Mindhunter Characters in Real Life
The Real-Life People and Stories That Inspired Mindhunter's 3 Core Characters
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Like Holden's character, Bill Tench (Sully actor Holt McCallany) draws many traits from a real-life FBI agent and author: Robert K. Ressler. Before his passing in 2013, Ressler — who was born in Chicago and joined the FBI in 1970 — played an important role in pioneering the psychological profiling of violent offenders (just as Bill and Holden do in the show). He's also credited with coining the term "serial killer." Although he left the FBI in 1990, he continued to help authorities catch criminals all over the world and gave frequent lectures on criminology until he began battling Alzheimer's. He was survived by his wife, Helen Grazer Ressler, and their three children.