Harold Acton

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Harold Acton (July 5, 1904 - February 27, 1994) was an Anglo-Italian writer, scholar and dilettante who is probably most famous for inspiring the character of "Anthony Blanche" in Evelyn Waugh's novel Brideshead Revisited (1945).

Acton's own works include Memoirs of an Aesthete and The Bourbons of Naples, 1734-1825, a gossipy history of the Bourbon rulers of the Kingdom of Naples in the 18th century. Acton's ancestor, Sir John Acton, 6th Baronet, had served as Prime Minister of Naples during much of this period.

Following Acton's death at the age of 89, DNA testing revealed the existence of a half-sister, whose heirs have gone to court to challenge Acton's $500 million bequest to New York University.

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