Hoffman, Philip Seymour (1967-2014), was an American motion-picture and stage actor known for playing diverse and unusual characters. He won an Academy Award for best actor for his portrayal of the American author Truman Capote in Capote (2005). Hoffman was also a stage director.
Hoffman was born on July 23, 1967, in Fairport, New York. He received a B.F.A. degree in drama from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in New York City in 1989. His first motion-picture role was in the independent film Triple Bogey on a Par Five Hole (1991). He then had supporting roles in two major 1992 productions, My New Gun and Scent of a Woman. Hoffman’s breakthrough role was in Boogie Nights (1997).
Hoffman’s other notable films included Happiness and The Big Lebowski (both 1998); Flawless, Magnolia, and The Talented Mr. Ripley (all 1999); Almost Famous (2000); Punch-Drunk Love, Red Dragon, and 25th Hour (all 2002); Cold Mountain (2003); Mission: Impossible III (2006); Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, Charlie Wilson’s War, and The Savages (all 2007); Synecdoche, New York and Doubt (both 2008); Pirate Radio (2009); Moneyball and The Ides of March (both 2011); The Master and A Late Quartet (both 2012); The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013); and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, God’s Pocket, and A Most Wanted Man (all released in 2014, after his death). He directed and starred in Jack Goes Boating (2010). In 2012, Hoffman won critical acclaim for his performance in a stage revival of the American drama Death of a Salesman. He died on Feb. 2, 2014, from a toxic mix of drugs.
