 The writers based this film on the memoirs of Dr. Frederick Treves  as well as other true accounts, but avoided the play by Bernard  Pomerance. The true name of the Elephant Man was not John Merrick as  most believe, but Joseph Carey Merrick. Merrick was born in  Leicester, England on August 5, 1862, and died in the Royal London  Hospital on April 11, 1890, at the age of 27. When Dr. Treves wrote  his memoir, he referred to him as John. His handwritten manuscript  reveals that Treves knew that Merricks name was Joseph, and  deliberately crossed out Joseph and replaced it with John. Merricks  surviving correspondence shows he signed his name as Joseph, and  contemporary newspaper articles about his case refer to him by his  correct name. Why Treves changed his name to John is unknown.