Raymond Babbitt (Rain Man)

Raymond "Ray" Babbitt is a main character in the American drama movie Rain Man.

Character creation
Writer Barry Morrow created the character after meeting Kim Peek and based the characterization on both Kim Peek and Bill Sackter. Kim Peek is a savant who was thought to be autistic, though later analyses pointed towards FG syndrome rather than autism. Bill Sackter was a man with an intellectual disability who was a friend of Morrow and had inspired an earlier film of his, Bill, brought out in 1981.

Biography
Raymond has been living in an institution since around age 18. His brother, Charlie Babbitt, is unaware of Ray's existence until he learns that Ray inherits nearly all of their father's estate (valued at US$3 million).

Autism
Raymond is stated to be an autistic savant within the film.

Legacy
"Rain man" has become a shorthand for autism and is sometimes mentioned in other works in reference to characters that are autistic or have autistic traits. It is often meant in a mildly demeaning manner. Characters that are referred to as "rain man" include Abed Nadir, Terry Marshall, Rosa Reyes, Nick Young, Aaron Pratt, Gary Bell, Sammy Sparks and Judy Wagrowski.