The Real People Behind Oppenheimer: What Happened After

WM-Film-The-Real-People-Behind-Oppenheimer-What-Happened-After?

Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’re looking at what happened to real people featured in “Oppenheimer” after the film.

For this video, we’ll be looking at what occurred in the lives of major historical figures in the years following the atomic Manhattan Project’s completion.

What new things did “Oppenheimer” teach you about history? Let us know in the comments below.

Roger Robb

During Oppenheimer’s security hearing, special counsel Roger Robb stood out for grilling the scientist and his allies. His pointed and occasionally harsh lines of questioning helped get the scientist’s security clearance revoked. After appearing in that infamous hearing, Robb rose to a higher position. In 1969, President Nixon paved the way for the attorney to become a judge of the United States Court of Appeals. Robb would go on to hold that role for over a decade before he reached a senior position. The judge continued to work in the legal system until he died in 1982.

Isidor Isaac Rabi

Throughout the film, Isidor Rabi proved to be a brilliant and steadfast ally that constantly ensured Oppenheimer ate. While the physicist didn’t travel to New Mexico to help develop the atomic bomb, he lent help from a distance. Rabi would continue to support academic pursuits for the rest of his life. After pushing for a new scientific institution, the Brookhaven National Laboratory was created. This facility would later be the home for Nobel prize winning work. Outside of creating new institutions, Rabi led Columbia University’s physics department and served as the chairman of President Eisnehower’s Science Advisory Committee. The physicist seemed to have a knack for using his considerable knowledge to counsel others.

Ernest Lawrence

While this Nobel Prize winning professor was working at the University of California, Berkeley, he happened to meet another genius physicist. Lawrence would eventually recommend that his fellow scientist/ close coworker Oppenheimer should head up the Manhattan Project. But the two’s relationship was thrown into jeopardy after the war. One of the biggest sources of strain was the fact that a few of Lawerence’s past negative statements were used against Oppenheimer. After the security hearing, the professor lost some favor with the scientific community for his old words and other actions. Despite a mixed public opinion, Lawrence helped establish a new research center and got a presidential invite to a conference dedicated to reducing nuclear tests.

Frank Oppenheimer

The Second Red Scare nearly pushed this physicist out of working in science completely. After the war, Frank Oppenheimer’s past membership in the Communist party got him blacklisted. Since few were willing to hire him in his field and he couldn't get a passport, he became a cattle rancher. It would take years before Frank Oppenheimer was able to become a teacher at a high school. After this turn of fortune, a shifting political climate allowed some blacklisted people to get a second chance. Frank Oppenheimer took full advantage of societal changes to start an innovative science museum known as the Exploratorium. Still in existence today, the building reminds us that the physicist was able to have a happy ending after a turbulent journey.

General Leslie Richard Groves Jr.

Played by Matt Damon in the film, this no nonsense military man did everything he could to keep the Manhattan project on track. Three years after the project was complete, Groves was named as one of the leaders of an agency dedicated to every aspect of nuclear weapons. He eventually decided to step away from that role and the military the following year. Groves then became the Vice President of an electronics company named the Sperry Corporation. Additionally, he wrote a book called “Now It Can Be Told: The Story Of The Manhattan Project”. The notable work allows readers to see the entire story of this world changing initiative through the general’s eyes.

Katherine “Toni” Oppenheimer & Peter Oppenheimer

According to multiple sources, Oppenheimer’s two children didn’t have an easy upbringing. They allegedly had difficulty emotionally connecting with their father and living with their mother as she struggled with a dependence on alcohol. After Toni Oppenheimer became an adult, her attempt to become a UN translator was stopped by the FBI. Many believe this was due to the fact that her father was previously questioned about his American loyalty in a security hearing. Tragically, Toni Oppenheimer took her own life six years later. She was survived by her brother. After getting into carpentry, Peter Oppenheimer had three children and moved to his father’s ranch. As of 2023, he still resides there.

Edward Teller

As the U.S. was completing work on the first atomic weapons, Edward Teller was more focused on the idea of a hydrogen bomb. By 1951, the world saw a successful test of this new invention. However, his reputation took a major hit after he gave a negative testimony against Oppenheimer. Reports indicated that Teller lost a lot of support amongst scientists. But that didn’t stop the physicist from moving forward. Not only did think of ways to use nuclear weapons outside of war, but he advocated for an x-ray laser defense system. While Teller wasn’t able to accomplish everything he spoke of in his lifetime, he always aimed to push science forward.

Katherine "Kitty" Oppenheimer

Emily Blunt’s raw and powerful performance as Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer was widely believed to be an accurate portrayal of the real person. The real matriarch had a substance abuse disorder that put strain on her personal relationships. At the same time, Mrs. Oppenheimer was always willing to hold her ground. She gave a fierce testimony addressing her past communist party ties and fought for her husband at his security hearing. After outliving her husband, she became close to a scientist named Robert Serber. The duo even planned to sail to Japan. Unfortunately, Mrs. Oppenheimer died of a pulmonary embolism before the journey could be completed. Her courage and strong resolve in the face of adversity will likely be remembered in every version of her story.

Lewis Strauss

Over the years, Lewis Strauss and Robert Oppenheimer butted heads over several major issues. The bad blood between them would eventually cause both of them to suffer major losses. Strauss pushed for Oppenheimer to lose security clearance through some controversial tactics. However, this plan severely backfired. It’s believed that Strauss wasn’t confirmed as the U.S. Secretary of Commerce because of his actions against Oppenheimer. In the years after this failed political bid, his influence on nuclear matters severely waned. Strauss went on to write a memoir and focused on working with cattle for years before he passed away in 1974.

J. Robert Oppenheimer

By the end of the biopic, Oppenheimer had also lost much political sway over nuclear concerns. But that didn’t stop him from speaking his mind in real life. Oppenheimer continued to give lectures about various scientific matters and atomic concerns. Although some institutions rejected him, he still published transcripts of his speeches. President Lyndon B. Johnson also gave Oppenheimer a scientific distinction known as the Enrico Fermi Award. The scientist continued speaking even after he was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1955. Less than two years later, he passed away. Although Oppenheimer was subject to heavy scrutiny during his lifetime, the U.S. Secretary of Energy officially acknowledged he’d been unfairly targeted in 2022.