Is Indiana Jones Based on a Real Person?

Though the beloved Indiana Jones franchise may have popularized archaeology, the exciting action adventure movies certainly aren’t tethered down by limitations of facts and accuracy. The iconic film series is beloved for its exhilarating explorations of far-off places, blurring the lines between fact and fiction as it takes audiences on thrilling adventures into distant lands and ancient ruins. While these movies aren’t exactly a factual account of archaeology, the spirit of adventure embodied by its main character has enthralled audiences for decades. Though Dr. Henry Jones Jr. (Harrison Ford) isn’t the most professionally accurate portrayal of an archaeologist, the iconic film character still captures the spirit of discovery and curiosity that drives real-life explorers.

Much like the mysteries he himself has to solve, the real-life inspiration for Indiana Jones is clouded in mystery, without an easy path or straightforward answer explaining the character’s origin. However, keeping with the spirit of the wry and curious action hero, the real facts about the character’s origins can and must be uncovered, because though there isn’t a real-life Indiana Jones that the character was directly based on, there is still a professor whose discoveries and exploits served as the root inspiration for the iconic character. It just takes a bit of digging to unearth the answer.

Steven Spielberg and George Lucas Seemed to Base Indiana Jones on a Charlton Heston Character

The cinematic origins of Indiana Jones are one of the clearer steps in this investigation, as Steven Spielberg and George Lucas both found incredibly direct inspiration from an earlier action-adventure film, Secret of the Incas. Released in 1954, Secret of the Incas is an action-adventure film starring iconic actor Charlton Heston as Harry Steele, an American adventurer in search of a lost Incan treasure in the ruins of Machu Picchu. From even a cursory glance at the two characters, it’s undeniably obvious that Indiana Jones, and Raiders of the Lost Ark, were based off Harry Steele, with similarities in everything from their wardrobe, demeanor, and storylines. Both characters are dashing individuals with an insatiable desire for adventure and discovery, and armed with similar iconic wardrobes, the two fedora-wearing action heroes share more in common than have differences.

Academy Award nominated costume designer for Raiders of the Lost Ark, Deborah Nadoolman confirmed that Indy’s wardrobe — his iconic fedora, satchel, leather jacket, and whip — were directly inspired by Heston’s Harry Steele character. But even deeper than that, Nadoolman noted that many parts of Raiders‘ plot drew parallels with Secret of the Incas, noting how many shots in the Indiana Jones flick were essentially the same as its predecessor. However, she also makes sure to address the differences between the two characters, their personalities, and the specific details of their similar wardrobe. Indiana Jones wasn’t just a gentler and kinder version of Harry Steele, but he also rocked a hat that was much smaller, resulting in a more iconic and Halloween costume-worthy look. While Secret of the Incas was the most direct source of visual inspiration for Indiana Jones, Ben Aldis from CBR pointed out that both movies were actually predated by a 1943 film known as China, starring Alan Ladd in the lead role. The earlier picture likewise featured a charismatic adventurer with a predilection for fedoras and leather jackets, helping define the classic Hollywood look of an explorer — even if it wasn’t entirely accurate to the field. Though these films were released decades apart from one another, there is a lineage of visual clues and design choices that tie them all together as they define the adventure genre.

Indiana Jones’ Inspiration Traces Back to a Real-Life Professor

Not only does Indiana Jones take inspiration from the visual cues of these earlier films, but there are also parallels in plot lines as well. Both films had story beats involving a headstrong and daring archaeologist, a self-serving companion-turned-traitor, and a race against a similarly adept academic rival, making comparisons between the two feel natural. Both movies even feature iconic moments where the main character uses the refraction of light to discover a clue in an ancient map room. But this is where things get more interesting, because though Raiders of the Lost Ark was based on Secret of the Incas, what was the latter of the two based on?

Entertainment Weekly did a deep dive into the origins of Indiana Jones and traced its origins to Secret of the Incas, but also connected some clues to real-life history. Secret of the Incas‘ screenwriter, Sydney Boehm, cited a conversation with a Peruvian-born singer, Yma Mac, as the spark of inspiration for the movie. However, there was something buried beneath this origin story that deserved some more attention, as Boehm had previously submitted a loose idea to Paramount Pictures for a film called Lost City of the Incas.

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Planned to be an adventure set in Peru, this early idea from Boehm drew plenty of comparisons with a book of the same name released just a few years prior. But not only did this movie’s idea’s title feel reminiscent of the popular literature, so, too, did its description of its main character match the description of the author of the book, Professor Hiram Bingham III. Tall, slender, and curious about archaic civilizations, Bingham III was a notable figure in academia and archaeology, famed for his accomplishments in both fields, and was the indirect inspiration for cinema’s most famous archaeologist.

Hiram Bingham III Rediscovered Machu Picchu

Boehm’s original conceit for Lost City of the Incas would later turn into Secret of the Incas for undetermined reasons, but the connection to Hiram Bingham was already set in stone. Bingham was a history lecturer at Yale University in the early 1900s whose fascination with archeology led him to embark on expeditions to South America. Despite not being trained as an archaeologist or anthropologist, Bingham specialized in history and sought out the last capitals of the Inca Empire, Vitcos and Vilcabamba. Though he would eventually locate these cities, Bingham’s most remarkable achievement was the rediscovery of the ruins of Machu Picchu, bringing them to light for the rest of the world. With the aid of local people, the few indigenous people residing in a nearby valley, Bingham returned to America with newfound knowledge that he shared with the world in his books. And it was through the information in these books that Indiana Jones would later find life.

As historian Christopher Heaney summarized, “Indiana Jones is not Hiram Bingham, but Hiram Bingham was used to create this set of characters and set of situations in Secret of the Incas that then influenced the creation of Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Indiana Jones’ captivating exploits may not be grounded entirely in the experiences of a single person, but the unveiled mystery behind his character’s origins fulfills the same criteria as an archaeological study, a similarity that the adventurous professor himself would surely find to be utterly exhilarating.

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark is available to rent on Prime Video in the U.S.

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