48 Characters Found in Pop Culture That Are Based on Real People

The Picture of Dorian Gray is Oscar Wilde’s most famous literary work; most people know the story. A young man sells his soul so that a portrait of himself will age while he stays forever young. While Wilde himself said that Dorian Gray is a reflection of himself, there have always been rumors to the contrary.

There has always been speculation that the character of Dorian Gray was influenced by poet John Gray. John was an acquaintance of Wilde because they ran in the same close-knit literary circles. John Gray tried his best to distance himself from these rumors, but they have stuck. Interestingly, he became a major figure in the Catholic Church later in life.