Once Upon A Time in Hollywood cast: Is Rick Dalton a real person?

Once Upon A Time in Hollywood follows Rick Dalton, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, an actor who is seeing his career fall into decline. Alongside him is his close pal and stunt double Cliff Booth, played by Brad Pitt, who is standing by his mate on his quest to find meaningful work. Meanwhile real life actress Sharon Tate, played by Margot Robbie, is living her Hollywood dream with husband Roman Polanski and mate Jay Sebring, in the days leading up to her historic murder at the hands of the Manson family. But is Rick Dalton a real person?

Is Rick Dalton in Once Upon A Time in Hollywood a real person?

Despite the film being full to the brim with fictionalised versions of real stars, Rick Dalton is not a real person

However, he is based on real people – or at least Tarantino mega fans have suggested he could be.

One of the actors he is supposedly based on is Steve McQueen, who got his big break in Western TV series Wanted: Dead or Alive, much like Rick Dalton’s part in Bounty Law.

Quentin Tarantino even used Steve McQueen’s success in movies as a way to frustrate Rick, even showing Rick’s ‘screen test’ for The Great Escape, the film which made Steve McQueen a real star.

Tarantino may also have used another actor as inspiration, Ty Hardin, who the director described as “a poor man’s Steve McQueen.”

Similarly to Rick, Ty’s film career never really took off, and Tarantino even said he was the “perfect example” of what Rick Dalton is to Hollywood.

As well as this, Tarantino uses footage from a film starring Ty Hardin, Moving Target, in a sequence showing off Rick’s Italian spy film career.

Another well-remembered actor was Edd Byrnes, who famously portrayed Vince Fontaine in Grease.

Before this turn, he was a Spaghetti Western actor, whose work in 1964 film The Secret Invasion inspired Tarantino when devising Rick Dalton’s famed movie The 14 Fists of McClusky.

Sadly Edd has faded from the spotlight except for his turn in Grease, which is Rick’s main fear throughout the film.

Finally, Pete Duel could be another inspiration for Rick, as Tarantino called him “the coolest guy on television” in an interview.

The director also discovered the star had “a bit of a drinking problem,” which could have been inspiration for Rick’s troubles.

Is Cliff Booth a real person?

Similarly to Rick, Cliff is not a real person but is based on some real stuntmen.

One person he is reportedly inspired by is Hal Needham, Burt Reynolds’ stuntman, who had a very close relationship with the late actor.

Hal later went on to have a successful career as a director.

Once Upon A Time in Hollywood is in cinemas now