The Iranian man who inspired Steven Spielberg’s film “The Terminal” died at Paris’ Charles-de-Gaulle airport after living there for nearly 20 years, French officials said.
Mehran Karimi Nasseri, a political refugee, died after suffering a heart attack in the airport’s Terminal 2F, Paris airport authorities reported.
Police and a medical team treated Nasseri but were unable to save him, an airport spokesman said told Agence France-Presse news agency.
Nasseri died shortly before noon, the outlet reported. He was 77.
Nasseri, diehe Guardian reported: Calling himself “Sir Alfred”, fell into an immigration trap in the late 80s – he was unable to enter France. Born in 1945, Nasseri lived in Terminal 1 of the airport from 1988 to 2006, first in legal uncertainty because he had no residency papers and later by choice, USA TODAY records show.
‘Art can heal’:Banksy appears to be on the offensive with moving murals in war-torn Ukraine. USA TODAY reported in 2004 that Nasseri showed up at the Paris airport in 1988 with a ticket to London but no identity papers; he said they were stolen in a Paris metro. He flew to England, but authorities sent him back to de Gaulle, where he found himself in legal uncertainty – living on food stamps donated by sympathetic airport workers, dozing on a bench near the Paris Bye Bye departure lounge and becoming the star. of French documentaries until he was granted a French residence permit in 1999.
Although an airport spokeswoman confirmed at the time that Nasseri has been free to come and go since 1999, he chose to remain seated.
He reportedly received $250,000 from DreamWorks for his story. In June 2004, he told a reporter for Premiere magazine, “I have a better picture now that the movie comes out. But my lifestyle is the same. I’m happy. This is my dream world.”
Airport officials said Nasseri had returned to living at the airport in recent weeks.
His saga inspired “The Terminal” starring Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones, as well as a French film.
Contributions: Associated Press
Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.
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