Edward Mordrake Of ‘American Horror Story: Freak Show’ Is Based On A Real Person

Everybody is talking about last night’s episode of American Horror Story: Freak Show. No, not because of fetal goats with cat faces sewn onto them, and no, not because of Emma Roberts‘ anticipated debut. They’re talking about Wes Bentley‘s two-faced (literally) character, Edward Mordrake — and guess what, he was a real guy.

The two-faced freak of Freak Show isn’t a Voldemort rip-off despite what people on Twitter have suggested. This wasn’t a figment of Ryan Murphy‘s eclectic and stylish imagination, either. Edward Mordrake is, in fact, based on a real person by the same name. He lived in England and he was born with an extra face on the back of his head, referred to by the scientific community as Diprosopus.

Edward was supposedly born in the 1800s to a noble family where he allegedly learned to play piano and perform, which gave him an in to the circus when society ousted him. Apparently he couldn’t take the mocking because he committed suicide in his 20s. Or maybe it wasn’t the reaction from his peers? Sources say that the face the back of poor Edward’s head couldn’t speak, but it could laugh and cry.

Kathy Bates‘ narration of Edward’s story might have been a tad dramatized, culminating in the legend that any freak who performs on Halloween will be visited by Mordrake’s spirit, but it’s based on a long-standing tall-tale that’s based on true events. Even Tom Waits wrote a song about him, which you can listen to here. Don’t forget to read our American Horror Story: Freak Show recaps.

Like what you see? Follow Decider on Facebook and Twitter to join the conversation, and sign up for our email newsletters to be the first to know about streaming movies and TV news!