'Driving Miss Daisy' Wins 4 Oscars, Including One for Jessica Tandy - NYTimes.com 'Driving Miss Daisy' Wins 4 Oscars, Including One for Jessica Tandy By ROBERT REINHOLD, Special to The New York Times Published: March 27, 1990 LOS ANGELES, March 26— ''Driving Miss Daisy,'' a sentimental film about the relationship between an elderly Southern Jewish widow and her black chauffeur, won four Oscars tonight, including best picture of 1989 and best actress, in an Academy Awards presentation that offered many surprises and odd contradictions but few clear clues to trends in film. No single film dominated the 62d annual awards, as has often happened in past years. And the film considered one of the heavy favorites to win best picture, ''Born on the Fourth of July,'' the story of a paraplegic Vietnam veteran's passage into the antiwar movement, won only two Oscars, for best director for Oliver Stone and for film editing. Bruce Beresford, the director of ''Miss Daisy,'' was not even nominated.

But the film gave Jessica Tandy, the 80-year-old stage actress, the chance to win her first Oscar in six decades as a performer. There was also an Oscar for Alfred Uhry for his screenplay for ''Miss Daisy,'' which he adapted from his Pulitzer Prise-winning Off-Broadway play. It was also a satisfying night for the makers of ''My Left Foot,'' the wrenching film about the Irish painter and writer Christy Brown, who suffered from cerebral palsy. The award for best actor went to the British actor Daniel Day-Lewis, for his performance as Brown. Brenda Fricker, the Irish actress, won the Oscar for best supporting actress for her portrayal of Brown's mother. And there was glory, too, for ''Glory,'' the Civil War epic about a black regiment fighting on the Union side. It won three awards, including best supporting actor for Denzel Washington, his first Oscar. It was thus a diffused and surprising evening with no clearly dominant winners. Mr.

Day-Lewis, who beat out the early favorite for best actor, Tom Cruise, in ''Born on the Fourth of July,'' used his victory to issue a plea for better treatment of the disabled and acknowledged that some disabled actors resented his taking the role. ''But due to the hypocrisy of financing, this film could never be made with a disabled actor,'' he said backstage after the awards. ''I very selfishly decided to put my name on it.'' In accepting, the actor said that when the artist was alive he needed very little encouragement to make his voice heard. ''I'm truly grateful to you for honoring me with this award,'' he said. None were more delighted than Richard D. Zanuck and Lili Fini Zanuck, producers of ''Driving Miss Daisy,'' which was rejected by all major studios at first. Mis Tandy, the 80-year-old stage actress, had never been nominated for an Oscar before. ''I never expected in a million years I'd ever be in this position,'' Miss Tandy said. She was the oldest person ever to win an Oscar. The film, adapted from Alfred Uhry's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, portrayed the slowly evolving relationship between the widow and her black chauffeur, played by Morgan Freeman.

In accepting, Miss Tandy thanked the Zanucks, the producers of the film, which had repeatedly been rejected by major studios. In an especially pointed mention, she gave special thanks to her director, Bruce Beresford, who was not nominated for best director even though ''Miss Daisy'' received nine nominations, including one for best picture. Washington for 'Glory' For his powerful performance as a mistreated runaway slave serving in a black Civil War regiment in the film ''Glory,'' Mr. Washington won his first Oscar, as best supporting actor. The award to the young black actor came as something of a surprise in a category that included strong performances by Danny Aiello as the white owner of a pizza parlor in a black neighborhood of Brooklyn in ''Do the Right Thing'' and Dan Aykroyd as Miss Tandy's son in ''Driving Miss Daisy.'' In accepting the award, Mr. Washington cited with pride the role of black soldiers who fought, largely unsung, on the Union side. ''I'd like to pay homage to the 54th, the black soldiers who helped to make this country free,'' he said. Even he, he conceded backstage, had been ignorant of this page of American history.

''I was stunned this history was not taught,''he said. Ms. Fricker, who had never been nominated for an Oscar before, won over strong performances by Anjelica Huston in ''Enemies: A Love Story'' and Julia Roberts in ''Steel Magnolias.'' She seemed flustered by the award. ''I'd like to thank Christy Brown just for being alive,'' she said in accepting, telling reporters later backstage that ''I'm the only person in the world who claims never to have met him.'' Tonight's event, held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Los Angeles Music Center, was broadcast either live or delayed to nearly 100 countries. In an innovation this year, six awards were presented in five foreign film capitals: London, Moscow, Tokyo, Buenos Aires and Sydney, Australia. For example, Jack Lemmon and the Russian actress Natalya Negoda presented the award for best foreign film from Moscow. But all the recipients were in Los Angeles. Movie-House Dreams That award went to the film considered the front-runner, Italy's ''Cinema Paradiso,'' directed by Guiseppee Tornatore, a story of a young boy and his fascination with the films he sees in his small village movie house.

1 Jessica Tandy Wins Best Actress: 1990 Oscars - YouTube Jessica Tandy Wins Best Actress: 1990 Oscars Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Oct 28, 2010 Gregory Peck presents Jessica Tandy the Oscar for Best Actress for Driving Miss Daisy at the 62nd Academy Awards. See more 1990 Oscar highlights: Become an Oscar Insider: Check out our Academy Originals: ABOUT THE ACADEMY The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world's preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema.

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Category 1989 Academy Awards® Winners and History My Left Foot (1989, UK) Actor: DANIEL DAY-LEWIS in "My Left Foot", Kenneth Branagh in "Henry V", Tom Cruise in "Born on the Fourth of July", Morgan Freeman in "Driving Miss Daisy", Robin Williams in "Dead Poets Society" Actress: JESSICA TANDY in "Driving Miss Daisy", Isabelle Adjani in "Camille Claudel", Pauline Collins in "Shirley Valentine", Jessica Lange in "Music Box", Michelle Pfeiffer in "The Fabulous Baker Boys" Supporting Actor: DENZEL WASHINGTON in "Glory", Danny Aiello in "Do the Right Thing", Dan Aykroyd in "Driving Miss Daisy", Marlon Brando in "A Dry White Season", Martin Landau in "Crimes and Misdemeanors" Supporting Actress: BRENDA FRICKER in "My Left Foot", Anjelica Huston in "Enemies: a Love Story", Lena Olin in "Enemies: a Love Story", Julia Roberts in "Steel Magnolias", Dianne Wiest in "Parenthood" Director: OLIVER STONE for "Born on the Fourth

 of July", Woody Allen for "Crimes and Misdemeanors", Kenneth Branagh for "Henry V", Jim Sheridan for "My Left Foot", Peter Weir for "Dead Poets Society" Driving Miss Daisy was the most nominated film and the Best Picture winner in 1989 (with nine nominations and four wins), although its director Bruce Beresford was un-nominated and snubbed as Best Director.

[Driving Miss Daisy became the second film since Grand Hotel (1931/2) to win the 'Best Picture' Oscar without a nomination for its director. Wings (1927/28) was the first 'Best Picture' winner that was also not nominated for Best Director.] The heart-tugging, sentimental, low-budget film was an adaptation of Alfred Uhry's Pulitzer Prize-winning stage play about an aging, feisty Southern white widowed grandmother (Tandy) and her complex twenty-five relationship with her simple black chauffeur (Freeman). The plot was based upon Uhry's memories of his grandmother and a family chauffeur. Its four awards included Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay (Alfred Uhry), and Best Makeup. Oscar-winning and Pulitzer Prize-winning Alfred Uhry became the first writer to win both awards for the same material. The film's co-producer, Lili Fini Zanuck, was awarded the Best Picture honor - she became the second woman to receive such an honor.

[The first woman in Oscar history to receive an award for co-producing the Best Picture of the year was Julia Phillips for The Sting (1973).] The other four Best Picture nominees were: Best Director-winning Oliver Stone's biography of Vietnam veteran and anti-war activist Ron Kovic, Born on the Fourth of July (with eight nominations and two wins - Best Director and Best Film Editing). This was Stone's second Best Director Oscar - he had won three years earlier for Platoon (1986) Australian director Peter Weir's film about an unorthodox English teacher at a New England prep school, Dead Poets Society (with four nominations and one win - Best Screenplay) director Phil Alden Robinson's own baseball fantasy - a film adaptation of W. P. Kinsella's novel Shoeless Joe about an Iowa farmer who builds a baseball diamond in the middle of his cornfield in Field of Dreams (with three nominations and no wins) writer/director Jim Sheridan's low-budget film biography of handicapped, cerebral palsy-afflicted Irish writer/artist Christy Brown, My Left Foot (with five nominations and two wins - Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress) - the first Oscar winner for Miramax.

[It was the first Irish film to win a Best Picture nomination] In the Best Director category, two of the directors of Best-Picture nominated films were neglected: Bruce Beresford for the Best Picture winner Driving Miss Daisy, and Phil Alden Robinson for Field of Dreams . In their places, Woody Allen was nominated for his masterpiece Crimes and Misdemeanors (with three nominations and no wins) - an obvious tribute to Swedish director Ingmar Bergman, and writer/director/actor Kenneth Branagh was nominated for his audacious and inventive first film Henry V (with three nominations and one win - Best Costume Design). All of the year’s acting winners were first-time winners. British actor Daniel Day-Lewis (with his first nomination) won the Best Actor award, a surprise win, for his performance as Irish-born artist and author Christy Brown - a self-reliant, spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy victim who can only write and draw with his foot, in the British production My Left Foot.

[This was the first of three Best Actor wins for British actors in three consecutive years: Jeremy Irons would win for Reversal of Fortune (1990) and Anthony Hopkins for The Silence of the Lambs (1991) .] The other nominees for the Best Actor award were: Tom Cruise (with his first nomination) as gung-ho Marine Ron Kovic who does duty in Vietnam and comes home paralyzed in a wheelchair in Born on the Fourth of July - (a second disabled Best Actor candidate) Morgan Freeman (with his second nomination) for his role as Hoke Colburn, Miss Daisy's wise and loyal chauffeur over a twenty-five year period in Driving Miss Daisy writer/director/actor Kenneth Branagh (with his first two nominations as actor and director) as the title character in his own British film Henry V comedian/actor Robin Williams (with his second nomination) as 50s inspiring prep school teacher John Keating in Dead Poets Society Octogenarian Jessica Tandy won the Best Actress award for her performance as wealthy, 72 year-old Atlanta resident and eccentric, cantankerous Jewish matron/matriarch Daisy Werthan in Driving Miss Daisy (1989).

Tandy's win set a record at the time - she became the oldest performer (and nominee, at 80 years and 252 days old) to ever win a Best Actress Oscar. She was just three months away from her 81st birthday when she accepted the Oscar (at 80 years and 292 days old).

The other four Best Actress nominees were: Isabelle Adjani (with her second nomination) in the title role as a late 1800s French sculptor (romantically involved with mentor/lover Auguste Rodin) in director Bruno Nuytten's French romantic tragedy Camille Claudel (with two nominations and no wins) Pauline Collins in the title role as a middle-aged British woman who forsakes all during a Greek Isles vacation in director Lewis Gilbert's Shirley Valentine (with two nominations and no wins) Jessica Lange (with her fifth nomination) as defense attorney Ann Talbot who defends her father - accused of Nazi war crime atrocities in director Costa-Gavras' Music Box (the film's sole nomination) Michelle Pfeiffer (with her second nomination) as hard-headed singer/ex-call girl Susie Diamond in writer/director Steve Kloves' directorial debut The Fabulous Baker Boys (with four nominations and no wins) Denzel Washington (with his second nomination and first Oscar win) won the Best Supporting Actor award as Trip, a tough, brave, runaway slave enlisted in the first regimental unit of black troops fighting for the Union in director Edward Zwick's Glory (with five nominations and three wins - Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinemat

ography, and Best Sound).

[Denzel Washington became the second black performer to win the Best Supporting Actor award. Lou Gossett, Jr. was the first - for An Officer and a Gentleman (1982).

Overall, he was the fourth African-American to win an Oscar, following also after Hattie McDaniel and Sidney Poitier.] The other four Best Supporting Actor nominees were: Danny Aiello (with his first nomination) as Italian-American Sal who runs/owns a pizzeria in the heart of Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood - the site of an explosive incident on one long, hot summer day in controversial writer/director/actor Spike Lee's insightful study of race relations, Do the Right Thing (with two nominations and no wins) Dan Aykroyd as Boolie Werthan, Miss Daisy's son who hires her a chauffeur in Driving Miss Daisy Marlon Brando (with his eighth nomination) in a cameo role (his first role in nine years) as South African barrister Ian McKenzie in writer/director Euzhan Palcy's anti-apartheid film A Dry White Season (the MGM film was the first full-length feature directed by a black woman) Martin Landau (with his second consecutive nomination) as Judah Rosenthal, a wealthy ophthalmologist who breaks off his relationship with demanding mistress Dolores - Anjelica Huston - and arranges for her murder in director Woody Allen's examination of morality, Crimes and

 Misdemeanors Unknown Irish actress Brenda Fricker (with her first nomination) won the Best Supporting Actress award for her role as cantankerous Daniel Day-Lewis' loving and caring mother Mrs.

Brown in My Left Foot. Two co-stars of director Paul Mazursky's adaptation of Isaac Bashevis Singer's novel Enemies: A Love Story (with a total of three nominations - also Best Adapted Screenplay for co-writers Mazursky and Roger Simon) were nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category: Anjelica Huston (with her second nomination) as the current wife of post-Holocaust survivor Herman Broder Lena Olin (with her first nomination) as Broder's mistress in late 1940s New York, who hid Broder during the war The remaining two Best Supporting Actress nominees were Julia Roberts (with her first nomination) as Shelby Eatenton Latcherie - Sally Field's diabetic daughter and bride-to-be in director Herbert Ross' tearjerker about a group of six southern women who regularly gather in a Louisiana beauty parlor in Steel Magnolias (the film's sole nomination), and Dianne Wiest (with her second nomination) as Helen - a divorced mother with troubled teen children in director Ron Howard's film about parenting, Parenthood (with two nominations and no wins).

And Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, previously nominated only once as Best Director for Ran (1985) (a film with four nominations and one win for Best Costume Design), was presented with an Honorary Award "for accomplishments that have inspired, delighted, enriched and entertained audiences and influenced filmmakers throughout the world." He was best-known for his films Rashomon (1950), Ikiru (1952), and The Seven Samurai (1954). Oscar Snubs and Omissions: The war epic Glory, about the uncelebrated 54th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (a black regiment of Union soldiers in the Civil War) was not nominated as Best Picture or for Best Director (Edward Zwick). Also neglected in the cast were Matthew Broderick as young Col. Robert Gould Shaw, and Morgan Freeman as 'elder statesman' Sgt. Major John Rawlins. Actor/director/writer Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing was nominated for only two awards - Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (Danny Aiello), without a Best Picture or Best Director nod.

Director Tim Burton's box-office smash Batman had only one nomination and win - Best Art Direction, but was un-nominated in other categories: Jack Nicholson in a dual role as the villain: egotistical mobster Jack Napier (and maniacal Joker), and composer Danny Elfman for his musical score. Likewise, one of the most popular romantic comedies of all time, director Rob Reiner's When Harry Met Sally... , also had only one nomination (and lost) - for Nora Ephron's witty screenplay. There were many overlooked components: a Best Director nomination, Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan as the two leads Harry Burns and Sally Albright, and Bruno Kirby and Carrie Fisher as their best friends Jess and Marie. Although director/actor Kenneth Branagh was nominated as Best Director and Actor for the expressive Shakespearean Henry V - his first directorial effort - he was devoid of a Best Picture nomination. And another neglected picture - director/writer Nancy Savoca's low-budget debut comedy film True Love with Annabella Sciorra as Italian-American Bronx bride Donna ended up without any nominations.

Other worthy, would-be nominees included: Hugh O'Conor for his supporting role as young Christy in My Left Foot John Cusack for his role as Lloyd Dobler in writer/director Cameron Crowe's directorial debut film - the refreshingly-realistic teen romance Say Anything Matt Dillon as drug-addicted Bob in writer/director Gus Van Sant's independent film Drugstore Cowboy (without a single nomination) Andi MacDowell as Ann Mullany and Laura San Giacomo as Cynthia Bishop in writer/director Steven Soderbergh's first film - the kinky, sharply-acted, provocative sex, lies, and videotape (with a single unsuccessful nomination for Best Original Screenplay even though it was the Palme d'Or winner at the Cannes Film Festival) Jennifer Jason Leigh as emotionally unstable Carol in writer/director Matthew Chapman's Heart of Midnight Winona Ryder as independent-thinking Veronica Sawyer in the dark and cynical black comedy about teenage suicide, Heathers J. T.

Walsh as a Hollywood producer in Christopher Guest's movie-business satire The Big Picture Kevin Costner as baseball diamond-building Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella as lead, and both James Earl Jones (as reclusive, disillusioned 1960's writer Terence Mann) and Burt Lancaster (in his last role before his death as Dr. Archibald "Moonlight" Graham) were unnominated for their supporting roles in Field of Dreams And although Anjelica Huston was a Best Supporting Actress nominee for Enemies: A Love Story, she also should have been nominated for her role as Dolores Paley in writer/director Woody Allen's morality play Crimes and Misdemeanors (also without a Best Picture nomination!). `Miss Daisy,` Jessica Tandy Win Top Oscars - tribunedigital-chicagotribune `Miss Daisy,` Jessica Tandy Win Top Oscars March 27, 1990|By Dave Kehr, Movie critic. Perhaps in tribute to ``The Little Mermaid,`` Monday night`s Academy Awards presentation seemed to be taking place underwater, as it drifted slowly through a series of largely predictable and widely predicted citations.

As expected, ``Driving Miss Daisy`` all but went the distance, winning Oscars for best picture, best actress, best adapted screenplay and best makeup. Eluding ``Daisy`` was the best actor honor, which went in an upset to Daniel Day-Lewis, 32, for his physically demanding portrayal of disabled artist Christy Brown in the Irish film ``My Left Foot.`` Jessica Tandy was believed to be unbeatable for her performance as an elderly Southern widow who develops a warm relationship with her chauffeur in ``Driving Miss Daisy,`` and indeed she was. At the age of 80, Tandy became the oldest best actress winner, besting the 74-year-old Katharine Hepburn in ``On Golden Pond.`` Though primarily known as a stage actress-particularly for her creation of Blanche DuBois in the first production of Tennessee Williams` ``A Streetcar Named Desire``-she made her film debut in 1932 in the now-forgotten ``The Indiscretion of Eve.`` It was the first time since ``Grand Hotel`` in the 1932-33 awards that the director of the best picture winner was not among the nominees for best director.

That honor, instead, went to Oliver Stone of ``Born on the Fourth of July,`` winning his second directing Oscar, after ``Platoon,`` for a Vietnam- themed film. The first was ``Platoon.`` Also as widely anticipated, Irish performer Brenda Fricker received the award for best supporting actress for her work as the warmly supportive mother in ``My Left Foot.`` It was the kind of one-shot performance from a previously unknown artist that the academy loves to honor. Denzel Washington, 36, took the award for best supporting actor for his work as a rebellious recruit in an all-black Civil War regiment in ``Glory.`` It was Washington`s second nomination, after his 1987 nod for ``Cry Freedom,`` and, significantly, Washington`s first role in which he departed from a squeaky-clean Sidney Poitier-style characterization. He became the fourth black artist to win an acting Oscar. The best original screenplay win for Tom Schulman`s ``Dead Poets Society`` was another of the evening`s few surprises. The favorite was Spike Lee`s ``Do the Right Thing,`` a controversial film that many observers felt was unfairly overlooked in the nominations.

Alfred Uhry, winner of the award for best adapted screenplay for ``Driving Miss Daisy,`` now has an Oscar to place next to his Pulitzer. No clear pattern emerged from the craft awards, which saw Oscars spread out among ``Born on the Fourth of July`` (film editing), ``Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade`` (sound effects editing), ``The Abyss`` (visual effects) and ``Henry V`` (costume design). The academy seemed to be trying to redress the slight to Edward Zwick`s ``Glory``-which was not nominated for best picture despite wide acclaim-by loading it up with secondary awards, including best sound and best cinematography, as well as the award to Washington. ``Batman,`` the year`s highest grossing film at $251 million, won the only Oscar for which it was nominated, a citation for the art direction of Anton Furst and Peter Young. A special honorary award in the form of an Oscar was presented by directors Steven Spielberg and George Lucas to the venerable Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, 79.

Recoiling in horror from the low camp debacle of last year`s broadcast, the academy conferred this year`s event to the good, gray offices of Gilbert Cates, a director of painfully tasteful TV movies. With satellite hookups to five overseas locations (including an echoing concert hall in Moscow, where Soviet actress Natalya Negoda and American institution Jack Lemmon struggled to present the award for best foreign language film to ``Cinema Paradiso`` at the local hour of 6:55 a.m.), this year`s show seemed to be striving for a tone of solemn respectability, as if Cates had the Oscars confused with the ``MacNeil-Lehrer Report.`` The traditional tasteless opening production number was gone, replaced by a five-minute montage of clips from famous movies. It was safe, dignified, and pretty much fatal to the sense of zany spontaneity that is generally the program`s best quality. Even a number choreographed by Paula Abdul-for the two nominated songs from ``The Little Mermaid``-seemed overrehearsed and sluggish, while an unconscionably large number of canned sequences plunged the evening further into inertia.

Other winners include: Animated short film: ``Balance,`` Cristoph Lauenstein and Wolfgang Lauenstein. Cinematography: ``Glory,`` Freddie Francis. Film editing: ``Born on the Fourth of July,`` David Brenner and Joe Hutshing. Costume design: ``Henry V,`` Phyllis Dalton. Documentary short subject: ``Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt,`` Robert Epstein and Bill Couturie. Documentary feature: ``The Johnstown Flood,`` Charles Guggenheim. Live action short film: ``Work Experience,`` James Hendrie. Makeup: ``Driving Miss Daisy,`` Manlio Rocchetti, Lynn Barber and Kevin Haney. Music, original score: ``The Little Mermaid,`` Alan Menken. Music, original song: ``Under the Sea`` from ``The Little Mermaid,`` Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. Sound: ``Glory,`` Donald O. Mitchell, Gregg C. Rudloff, Elliot Tyson and Russell Williams II. Sound effects editing: ``Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,`` Ben Burtt and Richard Hymns.

Visual effects: ``The Abyss,`` John Bruno, Dennis Muren, Hoyt Yeatman and Dennis Skotak. MORE: The Temple featured in Driving Miss Daisy The Temple Featured in Driving Miss Daisy About The Film Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman deliver unforgettable performances as an elderly Southern Jewish widow and her black chauffeur in DRIVING MISS DAISY, the sentimental Oscar-winning exploration of civil rights based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning Alfred Uhry play. As social change sweeps the 1960s South, so is transformed the 25-year relationship between the wealthy, strong-willed Miss Daisy (Tandy) and Hoke (Freeman), her soft-spoken but equally indomitable driver, from suspicion and mistrust to respect and deep-rooted affection. With a melodious synthesized score by Hans Zimmer, the film also boasts a strong supporting ensemble with Dan Aykroyd as Miss Daisy’s son, Patti LuPone as his nouveau riche wife, and Esther Rolle as the housekeeper. Academy Award wins for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, and Best Actress (Tandy, at age 81, the oldest Best Actress winner).

Filmed in and around Atlanta (with the driving scenes shot in Griffin), location cameos include Druid Hills, Lullwater Road, Agnes Scott College and The Temple. Fun Fact: Emeritus Rabbi Alvin Sugarman is featured in the film giving a sermon to the congregation. Watch a film trailer by clicking here . This year’s Oscars = 1989: Best Picture director snub, Daniel Day-Lewis win, oldest nominee - Goldderby This year’s Oscars = 1989: Best Picture director snub, Daniel Day-Lewis win, oldest nominee Chris Beachum Feb 9, 2013 11:20 am 1989 marked the last of three times that a movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture without its director earning a nomination. Back then, it was “Driving Miss Daisy” that took the top prize; this year, it looks like “ Argo ” will pull off this Oscar rarity . But that is not the only parallel or tie-in between these two derbies separated by 23 years.

In 1989, Daniel Day-Lewis won his first Best Actor Oscar for “My Left Foot.” He picked up his second in 2007 for “There Will Be Blood” and is all but certain to win a record third lead actor award this year for “ Lincoln ,” a Civil-War themed film with a great Oscar pedigree. In 1989, the Civil War and slavery also dominated “Glory,” a movie that won three Oscars including Best Supporting Actor for Denzel Washington , who is contending for the sixth time this year (“ Flight “). -ADDPREDICTION:85:4:Click to predict Best Picture Oscar:ADDPREDICTION- In 1989, “Driving Miss Daisy” helmer Bruce Beresford was snubbed in the Best Director race.

However, unlike “ Argo ” director Ben Affleck , the Aussie director had not gained traction from any precursor prizes: the National Board of Review chose Kenneth Branagh (“Henry V”); the Gotham critics went with Paul Mazursky (“Enemies: A Love Story”); the LA group honored Spike Lee (“Do the Right Thing”); the National Society of Film Critics voted for Gus Van Sant (“Drugstore Cowboy”); and the Golden Globe went to Oliver Stone (“Born on the Fourth of July”). Stone was the only one of this quintet to reap a Directors Guild bid. He defeated Woody Allen (“Crimes and Misdemeanors”), Rob Reiner (“When Harry Met Sally”), Phil Alden Robinson (“Field of Dreams”), and Peter Weir (“Dead Poets Society”).

The directors branch of the academy nominated Allen, Branagh, Weir, Jim Sheridan (“My Left Foot”) and Stone, who picked up a bookend to his 1986 Oscar for helming Best Picture champ “Platoon.” Because only two Best Picture champs — “Wings” ( 1927/1928) and “Grand Hotel” (1931/1932) — had prevailed without directing nods, most pundits did not take “Daisy” seriously when predicting Oscar winners. Heading into the Oscars, “Driving Miss Daisy” had won Best Picture from the National Board of Review and the Globe for Best Comedy/Musical (beating out “The Little Mermaid,” “Shirley Valentine,” “The War of the Roses,” and “When Harry Met Sally”). Of the other four Best Picture contenders, “My Left Foot” took the top prize from the Gotham critics while “Born on the Fourth of July” claimed Best Drama at the Globes. The two big hits of the bunch — “Dead Poets Society” and “Field of Dreams” — had only won over audiences.

The LA critics had gone with “Do the Right Thing” while the National Society had opted for “Drugstore Cowboy.” Although Vietnam War-themed “July” was considered the frontrunner for Best Picture, eight days earlier “Driving Miss Daisy” scribe Alfred Uhry beat Stone and Ron Kovic for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Writers Guild of America Awards. The Pulitzer Prize champ went on to win the Oscar as well. While “Daisy” star Jessica Tandy won Best Comedy/Musical Actress at the Globes, Michelle Pfeiffer (“The Fabulous Baker Boys”) had swept the precursors. At the Oscars, Tandy defeated Pfeiffer as well as Isabelle Adjani (“Camille Claudel”), Pauline Collins (“Shirley Valentine”) and Jessica Lange (“Music Box”) to become, at age 80, the oldest lead actress winner to date. The other “Daisy” lead, Morgan Freeman , had racked up victories from the National Board of Review and the Globes. The drama Globe went to Tom Cruise (“Born on the Fourth of July”), while Day-Lewis was the critics darling, picking up support from Los Angeles, New York, and the National Society.

It was a three-horse race at the Oscars with Branagh and Robin Williams (“Dead Poets Society”) rounding out the field. “Daisy” won four of its leading nine Oscar nominations: Best Picture (Richard Zanuck and Lili Fini Zanuck), Best Actress (Tandy), Best Adapted Screenplay (Uhry), and Best Makeup (Lynn Barber, Kevin Haney, and Manlio Rocchetti). The five losses were for Best Actor (Freeman), Best Supporting Actor (Dan Aykroyd), Best Art Direction (Bruno Rubeo and Crispian Sallis), Best Costume Design (Elizabeth McBride), and Best Editing (Mark Warner). “July” won two of ite eight Oscar races: Directing and Editing. It and “Daisy” were the only Best Picture nominees up for Best Editing. The last movie to win the top Oscar without at least contending for cutting was “Ordinary People” in 1980. “My Left Foot” won two of its Oscar bid: Best Actor (Day-Lewis) and Best Supporting Actress (Brenda Fricker).

OSCAR PARALLELS & TIE-INS (1989 & 2012) DIRECTING SNUB 1989 – “Driving Miss Daisy” wins Best Picture with no directing nod. 2012 – “Argo” is frontrunner for Best Picture with no directing nod. BEST ACTOR 1989 – Day-Lewis wins Best Actor (“My Left Foot”). 2012 – Day-Lewis is frontrunner for Best Actor (“ Lincoln ”). RETURNING NOMINEES 1989 – Day-Lewis, Washington (“Glory”), cinematographer Robert Richardson (“Born on the Fourth of July”), composer John Williams (“Born on the Fourth of July,” “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”), sound editor Wylie Stateman (“Born on the Fourth of July”) and sound mixer Greg Russell (“Black Rain”). 2012 – Day-Lewis, Washington (“ Flight ”), Richardson (“Django Unchained”), Williams (“Lincoln”), Stateman (“Django Unchained”) and Russell (“Skyfall”). CIVIL WAR THEME 1989 – Major Oscar contender “Glory” (with Best Supporting Actor winner Washington).

2012 – Major Oscar contender “Lincoln” (with Best Supporting Actor frontrunner Tommy Lee Jones ). OLDEST NOMINEE 1989 – Tandy became oldest Best Actress nominee (and winner) at age 80. 2012 – Emmanuelle Riva (“ Amour “) becomes oldest Best Actress nominee at age 85. FRENCH NOMINEE 1989 – Adjani nominated as Best Actress for French language performance. 2012 – Riva nominated as Best Actress for French language performance. DGA DISCONNECT 1989 – Only three DGA nominees (Allen, Stone, Weir) nominated for Best Director Oscar. 2012 – Only two DGA nominees ( Ang Lee , Steven Spielberg ) nominated for Best Director Oscar. PLAYWRIGHTS 1989 – Tony-winning playwright Uhry wins for Best Adapted Screenplay. 2012 – Tony-winning playwright Tony Kushner (“Lincoln”) frontrunner for Best Adapted Screenplay. VISUAL EFFECTS 1989 – Film set largely on water (“The Abyss”) wins for Best Visual Effects.

2012 – Film set largely on water (“ Life of Pi “) frontrunner for Best Visual Effects. REDHEADED PRINCESS 1989 – Disney film (“The Little Mermaid”) about a fiesty redheaded princess is Oscar nominee (and winner). 2012 – Disney film (“ Brave “) about a feisty redheaded princess is Oscar nominee. KOCH LEGACY 1989 – Former Academy President Howard Koch receives the Hersholt humanitarian award. 2012 – Koch’s son Hawk Koch is the newly elected Academy President. ROOKIE HOSTS 1989 – Oscar ceremony hosted by first-timer Billy Crystal (with rookie producer Gil Cates). 2012 – Oscar ceremony hosted by first-timer Seth MacFarlane (with rookie producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan). NAMES TO REMEMBER Jessica Tandy - Awards - IMDb Jessica Tandy Showing all 12 wins and 13 nominations Academy Awards, USA For playing "Wife". For episode "The Fourposter". BAFTA Awards Star on the Walk of Fame Motion Picture On 8 February 1960. At 6284 Hollywood Blvd.

Women in Film Crystal Awards a list of 41 people created 01 Jul 2011 a list of 25 people created 28 Dec 2013 a list of 27 people created 09 May 2014 a list of 33 people created 11 months ago a list of 30 people created 5 months ago IMDb Everywhere Find showtimes, watch trailers, browse photos, track your Watchlist and rate your favorite movies and TV shows on your phone or tablet! The 10 oldest to win competitive acting Oscars: The Oscars - latimes February 16, 2012 |By Susan King, Los Angeles Times Christopher Plummer has already won numerous awards for his turn as a widower… (Andrew Tepper /Focus Features…) Two legendary actors — Christopher Plummer and Max von Sydow — are competing for the supporting actor trophy this Oscar season.

Despite their pedigree — Plummer has been acting in films for more than 50 years and is best known as Captain von Trapp in 1965's "The Sound of Music," and Von Sydow is closely associated with the seminal Swedish director Ingmar Bergman — neither has won an Academy Award. But that's likely to change. Plummer has already won numerous awards for his turn as a widower who comes out of the closet in"Beginners,"while Von Sydow has earned kudos as an elderly man who doesn't speak in "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close." If either wins, he will become the oldest performer to garner an acting Oscar. Both are 82 years old, with Von Sydow, who turns 83 in April, eight months older than Plummer. Here's a look at the 10 oldest Oscar winners in the competitive acting categories so far: Jessica Tandy The British-born actress was 80 years and 252 days old when she won the lead actress Oscar for 1989's "Driving Miss Daisy." Not long after that, Tandy was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Tandy continued to work as she battled the disease, earning a supporting actress nomination for 1991's "Fried Green Tomatoes." She died in 1994 George Burns The beloved comedian, who was partnered with his wife, Gracie Allen, in films, vaudeville and TV, won the supporting actor Oscar as a member of an old comedy team reuniting for a TV special in 1975's "The Sunshine Boys." He was 80 years and 69 days when he picked up the Academy Award. Burns' film career took off, scoring a hit in 1977's "Oh, God!" and 1979's "Going in Style." He continued to work into his 90s. He died in 1996.

Melvyn Douglas Best known for his romantic comedy roles in the 1930s in such classics as 1939's "Ninotchka," Douglas earned his first supporting actor award as the stern father in 1963's "Hud"; he won his second as a fragile businessman in 1979's "Being There" at the age of 79 years and nine days. He made four more features before his death in 1981. John Gielgud Gielgud was already one of the most accomplished British stage, theater and TV actors when he won a supporting actor Oscar at the age of 77 and 349 days as the loving but acerbic butler in 1981's"Arthur."He had previously been nominated in this category for 1964's "Becket." He continued working until his death in 2000.

Don Ameche The mustachioed Ameche had been a big star at 20th Century Fox in the 1930s and '40s, best known for such musicals as 1941's "Moon Over Miami" and such dramatic fare as 1939's "The Story of Alexander Graham Bell." For his work in 1985's "Cocoon," he won the supporting actor Oscar at the age of 77 years and 297 days old. He played a senior citizen who encounters a fountain of youth — one scene featured the actor break dancing. The Oscar rejuvenated his career. One of his best post-Oscar roles was in David Mamet's 1988 "Things Change." He continued to work until his death in 1993. Peggy Ashcroft Ashcroft, a star of the British stage, had appeared in very few films when she won a supporting actress Oscar at the age of 77 years and 93 days for David Lean's final film, 1984's "Passage to India," She played a British woman traveling to India with her son's fiancée.

She continued to work until 1989. She died in 1991. Henry Fonda The veteran superstar had largely been ignored by the academy, earning only a lead actor nomination for 1940's "The Grapes of Wrath"and a nod as producer of the 1957 best picture nominee "12 Angry Men."He finally won a lead actor Oscar at the age of 76 and 317 days for his role as the husband of Katharine Hepburn's character in 1981's "On Golden Pond." Fonda, though, was too frail to attend the 1982 ceremony, but his daughter Jane, who was nominated for supporting actress for the film, did. "Oh, Dad, I'm so happy and proud for you," she said. Henry Fonda died in August of that year. Katharine Hepburn Fonda's "Golden Pond" costar also won the lead actress Oscar for the drama. It was her fourth win — she was 74 years and 275 days old. And just as with the other three times she had won, Hepburn was no where to be found at the ceremony to pick up her Oscar.

Hepburn continued to work in films, TV and even theater until 1994. She died in 2003. Jack Palance The character actor, who had earned supporting actor nominations for 1952's "Sudden Fear" and 1953's "Shane," finally won a supporting actor Oscar at the age of 73 years and 41 days for his comedic turn as an old ranch hand in the 1991 hit "City Slickers." He even performed one-armed push-ups onstage when he went up to pick up his award. Palance died in 2006. Alan Arkin A nominee for lead actor for 1966's "The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming" and 1968's "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter," Arkin was 72 years and 336 days old when he won the supporting actor Academy Award for his performance as a foul-mouthed grandfather in 2006's "Little Miss Sunshine." Arkin is still a working actor; his latest film,"Thin Ice,"opens Friday.

Question: Which Jessica was the then oldest Oscar winner for Driving Miss Daisy?
Answer: Tandy