Alfred Uhry was a professional songwriter, lyricist and comedy writer who supported himself as a teacher at a New York private school and a college instructor. Already 40, he wrote a play based on characters from his family in Atlanta. The result was "Driving Miss Daisy," an off-Broadway success about a proud, obstinate Southern Jewish matron who is forced to employ an African American chauffeur and the relationship they forged that earned him a Pulitzer Prize. When Bruce Beresford made the film version in 1989, Uhry adapted his play and earned an Oscar for his efforts.