The Real Women Behind ‘Feud: Capote vs. the Swans’

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Ryan Murphy’s hit Feud series returns on FX and Hulu on January 31, with a high-stakes drama that makes Blair Waldorf and her posse of upper-crusters seem substandard by comparison (xoxo, friends). Feud: Capote vs. the Swans, based on journalist Laurence Leamer’s nonfiction book, focuses on American journalist Truman Capote (Tom Hollander) and his group of high society New York City socialites in the early 1960s. “The Swans,” as he called this group of well-heeled women, were known for their excess of wealth, lavish fashion, and jet-set lifestyle. They were also known for being part of one of pop culture’s biggest celebrity betrayals, with some of their biggest secrets being spilled in Capote’s 1975 Esquire article, “La Côte Basque, 1965.” As you watch the events leading up to the massive fallout in your next binge session, you’re likely curious about the real-life socialites that inspired the show. Allow us to introduce them to you.

Barbara “Babe” Paley (Naomi Watts)

In the show, actress Naomi Watts is stepping into the well-heeled shoes of the high-society It girl Barbara Cushing Mortimer Paley (i.e., queen bee in the Swans cohort). The doyenne of the New York social scene, Babe, as she was known, was a fashion editor for American Vogue for 10 years. She was the daughter of famous brain surgeon Harvey Cushing and younger sister to Minnie and Betsey, with whom she was part of “the fabulous Cushing sisters.” The three were famed for marrying powerful, wealthy men. Her sisters married Vincent Astor and James Roosevelt, respectively, and Babe wedded William S. Paley, the chief executive of the CBS television network. Together, they were power players on the New York social scene, throwing elaborate parties for the upper echelon of New York society. Babe Paley died in 1974, aged 63, from lung cancer. She will long be remembered for her elegant sense of style. In 1941, she was ranked by Time magazine as the second-best-dressed woman in the world. Photos of Paley rocking a scarf tied to her handbag continue to inspire fashionistas today.

Lee Radziwill (Calista Flockhart)

Caroline Lee Bouvier (played by Calista Flockhart) was a free-spirited socialite best known for being Jackie Kennedy’s younger sister. She however carved out her own path as a public relations executive for Giorgio Armani and interior decorator whose fabled elegance became iconic and proffered her a bank of affluent clientele, including Americana Hotels, Lord & Taylor, and dancer Rudolf Nureyev. She also collaborated with the notable Italian architect and production designer Renzo Mongiardino.

Lee also dabbled in acting, starring as heiress Tracy Lord in 1967’s The Philadelphia Story which was severely criticized. Over the course of her life, Lee was married to three men, including the Polish Prince Radziwill, with whom she had two children.

Ann Woodward (Demi Moore)

Ann Woodward (played by Demi Moore) was an American actress, showgirl, and model who was voted “the most beautiful girl in radio” while working as a voice actress. Woodward rose to prominence in New York high society after marrying William Woodward Jr., heir to the Hanover National Bank fortune and the Belair Estate. Claiming she had mistaken him for a burglar, Ann shot and killed William in 1955 and was suspected of murdering him. The incident caused much controversy, though she was never indicted. Just before Capote’s Esquire article, “La Côte Basque, 1965,” was published, she killed herself by taking cyanide. Rumor had it that she had heard about her inclusion in the article.

Nancy ‘Slim’ Keith (Diane Lane)

By age 22, Nancy Keith (played by Diane Lane) had appeared on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar. She won a Neiman Marcus Fashion Award in 1946 and was included on multiple Best Dressed lists for years. Nicknamed “Slim” and dubbed the original “California Girl” due to her golden hair and athletic ability, Keith was a major hit in Hollywood circles. She was frequently seen at parties with Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, and William Randolph Hearst. She was pursued romantically by Clark Gable and famed American novelist Ernest Hemingway, before marrying Howard Hawks after his divorce from Athole Shearer. Hawks, however, was unfaithful and shortly after the birth of their daughter, Kitty Hawks, Keith moved to Havana to stay with Hemingway, where she would later meet her second husband, movie producer Leland Hayward.

C.Z. Guest (Chloë Sevigny)

Played by actress Chloë Sevigny, Lucy Douglas “C.Z.” Guest (née Cochrane) was an American actress, writer, horsewoman, and fashion designer. She was often seen wearing designs by Mainbocher, flaunting an unfussy, clean-cut style that was seen as typically American. She was also included in the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1959. As a prominent socialite who was much photographed, she was also painted by Diego Rivera, Salvador Dalí, Kenneth Paul Block, and Andy Warhol, and brushed shoulders with well-known figures such as Cecil Beaton; Sawai Man Singh II of Jaipur, India; Barbara Hutton; Diana Vreeland; Gloria Guinness; and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. In 1947, C.Z. married Winston Frederick Churchill Guest, a relative of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. She died at the age of 83 in New York in 2003.

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