The Real People Who Inspired Timeless Fictional Characters

The Card Counter Behind 21

Photo Credits: DAVID X PRUTTING/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Back in the mid-1990s, Jeff Ma was a member of the MIT Blackjack Team. During that time, he was counting cards and eventually ran into trouble. He became the main inspiration for the character Kevin Lewis in the novel Bringing Down the House and Ben Campbell in the film 21.

Although many changes had been made about his story, at its core, it is the story of Jeff Ma. Today, Jeff Ma works as a Predictive Analyst Expert where he makes appearances on SportsCenter and is a contributing writer for ESPN.com.