That support was critical to putting it on the Academy's radar screen. 1989's winner, Driving Miss Daisy, followed a similar pattern.

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Only once in 80 years has a film ( Driving Miss Daisy) won Best Picture without even getting nominated for Best Director.

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His prolific CV includes scores for Driving Miss Daisy, Thelma and Louise, True Romance, Gladiator and the last three Pirates of the Caribbean films.

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If he wins this time, the 82-year-old will become the oldest ever actor to receive an Oscar, surpassing Jessica Tandy who was 80 when she was named best actress for Driving Miss Daisy.

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These include escapist gems like Goldfinger (1964), Back to the Future (1985) and no less than two Batman movies, as well as certifiable cinematic classics including Grand Prix (1966), The Graduate (1967) and Driving Miss Daisy (1989).

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No producer can raise money until he is close to nailing down a theater space, cast and an approximate budget, says Baruch, who has produced 40 New York shows and tours, including Angels In America and Driving Miss Daisy.

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Hollywood is terrified that if it drops or loses the case, it could end up with a family of mutated films--either porno versions of Snow White or a Driving Miss Daisy with license plate frames from Crazy Bill's Used Car Lot.

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