Today marks the birthday of Oscar Schindler, one of the heroes of the 20th century. Schindler saved over 1200 Jews from the Holocaust and has been declared a war hero who risked his life to save others. Here are seven others who have joined him as cinematic heroes and inspirational figures...

1. Schindler's List.

If you didn't cry at this, you have no heart.

2. Gandhi

A firm believer in peaceful protest, Gandhi was a political genius who brought the British Empire to their knees without ever harming another human being.

3. Hotel Rwanda

A hotel manager protects more than a thousand Tutsi refugees during one of the world's worst genoicide in Rwanda.

4. Lincoln

Despite the controversy over his motivation for the bill, Lincoln was the President who essentially ended slavery in America.

5. Braveheart

Although wildly inaccurate in places, the essence of the real-life character of William Wallace was captured in Mel Gibson's Braveheart. While Scotland was ravaged by English occupation, Wallace took a stand for their rights.

6. Erin Brockovich

A single mother, who single-handedly almost brings down a Californian power company accused of infecting city's water supply

7. Ray

The film about Ray Charles is a pretty honest and accurate depiction of his life, but overcoming his blindness to become a music superstar? Well, that was an amazing achievement.

8. Milk

Harvey Milk, a gay activist, was gunned down in his office by an enemy but remains to this day a beacon of hope for the gay community.