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

A famously handsome actor who Tarantino cited as a loose basis for Dalton, Tab Hunter suffered the man-lost-in-time crisis that hits Rick during Once Upon a Time.

Known for being clean-cut and straight-laced, Hunter was a star of the late '50s. The kind of role model that was prevalent on American TV, he was left behind when tastes became more liberal. The Free Love bohemian shift in the '60s essentially ended the careers of typecast actors like Hunter, who were unable or unwilling (Dalton shows contempt for the idea of dressing like a hippy) to adapt to their new environment.

The clearest homage that Tarantino pays to Hunter in Once Upon a Time is in poster form. Dalton stars in a movie called Tanner while Bounty Law is on hiatus and the parallels with Hunter movie Gunman's Walk can be seen in the poses that both leads strike on their respective posters. Both men are slumped over with guns in their hands as they seemingly await a showdown with a foe. Tarantino included Gunman's Walk in a Sky curated marathon for OUATIH.