Bernie Madoff Has Died: Where to Watch ‘Wizard Of Lies’ And Other Madoff Movies

Bernie Madoff has died, and the New York Mets are in first place.
Somewhere, someone is laughing. Your reaction may vary, particularly if you were among the many victims of Madoff’s infamous Ponzi scheme. Madoff scammed investors out of billions of dollars in the biggest fraud operation in U.S. history, and died today in federal prison in North Carolina while serving his 150-year sentence. Madoff was 82. His victims included retirees and celebrities alike, including Steven Spielberg, the Mets ownership, and Kevin Bacon, so everyone has less than six degrees of separation from Madoff.
Court-appointed trustees have recovered $13 billion of the $17.5 billion or so that Madoff scammed from investors, although he misled them into thinking their holdings were worth a collective $60 billion at the time of his arrest in 2008.
One of his sons died by suicide on the second anniversary of Madoff’s arrest in 2010. The other died from cancer in 2014. Madoff’s brother, Peter, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2012. Madoff’s wife, Ruth, survives.
If you want to catch up on the whole saga, we have a handful of options for you, two documentaries and two dramatic re-enactments. Here are the best Bernie Madoff movies to watch today.

Is there a Bernie Madoff movie on Netflix? Is Wizard Of Lies on Netflix?

First of all, you’re probably popping over to Netflix to see if there’s a Bernie Madoff documentary available between episodes of The Circle, right? Well, you’re out of luck. Despite the plethora of true crime offerings on Netflix, there is no Bernie Madoff documentary, or Bernie Madoff movie on Netflix. Don’t worry, there are other options, though.

Where can I watch Bernie Madoff documentaries?

First out of the gates was Frontline, the legendary PBS docuseries, with The Madoff Affair in 2009. It’s one hour long, but it’s Frontline.

Next up: Chasing Madoff.

Chasing Madoff is a 2011 documentary written and directed by Jeff Prosserman, based on the book by Harry Markopolos, who spent ten years investigating Madoff, trying to get the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to act on it. It appears to only be available through Amazon Prime Video and a subscription to the Cohen Media Channel, although you can opt for the free trial.
Bernie Madoff: In His Own Words
This 2019 episode of the National Geographic series, In Their Own Words, is pretty self-explanatory, piecing together interview footage from the actual people involved in the saga. Available to anyone with a Nat Geo subscription.

Where can I watch Bernie Madoff movies?

Prefer something a little more fictional? Then you have a few options, as well, starting with the creatively named Madoff.

The first big dramatic production to tackle Madoff came from ABC in 2016, with this two-night miniseries written by Ben Robbins and “inspired” by his book, “The Madoff Chronicles.” Richard Dreyfuss starred as Bernie, with Blythe Tanner as his wife, Ruth, and Peter Scolari as his brother, Peter. Frank Whaley takes on the role of investigator Markopolous, and you’ll enjoy supporting turns by Lewis Black and Charles Grodin, too.
Despite coming from ABC, Madoff is not available on Hulu. It is, however, for rental through various platforms at this writing.

…and then there’s the daddy of them all, The Wizard of Lies.

The 2017 HBO film stars Robert De Niro as Bernie, with Michelle Pfeiffer as wife Ruth. Alessandro Nivola and Nathan Darrow portray their two sons. As Decider’s Jade Bukowski pointed out in her initial review, The Wizard of Lies succeeds as a biopic precisely because it’s not trying to be a biopic, focusing instead on Madoff’s downfall. Plus, “the riveting film is really a showcase for exactly what made Robert De Niro the legend he is today.”
And good news, since it’s an HBO production, you can stream it on HBO Max right now.

Stream The Wizard of Lies on HBO Max