5 Real People in 'Titanic' Movie

April 13, 2012— -- intro: Leonardo DeCaprio, Kate Winslet and Billy Zane played made-up people in the movie "Titanic," but not all the characters were fictitious, even if the writers exercised some poetic license.

Here are five of them.

quicklist: 1category: 5 Real People in "Titanic" Movietitle: Margaret Browntext: Kathy Bates portrayed the wealthy socialite from Hannibal, Mo., who not only survived the Titanic's sinking but helped others board lifeboats, eventually becoming known as the "The Unsinkable Molly Brown."

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quicklist: 2category: 5 Real People in "Titanic" Movietitle: Archibald Gracietext: Amateur historian Archibald Gracie IV was on the Titanic and lived to write about it, although he died months later from his injuries. Portrayed in "Titanic" by Bernard Fox, the Alabama-born writer and real estate investor is among the best-known survivors.

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quicklist: 3category: 5 Real People in "Titanic" Movietitle: Capt. Edward John Smithtext: Capt. Edward John Smith went down with his ship. The officer in command of the Titanic was an experienced sea captain who died that night of unknown causes. Bernard Hill portrayed the British naval officer in "Titanic."

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quicklist: 4category: 5 Real People in "Titanic" Movietitle: Thomas Andrewstext: The Irish shipbuilder joined the maiden voyage of the Titanic as part of his overseeing plans for the new liner from its inception. Played by actor Victor Garber, he encouraged passengers to board lifeboats before he vanished, never to be seen again.

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quicklist: 5category: 5 Real People in "Titanic" Movietitle: Joseph Bruce Ismaytext: Joseph Bruce Ismay escaped his own sinking Titanic via lifeboat, which earned the chairman of the White Star Line the enmity of critics who couldn't fathom the notion that he had abandoned ship. The English businessman, played by Jonathan Hyde in "Titanic," kept a low profile after that.

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