10 Mind-Blowing Facts You Never Knew About House Of Cards

3. Frank Underwood Is Based On A Real Person

Well, sort of. If you want to be pernickety then Frank Underwood is technically based off of Francis Urquhart, the anti-hero with a similar enjoyment of breaking the fourth wall, played by Ian Richardson in the original British House Of Cards series. Except he was more well-to-do, a Tory, and older to the point that when he starts sleeping with the Zoe equivalent it's a thousand times more creepy. Plus he gets her to call him daddy. Gross. Apart from the obvious DNA of Urquhart, however, Frank Underwood genuinely is based on a real person. Several real people. Apparently the main inspiration for the character was former president Lyndon B Johnson, who had a similar accent and ruthless efficiency. No word on whether LBJ ever killed a dog, but he had certain...affectations. Spacey also sought inspiration from a real life source, hanging out with Republican House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy before the first season began to get an idea of what day-to-day life in the senate was like.