Charlie Wilson, the colorful congressman who inspired the Tom Hanks-Julia Roberts movie Charlie Wilson’s War, died Wednesday at age 76, according to CNN.com. Wilson had been suffering from heart trouble for years, and had been given a transplant in 2007, just before the release of the film, which told the story of Wilson’s covert campaign to defend Afghan rebels in their war against the Soviet Union in the 1980s. “Charlie walks in,” Hanks described his first meeting with Wilson in a 2007 interview with EW, “and he’s wearing cowboy boots, a brown pair of slacks, a purple shirt, and mismatching suspenders with little Spitfire airplanes on them that he’s run under the epaulets of his shirt. Half my work was done right there.”
Feb 10
2010
06:41 PM ET
Politician Charlie Wilson dead at 76
- Comments +
- Add comment
Latest News
- Billy Crystal talks Oscars: See EW cover
- Stevie Nicks to guest on 'Up All Night'
- Aimee Teegarden in CW's 'The Selection'
- 'Fringe': Friday's 'End' a 'game-changer'?
- 'Community': Rob Corddry set to return
- 'Downton Abbey': Top PBS rating since '09
- Zac Efron: 'Oops!' moment on red carpet?
- Oscars: Right winners, wrong years
Most Commented
- Chris Harrison blogs 'The Bachelor' episode 8 683
- Miranda Lambert tells Chris Brown to 'take notes' during 'Gunpowder and Lead' performance 614
- Father Knows Best? 608
- Amanda Knox signs a massive book deal with HarperCollins 596
- Rihanna and Chris Brown release simultaneous remixes, guest on each others' new tracks 458
No comments yet.