Julian Fellowes’ lavish period drama “The Gilded Age” may be fictional, but the characters at its core are steeped in historical truth. As the series returns for its third season, let’s take a closer look at the real-life figures who inspired its storiesâfrom ambitious heiresses to social power players and boundary-breaking journalists.
Bertha Russell and Mrs. Astor: Inspired by the Vanderbilt-Astor Feud
Carrie Coon’s Bertha Russell is loosely based on Alva Vanderbilt, the determined and famously extravagant wife of railroad magnate William Kissam Vanderbilt, according to Vogue. Like Bertha, Alva faced rejection from New York’s old-money elite before using her wealth to buy her way in. The tipping point? A $3 million ball thrown in honor of her daughter Consuelo, which forced society queen Caroline Schermerhorn Astorâplayed by Donna Murphyâto acknowledge the Vanderbilts’ influence.
Fellowes doesn’t hide Murphy’s character’s identityâthere was only one “Mrs. Astor,” and her authority was unquestioned. As Vogue once described her, âHer power was absolute and long continued.” The real Mrs. Astor wielded enormous social influence, aided by her right-hand man, Ward McAllister, portrayed by Nathan Lane. McAllister, a Southern-born society expert, helped shape the rules of Gilded Age society and is remembered for his flamboyant style and love of fine cuisine.
Gladys Russell (Taissa Farmiga) also draws clear parallels to Consuelo Vanderbilt, Alva’s daughter. In both fiction and fact, the young women were pressured into strategic marriages. Consuelo wed the ninth Duke of Marlborough in a union arranged largely for status, with a $2.5 million dowry. She reportedly cried at her wedding and later divorced. Similarly, Gladys’s romantic future is being orchestrated by her parents in season three.
Real Figures Behind Other ‘The Gilded Age’ Characters
Jeanne Tripplehorn’s character, Sylvia Chamberlain, appears to be modeled after Arabella Huntington, a wealthy and scandal-surrounded widow who faced social snubs despite her fortune. Like Chamberlain, Huntington’s marriage to industrialist Collis Huntington was also controversial, and the Astors and Vanderbilts shunned her.
The series also features cultural icons, such as opera star Christine Nilsson (played by Sarah Joy Miller), who performed at both the Academy of Music and the Met in the 1880s. The New York Times wrote, “Christine Nilsson, the Met’s first diva in 1883, could not only stipulate by contract her choice of roles, but could prohibit their performance by any other soprano in the same season.”
“The Gilded Age” also highlights progressive Black leaders, such as T. Thomas Fortune (played by Sullivan Jones), a real-life journalist and civil rights activist who advised Booker T. Washington. The series incorporates Fortune’s work advocating for Black education and integration, a major theme in season two.
Washington himself appears in season 2, played by Michael Braugher. The real Washington, born into slavery, became one of the most influential Black leaders of his time and founded the Tuskegee Institute in 1881. The New York Times once credited him with providing “service of greater or more lasting value than any American in his time.”
Even the show’s architect, Stanford White, played by John Sanders, is based on a real figure with a complicated legacy. White designed many landmarksâincluding the Russell mansion and Madison Square Gardenâbut his life ended in scandal when he was murdered in 1906 by the jealous husband of a young model he had seduced.
Coming up in season 3âBill Camp playing J.P. Morgan.
“The Gilded Age” airs Sunday nights on HBO.
The post ‘The Gilded Age’ Season 3: Meet the Real People Who Inspired the Series appeared first on EntertainmentNow.