Who was Gary Johnson? Meet the ‘real’ Hit Man from the Netflix black comedy crime film

FOLLOWING its success on the big screen, comedy film Hit Man is heading to Netflix.

The movie tells the tale of pretend hitman Gary Johnson who is really an undercover cop — but is the character based on reality, and if so, what do we know about the man behind the movie?

What is Hit Man about?

Hit Man follows the storyline of a college professor who moonlights for the New Orleans Police Department.

Using a string of amusing disguises, the officer poses as a hitman whenever the police get wind of someone organising murder-for-hire.

The main character's aim is to arrest those who hire him, but things get complicated when he becomes romantically involved with a woman who asks him to kill her husband.

It is based on a 2001 article written in Texas Monthly which was about somebody called Gary Johnson.

Who was Gary Johnson?

Gary Johnson was born in 1947 in Louisiana, US, and grew up on a farm.

He served a for a year in Vietnam, then became a sheriff's deputy and later moved to Houston, Texas, where he worked in the district attorney's office.

In his investigative work, he was hired to kill over 60 people and would wear a wire during the stings.

To protect his identity, Johnson told his neighbours that he worked in human resources.

However, Johnson's real passion was psychology, and he taught part-time at the local college (as depicted in the film).

Was Gary Johnson a real hitman?

Although he was very skilled at playing the part, Gary Johnson was not actually a hitman.

Johnson simply worked in law enforcement and helped make many arrests during his career.

The people who solicited his services were very real, though.

Aliases that he used in his undercover investigations included Mike, Jody and Chris.

In reality, he lived a quiet life, enjoyed gardening and owned two cats and some goldfish.

What happened to Gary Johnson?

Johnson was married and divorced three times, claiming that he found it hard to get close to people due to his line of work.

He died in 2022.

The Hit Man film is dedicated to him.

How can I watch Hit Man?

Hit Man arrives on Netflix on Friday June 7, 2024.

It was originally released in cinemas in May, 2024.

The dark comedy is produced and directed by Richard Linklater and has screenplay by Glen Powell, who also plays Gary Johnson.