Just who was the real Indiana Jones? Indy’s creators George Lucas and Steven Spielberg say the inspiration for the whip-cracking adventurer came from the explorers featured in 1930s and 40s movie serials. In turn, many writers of these serials say their inspiration came from the real life adventures of Roy Chapman Andrews. Another source for the Indy legend is the German scholar and Grail-hunter, Otto Rahn. Both embody the spirit of Indiana Jones, and lived real lives of scholarship, exploration and danger.
