10 FICTIONAL CHARACTERS That Were Based on REAL PEOPLE!

FICTIONAL CHARACTERS That Were Based on REAL PEOPLE

When we watch a movie or a TV show, or even read a book, we are often most intrigued by the characters in the story. Generally speaking, the weirder or more bizarre a character is, the better the story becomes, which is why we love fiction, because those characters are far more interesting than anyone else that could exist in real life, right?

Well what you might not know is that the characters in some of the most famous stories aren't fiction at all. In fact, they were based on real people. 

In this article, We gathered the most interesting ones to share with you all. So here they are : 10 fictional characters that were based on real people!

Number 1 : Severus Snape

The infamous Severus Snape from the Harry Potter universe was based off a real chemistry teacher named John Nettleship. But Nettleship wasn't just any chemistry teacher, he taught author J. K. Rowling while she attended Wyedean School while growing up in England.

During her time there, she didn't take much of a liking to Nettleship, which is why she decided to immortalize her chemistry teacher as the shady, potion-teaching, Professor Snape. See, this is exactly why teachers need to be nice to students, because you never know which ones might grow up and mention you unfavorably in their creative works, Miss McLellan from grade school.

Number 2 : Rocky Balboba

The most iconic fictional boxer of all time, Rocky Balboa was based off a real fighter, named Chuck Wepner. 

Wepner was a boxer that never made it to the big time, but did get a chance to fight Muhammad Ali in 1975. The famous fight went on until Wepner was eventually knocked out by Ali in the 15th and final round. Even though he didn't win the fight, the fact that he lasted so long against Ali inspired a young actor, named Sylvester Stallone, who watched the fight on TV, to write the script for Rocky, and the rest is history.

Number 3 : Krusty The Clown

If you're afraid of clowns, prepare yourself.

While growing up in Portland, Oregon, Simpsons creator Matt Groening used to watch a television program that featured a real life clown named Rusty Nails. As an adult, Groening was inspired to create the character of Krusty the Clown based on the mannerisms and persona of the famous clown that he watched as a child.

It makes a lot more sense now why he created a weird-ass cartoon series of people with yellow skin and only eight fingers. He grew up watching a crazy-ass clown with a terrifying name like Rusty Nails.

Number 4 : Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes, the most famous fictional detective of all time, was based off a real Scottish lecturer from the 19th century, named Doctor Joseph Bell.

Bell was a lecturer at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, and was known for his incredible observational skills and superior intelligence. In fact, he was famous for being able to observe a man and instantly deduce things he couldn't possibly have known.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, was an acquaintance of Bell, and was inspired to create the character after Bell begin advising police in several investigations in Scotland. 

Number 5 : James Bond

James Bond, the debonaire super spy that's been played by actors like Sean Connery and Daniel Craig, was based off a real British spy, named Forest Yeo-Thomas. 

Yeo-Thomas was known as one of the UK's top spies during World War II, who infiltrated enemy territory to carry out secret missions. He was captured and tortured by the Gestapo, only to escape to safety.

Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond novels, was also once a member of British Intelligence, and although they never worked together, was inspired to create the character of James Bond from the stories of Yeo-Thomas' escape from enemy forces.

I'm just really glad Fleming gave Bond the codename of 007, instead of using Yeo-Thomas' real codename, which was White Rabbit. It doesn't exactly have the same manly ring.

Number 6 : Cosmo Kramer

One of the most famous characters from the 90's TV show, Seinfeld, was Cosmo Kramer, and, as it turns out, was very much based off a real person, named Kenny Kramer. Kenny Kramer was a former neighbor of Seinfeld co-creator, Larry David, and was known for being eccentric and always coming up with hairbrained schemes to make money. One of these schemes included renting a bus and charging people for a reality tour of his own life; one of the many ideas that was actually used in an episode of the show.

Personally, I was a huge fan of Seinfeld, and I would definitely go on this tour. Especially if it's only $37.50?

Number 7 : Indiana Jones

The famous archeologist and adventurer, Indiana Jones was based off a real-life man, named Hiram Bingham III.

Bingham was a history professor at Yale University, and, like Indiana Jones, dabbled in archeology. And, like Indiana Jones, he too was an adventurer. In fact, he was best known for discovering the ruins of Machu Picchu in 1911, first bringing them international attention. Even the famous gigantic rolling boulder scene from Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark, took place in a part of Hawaii that looks

a lot like a part of Machu Picchu.

Number 8 : Popeye

The famous cartoon character, Popeye the Sailor, was indeed based off a real person, named Frank Fiegel, who grew up with the cartoon character's creator, E. C. Segar. Fiegel was known as the local tough guy who smoked a pipe, was quick to dish out an ass whooping if someone provoked him, and wasn't exactly the best-looking dude. Even Popeye's girlfriend, Olive Oyl, was based off a tall thin woman that he knew, named Dora Pascal.

Number 9 : Zorro

The legendary masked outlaw, Zorro, was based off a man born in 1829, named Joaquin Murrieta. The story of Murrieta is that his family was attacked and murdered by American miners. Unable to find justice through the legal system, he became a vigilante known as, The Robin Hood of El Dorado, who sought revenge on the men that wronged him. After his death in 1853, his name quickly became a legend, which inspired the character of Zorro, in the novella The Curse of Capistrano, in 1919.

"I always found it very interesting that Batman became more famous than Zorro, because both men are masked outlaws whose families were killed, but Zorro has that smooth, Spanish accent, whereas Batman sounds like a person with a lisp and a permanent cold."

Number 10 : Norman Bates

Norman Bates, the crazy killer from the novel turned movie, Psycho, was based off a real murderer from the 1950s, named Ed Gein. The author of the novel, Robert Bloch, lived less than one hour away from where Gein butchered two women and attempted to wear their skin like a suit. These gruesome acts gave Bloch the inspiration to create the character of Norman Bates, who dresses up as his own mother and kills his hotel guests.

Interestingly, Gein also inspired Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs. That's right, some of the scariest horror movie characters of all time actually existed. Enjoy going to bed with that knowledge.

Anyways, that's all for this list of top 10 FICTIONAL CHARACTERS That Were Based on REAL PEOPLE!, I really hope you enjoyed it, and, as it turns out, fiction isn't so fictional after all.

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Harry potter is one of the most famous FICTIONAL CHARACTERS of all times. Harry Potter books have been translated into more than 70 languages it explains why our first video of the week is a compilation of weird facts about Harry potter. Some of the top crazy facts you didn't know about all about Harry Potter. Hope you will enjoy and share it with your friends

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