Every real-life Hells Angels member in the cast

Created by Kurt Sutter, Children of Anarchy Premiere on FX in 2008 and came to an end in 2014 after seven seasons full of drama, betrayal and action, and it would not have been the same without the real bikers in the cast. In order to bring the now-completed Children of Anarchy To live, Sutter took inspiration from real-life motorcycle clubs, and the real Sons of Anarchy bikers influenced the actors of the show. Among the real-life motorcycle clubs was the Hells Angels organization, one of the most famous motorcycle clubs in the world.

Children of Anarchy was very well received throughout its run, with critics praising its story, themes and the performances of the main cast, particularly that of Katey Sagal as the doomed Gemma Teller-Morow. Several members of the Hells Angels are part of the show’s cast, including the biker characters, and even the fan-favorites. Children of Anarchy Character lucky. The Hells Angels are the biggest source of inspiration for these Children of Anarchy characters, and while SAMCRO may be fictional, they share some major similarities with real-life bikers.

Who are the Hells Angels? SOA real biker inspiration explained

The motorcycle club dates back to 1948

The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is a worldwide club whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The Hells Angels is one of the largest clubs in the world, with a membership of over 6,000 and 467 charters in 59 countries. (via CBC). The organization began in 1948 when various small clubs united, and since then the Hells Angels have gained a reputation for being a dangerous crew, with various police and international intelligence agencies considering the group as an organized crime syndicate.

Although the Sons of Anarchy MC is not real, Kurt Sutter aimed for true authenticity and took a deep look into the culture of motorcycle clubs to build SAMCRO and its members. Sutter even brought David Labrava, a member of the Hells Angels in as a technical consultant and later cast him in the recurring role of Happy Lowman. After Labrava’s casting, other Hells Angels appeared in the SOA Cast as guest or recurring characters. The SOA Hells Angels have a lot in common with the real-life club, and that’s mostly thanks to the contributions of its members.

Sons Of Anarchy features real Hells Angels

Fan-favorite character Happy Lowman is played by a real-life Hell’s Angel

The first Hells Angels actor on Children of Anarchy was David Labrava, who played Happy Lowman, one of the most dangerous members of the club. Lucky started as part of the Tacoma, Washington charter. He later became part of the Nomads, and then a full-fledged member of SAMCRO in season 3. After Happy, three other members of the Hell’s Angels were cast, albeit in smaller roles.

Rusty Coones played Ron QuinnA member of the Indian Hills Charter and President of the Nomad Charter who was brought to SAMCRO by Bobby when he was looking for new members. Just like Happy, Quinn made it to the final episode of Children of Anarchy And voted in favor of Jax meeting Mr. Mayhem.

Next was Chuck Zito, who played Frankie DiamondsA member of the Nomads Charter who was transferred to SAMCRO as part of a larger plan by Clay. Along with GoGo and Greg the Peg, Frankie commits a series of home invasions to discredit the club and Jax, who is already president, but is killed when his betrayal is discovered.

finally, Ralph “Sonny” Barger played Lenny “The Pimp” YanovichOne of the original 9 founders of SAMCRO. Barger is a founding member of the Oakland chapter of the Hells Angels and was present at the infamous Altamont Free Concert in 1969, as seen in the 1970 documentary Give me shelter. Lenny is only in three episodes in Children of AnarchyBut that was enough to leave a strong impression.

Sutter took his research on motorcycle clubs very seriously, and the four members of the Hells Angels appear on Children of Anarchy Definitely added to the realism of the show. Of course, what Happy, Quinn, Frankie and Lenni went through on the show can’t be compared to what their actors lived through as members of the Hells Angels, but those experiences definitely helped shape the rest of the series.

One SOA cast member landed the role after a losing $5 million lawsuit

Hell’s Angels Chuck Zito played Frankie Diamonds on the series

Many would be surprised to find out that a former Hells Angel cast member actually sued the FX series Children of Anarchy – and was then rewarded with a part on the show. Former president of the New York chapter of the Hells Angels Chuck Zito, said the series and Kurt Sutter back in June of 2010, saying that they stole his idea. apparently, Zito pitched FX an idea for a real-life biker-inspired gangster MC series called Nomads (Later The Wild Angels) back in 2004And he believed that his idea was stolen and used to create Children of Anarchy (via THR).

Sutter denied the claims, and the two had a very public dispute. FX and Sutter eventually win the suit, much to Zito’s dismay. So it was such a shock that in 2012, Sutter announced that Zito would be one of the Hells Angels actors on Children of Anarchy.

Zito appeared in Children of Anarchy Season 5 as Frankie Diamonds, and he even appeared in Kurt Sutter’s Discovery Channel docuseries Bandit empires. Apparently, the two were able to bury the bullet after Zito’s procedure, so much so that Zito was kicked out of two of Sutter’s shows. Zito’s acting credits go all the way back to 1982, and he has worked steadily in the decades since. Outside his brief stint in the Children of Anarchy He is probably best known for playing Chucky “The Enforcer” Pancamo in 45 episodes of the drama television series Oz.

Are the Sons of Anarchy characters played by Hell’s Angels accurate?

The show’s ranking system is accurate while glossing over some ugly truths about the clubs

It’s not surprising given the inclusion of some real bikers in the cast Children of Anarchy is a highly accurate show, and Sutter worked very hard to make it so. One such thing that the show gets right is the motorcycle club ranking system. Reportedly, most real-life motorcycle clubs have a hierarchy system to indicate rank and station. The ranks are usually identified by patches. However, some of the things that Jax and Clay did as President and VP would normally be left to other prospects.

Sons of Anarchy prospects must go through an initiation, which is depicted on the show. However, the initiation process itself takes much longer in real life than in SOA. It depends on the motorcycle club itself, but some of the initiation rates are quite brutal. Unfortunately, Juice’s (Theo Rossi) racism storyline is also in line with the truth.

Although there are some black and Hispanic MCs, the majority are white and outwardly racist. Children of Anarchy Also gloss over MC’s true feelings towards women. While Gemma has a little power in SOAThat would never happen to a woman in real life. Sutter returns Children of Anarchy Try to stay as close to real life as possible, but it does fall short in some areas.

Is Jax based on a real Hells Angels biker?

Charlie Hunnam Drew inspiration from one real biker

Charlie Hunnam explains that he spent time with real motorcycle clubs during the rehearsal period of Children of Anarchy Season 1, and that’s when he met the real-life Jax Teller. Based in Oakland, this unnamed club was where 22-year-old Jax Teller grew up and where his father was “The heir apparentYaks apparently “An amazing presence about him“, and Hunnam called the biker “An old school gangster cowboy,“Which could easily be used to describe the modern-day gunslinger Children of Anarchy Protagonist too.

The real-life Jax clearly had a huge impact on the actor, as Hunnam based his entire character on Jax, everything from his get-up to his personality. tragic, The real-life Jax tragically suffered a death similar to this Children of Anarchy JaxHow he died just one week after leaving Oakland. Hunnam keeps the real-life Jax necklace as a memorial, like any of the other real ones Children of Anarchy Bikers have a bigger influence on the show than him.

Real Hells Angels have also appeared in movies

Hells Angels on Wheels and Wild Angels both used real bikers

Children of Anarchy Wasn’t the only fictional story that decided to use real Hells Angels in order to add some authenticity. There have been a number of biker movies over the years that have attempted to capture the outlaw spirit of such clubs, leading to some recruiting members of the Hells Angels to appear alongside the actors. One of the most notable was Hell’s Angels on WheelsA 1967 movie starring Jack Nicholson in his early days of indie filmmaking.

Nicholson plays a young man who is welcomed by a chapter of the Hells Angels only to be turned away by their violent ways. Infamous biker Ralph ‘Sonny’ Barger (who played Lenny on Children of Anarchy) was the president of the Oakland, California chapter of the Hells Angels at the time of filming and was used as a consultant while also appearing briefly on screen. Another movie that allegedly used Hells Angels members was the 1966 The Wild Angels Starring Peter Fonda who inspired many of the best biker movies.

Although The Wild Angels Director Roger Corman cast several members of the Venice, California Chapter of the Hells Angels in the movie, once it was released, they were unhappy with the way they were portrayed and threatened to have Corman killed (by THR):

“They announced that they were suing me for $1 million for defamation of character, based on that [that] I described them as an outlaw motorcycle gang, because they were actually a social organization dedicated to spreading technical information about motorcycles. Then they announced that they would kill me.

Wisely, when talking to the president of the organization, Carman suggested that they forget about killing him and just focus on getting the $1 million from the lawsuit. Based on Corman’s words, it sounds like the Hell’s Angels are getting their money’s worth. Perhaps he should have offered them roles in his next movie, similar to what Kurt Sutter did with Chuck Zito in Children of Anarchy.

Real Hells Angels members added to the realism of the series

The show may draw from the experiences of the real-life bikers

One of the things that made Children of Anarchy Such a popular show was how immersive it was. The biker gang culture is a unique world to enter on television and Children of Anarchy Worked hard to ensure it is authentic to real biker gangs. Including real Hells Angels as part of the show’s cast was one big step in ensuring that realism was kept intact throughout the series.

Having people on set who are actually part of the world and can comment with authority on what is right and what is wrong would have been an invaluable tool for everyone involved.. Kurt Sutter and the rest of the creative team could draw from the consultants on everything from real experiences to the various ranks seen in Children of Anarchy. Meanwhile, the actors have real people to draw aspects of their performances. They could see how real bikers talked and behaved, and the passion they have for the culture.

On top of all the useful aspects, the actual Hells Angels provided as part of the Children of Anarchy Cast, they probably also served as inspiration to get it right. When you’re trying to replicate a culture that’s filled with such pride and tradition, having real members of the community standing by and observing is extra motivation to ensure it’s as authentic as possible. While many of the Hells Angels members are welcomed members of the Children of Anarchy It is likely that they would have no problem calling out something that is not right.