20 Characters You Never Realized Are Based On Real People
People larger than life translate well into a fictional setting.
![20 Characters You Never Realized Are Based On Real People](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/4/3/0/758430_320x180.jpg?v=2)
We can all take a moment and immediately think of a fictional character we consider iconic. And chances are, that character was heavily influenced by someone who really lived (or currently lives). And it makes sense. After all, someone who seems larger than life will likely translate well into a fictional setting. With that in mind, we bring you some of pop culture's most famous characters -- and their real influences.
![20 Characters You Never Realized Are Based On Real People - Sydney Greenstreet was a film noir actor famous for playing greedy gangsters. George Lucas](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/4/1/4/758414.jpg?v=2)
![20 Characters You Never Realized Are Based On Real People - John Nettleship described himself as “a short-tempered chemistry teacher with long hair ..](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/4/1/3/758413.jpg?v=2)
![20 Characters You Never Realized Are Based On Real People - Travis Bickle, the nutjob played by Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver, was based on actual nutj](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/4/2/5/758425.jpg?v=2)
![20 Characters You Never Realized Are Based On Real People - The Seinfeld Soup Nazi was based on Al Yeganeh, an actual New York soup vendor. Just like](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/4/2/4/758424.jpg?v=2)
![20 Characters You Never Realized Are Based On Real People - When designing Kratos, the God Of War team looked to Edward Norton's character in American](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/4/0/6/758406.jpg?v=2)
![20 Characters You Never Realized Are Based On Real People - Animation director Eric Stough got on the South Park creators’ nerves with his mild- manne](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/4/2/1/758421.jpg?v=2)
![20 Characters You Never Realized Are Based On Real People - Rocky was based on Chuck Wepner, liquor salesman by day and boxer by night. He got the sam](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/4/1/5/758415.jpg?v=2)
![20 Characters You Never Realized Are Based On Real People - Shrek is rumored to have been based on Maurice Tillet, a professional wrestler from the mi](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/4/1/8/758418.jpg?v=2)
![20 Characters You Never Realized Are Based On Real People - Rocko from Rocko’s Modern Life was based on Woody Allen. When producers pitched the show t](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/4/1/6/758416.jpg?v=2)
![20 Characters You Never Realized Are Based On Real People - Norman Bates was much tamer than inspiration d Gein. Gein liked to visit cemeteries and ex](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/4/2/6/758426.jpg?v=2)
![20 Characters You Never Realized Are Based On Real People - Popeye was based on Frank “Rocky” Fiegel, and he was a tough guy from Popeye creator E.C.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/4/2/8/758428.jpg?v=2)
![20 Characters You Never Realized Are Based On Real People - Sergio Gutierrez Benitez was a Mexican priest who fought as mysterious masked wrestler Fra](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/4/2/3/758423.jpg?v=2)
![20 Characters You Never Realized Are Based On Real People - Louis “Red” Deutsch was a New Jersey bartender and ex-boxer. In the ’70s, professional pra](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/4/1/2/758412.jpg?v=2)
![20 Characters You Never Realized Are Based On Real People - Draper “Dan” Daniels was head of the Leo Burnett Agency in the ’60s. He was the creator of](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/4/0/7/758407.jpg?v=2)
![20 Characters You Never Realized Are Based On Real People - The real Dirty Harry was named Dave. Dave Toschi was a San Francisco cop who caught Hollyw](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/4/0/8/758408.jpg?v=2)
![20 Characters You Never Realized Are Based On Real People - In 50 First Dates, Lucy suffers from anterograde amnesia, unable to remember anything afte](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/4/0/4/758404.jpg?v=2)
![20 Characters You Never Realized Are Based On Real People - Betty Boop was created as a parody of Helen Kane, a popular actress and singer from the ’2](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/4/0/5/758405.jpg?v=2)
![20 Characters You Never Realized Are Based On Real People - Jack Nicholson’s Departed villain was directly based on James “Whitey” Bulger, right down](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/4/2/7/758427.jpg?v=2)
![20 Characters You Never Realized Are Based On Real People - The Dude from The Big Lebowski was inspired by the Coen Brothers’ friend Jeff Dowd. The Du](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/4/2/2/758422.jpg?v=2)
![20 Characters You Never Realized Are Based On Real People - Kenny Kramer was Larry David’s former neighbor. In a Season 5 episode, Cosmo wants to play](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/4/1/0/758410.jpg?v=2)