What Motorcycle Club Was Sons Of Anarchy Based On And Which Actors Were Actual Members?

"Sons of Anarchy" was a popular FX show that from 2008 to 2014 followed the fictional Sons of Anarchy motorcycle club and its members, focusing on their relationships with family and drama within the club as it attempted to protect the fictional town of Charming from crime. (It also featured some cool Harley-Davidsons.) While it's a fictional series, Sons of Anarchy" is actually inspired by real motorcycle clubs — but there's not one singular gang that creator Kurt Sutter had in mind. In fact, it's based on "Hamlet," the Shakespeare play, more than anything. To keep the show feeling authentic, however, real-life former Hells Angels were often cast in various roles. 

Formed in 1948, the Hells Angels have become the biggest motorcycle club in California, and one of the most-recognized motorcycle gangs in the U.S. There are chapters across the U.S. despite backlash from law enforcement over the years. While filming the show, Sutter brought on a member of the Hells Angels, David Labrava, as technical consultant to ensure that "Sons of Anarchy" stayed true to the actual experiences of a biker in a gang. Labrava later was cast as Happy Lowman, which inspired Sutter to bring on even more members as guests or recurring characters.

Sutter was very open to learn from the former Hells Angels members he cast on the show. Labrava even co-wrote the 10th episode of Season 4. Since being in the gang and working on the show, Labrava has become a tattoo artist and mechanic. 

Labrava is far from the only Hells Angel member who's been on "Sons of Anarchy." Another prominent recurring character, Rane Quinn, was played by Rusty Coones over 25 episodes. After being president of the Hells Angels' San Fernando Valley and Orange County chapters, Coones got into custom motorcycle work — he even rode his own custom bike in the show (one of several famous Harley-Davidsons "Sons of Anarchy" characters rode). 

Ralph "Sonny" Barger, who spent years in prison during his time in Hells Angels over a plan to kill rival members due to a drug turf war, appeared as Lenny Janowitz in a few episodes. Janowitz is a founding member of the fictional gang but ends up in prison for killing three agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. 

And Former Hells Angels member Chuck Zito played Frankie Diamonds in a handful of "Sons of Anarchy" episodes despite previously suing Sutter, claiming Sutter had stolen his idea for a motorcycle drama. Sutter won the lawsuit in 2011, exclaiming in all caps on what was then Twitter that "HAVING THE F—ING IDEA IS NOT THE SHOW."