This Is How 11 On-Screen Characters Look Like in Real Life

Since 1996, the number of movies and TV series that are based on real-life events or people has been rising. Maybe viewers like seeing real events because they already know the story and just want to see it on the big screen. Whatever the reason, every year studios are releasing content that recreates real-life stories. And we are here to talk about the real people that are behind the screen characters.

Bright Side would like to give you some insights on the lives of people we’ve enjoyed on the big screen.

1. Tammy Faye Bakker

Tammy Faye Messner (formerly known as Bakker) was a TV presenter and singer. She became widely famous through her religious TV show along with her then-husband Jim Bakker. She was known for her excessive makeup and her eccentric persona and she was also a vocal advocate of the LGBT community.

In 2021, Tammy Faye’s and Jim’s lives were transferred onto the big screen. Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield played the main parts in The Eyes of Tammy Faye. Chastain’s performance was really special and that’s why she won her first Academy Award.

2. Jonathan Larson

Jonathan Larson was a playwright and composer, who has become famous for creating the musicals Rent and Tick, tick... Boom!. At first, he struggled a lot to find success with his first plays, but finally, he made it on Broadway with Rent. However, he didn’t live to see the success of his play, since he passed away on the first day of the Off-Broadway preview of his creation.

In 2021, Tick, tick... Boom! was transferred on the big screen and Andrew Garfield portrayed Larson. The movie follows the earlier stages of his career and his struggles to survive as an artist, who still hasn’t made it.

3. Elizabeth Holmes

Holmes is a former biotechnology entrepreneur, who started a company by the name of Theranos back in 2003. The premise of the company was that they had the technology to do blood testing with just a few drops of blood. That was what brought so many investors to her company and she was valued as the youngest billionaire in America. However, it was later uncovered that Holmes’ technology didn’t exist and her claims were false.

In 2022, her life and work were adapted by Hulu for the mini-series The Dropout. Amanda Seyfried played the role of Holmes, although Kate McKinnon was first hired to do the job but later on walked away.

4. Patrizia Reggiani

Reggiani is an Italian socialite who became famous when she married Maurizio Gucci, from the famous Gucci family. She quickly started climbing the social ladder of New York and even became friends with Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Later on, Gucci announced to her that he wanted to get a divorce. Reggini could never recover from that and was convicted for her husband’s death.

In 2021, House of Gucci was released, a movie that depicts how the couple first met until their sad demise. Lady Gaga portrayed Reggiani, a role she got praised a lot for.

5. Samantha Barbash

Barbash is an entrepreneur who started her career in adult entertainment, initially as a host. Later on, she began working as a hostess at a club, where many Wall Street brokers would go often. In recent years, Barbash has reinvented herself and has opened a spa where she offers cosmetic procedures and plastic surgery.

In 2019, the movie Hustlers portrayed the actions of Barbash and other women she worked with at the club. Jennifer Lopez played the main role and the movie was a commercial success.

6. Tommy Wiseau

Wiseau is an actor and filmmaker who became famous when he released his movie The Room. The movie has been described by many critics and viewers as one of the worst films of all time. The biggest intrigue about the film is how he managed to find $6 million to budget the film. The movie itself was based on an unpublished 540-page novel written by Wiseau himself.

In 2017, The Disaster Artist transferred Wiseau’s journey to creating his movie onto the big screen. James Franco directed and played the main role.

7. Marcia Clark

Clark is a well-known prosecutor who was the leader in the infamous case of American athlete O.J Simpson. She received so much attention from the media during the trial that she said she was “famous in a way that was kind of terrifying.” She was also advised to dress and talk softer in order to improve her public image. As a result, she changed her hairstyle from straight hair into a perm.

In 2016, FX released a mini-series by the name Inside Look: The People v. O.J. Simpson — American Crime Story. Sarah Paulson portrayed the famous prosecutor and the show followed the trial from start to finish.

8. Deborah Feldman

Feldman is an author whose story became known to the world in 2012 when she wrote her autobiography. Her book is telling her experience in her strict religion and how she managed to escape from that environment. She has written another book, which led to quite a few TV appearances.

In 2020, Netflix released Unorthodox, a TV series that focuses on Feldman’s life and how she got away from her strict religious environment. Shira Haas portrays Esther Shapiro, who is the fictional character of Feldman’s real life.

9. Madam C. J. Walker

This courageous woman was an entrepreneur and philanthropist who is known as the first-ever female self-made millionaire in America. She started a business of cosmetics and haircare products, especially for black women. At first, she would go from door to door to sell her products and show black women how to treat their hair. Between 1911 and 1919, Walker’s business employed thousands of women who would sell their products across the US.

In 2020, Netflix released a mini-series called Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker. Octavia Spencer portrayed Madam C.J Walker beautifully, showing how she started from nothing and created something giant.

10. Katherine Goble Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson

These three women were all working for NASA and all created history with their work. Goble Johnson’s mathematical calculations of orbital mechanics were crucial for the success of the first-ever US crewed spaceflight. Vaughan on the other hand was the first black woman to be a supervisor of staff at NASA. And Jackson was a senior engineer who worked tirelessly as a manager to help promote other women in NASA’s various projects.

In 2016, a movie by the name Hidden Figures was released and it was based on the book Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race. Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae played the three women’s parts.

11. Ma Rainey

“The Mother of the Blues” as she was dubbed by people of that time, Rainey was an emblematic blues singer. She was known for her unique singing, her energy, and her amazing phrasing. She has recorded over 100 songs and unlike other singers of her time, she wrote at least 1/3 of all of her songs. Rainey had hinted in many of her songs about being attracted to women, but she never confirmed it.

In 2020, the great Viola Davis portrayed Ma Rainey in Netflix’s movie Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. The movie was based on a 1982 play of the same name and focuses on the procedure of recording the song of that same name as well.

What other great movies and TV series have you watched lately that focus on real people and their lives?