: He eventually returned to finish his education, earning his degree in Film Production from California State University, Long Beach in 2002—35 years after dropping out. The Turning Point

: After getting a three-day visitor pass for Universal Studios from a chance encounter on a bus, he simply kept showing up after it expired.

: He was famously rejected from the University of Southern California (USC) film school multiple times due to poor academic grades.

: Inattentive security guards assumed he was part of the crew, allowing him to set up an "unofficial internship".

* RICHARD SCHICKEL: There's a popular myth that you got started in the film business when you snuck on to the Universal lot. ... *