The producer who is credited with persuading Leonardo DiCaprio to play Howard Hughes in Martin Scorsese's Oscar nominated "The Aviator" has been ignored by organisers of the Academy Awards because of a limit on the number of nominees per film.

Charles Evans Jr, who claimed the biopic was his brainchild, was not named as a nominee for best motion picture award at this year's Oscars because the list of nominees for "The Aviator" was overcrowded, reported imdb.com.

Only two of the four "The Aviator" producers - Michael Mann (director of "Collateral") and Graham King - are in the running to receive a statuette at the ceremony Feb 27.

Up to three producers can be nominated per film, but "The Aviator" and "Million Dollar Baby" failed to trim their credits. Hence the Academy Of Motion Pictures Arts And Sciences decided to axe both Evans Jr. and Mann's former deputy Sandy Climan.

In 2001, Evans Jr. had sued Mann claiming he was excluded from the project despite coming up with the original idea and convincing DiCaprio to take the lead role.

The case was settled out of court and Evans was named as a producer.