See the Stars of George & Tammy Compared to the Real-Life People They Play

Tammy Wynette, played by Jessica Chastain in the six-episode limited series George & Tammy, was a country icon born May 5, 1942, in Mississippi.

Early in life, Wynette, born Virginia Wynette Pugh, worked picking cotton and later enrolled in beauty school. It wasn't until 1965 that the young mother of three began making trips to Nashville in an attempt to pursue a career in music and get a record deal, according to her website.

Her stage name was changed to Tammy after she auditioned for and was signed by Epic Records producer Billy Sherrill, played by David Wilson Barnes in the show.

She married her third husband, country musician George Jones, whom she had idolized as a teen, in 1969. The two had a rocky six-year marriage, and a musical partnership that yielded a string of hit duets.

The new show is adapted from the memoir of their only daughter, Georgette Jones Lennon, The Three of Us: Growing Up with Tammy and George. Chastain has been connected to the project since 2011, per The Hollywood Reporter, and served as a producer on the series.

"I'm very protective of them and I can't imagine anyone else playing her, and I couldn't imagine anyone else playing George, which was why I called Mike," Chastain told the outlet of the couple, and how she recruited Michael Shannon to play opposite her as Jones. "I know how protective Mike is of the characters he plays so it just felt like the right recipe for a working environment."

George Jones is depicted in the series by Oscar nominee Michael Shannon. Jones rose to fame in 1955 with the release of "Why Baby Why," per the Country Music Hall of Fame, and eventually became one of country music's biggest stars.

As Jones was to Wynette, she was also his third spouse and while the two released numerous hits together they also continued to record music on their own.

While on the outside they were faces of country music, behind the scenes their marriage was struggling in part due to his issues with drugs and alcohol. In 1973, Wynette filed for divorce from her husband, Biography.com noted, though the two attempted to reconcile and even released the song "We're Gonna Hold On."

The stars finally divorced in 1975, though continued to work together on occasion, Biography.com reported, including with songs "Golden Ring" and "Near You." They went on a reunion tour in 1995, three years before Wynette died.

"I think that the important thing to remember is George and Tammy themselves conveyed so much pain and beauty and sorrow and joy and happiness and all of this emotion in their vocals, and that's what we wanted to capture with Michael and Jessica," showrunner Abe Sylvia told The Hollywood Reporter.

Billy Sherill, the Epic Records producer who signed Wynette, is played in the series by David Wilson Barnes.

According to the Rolling Stones' obituary for the country music icon following his death in 2015, after signing Wynette in 1966, the pair went on to have 20 songs top the country charts — many of which Sherill co-wrote, including 1968's "Stand By Your Man."

Sherill also worked closely with Jones for nearly 20 years, per Rolling Stone. Sherill encouraged him to record "He Stopped Loving Her Today," which won an assortment of accolades including a Grammy for best male country performance, plus a spot in the Library of Congress.

According to the Country Music Hall of Fame, Sherrill wrote, or helped to write, many of Wynette's most popular songs.

Steve Zahn plays George Richey, a songwriter, producer and longtime friend of Wynette whom she married in 1978. Richey managed Wynette up until her death in 1998, per Deadline.

Pat Healy plays Don Chapel, Wynette's second husband and songwriter. When she first met Jones, she was still married to Chapel, though their union lasted just 15 months.

Their marriage came to an end one night when Jones came over for dinner and witnessed an argument between the couple. Jones stepped in and flipped the table before admitting his love for the young singer to Chapel himself.

"And she's in love with me," he said. "Aren't you, Tammy?" Though they'd never discussed it before, she admitted she felt the same way. Jones then left the home with Wynette and her three daughters.