HBO’s Boardwalk Empire delivered a lavish, violent, and gritty portrait of Prohibition-era Atlantic City through the eyes of Nucky Thompson, played by Steve Buscemi. But what many fans may not realize is that Thompson is a dramatized version of a very real historical figure: Enoch L. "Nucky" Johnson. So how much of the show is true? And where does fact end and fiction begin? Let’s break it down.

The Real Nucky Johnson vs. Nucky Thompson: What ‘Boardwalk Empire’ Got Right (and What It Didn’t):

HBO’s Boardwalk Empire delivered a lavish, violent, and gritty portrait of Prohibition-era Atlantic City through the eyes of Nucky Thompson, played by Steve Buscemi. But what many fans may not realize is that Thompson is a dramatized version of a very real historical figure: Enoch L. “Nucky” Johnson.

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