With Father's Day on Sunday, HBO is releasing the incredible Boardwalk Empire: The Complete Series on Blu-ray & DVD for the very first time ever on 1st June. To celebrate, we have put together a list of the most notorious real life gangsters that the characters of Boardwalk Empire were inspired from. While each is significant to their time period in some way, their goals as major crime figures are virtually the same: to achieve as much power and money as possible and not let anything stand in their way.
Al "Scarface" Capone: Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1899 to Italian immigrant parents, Capone became involved with crime at a very young age. In his early 20s, Capone moved to Chicago to take advantage of the growing opportunities to make money in bootlegging operations in the city during Prohibition. In 1925 Capone took control of The Outfit, which controlled much of the south side and the downtown area, and continued the ongoing war to control the streets of Chicago through his organization. He is perhaps most well-known for his involvement in planning the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, which resulted in the deaths of many of his enemies and members of the North Side Gang in Chicago. Al Capone is portrayed by actor Stephen Graham in the show.
Enoch "Nucky" Johnson: Born in Galloway Township, New Jersey in 1883, Johnson followed in his father's footsteps becoming sheriff of Atlantic county when his father's term expired. The conviction of a political boss in 1911 was the perfect opportunity for Johnson to take over his organisation giving him control of the Republican led Atlantic City and Atlantic County governments. Under his rise to power Atlantic City became a leading vice city, and a leading port for smuggling liquor. His character has inspired Boardwalk's main boss "Nucky" Thompson played by the incredible Steve Buscemi.
Arnold Rothstein: Nicknamed "the Brain," Arnold Rothstein was a Jewish-American businessman, racketeer and gambler in the early 20th century. He had a deep interest in organized betting, gambling and corruption in professional athletics going as far as conspiring in fixing the 1919 World Series. With Prohibition ratified through the U.S. government, Rothstein realized it was an excellent time for business and began work in bootlegging and drug distribution. According to crime writer Leo Katcher, "Rothstein transformed organized crime from a thuggish activity by hoodlums in a big business, run like a corporation, with himself at the top." His character is now portrayed by Michael Stuhlbarg.
Charles "Lucky" Luciano: Born in Sicily in 1897, Luciano got a taste for the fast life at an early age when he won $244 in a dice game. By the time he was a teenager he started his own gang that focused on petty theft. This set the stage for Luciano to develop the foundation of modern organized crime in the United States. He was responsible for splitting New York City into five different mafia crime families and establishing the governing body of the American mafia, the Commission. "Lucky" is portrayed by Vincent Piazza.
Casper Holstein: Born in the island St. Croix, which today is known as part of the U.S. Virgin Islands to parents of African and Danish decent. In 1894, he moved to New York with his mother and soon after graduating high school he enlisted in the United States Navy. After returning from war Holstein studied the stock market and the system and numbers associated with it. He developed a lottery using those principles he learned, which quickly became popular earning him the title of Bolita King. Casper Holstein has now inspired the character Valentin Narcisse played by actor Jeffrey Wright.
Emmy® Award winning Boardwalk Empire: The Complete Series becomes available as a boxset for the first time ever now on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download.
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