The Gilded Age, HBO’s period drama following from Downton Abbey’s Julian Fellowes, returns for a third season of rich people behaving badly on June 22.
The title refers to the real historical period in the late 19th century when industrialists amassed immense fortunes and dominated the most exclusive social circles in Manhattan and Newport, Rhode Island. In the show, much of the drama is fueled by a sort of cold war between the “old money” families and the “nouveau rich” families, who have newly made their money in the booming railroad industry.
The Gilded Age is fiction, but informed deeply by history, with several characters that are based on real people. From the socialites who ran the big parties of the day to the leaders representing key causes of the time, like women’s suffrage, here are The Gilded Age characters inspired by real historical figures.
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Mrs. Astor
Played by: Donna Murphy
Known for: Social gatekeeping
Caroline Schermerhorn Astor was at the top of the Gilded Age social scene, representing a family that amassed its wealth through the fur trade and real estate. She was known for hosting lavish parties, attended by New York’s elite, and as The Gilded Age shows, she represented an “old money” set and looked down upon socialites like the Vanderbilts who represented “new money,” especially from the booming railroad business. Mrs. Astor split her time between a townhouse in Manhattan—where the Empire State Building currently stands—and a mansion in Newport called Beechwood.
Ward McAllister
Played by: Nathan Lane
Known for: Hobnobbing
The social climber became famous for coining the term “the 400,” referring to the 400 most influential people in New York. He was one of the first of his Manhattan crowd to summer in Newport, Rhode Island,…
