26 times 'genius' showed up in TV or film

"Genius" a look at the young life of Albert Einstein (Geoffry Rush), a patent clerk unable to get a teaching job or doctorate, but who went on to solve the secrets of the universe, premieres this month, and to celebrate, we take a look at how genius, for better or for worse, is portrayed in TV and Film. At the very least, we can say that this slideshow will be more than a little thought-provoking.

Nominated for a slew of awards upon its release, "Amadeus" is a wildly fictionalized account of the life of eccentric prodigy composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce) and his secret nemesis, Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham). Like in many subjects dealing with genius, Mozart's eccentricities mixed with the jealousy of others inevitably leads to his downfall.

A lighter take on the portrayal of genius in film, "Baby Geniuses" is the tale of seven babies who, through scientific method, learn to speak while still infants, leading to a zany road trip as the genius babies attempt to escape the clutches of the scientist (Kathleen Turner) who "created" them.

Loosely based on the life of master mathematician John Forbes Nash, Jr, "A Beautiful Mind" is an Academy Award-winning look into the life of the genius (Russel Crowe) as his descent into Schizophrenia threatens to derail not only his work, but his life as hallucinations lead him to believe he's working for the government on clandestine missions.

One of the longest-running TV shows in history, "Doctor Who" has amassed a global cult following surrounding the adventures of a wayward Time Lord who chooses to solve galactic problems using his mind instead of conventional weapons. Although the show recently celebrated it's 50th anniversary, the Doctor himself stays fresh through the conceit of "regeneration" allowing new actors to take on the iconic role every few years, with the latest being Peter Capaldi, due to leave the role himself at the end of the current season.

One of two contemporary takes on the classic detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, "Elementary" follows the exploits of genius drug addict Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) as he takes his unique crime solving methods to America, where he's assisted by Dr. Joan Watson (Lucy Liu). Like the more popular version airing on BBC, both Holmes and Watson come from damaged places, and their unconventional partnership works to help them both, even if they don't recognize it.

Maybe engineering a day off from school isn't necessarily the work of genius, but when it comes to Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick), he uses more than a little ingenuity to hack into the school's computer system to reduce his habits and engineer a day that ends with him lipsynching on a float during the Von Stueben Parade and sneaking home all before his parents find out.

Best known for the ubiquitous catchphrase "You're the man now, dog!", "Finding Forrester" is a story of a reclusive genius (Sean Connery) and his roughshod mentorship of a genius to be discovered (Rob Brown). Both are connected by a passion for writing, and each teach a little more about finding acceptance in the world. Following this film, Connery would only act in one other before riding off into the cinematic sunset for good.

"Good Will Hunting" focuses on janitor and unrecognized genius Will Hunting (Matt Damon) who, through the help of a professor (Stellan Skarsgård), a therapist (Robin Williams) and a co-ed (Minnie Driver), begins to figure out his place in the world outside his group of rough but well-meaning friends. The film won Academy Awards for it's young writing duo of Damon and childhood friend Ben Affleck, who would go on to direct the Oscar-winning "Argo" and, oh yeah...become Batman.

Benedict Cumberbatch is no stranger to playing a genius on screen, but in "The Imitation Game", his genius cannot shield him from the suffering of his secret life. In the film, Cumberbatch stars as mathematical genius Alan Turing, responsible for cracking the Enigma, a machine used by the Nazis to transmit coded messages. Eventually, Turing is discovered to be gay, and the result mutes his deeds as he is later convicted of "indecency" and undergoes chemical castration so that he may once again work in his field.

As geniuses go, there are few more successful, powerful or reckless than Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) or as he is better known, "Iron Man". The 2008 film marks the kickoff of the hugely successful Marvel Cinematic Universe, and is also responsible for not only resurrecting Downey's career, but also cementing him as an A-list star. Since the original, Downey returned as Stark in seven more times, including an extended cameo in this summer's "Spider-Man: Homecoming".

Jodie Foster marked her directorial debut with this tale of a seven-year-old child genius who is struggling to deal with his intellect, guided by a mother of normal intelligence (Foster), who fights to help her son gain both understanding of the world around him as well as acceptance from those who would rather view him as some sort of curiosity. 

Like "Doctor Who," "MacGyver" features a hero with a genius intellect who chooses brains over brawn whenever possible. The show followed the exploits of a secret agent (Richard Dean Anderson), with a penchant for creating life-saving devices out of ordinary items. MacGyver's proficiency in using paperclips and duct tape to create just about anything was parodied by "Saturday Night Live" in the "MacGruber" shorts (and later film), and found new life a 2016 reboot starring Lucas Till as the mullet-wearing Swiss Army Knife aficionado.

Known as the "Defective Detective", "Monk" was the story of Adrian Monk (Tony Shaloub), a former genius detective who's powers of observation could not protect him from a nervous breakdown caused as the result of the death of his reporter wife. After her death, San Francisco P.D. would often consult him on difficult cases, leading to awkward situations resulting in comedy. "Monk" was praised by fans and critics for the way it dealt with mental disorders such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and other social anxieties rarely shown on television.

The debut of director Darren Aronofsky, "Pi" is the story of a number theorist who finds himself becoming obsessed with a 216-digit number, leading to a number of consequences that threatens to take his life before he makes a mathematical decision that changes everything. 

Shawn Spencer (James Roday) isn't your typical genius, in fact, it might be fair to call him a bit of a fraud. For eight seasons, "Psych" gave us the adventures of Spencer and his best friend Gus (Dule Hill), who ran a detective agency under the guise of Spencer being a psychic, when in actuality he simply had genius-level powers of observation. A mix of mostly comedy with occasional drama, "Psych" was a quirky police procedural that relied (and succeeded) on the chemistry of the two leads, whose friendship gave the series true staying power.

"Rain Man" is the story of hustler Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) as he learns about a brother, Raymond (Dustin Hoffmann) he never knew he had. The film follows the two as they learn about one another, and go on a few adventures of their own. "Rain Man" was both hailed and excoriated for Hoffman's Oscar-winning portrayal of an autistic savant, something never seen on film to date. Unfortunately, that performance was, for years, used to incorrectly describe people on the autistic spectrum.

At Pacific Tech, a group of young geniuses under the watchful eye of Dr. Jerry Hathaway (no relation to the author), create a variety of devices meant for science, yet are secretly being scouted for use by the CIA. "Real Genius" is an early starring vehicle for Val Kilmer, who as Chris Knight, is the prototypical college wiseacre who just so happens to also be a genius who can build a laser powerful enough to be used to kill people from long distances.  

Depicting the decline of a family of famous geniuses, "The Royal Tenenbaums" is a comic look at how time can both breakdown and redeem even the smartest and most talented of us all. Directed by Wes Anderson, the film introduces us to the Tenenbaum family, and patriarch Royal (Gene Hackman), estranged until he's kicked out from his hotel and needing a place to stay. While everyone is initially resistant to his presence, it's not long before it's clear that he's ultimately the glue that holds them all together.

Loosely based on the life of genius computer expert Walter O'Brien, "</Scorpion>" dramatizes the exploits of a group of problem solvers whose expertise is often utilized by the Department of Homeland Security for world-saving missions while occasionally taking on jobs from more private organizations.

"Searching for Bobby Fischer" is a biographical tale of a young chess prodigy who is nurtured by his father (Joe Mantegna) into becoming the next great chess player. Along the way, the prodigy learns competing methods from a taciturn teacher (Ben Kingsley) and a speed chess hustler (Laurence Fishburne) before deciding that the only way to truly win is to do it by his own terms.

The other, and infinitely more popular, iteration of Sherlock Holmes fittingly finds its home on the BBC (and PBS in America). "Sherlock" is a series of three 90-minute episodes per season featuring the modern exploits of the brilliant but damaged Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his sometimes faithful partner and Iraq War veteran Dr. John Watson. In many cases, Sherlock is every bit as much a danger as those whose crimes he works to solve, with his eccentricities and habitual drug use threaten himself and those closest to him.

Although Geoffrey Rush is starring as Einstein in "Genius", that production was not Rush's first rodeo portraying a brilliant mind. 1996's "Shine" is a biopic of the life of gifted pianist David Helfgott who spent years in mental institutions as a result of a breakdown. Like many films of its kind, the audience follows Helfgott through his lowest moments, all leading to a triumphant return to the thing he loves, overcoming his problems and fears in the process.

Focusing on the rise and well, rise of Facebook, "The Social Network" is the inside story of how founder Mark Zuckerberg created the social media giant in his dorm room with the help of a few fellow geniuses and future enemies. Directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin, the film was the center of quite a bit of controversy, as those portrayed in the film questioned the authenticity while also using it as a chance to snipe at one another publicly. 

"The Theory of Everything" chronicles the life of astrophysicist Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne), from his early triumphs though his gradual decline as he learns he has what would later be called ALS, a neurological disease that robs him of motor functions and ultimately, speech. Despite being told that he would be dead within a couple years, Hawking presses on, ultimately finding new ways to communicate and educate. The film was well-recieved by critics and led to an Oscar win for Redmayne.

We close our series with another, not so serious look at Albert Einstein’s life, with "Young Einstein" an Australian curiosity where Einstein (Yahoo Serious, who also wrote and directed) was the son of Tasmanian apple farmer who accidentally invents the theory of relativity, by trying to create bubbles for beer. The film is intentionally absurd, but also full of heart, making for an interesting entry for the genius genre.