LONDON, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- The inspiration for British actress Kate Winslet's role in "The Reader" was a World War II Nazi war criminal named Ilse Koch, an expert claims.
Professor Bill Niven of Britain's Nottingham Trent University contends "Reader" lead character Hanna Schmitz is based on the life and death of Koch, a Nazi concentration camp guard who earned the moniker the "Bitch of Buchenwald," The Observer reported Sunday.
"No other known female camp guard comes close to matching up with Schmitz," Niven said.
Author Bernhard Schlink, who wrote the novel on which the 2008 British movie was based, has never revealed the identity of the real-life individual who inspired his lead character.
The drama follows the romance of a German national named Michael Berg who learns a former lover, Schmitz, stands accused of war crimes committed during World War II.
The Observer said the movie has one striking similarity to Koch's life as both Koch and Schmitz are sentenced to life in prison and commit suicide while incarcerated.
