Is ‘Catch Me If You Can’ Based on a True Story?

Catch Me If You Can wasn’t projected to be one of Stephen Spielberg’s bigger films, but having two leading stars like Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks drew audiences into theaters. The film turned out to be surprisingly engaging, keeping audiences on the edge of their seats. DiCaprio made an incredibly charismatic con man, and Hanks was perfect as the stuffy, irritated agent who kept letting the criminal slip through his fingers. Many fans were surprised to learn that the slippery criminal was actually a real person. 

Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks wowed audiences with the 2002 blockbuster ‘Catch Me If You Can’

Stephen Spielberg is no stranger to creating memorable films. The producer has several blockbuster movies under his belt, including classics like Jaws, E.T., and the Indiana Jones franchise. In 2002, Spielberg blew fans away again with Catch Me If You Can, a comedy-drama following the life of a mastermind criminal. 

Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks — two powerhouses in their own right — lit up the screen as the films’ leading characters. DiCaprio gave an unforgettable performance as Frank Abagnale Jr., an 18-year-old kid who adores both of his parents and wants nothing more than to keep their marriage afloat. His father is something of a con man, and Frank uses the skills he picked up from dear old dad to start a life of his own after his parents split up. 

Hanks’ performance is equally as impressive, as he delves deep into the psyche of an obsessive FBI agent (Carl Hanratty) who is hell-bent on catching Frank. Audiences can feel Hanratty unraveling with each near miss, as Frank continues to give law enforcement the slip. The criminally-talented kid is a master forger, creating bank checks and documentation that successfully gets him into impressive careers such as a pilot, a lawyer, and a doctor. 

‘Catch Me If You Can’ was based on a true story

As far-fetched as the film may seem, Frank Abagnale Jr. was a real person. According to Stars Insider, in 1980, Abagnale Jr. published an autobiography recounting the unbelievable tales of his life. The celebrity criminal jumped from one media outlet to another in the early 80s, regaling audiences with his tales of forgery and impersonations. Not everyone was buying those unbelievable stories, and many people began looking deeper into Abagnale Jr.’s claims.

According to Collider, Abagnale states that about 80% of the film is accurate. He states that the main differences were things like his family size (he had three siblings, and in the movie he was an only child) and the fact that Hanks’ Carl Hanratty didn’t exist – the character was created as a composite of several agents. There are many claims that a far greater part of Abagnale’s story is fabricated. 

A recent article in the New York Post discusses claims that Abagnale never actually impersonated a doctor or a lawyer. Abagnale also spent much of his later teen years behind bars, so researchers say it would have been nearly impossible for him to have cashed as many fraudulent checks as he claims. Although the film portrays a dedicated task force created specifically to capture Abagnale, there are no records of any such team. 

What is Frank Abagnale Jr. doing now? 

Ironically, it seems Abagnale has continued to make money embellishing his very own story. He profited from a variety of appearances on talk shows, the sales of his own book, and gigs where he was hired as a guest speaker. According to the New York  Post article, there are several claims that he breached contracts, never showing up for these events. A woman named Nelda McQuarry invested $20,000 in an apparent real estate scam run by Abagnale. 

In 2015, Abagnale became affiliated with AARP, working as a Fraud Watch Ambassador. He then hosted an AARP podcast, The Perfect Scam, for four years. As of 2022, AARP said they were no longer affiliated with Abagnale. 

Abagnale claims to have turned things around, and now owns his own business, Abagnale & Associates. The Abagnale & Associates website calls him “one of the world’s leading experts in cybercrime, embezzlement, forgery, and secure documents and an associate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.” The site claims that Abagnale no longer does interviews or comments on ongoing cases, and that he solely works for the U.S. government at this point.