The Real People Who Inspired Timeless Fictional Characters

John Gray Or Dorian Gray?

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John Gray was a poet and peer of Irish playwright and author Oscar Wilde. Being inside of Wilde’s circle of friends, it is assumed that Wilde’s only novel The Picture of Dorian Gray was dedicated to John and was Wilde’s way of hinting his feelings at him. For starters, he kept the surname Gray, yet changed the first name to Dorian, most likely after the Greek ethnic group the Dorians who believed in male homosexuality.

John Gray was also a handsome male, which would make sense, as an inspiration to the character Dorian. John Gray later commented on the book noting that although there were some similarities, he didn’t think that Dorian was based on him. However, other people see it differently.