Pope John Paul II is a movie.
Pope John Paul II is a 1984 American biopic drama television film based on the life of Karol Wojtyła , from his early days as an activist in Poland to his installation as Pope John Paul II . Written by Christopher Knopf and directed by Herbert Wise , the film stars Albert Finney , Caroline Bliss , Brian Cox , and John Forgeham . The film marks both Albert Finney 's American television debut and the first script Finney had ever turned down upon initial reading . Pope John Paul II is a 2005 television miniseries dramatizing the life of Pope John Paul II ( Karol Józef Wojtyła ) from his early adult years in Poland to his death at age 84 .