The real Ness' success was no accident. During his 10 years of federal law enforcement service with ATF's legacy agencies[1] he faced organized criminal elements flush with huge sums of cash.
What federal agency did Eliot Ness work for?
A graduate of the University of Chicago, Ness was 26 when, in 1929, he was hired as a special agent of the U.S. Department of Justice to head the Prohibition bureau in Chicago , with the express purpose of investigating and harassing Al Capone.
Did Eliot Ness Start the FBI?
It's a question we get from time to time: was Eliot Ness of “Untouchables” fame an FBI special agent? No, it's entirely a myth: Ness never served as one of our agents . But...he did work for Director J. Edgar Hoover for nearly six weeks.
When was Elliot Ness in the FBI?
“Elliot Ness entered the picture in August 1926 , when he was appointed a prohibition agent in the Treasury Department. He handpicked a small band of agents who later became known as the “Untouchables” because of their reputation for integrity.
What did Eliot Ness do after Capone?
After Capone's conviction, Ness kept up his assault on the Outfit , while other federal men moved on. But with Scarface in jail, the American people and their government showed little interest in pursuing Capone's associates. And with Franklin Roosevelt elected president in 1932, Prohibition wouldn't last long.
Did Eliot Ness carry a gun?
Despite Hollywood portrayals of Ness as the ultimate shoot-first-and-ask-questions-later lawman, the real Ness displayed a lifelong aversion to firearms and considered the gangsters who used them to be cowards. Ness carried a gun only when absolutely necessary and was known to wear an empty shoulder holster on duty.
What happened to the real Elliot Ness?
Ness's career in law enforcement ended in 1944. Following a stint in business and a run for the Cleveland mayorship, Ness sank into debt . He died on May 7, 1957, in Coudersport, Pennsylvania.
What did Eliot Ness?
Eliot Ness (April 19, 1903 – May 16, 1957) was an American Prohibition agent , famous for his efforts to bring down Al Capone and enforce Prohibition in Chicago. He was the leader of a famous team of law enforcement agents from Chicago, nicknamed The Untouchables.
Why did Eliot Ness leave the FBI?
Ness passed away in 1957 in Pennsylvania. A footnote to the story. In 1933, Ness actually applied to become an FBI agent but was turned down, in part over salary differences and his strong ties to the press .
How much of The Untouchables is true?
Loosely based on the 1960s cops -and-robbers television series starring Robert Stack, Brian De Palma's The Untouchables pitted Kevin Costner's Eliot Ness
What kind of gun did Elliot Ness use?
M1911A1 . Treasury agent Elliot Ness (Kevin Costner) carries an M1911A1 throughout the film in scenes in which he is not firing his weapon. Treasury accountant Oscar Wallace (Charles Martin Smith) keeps one in a shoulder holster. Several of Capone's mobsters carry them.
Was Jim Malone a real person?
Sean Connery's character, Jimmy Malone, was loosely based on Michael Malone but was a Chicago police officer in the film.
Did the train station scene in The Untouchables really happened?
In the original script, the final gunfight had Eliot Ness
What is Eliot Ness worth?
A legal fight is brewing in Florida between the estate of the “Untouchables” Prohibition agent Eliot Ness and an Ohio company over some long-undiscovered stock that apparently belonged to Ness and may be worth more than $1m .
When was Eliot born?
Eliot, in full Thomas Stearns Eliot, (born September 26, 1888 , St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.—died January 4, 1965, London, England), American-English poet, playwright, literary critic, and editor, a leader of the Modernist movement in poetry in such works as The Waste Land (1922) and Four Quartets (1943).
