What 2001 film about mathematician John Nash won Best Picture?

A Beautiful Mind is the 2001 film about mathematician John Nash that won Best Picture. Directed by Ron Howard and starring Russell Crowe, it dramatizes Nash’s brilliant career, his struggle with schizophrenia, and his eventual return to academic life.

The film was adapted from Sylvia Nasar’s 1998 biography, also titled A Beautiful Mind. Nash’s mathematical work in game theory helped transform economics, and he shared the 1994 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. The movie focuses on his personal and professional journey rather than presenting a strict documentary account.

At the 74th Academy Awards, A Beautiful Mind won four Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director for Howard, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress for Jennifer Connelly, who played Alicia Nash. Russell Crowe was nominated for Best Actor but did not win.

A common mix-up is confusing the film with The Imitation Game, another biographical drama about a mathematician. That later film portrays Alan Turing and stars Benedict Cumberbatch; it was nominated for Best Picture but did not win.