The Big Lebowski and 4 Other Movies With Characters Based on Real People
Terrible killers and famous personalities became prototypes for screen characters.
It's no secret that some of the greatest paintings and stories were created with the help of a muse. The same is true for screenwriters and authors, who often find inspiration in the real world.
1. Taxi Driver, 1976
Travis Bickle, a Vietnam War veteran, drives a taxi in New York at night. He is constantly amazed by the vices of the big city. Travis's PTSD, loneliness, and insomnia drive him to extremes. He buys four guns and sets out to restore order.
Paul Schrader wrote the script for Martin Scorsese's cult film. Schrader admitted that he was inspired to create the main character by Arthur Bremer, who attacked presidential candidate George Wallace. He was also inspired by Harry Chapin's song Taxi.
2. Psycho, 1960
A realtor's secretary, Marion, runs away with a client's money to start a new life. En route to another city, she stops at the Bates' roadside motel, run by Norman and his elderly mother. Norman is attracted to Marion, but his mother is categorically against their relationship.
Norman Bates is an iconic psychopathic killer from Alfred Hitchcock's horror film. The character was based on the real-life serial killer Ed Gein.
3. The Big Lebowski, 1998
The Dude Lebowski is a carefree, unemployed bowling enthusiast who suddenly becomes involved in a criminal case. Due to a mix-up involving his name, mobsters break into his home and soil his favorite rug.
Unwilling to let this go unpunished, the Dude goes to his namesake, the Big Lebowski – a wheelchair-bound millionaire – for compensation.
The Dude is a composite character based on several of the Coen brothers' acquaintances. They were most influenced by independent film producer Jeff Dowd. They met Dowd while looking for a distributor for their first film, Blood Simple.
4. Goldfinger, 1964
Goldfinger is the third film in the James Bond franchise. In it, the spy faces the villainous multimillionaire Auric Goldfinger. Goldfinger plans to destroy the US gold reserves and thereby destroy the country's economy.
Erno Goldfinger, the architect and neighbor of Ian Fleming, the author of the James Bond novels, inspired the character. Although Fleming did not know Goldfinger personally, he knew of him through a friend and based one of his villains on his personality.
5. Dog Day Afternoon, 1975
Sidney Lumet's tense crime thriller focuses on a robbery. On an August day, three small-time crooks enter a bank to make a buck, but things don't go as planned.
Within minutes, the police surround the building. The would-be robbers must take hostages and negotiate their way out.
Frank Pierson wrote the screenplay for the film based on a LIFE magazine article. The film is based on the robbery committed by John Wojtowicz and Salvatore Naturile in August 1972.