This is the story of Robert Oppenheimer, father of the atomic bomb. A brilliant man marred by pain and suffering. As tragic as some parts are, his life can teach us some valuable lessons.

Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb ... a painter whose German-Jewish family had settled in Baltimore in the 1840s. Their secular household embraced American society.

Cillian Murphy plays J. Robert Oppenheimer, "the father of the atomic bomb," in the 2023 film Stephanie Kaloi is a contributing writer at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2022.

Robert Oppenheimer's name has become almost synonymous with the atomic bomb, and also with the dilemma facing scientists when the interests of the nation and their own conscience collide.