A Man Who Inspired The Tom Hanks Film "The Terminal" Died In An Airport

A man who inspired the Tom Hanks film "The Terminal" died in an airport, particularly at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, last Saturday. Mehran Karimi Nasseri, was 77 years old when he passed away and spent 18 years of his life living in the airport.

"The Terminal" Man Dies At The Airport

Man who inspired the movie ‘The Terminal’ dies

In "The Terminal," which came out in 2004, Tom Hanks' character lived in New York's John F. Kennedy Airport because he couldn't get into the United States and couldn't go back to his home country because of a military coup.

It's a comedy, but it still tugs at your heartstrings when the main character realizes he has nowhere else to go. In the end, he decides to eat airport food and deal with travelers from all over the world every day.

The story seems too strange to be true, but it's actually based on the life of Mehran Karimi Nasseri, an Iranian man who lived in one of Paris's main airports for 18 years.

Why He Lived In The Airport For 18 Years?

Nasseri didn't have residency papers when he moved to Paris in 1988, so he was in a legal gray area. He stayed in Terminal 1 until 2006. During that time, he slept on a red plastic bench and took showers in places meant for employees.

He told the Associated Press in 1999: "Eventually, I will leave the airport. But I am still waiting for a passport or transit visa." When his papers came, though, he said he was afraid to leave the airport and reportedly refused to sign them.

He stayed at the airport until 2006, when he was taken to a hospital. People from the airport have always seen him sleeping on a red plastic seat surrounded by boxes of newspapers and magazines and taking a shower in the staff restrooms. He passed the time by writing in his diary, reading periodicals, researching economics, and polling passing tourists.

An official with the Paris airport authority says that Nasseri has moved back to Paris in the past few weeks. He had a heart attack yesterday while he was in Terminal 2F. The police and fire departments were called, but they couldn't save him.

Nasseri had written about his life in a book called The Terminal Man, which came out the same year as Hanks' movie. He was born in Soleiman, a part of Iran that was once under British control. His father was Iranian, and his mother was British. Later, he said he was robbed on his way to Charles de Gaulle Airport in 1988.

His book says that after he got on a plane to London, he was sent back to Paris. When he tried to leave the airport, he was arrested and put in jail for six months. He then went back to the airport, but no other country would let him in. He had nowhere else to go, so he stayed with Charles de Gaulle for a while.

The Terminal Official Trailer

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The Terminal (2004) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers

Things You Should Know About "The Terminal" Man

Here are five things you should know about Mehran Karimi Nasseri, an Iranian man whose story inspired Steven Spielberg's 2004 film "The Terminal."

• Nasseri was born in 1942 in Masjed Soleiman, Iran, in a settlement run by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. His mother was a nurse from Scotland, and his father was a doctor from Iran who worked for the company.
• In 1973, he moved to the UK to study Yugoslavia at the "University of Bradford." After he finished school, he went back to Iran, where he heard that people were protesting against Mohammad Reza Shah.
• He chose to take part in the revolution. He was finally kicked out of Iran in 1977 because of his political views and protests.
• The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Belgium finally gave him refugee status after he had been fighting for it for a long time.
• He was allowed to live and travel anywhere in Europe, so he chose to live in the UK. In 1986, he moved to the UK, and around 1988, he decided to stay in London.

His Life Turned Upside Down When He Lost His Suitcase

Nasseri's luggage was unfortunately taken while he was still in Paris, which was a regrettable turn of events. His passport and other official papers were packed in his suitcase. Despite his missing papers, he made the trip to London in the hopes that someone in authority would hear him out and assist him in finding a solution.

Because he lacked the necessary documents, he was deported back to Paris. He went back to the airport in Paris but encountered an odd circumstance. He was detained because he lacked documents.

The good newswas that he was allowed to leave because he had arrived in Paris legally. He was assumed to have had no choice but to stay at the airport. Christian Bourget, a lawyer for human rights, took his case to court again in 1992, but the judge said that he couldn't go to Paris unless he had the right papers.

He cannot be ordered to leave the terminal or barred from the airport, according to the same court's ruling. At the Charles de Gaulle Airport's departure lounge, that was the start of him turning into a legend.

Final Words

Nasseri was always very polite and took care of his personal cleanliness, even after spending so many years living at the airport. He often declined gifts of cash and clothing made to him by strangers in order to maintain his dignity. Additionally, numerous short stories that are based on his life have appeared in publications.

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