Let’s be honest, some of the most unforgettable characters in movies and TV feel so out-there, you’d think they were dreamed up out of thin air. But here’s the kicker: a lot of them were actually inspired by real people. Sometimes it’s a clear, one-to-one connection, and other times it’s more of a mashup, but the real-life stories behind them are often just as fascinating as the characters themselves. These are 10 iconic movie characters whose origins in real life may surprise you.
10. Ron Burgundy (Anchorman)
Yeah, Will Ferrell’s mustachioed newsman is so clearly a parody, but Ron Burgundy does have a living inspiration: broadcaster Mort Crim. Booming-voiced, slick-haired, and pencil-stubbled, Crim was a legend in the news world. Ferrell has reported that he sat and learned from Crim’s on-air personality to inform Burgundy’s preposterous charm. That is to say, the anchor who instructed us to “stay classy” was modeled on someone who already was classy.
9. Miranda Priestly (The Devil Wears Prada)
Meryl Streep’s chilly fashion editor is legendary, but she isn’t entirely fictional. The real-life Anna Wintour, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue, served as a major inspiration for Miranda Priestly. Wintour was famous for her exacting standards and intimidating presence, and she famously earned the nickname “Nuclear Wintour” among colleagues. Although initially not pleased about the book or movie, she eventually conceded that Streep had the performance spot on.
8. The Dude (The Big Lebowski)
Few characters in movies are as naturally cool as Jeff Bridges’ robe-clad, White-Russian-sipping Dude. But there was inspiration behind the character: Jeff Dowd, a kooky film producer who went by the nickname “The Dude” and was famous for his bizarre perspective and unorthodox charm. The Coen Brothers stole not only his name but also his mannerisms, making him one of the most iconic slackers in cinema history.
7. Ursula (The Little Mermaid)
Trust or not, Disney’s sea witch wasn’t purely the product of imagination. Her outgoing appearance and demeanor were taken from Divine, the iconic drag queen. From Divine’s theatrical makeup to their larger-than-life presence, the inspiration is obvious. Ursula’s indelible toughness can be attributed to one of queer culture’s most innovative icons.
6. Sherlock Holmes
The lord of deduction wasn’t born yesterday, either. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle based Sherlock Holmes on Dr. Joseph Bell, a Scottish doctor with keen observational powers. Bell could look at a patient and size him up with amazingly accurate conclusions about his personal life, and Doyle, his former pupil, brought those skills over to Holmes’s leuthanizing brilliance.
5. Norman Bates (Psycho)
Alfred Hitchcock’s terrifying masterpiece was motivated by someone much darker than fiction. Norman Bates borrowed heavily from Ed Gein, the infamous killer who obsessed over his mother, and creepy crimes stunned America. Gein’s reach extended beyond Psycho Leatherface (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and Buffalo Bill (The Silence of the Lambs), who also borrowed from him.
4. Indiana Jones
Whip, fedora, and traveling intent, Indiana Jones seems larger than life himself, but he was pieced together from actual adventurers. George Lucas drew inspiration from explorers such as Roy Chapman Andrews, a naturalist who organized bold expeditions throughout Asia, and Hiram Bingham III, who discovered Machu Picchu. Their fearless endeavors imbued Indy with the swagger and determination we see now.
3. Rocky Balboa (Rocky)
The greatest underdog tale emerged directly from the world of boxing. Rocky was inspired by Chuck Wepner, a heavyweight boxer who surprised everyone by almost fighting the full distance against Muhammad Ali. Sylvester Stallone took Wepner’s grit and heart and constructed a character who’s now the symbol of determination and fighting spirit.
2. Buzz Lightyear (Toy Story)
To infinity and beyond!” sounds like pure Pixarian magic, but Buzz’s name does have very earthly origins. He was inspired by astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second human to walk on the moon. Aldrin’s history of space travel added an extra layer of authenticity to the character, no matter that the toy version was more bluster than courage.
1. Charles Foster Kane (Citizen Kane)
Fairly or not, usually cited as the greatest movie character of all time, Charles Foster Kane was thinly disguised as a portrait of William Randolph Hearst. Hearst, the newspaper tycoon with gargantuan influence in journalism and politics, was the template for Kane’s ascendancy, potency, and fall. The parallels were so evident that Hearst attempted to suppress the film in its entirety.
Pop culture prefers to dramatize, but as these characters attest, life really is the best drama. Behind every larger-than-life hero, villain, or eccentric, there’s almost always a real story that’s just as crazy, and sometimes crazier. The next time you watch one of these films, keep in mind: the boundary between fiction and reality is a great deal fuzzier than it appears.