In 1960, Tony Curtis starred in The Great Imposter (Universal 1960). It chronicled the life of Ferdinand Waldo Demara, a native of Massachusetts who lived a life of adventure and lies. He was apparently incredibly bright and managed to undertake several surprising roles without formal training.
The National Catholic Reporter wrote about him on his passing in 2015. He served in several Catholic orders, was a teacher, joined the Army, and deserted. He later joined the Navy, faked his suicide, and began impersonating a psychologist.
Somehow, he became the "dean of the School of Philosophy" at a small college and published some of his academic work. His story involves forged checks, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, surgeries he performed, desertion from the Canadian Navy, and prison time. According to UPI, he was also
"a law student, a zoology graduate, a career researcher and teacher at a junior college in Maine, a surgeon in the Royal Canadian Navy, an assistant warden of a Texas prison and a teacher on a Maine island village."
Despite his ventures and adventures and being repeatedly charged with criminal allegations, he reportedly "never served jail time on any of the charges, either receiving probation or being acquitted."
A similar story is related in Catch Me if You Can (Dreamworks 2002) detailing the legend of Frank Abagnale, Jr. According to Britannica, Mr. Abanale claims to have cashed thousands of false checks, impersonated an airline pilot, and engaged in other chicanery. Some doubt the breadth of his claims and exploits.
So, it may be Hollywood fiction, or these two may each present some grain(s) of truth in their exploits. Tall tales can get that way. I once outran, on foot, a university police car and two very frustrated officers. That is a great story, but for another day, perhaps.
No, today is for Autumn Bardisa, a "Florida woman who posed as a nurse and treated more than 4,400 patients." According to Fox News, the 29-year-old "never held a valid nursing license." She used another nurse's name and license.
When someone noticed her last name did not match, she claimed to have changed her name when she got married. She not only survived but also progressed in the nursing business, earning a promotion in January 2025.
Despite providing care to many patients, the news reports no instances in which her care was alleged to be substandard or resulted in injury. Nonetheless, she was unlicensed and was eventually caught and arrested in August 2025.
Somewhat like Ferdinand Demara, at least on this outing, she will not serve any jail time. She pleaded guilty to "unlicensed practice of healthcare and fraudulent use of identification." The Circuit Court, in April 2026, "sentenced Bardisa to five years of probation and 50 hours of community service."
That is about one week of community service. So, several few days of building Habitat homes or organizing canned goods at a food bank.
And, Bardisa "must also write a letter of apology to the nurse whose license number she used." Before sentencing, she also "forfeited a nursing license she obtained after her arrest." The plea specifies she will not work in "the medical field during her probation."
While that ends the current inquiry, the Fox News story ends with an encouragement for "anyone" who "may have been treated by Bardisa" to contact the local sheriff's office.
The parallels between Bardisa, Demara, and Abanale are intriguing. It seems incredible that people can be so successful as impostors. They present a public face, demonstrate knowledge or skill, and they fool us all. Well, at least for a bit.
Perhaps Ms. Bardisa is not up to the Hollywood hype of the others. Nonetheless, she appears to have been a "Pretty Good Imposter."
I have lamented our challenges with staffing our national medical needs. See Emergency, Acute, Urgent, and Routine (March 2026) and the posts cited there. To be clear, impostors seem like a poor approach to the problem.
