Hugh Glass: The Irishman who inspired the Revenant

The frontiersman who inspired ’The Revenant’ is said to have been Irish — but Jonathan deBurca Butler points out how little we really know about Hugh Glass

This month, the great and the good of Hollywood will gather for their annual love-in at the Oscars. As always, there will be a lot of attention on the best actor category. Many believe that it is a foregone conclusion, with Leonardo di Caprio deemed a shoo-in for his role as trapper Hugh Glass in The Revenant.

Whether diCaprio wins or not, his visceral portrayal has stoked an interest in the man his character is supposedly based on. Glass, who is said to have roamed the great American interior in the early 19th century, is becoming a household name.