Ruth C. Sullivan family member with developmental disabilities. She retired from the Autism Services Center on November 1, 2007 at the age of 83. Sullivan assisted in the production of the 1988 movie "Rain Man" by serving as a consultant on autistic behavior, and Dustin Hoffman worked with Sullivan and her son Joseph, who has autism, when practicing for his role. Hoffman thanked her and Joseph in his Oscar speech. Sullivan has the last credit in the movie, and the extended DVD version features an interview with Joe. (Joe Sullivan was not the only inspiration for Hoffman's role; the role was originally written
Dustin Hoffman filmography star status and his first Academy Award nomination. He then acted in the play "Jimmy Shine" as the eponymous character and the comedy film "Madigan's Millions" (both 1968). In 1969, he starred alongside Jon Voight in the Academy Award for Best Picture winner "Midnight Cowboy", which Hoffman was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor a second time. The 1970s saw Hoffman star in several critically acclaimed and commercially successful films, including the Western "Little Big Man" (1970), psychological thriller "Straw Dogs" (1971), prison film "Papillon" (1973) alongside Steve McQueen, "Lenny" (1974) about the controversial comedian Lenny Bruce, and