Hoffman's portrayal of a middle-aged savant's complex
interaction with the world through astonishing mental facilities
and childlike emotions earned him an Oscar for best actor. But
it was Peek, who suffered from Agenesis of Corpus Callosum (a
condition similar to autism), whom Hoffman and Barry Morrow –
Rain Man's writer, who also won an Oscar – acknowledged as the
inspiration behind the performance. When Hoffman thanked Peek in
his Oscar acceptance speech, media interest in Peek's highly
unusual abilities was immediate. This prompted Kim and his
father, Fran, an advertising executive, to embark on a series of
speaking tours throughout America, spreading awareness and
acceptance of the "different" and the disabled. The public
exposure, in turn, led to pioneering scientific research. Kim
Peek was born on November 11 1951 in Salt Lake City, Utah – both
his parents were Mormons. Despite his mother's uneventful
pregnancy, Kim's head was 30 per cent larger than normal at
birth. He was a sluggish baby who cried fr