institutionalized spin, Karina tries to sort out what really happened behind the films, stars and scandals of the 20th century. more

Two women. Half the population. Several thousand years of history. About an hour. Join us on an award-winning journey through herstory! The History Chicks celebrates the lives of remarkable women from ancient times to the modern day, exploring women's history in engaging episodes full of deep research, pop culture references, and the occasional tumble down a rabbit hole. more

You venture deep into the jungle to solve its greatest mysteries. You gaze at Earth from the surface of the moon. You write music that has the whole world humming along. WHOSE AMAZING LIFE? is the new series from the creators of Little Stories Everywhere and Adventures of Cairo. Walk in the shoes of the world's most inspiring people, from Amelia Earhart to Lin-Manuel Miranda to Ariana Grande. Experience the challenges and triumphs they faced on their journeys — before everyone on the planet knew their names. Listen closely for clues, because we won't reveal who the person is until the very end of each episode! Each week brings a new adventure where listeners of all ages can immerse themselves in the life of someone amazing. Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of Whose Amazing Life? ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app. more

Learn from history's greatest entrepreneurs. Every week I read a biography of an entrepreneur and find ideas you can use in your work. This quote explains why: 'There are thousands of years of history in which lots and lots of very smart people worked very hard and ran all types of experiments on how to create new businesses, invent new technology, new ways to manage etc. They ran these experiments throughout their entire lives. At some point, somebody put these lessons down in a book. For very little money and a few hours of time, you can learn from someone's accumulated experience. There is so much more to learn from the past than we often realize. You could productively spend your time reading experiences of great people who have come before and you learn every time.' —Marc Andreessen more

Biographical series in which guests choose someone who has inspired their lives.

Rex Factor is a fun podcast reviewing all the kings & queens of England & Scotland.

Revealing, intimate conversations with visionaries and leaders in the arts, science, technology, public service, sports and business. These engaging personal stories are drawn from interviews with the American Academy of Achievement, and offer insights you'll want to apply to your own life. more

Afua Hirsch and Peter Frankopan tell the wild stories of some of the most extraordinary men and women ever to have lived and ask whether they have the rep they deserve. Should Nina Simone's role in the civil rights movement be more celebrated than it is? When you find out what Picasso got up to in his studio, can you still admire his art? Was Napoleon a hero or a tyrant - or both? (And, while we're at it, was he even short?) Legacy is the show that looks at big lives from the perspective of now and doesn't always like what it sees. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. more

The most influential biographies ever written, admired by leaders, creators, soldiers, and thinkers for nearly 2,000 years: Plutarch's Parallel lives. Essential listening for anyone striving after greatness. Alex Petkas, former professor of ancient philosophy and history, revives and dramatically retells these unforgettable stories for modern audiences. The subjects are statesmen, generals, orators, and founders; pious and profane, stoics and hedonists. The stakes bear on the future of Western civilization. The cost of glory is always great. Visit costofglory.com to find out more. more

Famous & Gravy is a celebrity biography podcast with a twist of self-reflection. Each week, host Michael Osborne and a guest choose a celebrity who died in the 21st century — musicians, athletes, actors, comedians, and cultural icons and they dive into the hidden elements of their biography. The format is built around segments that probe a simple thought experiment: Would you want that life? Our goal is to learn what a celebrity's life story can show us about ourselves. Every episode opens with a blind quiz that pulls clues from their New York Times obituary. After the dead celebrity is revealed, we move through categories such as grading the first line of their obit, 5 things I love about you, and guessing the net worth. The back-catalog covers such figures as Prince, Kobe Bryant, James Earl Jones, John Denver, Aretha Franklin, David Bowie, Fred Rogers, Patrick Swayze, Tina Turner, Muhammad Ali, Waylon Jennings, Gene Wilder, Betty White, Steve Irwin, Nelson Mandela, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Tom Petty, Robin Williams, and over a hundred more. New episodes weekly. Full video on YouTube. Play the opening quiz yourself: ****@famousandgravy.com Podcast Rex link: rex-verify-gq8sdrn5muxq more

Some Very Famous People You've Never Really Heard Of, Byte Sized Biographies of the famous, the infamous and the quirky in less than hour. Think of that doorstop sized bio or history related book that you will never read made accessible in an hour. These are people that you may think you know a lot about but really don't, remarkable human beings you have never heard of and incidents covered in new and different detail, all fascinating. more

Each week, we aim to bring you interesting information about interesting people in the form of short, compact biographies, which can be read on our website or listened to as a podcast episode. We hope you enjoy them. more

The Jewish Lives Podcast explores the lives of remarkable Jewish figures from antiquity to the present. Hosted by Alessandra Wollner, each episode features a conversation with an acclaimed Jewish Lives author, illuminating the life and enduring legacy of the subject of their biography. Jewish Lives is a prizewinning series of biography published by Yale University Press and the Leon D. Black Foundation. Join us as we explore the Jewish experience together. more

History is shaped by extraordinary people. Visionary writers like Agatha Christie. Fearless pioneers such as Amelia Earhart. Ruthless rulers including Henry VIII and Cleopatra. Groundbreaking musicians, inventors, revolutionaries, explorers and leaders whose ambition, talent and influence transformed the course of history. Welcome to Noiser's Biography series, where immersive storytelling, powerful narration and richly crafted sound transport you into the lives, rivalries, triumphs and downfalls of the figures who shaped our world, one story at a time. A Noiser production, narrated by Paul McGann and John Hopkins. As featured on Short History Of.... Noiser+ members get ad free listening, exclusive content, and early access to new episodes across the Noiser podcast network. Click the subscription banner at the top of the feed to get started, or visit noiser.com/subscriptions . No part of this podcast may be used or reproduced in any manner for the purpose of training artificial intelligence technologies or systems. In accordance with Article 4(3) of the DSM Directive 2019/790, Noiser Ltd expressly reserves this work from the text and data mining exception. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. more

This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠ Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to get informative, engaging content straight to your inbox: ⁠https://newbooksnetwork.substack.com/⁠ Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky to learn about more our latest interviews: @newbooksnetwork Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography more

Classic movies, true stories of tinseltown. All about classic Hollywood #classichollywoodstars# vintagehollywood #oldhollywood#Hollywoodscandals more

The Biographers is a deep-dive biography podcast that aims to tell the full and complete stories of history's most fascinating and influential characters. Join hosts Daniel Newman and Akiva Meola as they take you through the expansive and entertaining stories of various historic figures. In a time where short-form, hardly-researched videos flood TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, we are doing the exact opposite. The Biographers gives you the chance to learn the full life stories of historic figures, both famous and obscure, without cutting corners. With hour-long, deep-dive research, we provide a bigger, better story than what's in your feed. If you love true crime, but are craving stories about people who truly made a difference, then you've just discovered your new favorite podcast. more

A funny show about spectacular people who had a serious impact on society and culture because they were FIRST! In each episode, our host Kareem Rahma is joined by a different comedian to share the life story of a groundbreaking person who broke down a racial barrier. Hilarity ensues as our comedic guests interrupt Kareem, derailing his story with lively banter, witty jokes, and amusing personal anecdotes. From SALT and SomeFriends in partnership with Lemonada Media.Sales and Distribution by Lemonada Media https://lemonadamedia.com/ more

We are obsessed with the presidency at American POTUS. We believe that the 46 imperfect patriots who have held our nation's highest office all have something to offer today's electorate a perspective that appropriately grounds today's political conversations in truth and context. To help us reveal the many layers of each administration, we'll be joined by the nation's most influential historians, scholars and experts who have studied every facet of the presidents and the presidency. Not only will we cover the crucial decisions that changed the world but also the humor, hobbies and quirks that give us a captivating sense of each American POTUS. more

They were adulterers, murderers, mistresses, religious zealots, thieves, and traitors. They were queens, wives, mothers, young, and old. What binds the women together in this podcast is their legacies. These are women who were known during their lifetimes or reinvented after their deaths as wicked women. The lenses of history are often gendered, damning women for some of the same actions that men have been lauded for. The nuances surrounding the women in this podcast were removed in exchange for a one-sided portrayal. Within Wicked Women: The Podcast, I do not attempt to excuse or condone the wrongs committed by these women, instead, the podcast looks at their overarching story and examines the origin of their negative legacy. Alongside a brief biographical overview of the woman, I will be incorporating interviews I have held with experts on the subject to provide multiple and diverse perspectives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. more

Real Dictators is the award-winning podcast that explores the hidden lives of history's tyrants. Hosted by Paul McGann, with contributions from eyewitnesses and expert historians. New episodes available a week early for Noiser+ subscribers. You'll also get ad-free listening, early access and exclusive content on shows across the Noiser podcast network. Click the subscription banner at the top of the feed to get started or head to noiser.com/subscriptions For advertising enquiries, email ****@adelicious.fm No part of this podcast may be used or reproduced in any manner for the purpose of training artificial intelligence technologies or systems. In accordance with Article 4(3) of the DSM Directive 2019/790, Noiser Ltd expressly reserves this work from the text and data mining exception. more