Kim Peek, the Man Who Inspired Rain Man, Dies at 58
Posted on Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 by Devindra Hardawar
Though you may not know his name, Kim Peek directly inspired Dustin Hoffman’s role in the Oscar-winning film Rain Man. He died from a heart attack on Saturday morning. Peek was 58, and perhaps one of the world’s most famous savants. He couldn’t perform basic tasks like using a light switch, but he had a seemingly bottomless memory.
After meeting Peek at a convention in the early 80s, writer Barry Morrow was so taken by his abilities that he ended up writing Rain Man. The film went on to win four Oscars: Best Picture, Actor, Director, and Original Screenplay.
