John Creasy (Denzel Washington), the protagonist of Tony Scott's Man on Fire, is not based on a real person. Washington and Scott have a long history of collaborating on movies together. They've spent time on a nuclear submarine in Crimson Tide, averted a train derailment in Unstoppable, and in Man on Fire, rescued an innocent girl from the clutches of a villainous cabal. In Man on Fire, Creasy is a washed-up former SAD/SOG officer whose frivolous bodyguard job for Lupita (Dakota Fanning) turns into an action-packed conspiracy after she's kidnapped.

https://screenrant.com/john-creasy-man-on-fire-not-real-inspiration/