Claim: Inspirations for James Bond(a fictional character created in 1953) included 16 separate people born in the 1880s.
Evidence: A number of real-life inspirations have been suggested for James Bond, the fictional character created in 1953 by British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence officer Ian Fleming; Bond appeared in twelve novels and nine short stories by Fleming, as well as a number of continuation novels and twenty-six films, with seven actors playing the role of Bond. R.H. Bruce Lockhart 2 September 1887 - 27 February 1970 Sidney Cotton 17 June 1894 – 13 February 1969 Patrick Dalzel-Job 1 June 1913 – 14 October 2003 Wilfred (Biffy) Dunderdale 24 December 1899 – 13 November 1990 Peter Fleming 31 May 1907 – 18 August 1971 Sandy Glen 18 April 1912 – 6 March 2004 Duane Hudson 11 August 1910 – 1 November 1995 Fitzroy Maclean 11 March 1911 – 15 June 1996 Michael Mason — Merlin Minshall 21 December 1906 – 3 September 1987 Conrad O'Brien-ffrench 19 November 1893 – 23 October 1986 Duško Popov 10 July 1912 – 10 August 1981 Sidney Reilly 24 March 1873 – 5 November 1925 Peter Smithers 9 December 1913 – 8 June 2006 William Stephenson 23 January 1897 – 31 January 1989 Forest Yeo-Thomas 17 June 1902 – 26 February 1964 Besides real life individuals, James Bond was also inspired by one of Dennis Wheatley's characters; the secret agent Gregory Sallust, based on Wheatley's late friend Gordon Eric Gordon-Tombe.