Once Upon A Time In Hollywood: 7 Real People Rick Dalton & Cliff Booth Were Based On

Brad Pitt earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance as Cliff Booth and he may thank Hal Needham for doing his part to inspire Tarantino to create the character.

A stuntman who had a close working relationship with Hollywood star (and friend) Burt Reynolds, Needham's relationship with his buddy mirrors that of Booth and Dalton. Reynolds didn't think he needed a stuntman before he met Needham. Soon enough, he learned that there was no way he could compete with the death-defying stunts that his new friend could somehow pull off. It was the start of a friendship that lasted decades and included a five-year period where the pair lived together in perfect harmony.

The laid-back easy cool that Booth gives off was Needham's shtick back in the day. He was rarely seen without his aviator sunglasses and a shirt with the top buttons undone. Despite being a crazy talented performer, Needham was content with his unsung hero role, much as the superhuman Booth is in Once Upon a Time.