Real People
In some cases on the list, real people (portrayed by actors) or characters based on real people appear.
- Heroes: Alvin York, Erin Brockovich, George S. Patton, Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein, Lou Gehrig, Spartacus, Mahatma Gandhi, Butch Cassidy & Sundance, Oskar Schindler, T. E. Lawrence, Father Edward J. Flanagan, Frank Serpico and Karen Silkwood.
- Villains: William Bligh, Amon Göth, Bonnie Parker & Clyde Barrow, and Joan Crawford.
Two heroes, Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle and Norma Rae Webster, were based on real-life people. Doyle was based on a New York City detective named Eddie Egan and Webster on southern mill worker Crystal Lee Jordan. The villain Norman Bates from Psycho was loosely based on real-life killer Ed Gein. Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird is loosely based on Harper Lee's (the author of the book on which the film is based) real-life father. The villainous J.J. Hunsecker from Sweet Smell of Success was modeled on columnist Walter Winchell.
Read more about this topic: AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes And Villains
Famous quotes containing the words real and/or people:
“I believe very profoundly in an over-ruling Providence, and I do not fear that any real plans can be thrown off the track. It may not be intended that I shall be President—but that would not break my heart.”
—Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924)
“America is the civilization of people engaged in transforming themselves. In the past, the stars of the performance were the pioneer and the immigrant. Today, it is youth and the Black.”
—Harold Rosenberg (1906–1978)