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For Clint Eastwood, Leo Sharp was a source of inspiration for the actor/director's latest project, "The Mule."

"The Mule" will hit theaters Dec. 14, and Eastwood will transform himself into a man named Earl Stone. While the name is different, the story is adapted from Sharp's real life transformation from beloved florist to the drug runner known as "old man" or "Tata" by members of the Sinaloa Drug Cartel.

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Here's what you need to know about Leo Sharp in "The Mule."

He was a war hero from Northwestern Indiana.

Leo Sharp was born in Michigan City, Indiana on May 7, 1924. His family moved to Michigan when he was a boy, and he was raised in Detroit.

Sharp was a World War II veteran, fighting in the Italian Campaign and earning a Bronze Star Medal for his service.
He worked as a florist.

For years, Sharp operated Brookwood Gardens, a flower farm near Michigan City. His work was also highly regarded in the daylily community.

According to a piece on Sharp's life in New York Times Magazine, Sharp was considered an admired hybridizer with nearly 180 officially registered daylilies.

Sharp traveled the country to speak at daylily conventions, and he contributed flowers to the White House Rose Garden.

Even the NYT has gotten in on the act.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/05/reader-center/clint-eastwood-movie-drug-mule-sinaloa-cartel.html?fbclid=IwAR1mboit8wEIWgKjvGvzv4m_fT25fCtilqlKP1wBGg6tC5JZIHjKaysAqG4