In The Shawshank Redemption, there are several similarities between the character of Brooks Hatlen and a real life prison inmate named Robert Stroud a.k.a. "The Birdman of Alcatraz"
- Brooks and Robert Stroud both entered the prison system in the early 1900's.
- They both found wounded bird(s) and nursed them back to health.
- They both had a love of books (Brooks being the prison librarian and Robert being a published author).
- Both men spent the majority of their life in prison. They were both in the prison system for 40+ years.
- Brooks and Robert both had a love and/or fascination with birds.
Is there any authoritative evidence that Brooks Hatlen's character was based on Robert Stroud?
I came across this website that discusses the similarities between the two. This actually claims that Stephen King modeled the character of Brooks Hatlen after Robert Stroud, but there is no authoritative source for the claim:
How the history of Alcatraz inspired The Shawshank Redemption.
PLEASE NOTE: I'm looking for credible sources only. I provided the link above as an example of a source that is NOT authoritative. Sources from writers and/or filmmakers would be appreciated.