David Brown (producer) debut, for a motion picture. Thereafter, the pair were credited as producers or executive producers of more than a dozen films, including the courtroom drama "The Verdict" (1982), directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Paul Newman; the science-fiction "Cocoon" (1985), directed by Ron Howard; and the comedy-drama "Driving Miss Daisy" (1989), directed by Bruce Beresford and starring Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman. "Driving Miss Daisy" won four Academy Awards, including the Best Picture award. Without Zanuck, Brown went on to produce films including the drama "Angela's Ashes" (1999) and the romance "Chocolat" (2000). He and partner Zanuck were jointly awarded
Driving Miss Daisy African American housemaid named Idella (Esther Rolle). When Miss Daisy drives her 1946 Chrysler Windsor into her neighbor's yard, her forty-year-old son Boolie (Dan Aykroyd) buys her a 1949 Hudson Commodore and hires Hoke Colburn (Morgan Freeman), an African American chauffeur. Miss Daisy at first refuses to let anyone else drive her, but gradually gives in. As Miss Daisy and Hoke spend time together, she gains appreciation for his many skills. After Idella dies in 1962, rather than hire a new maid, Miss Daisy decides to care for her own house and have Hoke do the cooking and the driving.