50+ Disney Characters that Are Based on Real People

Disney first released the film 101 Dalmatians in 1961 which was based on the 1956 novel by the same name. The villain of the movie was voiced by Betty Lou Gerson, the film creators incorporated her cheekbones into the looks of Cruella but based her appearance primarily on actress Tallulah Bankhead.

Actress Tallulah Bankhead had recently been blacklisted from Hollywood due to her crass and greedy personality. She was called “unsuitable for the public” and earned a high spot in Will Hays’s famous Doom Book. This made her the perfect inspiration for the rude, greedy, and selfish Cruella De Vil.