Here's how the cast of 'Oppenheimer' compares to the real-life people they're portraying

Based on the book "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer," director Christopher Nolan's bio-thriller explores the Manhattan Project, the journey to developing the nuclear weapon, and Oppenheimer's legacy afterward.

Two of the bombs he helped develop were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. According to the BBC, an estimated total of at least 200,000 died.

According to the production notes, Murphy watched hours of footage of the theoretical physicist giving lectures and interviews in preparation for the role. Additionally, he consulted physicist Kip Thorne.

A botanist, Katherine Puening was married three times before meeting and marrying Oppenheimer and moving to Los Alamos with him for the Manhattan Project.

"She was a pretty monumental presence in his life as a confidante, and as a real scientific brain herself," Blunt told Total Film of her character in relation to Oppenheimer. "She was, you know, a very big personality. Not necessarily one to confirm to a housewife ideal of the time.

The couple had two children, Peter and Toni, together.

A particle physicist, Robert Oppenheimer recruited Frank to perform research on the Manhattan Project.

In July 1945, he planned and worked on the first nuclear explosion, called the Trinity Bomb test.

Frank opened the Exploratorium, an interactive science museum, in San Francisco in 1969.

According to the production notes, Arnold prepared, in part, for his role by speaking with Frank Oppenheimer's son, Michael.

Einstein helped get the ball rolling on the Manhattan Project by cosigning a 1939 letter to President Roosevelt encouraging the US to begin research into atomic energy on the grounds that Germany may be doing the same.

Einstein later told Newsweek after World War II he never would've sent the letter if he knew Germany would've never developed an atomic bomb.

The German theoretical physicist was awarded the 1932 Nobel Prize in Physics for pioneering the creation of quantum mechanics, which helped lead to the creation of the atomic bomb.

In the film, it's depicted that Oppenheimer and his team believe they're in a race with Heisenberg to successfully develop an atomic bomb first. However, the movie never shows any work from Heisenberg's team.

In reality, Heisenberg oversaw the German atomic weapons program, but they never came close to developing a working bomb. Some believe German scientists quietly sabotaged the project.

Oppenheimer's team was only led to believe they were in a race to deliver a potential weapon faster.

Groves was tasked with leading the Manhattan Project in September 1942. He selected Oppenheimer to lead a lab in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

He thought the creation of the atomic bomb would help bring World War II to an end.

Colonel Kenneth D. Nichols, an engineer on the Manhattan Project, referred to Groves as "extremely intelligent," but "the most egotistical man" he knew.

The theoretical physicist worked under Oppenheimer on the Manhattan Project, but advocated for developing a hydrogen bomb, something Oppenheimer was staunchly against because of the level of destruction he believed it would create.

Teller later testified against Oppenheimer during his 1954 security hearing. He lived to be 95, dying in 2003.

According to the production notes, in addition to reading up on Lawrence, Hartnett sought inspiration to play the role from his own great uncle, who's also a physicist.

Lawrence won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1939 for inventing the cyclotron, which was used during the Manhattan Project. His discovery of splitting the atom, nuclear fission, helped lead to the creation of the atomic bomb.

He was a proponent of creating the hydrogen bomb in order to beat the Soviets to its discovery. This put him at odds with Oppenheimer.

The Danish physicist began work on the Manhattan Project in London before coming to the United States to join the Los Alamos team as a consultant under the pseudonym, Nicholas Baker.

According to production notes, Branagh said Nolan saw Bohr as having "an Obi-Wan-Kenobi relationship to Oppenheimer," speaking of the "Star Wars" Jedi as a mentor.

The nuclear physicist was selected by Oppenheimer to lead the theoretical division of the Manhattan Project. Bethe worked on the design for the bomb used in the July 1965 nuclear test, codenamed Trinity, and the one dropped on Nagasaki.

He later worked on the hydrogen bomb's development even though he was against it. Bethe won the Nobel Prize in physics in 1967.

Rabi turned down working with his friend Oppenheimer at Los Alamos as deputy director, but offered his advice as a consultant. He was present when the Trinity nuclear test occurred.

He won the Nobel Prize in physics in 1944 and was among the scientists who opposed the hydrogen bomb.

Ernest Lawrence recruited Bainbridge in 1940 to do early work on the Manhattan Project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In 1943, he joined the team at Los Alamos to work at the nuclear weapons lab, which was called "Project Y." He oversaw the 1945 Trinity nuclear test. Bainbridge is credited with saying the famous line, "Now we are all sons of bitches," after the test was considered a success.

The theoretical physicist was recruited to work on the Manhattan Project with Hans Bethe's team when he was 24, before he even had a graduate degree.

According to the Atomic Heritage Foundation, when he later arrived at the Los Alamos location, he was "known for playfully challenging security." By this time, he had earned a degree.

Feynman was at the Trinity nuclear test in 1945 and won the Nobel Prize in 1965. Years later, he was part of the team who investigated the Challenger disaster.

When the US suspected Soviet spies of stealing atomic research from the Manhattan Project, Pash, chief of counterintelligence at the time, looked into security breaches. Oppenheimer was among those Pash interrogated.

According to "Manhattan: The Army and the Atomic Bomb," Pash concluded Oppenheimer "may still be connected with the Communist Party."

While he considered the possibility of replacing Oppenheimer, Pash recommended Oppenheimer continue working on the Manhattan Project as long as he was briefed on the Espionage Act, made aware that the government knew of his Communist "affiliations," and told they wouldn't tolerate any leaks of information.

As Groves deemed Oppenheimer necessary to the project, two counterintelligence bodyguards were assigned to Oppenheimer to keep watch on him, something Oppenheimer was supposed to be informed about.

Oldman told UK radio station TalkSport he had "one scene" in the movie, which he briefly described as a "page and a half" in the script.

Truman famously called Oppenheimer a "crybaby" after meeting with him, something which occurs in the film.

The staff executive director of Congress's Joint Atomic Energy Committee accused Oppenheimer of being an "agent of the Soviet Union" with a Communist mistress in a letter to then director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover.

The letter, which contained 21 reasons that suspected Oppenheimer was a Soviet spy, led to 1954's Oppenheimer security hearing.

According to the Atomic Heritage Foundation, Strauss viewed Oppenheimer as "a threat to American security," believing he had communist ties.

Strauss' beliefs led to a four-week security hearing in 1954 against Oppenheimer which resulted in the scientist losing his Q clearance, a high-level security clearance granted by the US Department of Energy.

Many believed Strauss had a personal grudge and "vendetta" against Oppenheimer. The two previously clashed over developing the hydrogen bomb, something Strauss wanted and President Truman gave the green light for, but that Oppenheimer advised against and publicly embarrassed Strauss over.

Nichols joined the Manhattan Project as Deputy District Engineer in 1942 and was eventually awarded a Distinguished Service Medal for his contribution.

In "Oppenheimer," DeHaan plays Groves' (Matt Damon) right-hand man and is depicted as an antagonist to Oppenheimer.

In real life, Nichols recommended Oppenheimer's security clearance to not be reinstated, claiming he was "a Communist in every sense except that he did not carry a party card." His recommendation was key in revoking Oppenheimer's clearance.

Gray led a committee, the Gray Board, that recommended stripping Oppenheimer of his security clearance.

Despite three members stating Oppenheimer to be a "loyal citizen," Gray and the majority of the board recommended his clearance be revoked.

Robb was selected by Strauss to act as special counsel during Oppenheimer's security clearance hearing.

According to the Atomic Heritage Foundation, Robb had a "bitterness" toward Oppenheimer.

Hill worked at the Met Lab at the University of Chicago during the Manhattan Project.

The movie depicts Hill as a crucial figure in the film's central feud between Oppenheimer and Strauss. In reality, Hill didn't play such an instrumental role.

Oppenheimer wasn't cleared of the Gray Board's "flawed" investigation until 2022.

Tatlock and Oppenheimer began seeing one another after meeting at a house party in 1936. The psychologist turned down two proposals from Oppenheimer before he eventually married Katherine Puening.

Oppenheimer saw Tatlock again during his work on the Manhattan Project in 1943, staying at her apartment.

Tatlock reportedly died by suicide in 1944, though some suspected foul play. Robb brought up Oppenheimer's alleged affair with the communist party member during his security clearance hearing 10 years later.