# Famous Fictional Characters who had Real Life Inspirations **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 28, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-fictional-characters-who-had-real-life-inspirations/565613 "2010-12-28T16:34:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-fictional-characters-who-had-real-life-inspirations/565613/81 "2011-01-03T22:19:58Z")
[Arnold Rothstein](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Rothstein) might have been the inspiration for the Fats-Felson pool marathon in “The Hustler” and Nathan Detroit’s floating crap games from “Guys and Dolls.” ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-fictional-characters-who-had-real-life-inspirations/565613/82 "2011-01-04T00:00:12Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Seinfeld’s Kramer was based on creator Larry Davis’s neighbor [Kenny Kramer](http://www.kennykramer.com/) And George is based on Larry David and Elaine was based on several women in Seifelds life. But all the characters moved far away from their inspirations. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-fictional-characters-who-had-real-life-inspirations/565613/83 "2011-01-04T00:04:15Z")
In the Godfather Moe Green is obviously based on Bugsy Segal and in GFII Hyman Roth is Meyer Lansky. Except Lansky died in his own bed. ---
**Author:** ![Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boulter_s_Canary)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-fictional-characters-who-had-real-life-inspirations/565613/84 "2011-01-04T02:27:24Z")
Jack Aubrey in Patrick O’Brian’s books is at least partly based on [Thomas Cochrane](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cochrane,_10th_Earl_of_Dundonald) ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-fictional-characters-who-had-real-life-inspirations/565613/85 "2011-01-04T07:35:31Z")
Although Rand denied it, many people think _The Fountainhead_’s Howard Roark is based on Frank Lloyd Wright. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-fictional-characters-who-had-real-life-inspirations/565613/86 "2011-01-04T13:06:05Z")
Popeye, believe it or not, was based on an old sailor E.C. Segar knew. He was named Frank “Rocky” Fiegel, and he really was a tough SOB who beat up the punks who annoyed him, according to Bud Sagendorf, who took over the strip after Segar’s death. Here’s a picture (not the top one – scroll down) [http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/real-life-popeye/](http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/real-life-popeye/) ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-fictional-characters-who-had-real-life-inspirations/565613/87 "2011-01-04T14:52:43Z")
Evil Eye Fleegle in “Li’l Abner” was based on Benjamin David ‘Evil Eye’ Finkel, a real-life hex man. You can actually see him in the doc [Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee (1969)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0219935/). Al Nesor played him in the movie and on-stage, I believe, and they both later moved to South Florida (and both previously lived in NYC). I have to imagine they met each other at some point. ---
**Author:** ![blackmath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b782af/32.png) [@blackmath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blackmath)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-fictional-characters-who-had-real-life-inspirations/565613/88 "2011-01-07T02:22:34Z")
Steve McQueen copied the mannerisms, style of dress, and quick-draw holster of SFPD inspector Dave Toschi for his character in Bullitt. Haven’t been able to confirm it, but I’ve heard that Clint Eastwood based his character in the Dirty Harry films on Dave Toschi. This theme was played up a little in the film Zodiac which had Mark Ruffalo playing Dave Toschi going to the premiere of Dirty Harry and walking out early bored out of his mind. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-fictional-characters-who-had-real-life-inspirations/565613/89 "2011-01-07T02:32:27Z")
> **[Auguste Piccard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_Piccard)** > > Auguste Antoine Piccard (28 January 1884 – 24 March 1962) was a Swiss physicist, inventor and explorer known for his record-breaking hydrogen balloon flights, with which he studied the Earth's upper atmosphere. Piccard was also known for his invention of the first bathyscaphe, FNRS-2, with which he made a number of unmanned dives in 1948 to explore the ocean's depths. > Piccard's twin brother Jean Felix Piccard is also a notable figure in the annals of science and exploration, as are a number of... Auguste Piccard has two to his score. Jean-Luc has his name… But Professor Calculus from Tintin is as near a twin as possible. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-fictional-characters-who-had-real-life-inspirations/565613/90 "2011-01-07T02:36:30Z")
> [@outlierrn](#): > > Uncle Duke-Hunter S. Thompson IIRC, when he was first introduced, he was supposed to actually _be_ Hunter Thompson (or a charactature of him, anyways). “Duke” was a pen name of the real Thompson. Over time, he’s more or less evolved into his own character though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-fictional-characters-who-had-real-life-inspirations/565613.md?page=4)