When she won the Best Actress Oscar in 1989, she became the oldest person to ever win the Academy Award as Best Actress. Who was she, and for what film?

At the 62nd Academy Awards ceremony in 1990, veteran stage and screen actress Jessica Tandy made Oscar history. At 80 years old, her win for portraying Daisy Werthan in the film "Driving Miss Daisy" established her as the oldest-ever recipient of the Best Actress award, a record that still stands today. Her touching and nuanced performance captured the 25-year evolution of a stubborn, aging Southern woman who slowly overcomes her own prejudices to form a deep friendship with her Black chauffeur, Hoke Colburn.

The film was a critical and commercial success, also winning the Oscar for Best Picture that evening. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Alfred Uhry, the story’s power rested on the incredible chemistry between Tandy and her co-star, Morgan Freeman. Her victory was seen not just as a reward for a single performance, but as a long-overdue honor for a distinguished career that spanned over six decades.

Tandy was already a legend in the theater world, most famous for originating the iconic role of Blanche DuBois in the first Broadway production of "A Streetcar Named Desire." While Hollywood often overlooked her for leading roles in her younger years, this late-career triumph cemented her legacy, proving that a truly magnificent performance knows no age limit.