Although a lot of characters that dotted the cast roll of Deadwood were entirely fictional creations of the show, There were a surprising number that were based on real-life historical figures. Running for three seasons, Deadwood Followed the events of the real frontier town of Deadwood, South Dakota. Over the course of the show, Deadwood grew from little more than a temporary, outlaw camp in the Dakota Territory of the Old West to an established town full of notable people.
Deadwood Strive to be as accurate as possible, with the production even using diaries of former townspeople and newspaper articles from the time to recreate the town as it was in the late 1980s. Yet, as with almost all television shows based on history, Deadwood Used a mix of real events, fictional events and real events that were changed for the purposes of the show. Despite the blend of fiction and reality, one thing Deadwood The people did well: nearly two dozen characters in the series are based on real-life figures who lived in Deadwood.
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21
Al Sweargen
Played by: Ian McShane
In both these Deadwood series and the real Deadwood, Al Swearengen was a larger-than-life figure. In the series, the portrayal of Ian McShane is cruel, underhanded and often cruel. He has no remorse for his actions and has a streak of sadism, which he often uses for his own mercy. Shockingly, the real Al Swearengen is arguably even worse, with the show omitting some of his well-documented cruelty.
Married three times, Swearengen abused his wives with unprecedented brutality. He also lured young women to Deadwood by promising them good jobs at his gem theater, then locked them up in indentured servitude or threw them out on the streets. When the Gem Theater burned down for the third time in 1899, broken and angry, Sverengen left Deadwood forever and died soon after. Appropriately, it is not clear whether he was killed while trying to jump a train or if he was murdered.
20
Seth Bullock
Played by: Timothy Olyphant
In contrast to Al Swearengen and his duplicitous dealings in Deadwood, Seth Bullock was a good man and pillar of the community. The real Seth Bullock was born in Canada, before he emigrated to America and settled in Helena, Montana, as a young man. While there, he served as a politician and sheriff and helped to create Yellowstone National Park. It was in Montana that he also befriended Sol Star. The two men established their own hardware store. Soon after, Seth and Sol moved their hardware store to Deadwood to chase the opportunities provided by the booming Gold Rush.
Deadwood was a lawless, violent place at the time, and some of the town’s residents were looking for ways to apply some form of law to the border town. With his background, Seth Bullock was a natural fit as Deadwood’s first sheriff (officially the Lawrence County Sheriff); His position as a lawman often brought him into direct conflict with Swearengen.
In contrast to Al Swearengen and his duplicitous dealings in Deadwood, Seth Bullock was a good man and pillar of the community.
Later, Bullock, with the help of Star, would bring alfalfa farming to South Dakota, becoming a US , befriended the future president Theodore Roosevelt, and co-founded the town of Belle Fourche. Seth Bullock died in September 1919 of cancer at his Belle Fourche ranch.
19
Martha Bullock
Played by: Anna Gunn
in her own way, Martha Bullock became as respected in Deadwood as her husband, Seth, during their time there. Martha and Seth knew each other when young and then married in 1874 in Salt Lake City, Utah. When Seth and Sol Star decided to move to Deadwood, Martha and their daughter, Madge, temporarily went to live with her parents in Michigan while Seth cleaned up the town. Once he brought some semblance of order to Deadwood, Martha moved to Deadwood, reuniting the Bullock family.
While Seth worked to bring law and order to Deadwood, Martha worked to bring civilization and culture to the city. She helped found the literary women’s group, the Round Table Club, and served as president. The Round Table Club then found the Deadwood Public Library; Both the club and the library exist today. Martha was also involved and hands-on with her church, and regularly helped organize community events to bring Deadwood together.
She did all this on top of managing the Bullock household, their three children and, for a time, their nephew Douglas. Martha Bullock died in 1939; Both she and Seth are buried at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Deadwood.
18
Solomon “Sol” Star
Played by: John Hawkes
He may not have been the towering figure that Seth Bullock was, but Solomon “Sal” Starr was integral to the foundation of Deadwood and the success of the area. Sol Stern was born in 1840 in Bavaria, Germany, to a Jewish family but was sent to live with relatives in Ohio when he was 10. As a young man, he moved to Helena, Montana, where he struck up his famous friendship with Seth Bullock while serving as the governor’s personal secretary.
in deadwood, Sol was the co-founder of everything he and Seth Bullock did together, Including their hardware store, the S&B Ranch Company, the Deadwood Flouring Mill, the Bullock Hotel, and founding the town of Belle Fourche. While Seth Bullock was more of a lawmaker, Sol Star has a knack for politics.
He served on the first Deadwood city council, was the city postmaster, and eventually became its mayor for 14 years. later, He served in the South Dakota House of Representatives and Senate before becoming the clerk of courts for Lawrence County, a position he held for two decades until his death in 1917. Instead of being laid to rest in Deadwood, his family moved his body. . Back to Missouri to bury.
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17
Calamity Jane
Played by: Robin Weigert
Calamity Jane was a towering figure in the frontier era of the American West, leaving a legacy as colorful and grand as any of her male counterparts of the time. It is known that she was born Martha Jane Canary on May 1, 1852 in Princeton, Missouri. In addition, much of the information about her early life cannot be confirmed, because many of the details came from Kanari herself, and she exaggerated or outright fabricated certain details of her life in order to promote her career as a sharpshooter.
What is certain is that she was known by her nickname of “Calamity Jane” by the time she arrived in Deadwood in 1876 (on the same wagon train as Wild Bill Hickok) as the famous frontier woman who dressed as a man. Calamity Jane settled in the Deadwood area and once claimed to be married to Wild Bill Hickok at the time of his death, although, like many of her claims, it is in dispute. Even without her exaggeration, Calamity Jane’s life was remarkable.
She once saved a stagecoach by chasing away its Native American attackers; When the driver was killed, Calamity Jane jumped into the driver’s seat and drove the stagecoach safely to Deadwood. Another time, when a smallpox epidemic hit Deadwood, Jane was in the thick of it helping to nurse the afflicted. Calamity Jane died of pneumonia and inflamed bowels at the Calloway Hotel near Deadwood on August 1, 1903.
16
Wyatt (& Morgan) Earp
Played by: Gale Harold & Austin Nichols
The Deadwood Series depicted the legendary lawman Wyatt Earp (along with his brother, Morgan), arriving in the city. Unlike many historical drama TV shows that fudge timelines to bring together historical figures who never met, Earp actually came to Deadwood for a short time. His time in Deadwood happened four years before the infamous shootout at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona alongside his brothers and Doc Holliday.
In 1976, Wyatt and Morgan were chasing the gold rush like so many others heading to Deadwood. Some accounts say that he was interested in becoming the wild town’s marshal and it caused a clash between him and Seth Bullock, who was then already the lawman of the town. But during the time of the town, nothing was ever found about it; Like many other stories of the era, it seems to have been made for grandiose effect.
Regardless, the Earps’ time in Deadwood was short-lived. Morgan returned to Dodge City, Kansas upon their discovery that all the land around Deadwood had already been claimed, and Wyatt returned the following spring.
15
Wild Bill Hickok
Played by: Keith Carradine
Wild Bill Hickok was a towering figure of the American frontier: a respected gunslinger and lawman, as well as a professional gambler – a true archetype of the Old West. Born James Butler Hickock in Troy Grove, Illinois in 1837, From a young age, he showed a remarkable ability to mark and sharpen. After always being engaged on the frontier, Hickok went out west after a fight with another boy in which each thought he had killed the other.
Hickock moved to Kansas and joined the Jayhawkers antislavery vigilante group and served as a scout in the US. After the war, he served as a deputy US marshal and lawmaker in various border settlements, during which time he engaged in several shootings of questionable justification. With his wild card reputation as a gunslinger and master gambler growing, he joined Buffalo Bill Cody’s traveling Wild West show.
Wild Bill met his end in Deadwood in 1876 when he was shot in the head from behind by a drunk named Jack McCall. Interestingly, it is rumored that he told some of his friends before his death that he felt he was going to die in Deadwood.
14
Jack McCall
Played by: Garret Dillahunt
Jack McCall would have lived and died an unremarkable life and never been a footnote in history had it not been for one ill-advised act of revenge. Not much is known about McCall’s life before his murder of Wild Bill Hickok. It is estimated that he was born in the 1850s in Kentucky, but the exact year is not known. He had three sisters, but later left his family to become a buffalo hunter in the West. Eventually he settled in the mining camp outside of Deadwood with the alias of “Bill Sutherland”.
Events were set in motion on August 1, 1976, when Jack McCall and Wild Bill Hickok met at Nuttal & Mann’s pub. McCall was drunk when he dropped in a game of poker that included Hickock. McCall quickly lost multiple hands and was soon out of money. Hickock offered to buy McCall breakfast to make up for it and wisely advised McCall not to bet again until he could cover his losses.
Hickock meant this generously, but McCall was reportedly insulted and returned to the pub the next day, drunk again, and shot Hickock point-blank in the back of the head. After two separate trials, McCall, age 24, was publicly hanged on March 1, 1877 for his crimes.
13
Charlie Utter
Played by: Dayton Callie
Charles “Charlie” Utter was very much a real resident of Deadwood, however His portrayal in the show by Dayton Callie is quite different from how he was portrayed in real life. In the show, he is honest and tough, often showing kindness to others; By all accounts, the real-life Charlie Utter was the same. However, in DeadwoodAter is shown as somewhat sloppy and uncomfortable around people.
However, the real Charlie Utter was quite meticulous about his appearance, dressing in custom-tailored suits and taking care to groom himself neatly. In fact, he also took daily baths, an almost unheard of practice in those days. One thing that was true on the show and in reality was his friendship with Wild Bill Hickok. His friendship with Hickock dates back long before they both arrived in Deadwood, however.
Over the years, Utter was a trapper and hunter, a mine owner and gold prospector, an express rider, and involved in transportation. In his travels, he met Hickock and the two became fast friends. When Hickok was killed by Jack McCall, Utter was the one to claim Bill’s body, arrange for his funeral, and lay him to rest with a proper grave marker in Deadwood.
12
Aunt Lou Marshbanks
Played by: Cleo King
in the Deadwood series, Aunt Lou is a beloved figure and she was reportedly just as beloved in reality. Lucretia “Aunt Lou” Marchbanks was born a slave in Putman County, Tennessee, on March 25, 1832. She grew up with her 11 brothers and sisters on the plantation owned by Martin Marchbanks and was raised as a cook and housekeeper before traveling with the Marchbanks’ Eldest daughter. After the Emancipation Proclamation declared her free, Lucretia continued to travel west, arriving in Deadwood, like so many others, in 1876.
In the show, Aunt Lou serves as George Hearst’s personal cook and then the head cook of the Grand Central Hotel after Hearst purchases it. In fact, she never worked for Hearst, although she did become the kitchen manager at the hotel And it was her cooking that drew people to the hotel and earned her the nickname of Aunt Lou.
Over time, her reputation and frugality enabled her to open her own business, the Rustic Hotel, in the Black Hills, and her legendary food ensured the hotel’s success. Aunt Lou sold the rustic hotel in 1885 and moved to Wyoming, where she bought a ranch and worked with horses and cattle until her death in 1911.
11
Johnny Burns
Played by: Sean Bridgers
In The Deadwood Show, Sean Bridgers’ Johnny Burns is a lackey of sorts for Al Swearengen, Working at Swearengen’s Gem Saloon as a bartender and Swearengen’s enforcer. Thanks to his sometimes dimwitted nature, Swearengen both verbally and physically lashes out at Burns. Burns shows more of a moral compass than his boss, sometimes refusing to pull the trigger when Swearengen orders a hit and also showing remorse and remorse for his more violent actions.
The real Johnny Burns was far less likable than his TV counterpart, however. Burns did work at the Gem Theater, but although he probably tended bar, his main role was as a “Kestler”, or the one who charged the girls Sweargen forced into indentured servitude. Unlike Deadwood’s Johnny, who once refused to kill one of Sweargen’s prostitutes, the real Burns was reportedly brutal against the girls, often beating them mercilessly and doling out severe punishment when they stepped out of line.
10
Dan Durity
Played by: W. Earl Brown
in DeadwoodW. Earl Brown’s Dan Dority is considerably fictionalized by necessity due to not much being known about him. Even his last name, Dority, is spelled differently than the real Dan, who spelled his last name as “Doherty.” Few details are known about his early life, except that he was born in Maine in or around 1952 as Dan Michael Doherty. In the 1860 census, he was living in Maine with his parents and two siblings but the 1880 census lists him as living in Deadwood. It can be assumed that he came to the town in 1876.
Few details are known about his early life, except that he was born in Maine in or around 1952 as Dan Michael Doherty.
in the show, Dan Dority is Al Swearengen’s right-hand man, although not as merciless as his boss. He held many of the same roles in real life, leading the Gem Theater when it opened in 1877, handling light business in Front, as well as the rooms that kept the prostitutes. Like Johnny Burns, the real Doherty was not as soft-hearted as the show version; He often brutalized the girls who worked in the brothel, and was nice to the customers, even if it sometimes led to the death
9
EB Farnum
Played by: William Sanderson
In the town of Deadwood, EB Farnum was one of the few Deadwood settlers who did not arrive in the town to participate in the gold mining boom. Instead, he saw the potential to cater to the growing group and moved his wife and three children from Wisconsin to Deadwood. He opened a general store in 1876 and quickly bought a number of other lots on Main Street, Although he is not the owner of the Grand Central Hotel as depicted in the show.
in DeadwoodFarnum is portrayed as pompous and buffoonish, a self-important man who is completely controlled by Al Sweargen. But Hobbs delusions he is his own person. On the contrary, the real company proved to be a thoughtful and courageous leader, as the first mayor of the town. During his time as mayor, he convinced the army to establish a post near the town.
He established a quarantine house during Deadwood’s smallpox epidemic, established Deadwood’s first fire department, the first telegraph center, the first school, and a system of street cleaning while also serving as justice of the peace, judge, and principal of the school. Board. It is not known exactly when he left Deadwood, but he was listed as living in Tennessee in the 1900 census.
8
Samuel Felder
Played by: Franklin Ajaye
Samuel Fields, played by Franklyn Ajaye, was one of Deadwoods most flamboyant figures. Almost impossible, the real Samuel Fields could have been an even more colorful character. In the series, he first befriends Calamity Jane. In fact, it is not entirely clear how he arrived in Deadwood, although most records estimate that, like most who moved to the area to seek their fortune, Fields arrived in 1876.
Fields immediately established his showman-like, larger-than-life persona upon arriving in Deadwood When he told everyone he was a general in the Union Army during the Civil War, a claim that was completely untrue. As one of Deadwood’s few African-American residents, Fields was an outspoken participant in “colored citizens’ meetings” and soon earned a reputation as an eloquent and entertaining speaker.
He is regularly quoted in the local papers, earning himself a growing list of nicknames around town. Fields seemingly always found himself at the center of mischief in Deadwood, whether by sheer accident or association. Not much is known about Fields’ exploits after 1890, but his time in Deadwood provided enough material for a lifetime.
7
George Hearst
Played by: Gerald McRaney
Unlike others in the series who sought out Deadwood to seek their fortune, George Hearst was already a wealthy mining tycoon when he came to town. He has already established mining camps in Utah, Nevada, California and Montana, and has interests and investments in mines. and important loads around the country. He was a ruthless businessman, but respected, largely considered the most significant prospector and expert in mining property potential in the West.
He also acquired these San Francisco Examiner as payment for a gambling debt; Years later, his son William Randolph Hearst took control of the newspaper and turned it into the cornerstone of the Hearst media empire. in the Deadwood series and movie sequel, Hearst sends his employee Francis Wolcott to acquire stakes in the Deadwood gold claims. Hearst is depicted as a clear villain in the show with less than scrupulous means.
In fact, although he did visit Deadwood in his lifetime, Hearst’s attempts to acquire the homestead mine were not as cruel or diabolical as portrayed in the series. He was a respected figure and prominent philanthropist; While some characters in Deadwood George Hearst’s character was arguably the grossest of their real-life counterparts.
6
Jack Langriche
Played by: Brian Cox
Jack Langriche was one of Deadwood’s more colorful figures, just as he was in the Deadwood Series. Born in Dublin, Ireland, as John Sewell Folds Jr., he moved to the United States when he was about 20 years old. He adopted his stage name Langriche after moving to New York City, and became a full-time stage actor, magician and comedian. Unlike the series, there was no hard evidence to suggest that Langrishe was gay: In 1849, he met and married actress Jeannette Allen in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the couple founded the Langrishe and Company traveling theater troupe.
Langrishe and Jeanette were an integral part of creating a vibrant cultural scene for the residents of Deadwood upon their arrival in 1876, soon setting up shop and leasing the existing theater for their company. Langrish’s troupe provided a source of entertainment for Deadwood, with burlesque, minstrels, dancers, acrobats, singers, And all forms of entertainer gracing the stage.
After Jack Langrish bought and remodeled his own theater, renamed the Langrish Theater, it also served various non-entertainment functions for the city, from the trial of Jack McCall, to the first wedding performed in Deadwood, to a meeting place for various organizations. Jack Langriche died in Wardner, Idaho, on December 12, 1895 after a short illness.
5
AW Merrick
Played by: Jeffrey Jones
Albert Walter “AW” Merrick was DeadwoodThe owner and publisher of the local newspaper, The Black Hills Pioneer. The series portrays him as an honest and morally upright character who is committed to telling the truth about the unfolding events while navigating his friendships with the town’s prominent citizens. Unfortunately, not much is known about the real Merrick, especially his early years.
What is known is that he was born in 1839 or 1840 in New York City. He later served in the Civil War, rising to the rank of sergeant. After that, he disappeared from the public record until he reappeared in the Nebraska Territory, where he was listed as the publisher of the Coming City Star As well as these Nebraska Inquirerwhich was located in DeSoto.
In May of 1876, Merrick landed in Deadwood and launched the Black Hills Pioneer Along with WA Laughlin. The official first newspaper was published on June 8, 1876 and the Pioneer is still published today, the oldest newspaper in the Black Hills area.
4
Tom Nuttall
Played by: Leon Rippi
Like several other characters in the series, Tom Nuttall is based on a real person, but his name was changed for the purposes of the show. In fact, the owner of Nuttall & Mann’s Saloon No. 10 was named William “Billy” Nuttall, not Tom. In the series, he’s already disillusioned with Deadwood and his lawless ways, even before Al Swearengen flexes his iron grip around town. But, how Deadwood: The Movie Turns out, he’s still in Deadwood running the No. 10 Saloon a decade later.
The real Billy Nuttall didn’t put down roots as deep in Deadwood as the show’s Tom Nuttall, however. After managing the saloon and the Bella Union Theater for a few years, Nuttall picked up stakes and moved to Leadville, Colorado in 1879 with other black heelers who were moving to follow the gold.
There, he opened his own Bella Union in the summer of 1879, even hiring many of the actors he had used at the Deadwood Theater. His luck soon changed in Leadville, however: his wife left him in 1880, and by 1882, he was imprisoned in New Mexico for a gambling violation.
3
Reverend Smith
Played by: Ray McKinnon
Reverend Henry Weston Smith was, just like that Deadwood describe him, A compassionate and God-fearing man of the cloth. He also served in the Civil War in real life, although he was a doctor and not a field nurse like he was in the show. However, this is where the commonalities between Ray McKinnon’s depiction of Reverend Smith enter Deadwood And the real Smith End.
He was killed along with three other men on the way to Deadwood in a suspected raid by the local Native Americans.
In the show, Rev. Smith leaves his wife and children to move to Deadwood and become the town preacherStill believing that he had received a sign from God. In fact, he was already a Methodist preacher before he moved to Deadwood. Unlike the show’s storyline of him abandoning his family, Smith’s first wife and infant son died in 1849. He was married again in 1859 to Lydia Ann Joslin and the couple had four children.
They moved to Deadwood in 1876, where Smith became the first preacher in the Black Hills area. In another change from the show, Smith never had a proper church, but preached on the streets and worked odd jobs to supplement his income. He was killed along with three other men on the way to Deadwood in a suspected raid by the local Native Americans.
2
With Stapleton
Played by: Peter Jason
Con Stapleton, similar to George Hearst, was another Deadwood character, who was somewhat shortened in his fictional image. In the series, Stapleton only gained his short-lived position as the marshal of Deadwood thanks to a campaign of begging Al Swearengen to appoint him. Otherwise, he was a dark bulb card-dealer in Tom Nuttall’s No. 10 Saloon.
In fact, Stapleton was elected by the town’s miners in 1876 to be the second marshal of Deadwood, Replaced First Marshal Isaac Brown after he was killed in the same ambush that also took Reverend Smith’s life. The rest of the events of the Deadwood series, such as Stapleton being used as a puppet to stir up anti-Chinese sentiment, appear to have been completely fabricated for the show. The real Con Stapleton served as Deadwood’s marshal for over a year and also organized wrestling matches at the Gem Theater In his free time.
The end of his time as Marshal was far less dramatic than depicted in the series. Bullock never stripped him of his badge after Stapleton killed a Chinese immigrant. Instead, many of Stapleton’s duties naturally transferred to Bullock after he became the sheriff of Lawrence County. Like others, he moved to Colorado with the gold rush. He died in Denver, Colorado in 1879 at only 31 years old.