The Characters: In David Cronenberg's 1988 psychological drama 'Dead Ringers,' Jeremy Irons plays the duel roles of identical twin gynecologists Elliot and Beverly Mantle -- successful doctors who share everything, even women. Elliot is the more confident one and has an easier time with women, but when he tires of bedding them, he passes them off to his more introverted and gentle brother, Beverly. When Elliot seduces a troubled actress and convinces Beverly to sleep with her, Beverly finds himself quite attached to her, and the twins' lives begin to unravel, ultimately resulting in their deaths.

The Inspiration: 'Dead Ringers' is based on the novel 'Twins' by Bari Wood and Jack Geasland, and is also loosely based on the lives of Stewart and Cyril Marcus, identical twin gynecologists who ran a practice together in New York City. Similar to the film, the twins became heavily dependent on barbiturates and were found dead in their apartment on July 19, 1975 -- the result of barbiturate withdrawal.

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