They might feel larger than life, but some of the greatest heroes and villains from fictional stories in books and on screen are inspired by real-life people. From sassy magazine editors to legendary fashion designers, we take a look into the influences behind some of our favourite goodies and baddies.
The real-life people who may have inspired book and film characters
Keir Starmer: Mark Darcy from Bridget Jones’s Diary
Despite much speculation, Helen Fielding has categorically said that the character of Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones’s Diary isn’t based on Sir Keir Starmer – but there are some striking similarities between the two. Rumours circulated that the serious, clean-cut British Prime Minister was the inspiration for Fielding’s leading man, but she has since confirmed that the character of Mr Darcy was created before she had ever met Starmer.
Anna Wintour: Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada
Although we know The Devil Wears Prada from its Hollywood film, it was originally a novel by Lauren Weisberger – and the connections to long-time Vogue editor Anna Wintour are pretty obvious. During the early years of her career, Weisberger had worked as Wintour’s assistant.
Edith Head: Edna Mode from The Incredibles
Edna Mode appears in just two scenes in the much-loved Pixar films, but her delivery and unique look is much better remembered than her fleeting appearance might suggest. In the film, she designs stylish and practical suits for the superheroes, famed for her mantra of “No capes”. Her dark, bobbed hair and fringe, with round glasses are said to be inspired by the real-life fashion designer, Edith Head, who worked on hundreds of films across her six-decade-long career and earned 35 Oscar nominations during this time.
Dr Joseph Bell: Sherlock Holmes
Arthur Conan Doyle’s writing career began while he was studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh, and he continued to write alongside his work as a physician. His character of Sherlock Holmes was said to be partially modelled on his former university teacher, Joseph Bell. In 1892, following the release of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Doyle wrote to Bell, saying, “It is most certainly to you that I owe Sherlock Holmes… round the centre of deduction and inference and observation which I have heard you inculcate I have tried to build up a man.”
Working under Bell as an outpatient clerk at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, Doyle had observed Bell’s ability to diagnose patients with very little information.
Hiram Bingham III: Indiana Jones
The academic and explorer Hiram Bingham is likely the indirect inspiration for the iconic film character Indiana Jones created by George Lucas. In 199, as a lecturer in South American history at Yale, he travelled to South America and rediscovered the mostly forgotten Inca city of Machu Picchu, publishing his findings widely in a book titled Lost City of the Incas in 1948. The 1954 film Secret of the Incas supposedly took inspiration from Bingham’s story, with the academic cited as the possible inspiration for the character of Harry Steele. This character – and several scenes in that film – went on to inspire the eponymous character in the Indiana Jones movies directed by Steven Spielberg.
Divine: Ursula from The Little Mermaid
The villainous sea witch in the classic Disney movie musical The Little Mermaid might feel like a wholly unique figure – but the character was actually inspired by the drag queen Divine, whose off-stage name was Harris Glenn Milstead. Divine’s signature look, with high hairline, large eyebrows and bold makeup, was said to be the inspiration behind the villain’s image.
Ahead of the 2023 release of the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, actor Melissa McCarthy spoke about Divine’s influence on the character of Ursula, who she was playing in the film. “I know for a fact – but I couldn’t prove it – that she had to be based on Divine. She just had to be. I was like, ‘the makeup, the look, the attitude.’ And now we know that yes, she was of course based on Divine.”
