Jax In 'Sons Of Anarchy' Was Entirely Based On One Real Biker

It seems like only yesterday that Jax Teller took his fateful final ride astride his father's 1946 Harley-Davidson EL Knucklehead. But it's been more than 10 years since the soul-shredding Sons of Anarchy finale aired. Even still, the biker drama remains a point of conversation among those who took the ride with the SAMCRO brotherhood, with fans continuing to discover fascinating nuggets about the creation of the series.

Among those nuggets is the fact that Jax Teller himself was, in fact, loosely based on a real biker from a California chapter of the legendary Hells Angels outlaw motorcycle club. That little tidbit came from Charlie Hunnam, the actor who portrayed Jax in all seven seasons of Sons of Anarchy. And as the actor told The Huffington Post in a 2015 interview, in prepping for the role, he spent time with a heavy of what he described as a "well-known club in Oakland," which was, in essence, the real-world incarnation of the character.

While detailing the encounter, Hunnam said, "This one kid in particular that I met was amazing ... Because he was Jax Teller." He further noted that the then twenty-something man was also a second-generation biker and the son of a former club leader. He went on to claim that everything about the kid screamed "Jax," right down to his jeans and shoes, which Hunnam admits to adopting for his character, adding in no uncertain terms, "So I just based everything on him."

It should hardly come as a surprise that a real-world biker played a role in the creation of Jax Teller, if only because the SAMCRO brotherhood was also based on a real biker club. And yes, some of that crew even worked their way into a role on the show. As for the youngster who helped inspire what is, arguably, Charlie Hunnam's most memorable character, the actor would go on to tell The Huffington Post that, "He was like an old school outlaw, cowboy, f*****g bad*** gunslinger," who folks said, "put his gun in his belt before he put his shoes on."

For the record, Hunnam does not provide the exact name of the biker who inspired Jax in the interview. It is, however, largely believed that the character was inspired by William Crompton Maclean, a second-generation Hells Angel member with West Coast roots in the Sonoma County region. Referred to as "Young Will" or "Little Will" by fellow club members, Maclean sadly never got to see his on-screen counterpart brought to life on Sons of Anarchy, as he was shot and killed in an apparent road rage incident in 2008. According to Hunnam, the tragic event occurred roughly one week after his time with the Oakland Hells Angels came to an end.

Maclean's death also came shortly before Hunnam first stepped on the Sons of Anarchy set to play Jax Teller. The loss was not overlooked by the actor, who added the character's now famous bullet necklace to his wardrobe before filming began as a way to commemorate the man who helped inspire Jax.