10 Movies You Didn't Know Were Based On Real-Life People

Few actors have ever had a run to rival Robert De Niro's stunning output of the 1970s. From Mean Streets, to The Godfather: Part II, to Taxi Driver, to The Deer Hunter, to Raging Bull, De Niro cemented himself as a true great of the business.

Many are well aware that Raging Bull was based on the life of Jake LaMotta, but most people have zero idea that 1976's Taxi Driver also had its roots in reality.

Travis Bickle was a purely fictional character, but Taxi Driver took inspiration from Arthur Bremer.

Bremer didn't have any military background, yet his similarities with De Niro's Bickle involve his obsessive nature, his stalking habits, an interest in adult movies and his willingness to unload a firearm. In reality, Bremer shot and paralysed US Democratic Presidential candidate George Wallace in 1972. As detailed in his diary, he had studied and followed both Wallace and Richard Nixon all across the United States.

In his mission, Bremer became more and more unhinged as he began to loosen the shackles that had previously prevented him from carrying out atrocities. When looking at Taxi Driver, that mirrors Travis Bickle's unravelling sanity as the movie progresses to its brutal final act.

Of course, Taxi Driver itself would inspire John Hinckley Jr.'s attempted assassination of then-US President Ronald Reagan - with Hinkley wanting to impress Jodie Foster after becoming obsessed with the actress following her performance in Martin Scorsese's 1976 movie.