Philip Seymour Hoffman (July 23, 1967 – February 2, 2014) was an American actor. Known for his distinctive supporting andcharacter roles—eccentrics, underdogs, and misfits—he acted in many films and theatrical productions, including leading roles, from the early 1990s until his early death in 2014. He was voted the greatest actor of the 21st century in a 2024 ranking byThe Independent.[1]
Hoffman was known to have struggled with drug addiction, and on February 2, 2014, Hoffman reportedly died from "acute mixed drug intoxication, including heroin, cocaine, benzodiazepines and amphetamine".[2]
Remembered for the nuance, depth, and humanity he brought to his diverse roles, Hoffman was described in his obituary inThe New York Times as "perhaps the most ambitious and widely admired American actor of his generation".[3]
Hoffman was born on July 23, 1967, in theRochester suburb ofFairport, New York.[3] His mother, Marilyn O'Connor (née Loucks), came from nearbyWaterloo and worked as an elementary school teacher[4] before becoming a lawyer and eventually afamily court judge.[3][5] His father, Gordon Stowell Hoffman, was a native ofGeneva, New York, and worked for theXerox Corporation. Hoffman had one brother,Gordy, and two sisters, Jill and Emily.[4] He had Irish and German ancestry.[6][7]
Hoffman was baptized aCatholic and attendedMass as a child, but did not have a heavily religious upbringing.[8] His parents divorced when he was nine, and the children were raised primarily by their mother.[5] Hoffman's childhood passion was sports, particularly wrestling and baseball,[5] but at age 12, he attended a stage production ofArthur Miller'sAll My Sons and was transfixed. He recalled in 2008, "I was changed—permanently changed—by that experience. It was like a miracle to me."[9] Hoffman developed a love for the theater, and proceeded to attend regularly with his mother, who was a lifelong enthusiast.[10] He remembered that productions ofQuilters andAlms for the Middle Class, the latter starring a teenagedRobert Downey Jr., were also particularly inspirational.[11] At age 14, Hoffman suffered a neck injury that ended his sporting activity, and he began to consider acting.[9][12] Encouraged by his mother, he joined a drama club, and initially committed to it because he was attracted to a female member.[5][9]
Acting gradually became a passion for Hoffman: "I loved the camaraderie of it, the people, and that's when I decided it was what I wanted to do."[12] At age 17, he was selected to attend the 1984New York State Summer School of the Arts inSaratoga Springs, where he met his future collaboratorsBennett Miller andDan Futterman.[13] Miller later commented on Hoffman's popularity at the time: "We were attracted to the fact that he was genuinely serious about what he was doing. Even then, he was passionate."[9] Hoffman applied for several drama degree programs and was accepted toNew York University's (NYU)Tisch School of the Arts.[9] Between graduating fromFairport High School and beginning the program, he continued his training at theCircle in the Square Theatre's summer program.[3] Hoffman had positive memories of his time at NYU, where he supported himself by working as anusher. With friends, he co-founded the Bullstoi Ensemble acting troupe.[12] He received a drama degree in 1989.[5]
More film roles promptly followed, with appearances in the studio productionMy New Gun, and a small role in the comedyLeap of Faith, starringSteve Martin.[16][17] Following these roles, he gained attention playing a spoiled private school student in the Oscar-winningAl Pacino filmScent of a Woman (1992). Hoffman auditioned five times for his role, whichThe Guardian journalist Ryan Gilbey says gave him an early opportunity "to indulge his skill for making unctuousness compelling".[18] The film earned US$134 million worldwide[19] and was the first to get Hoffman noticed.[20] Reflecting onScent of a Woman, Hoffman later said, "If I hadn't gotten into that film, I wouldn't be where I am today."[14] At this time, he quit his job in adelicatessen to become a professional actor.[15][21]
Still considering stage work to be fundamental to his career,[20][26] Hoffman joined theLAByrinth Theater Company of New York City in 1995.[23] This association lasted the remainder of his life; along with appearing in multiple productions, he later became co-artistic director of the theater company withJohn Ortiz, and directed various plays over the years.[26] Hoffman's only film appearance of 1995 was in the 22-minute short comedyThe Fifteen Minute Hamlet, which satirized the film industry in anElizabethan setting. He played the characters of Bernardo,Horatio, andLaertes alongsideAustin Pendleton'sHamlet.[27]
Between April and May 1996, Hoffman appeared at theJoseph Papp Public Theater in aMark Wing-Davey production ofCaryl Churchill'sThe Skriker.[28] Afterwards, based on his work inScent of a Woman, he was cast by writer–directorPaul Thomas Anderson to appear in Anderson's debut featureHard Eight (1996).[18] Hoffman had only a brief role in the crime thriller, playing a cocksure youngcraps player, but it began the most important collaboration of his career.[18][a]Before cementing a creative partnership with Anderson, Hoffman appeared in one of the year's biggest blockbusters,[29]Twister, playing a grubby, hyperactivestorm chaser alongsideHelen Hunt andBill Paxton. According to aPeople survey ofTwitter andFacebook users,Twister is the film with which Hoffman is most popularly associated.[30] He then reunited with Anderson for the director's second feature,Boogie Nights, about theGolden Age of Pornography. The ensemble piece starredMark Wahlberg,Julianne Moore, andBurt Reynolds; Hoffman played aboom operator, described by David Fear ofRolling Stone as a "complete, unabashed loser",[23] who attempts to seduce Wahlberg's character. Warmly received by critics, the film grew into acult classic,[14][31] and has been cited as the role in which Hoffman first showed his full ability. Fear commended the "naked emotional neediness" of the performance, adding that it made for compulsive viewing.[23][32] Hoffman later expressed his appreciation for Anderson when he called the director "incomparable".[33]
That wasn't easy. It's hard to sit in your boxers and jerk off in front of people for three hours. I was pretty heavy, and I was afraid that people would laugh at me. Todd said they might laugh, but they won't laughat you. He saw what we were working for, which was the pathos of the moment. Sometimes, acting is a really private thing that you do for the world.
Continuing with this momentum, Hoffman appeared in five films in 1998. He had supporting roles in the crime thrillerMontana and the romantic comedyNext Stop Wonderland, both of which were commercial failures,[34][35] before working with theCoen brothers in their dark comedyThe Big Lebowski. Hoffman had long been a fan of the directors, and relished the experience of working with them.[36] Appearing alongsideJeff Bridges andJohn Goodman, Hoffman played Brandt, the smug personal assistant of the titular character. Although it was only a small role, he said it was one for which he was most recognized, in a film that has achieved cult status and a large fan base.[36] Between March and April 1998, Hoffman made 30 appearances on stage at theNew York Theatre Workshop in a production ofMark Ravenhill'sShopping and Fucking, portraying an ex-heroin addict.[37]
Hoffman took an unflattering role inTodd Solondz'sHappiness (1998),[38] amisanthropicblack comedy about the lives of three sisters and those around them. He played Allen, a sexually frustrated loner who makes obscene phone calls to women; the character furiously masturbates during one conversation, producing what film scholar Jerry Mosher calls an "embarrassingly raw performance".[38] Jake Coyle of theAssociated Press rated Allen as "one of the creepiest characters in American movies",[39] but critic Xan Brooks highlighted the pathos that Hoffman brought to the role.[40]Happiness was controversial but widely praised,[41] and Hoffman's role has been cited by critics as one of his best.[39][42] His final 1998 release was more mainstream, appeared as a medical student in theRobin Williams comedyPatch Adams. The film was critically panned, but one of the highest-grossing of Hoffman's career.[43][44]
In 1999, Hoffman starred oppositeRobert De Niro asdrag queen Rusty Zimmerman inJoel Schumacher's dramaFlawless. Hoffman considered De Niro the most imposing actor with whom he had appeared, and he felt that working with the veteran performer profoundly improved his own acting.[11] Hoffman's ability to avoid clichés in playing such a delicate role was noted by critics,[23][45] andRoger Ebert said it confirmed him as "one of the best new character actors".[46] He was rewarded with his firstScreen Actors Guild Award nomination.[47] Hoffman then reunited with Paul Thomas Anderson, where he was given an atypically virtuous role in the ensemble dramaMagnolia.[18] The film, set over one day in Los Angeles, features Hoffman as a nurse who cares forJason Robards' character, who is dying of cancer. The performance was approved of by the medical industry,[48] and Jessica Winter of theVillage Voice considered it Hoffman's most indelible work, likening him to a guardian angel.[48]Magnolia has been included in lists of the greatest films of all time,[49][50] and it was a personal favorite of Hoffman's.[33]
One of the most critically and commercially successful films of Hoffman's career wasThe Talented Mr. Ripley (1999),[44][51] which he considered "as edgy as you can get for a Hollywood movie".[52] He played a "preppy bully" who tauntsMatt Damon'sTom Ripley in the thriller, a character which Jeff Simon ofThe Buffalo News called "the truest upper class twit in all of American movies".[11] Hoffman's performance won praise fromMeryl Streep, another of his cinematic idols: "I sat up straight in my seat and said, 'Who is that?' I thought to myself: My God, this actor is fearless", she said. "He's done what we all strive for — he's given this awful character the respect he deserves, and he's made him fascinating."[20] In recognition of his work inMagnolia andThe Talented Mr. Ripley, Hoffman was named the year'sBest Supporting Actor by theNational Board of Review.[53]
Following a string of roles in successful films in the late 1990s, Hoffman had established a reputation as a top supporting player who could be relied on to make an impression with each performance.[54] His film appearances were likened by David Kamp ofGQ to "discovering a prize in a box of cereal, receiving a bonus, or bumping unexpectedly into an old friend".[20] According to Jerry Mosher, as the year 2000 began, "it seemed Hoffman was everywhere, poised on the cusp of stardom".[55]
Hoffman had begun to be recognized as a theater actor in 1999, when he received aDrama Desk Award nomination forOutstanding Featured Actor for the off-Broadway playThe Author's Voice.[56][57] This success continued with the 2000 Broadway revival ofSam Shepard'sTrue West, where Hoffman alternated roles nightly with co-starJohn C. Reilly,[b] making 154 appearances between March and July 2000.[58][38]Ben Brantley ofThe New York Times felt that it was the best stage performance of Hoffman's career, calling him "brilliant",[59] and the actor earned aTony Award nomination forBest Actor in a Play.[56] The following year, Hoffman appeared with Meryl Streep,Natalie Portman, and John Goodman in aDelacorte Theater production ofChekhov'sThe Seagull—although Brantley felt that this performance was less fully realized.[60] As a stage director, Hoffman received two Drama Desk Award nominations forOutstanding Director of a Play: one forJesus Hopped the 'A' Train in 2001, and another forOur Lady of 121st Street in 2003.[61] In a 2008 interview, Hoffman opined that "switching hats" between acting and directing helped him improve in both roles.[62]
David Mamet's comedyState and Main, about the difficulties of shooting a film in ruralNew England, was Hoffman's first film role of 2000 and had a limited release.[63] He had a more prominent supporting role that year inAlmost Famous,Cameron Crowe's popularcoming-of-age film set in the 1970s music industry.[39] Hoffman portrayed the enthusiastic rock criticLester Bangs, a task by which he felt burdened,[64] but he managed to convey the real figure's mannerisms and sharp wit after watching him in a BBC interview.[65] The following year, Hoffman featured as the narrator and interviewer inThe Party's Over, a documentary about the2000 U.S. elections. He assumed the position of a "politically informed and alienatedGeneration-Xer" who seeks to be educated in U.S. politics, but ultimately reveals the extent of public dissatisfaction in this area.[66]
In 2002, Hoffman was given his first leading role (despite joking at the time "Even if I was hired into a leading-man part, I'd probably turn it into the non-leading-man part")[67] inTodd Louiso's tragicomedyLove Liza (2002). His brother Gordy wrote the script, which Hoffman had seen at their mother's house five years earlier, about a widower who starts sniffing gasoline to cope with his wife's suicide. He considered it the finest piece of writing he had ever read, "incredibly humble in its exploration of grief",[15] but critics were less enthusiastic about the production. A review for theBBC wrote that Hoffman had finally been given a part that showed "what he's truly capable of",[68] but few witnessed this as the film had a limited release and earned only US$210,000.[69]
Later in 2002, Hoffman starred oppositeAdam Sandler andEmily Watson in Anderson's critically acclaimed fourth picture, the surrealist romantic comedy-dramaPunch-Drunk Love (2002), where he played an illegal phone-sex "supervisor".[70] Drew Hunt of theChicago Reader saw the performance as a fine example of Hoffman's "knack for turning small roles into seminal performances" and praised the actor's comedic ability.[71] In a very different film, Hoffman was next seen withAnthony Hopkins in the high-budget thrillerRed Dragon, a prequel toThe Silence of the Lambs, portraying the meddlesome tabloid journalistFreddy Lounds.[72] His fourth appearance of 2002 came inSpike Lee's drama25th Hour, playing an English teacher who makes a devastating drunken mistake.[73] Both Lee and the film's leadEdward Norton were thrilled to work with Hoffman, and Lee confessed that he had long wanted to do a picture with the actor, but had waited until he found the right role.[74] Hoffman considered his character, Jakob, to be one of the most reticent characters he had ever played, a straight-laced "corduroy-pants-wearing kind of guy."[15]Roger Ebert promoted25th Hour to one of his "Great Movies" in 2009,[75] and along withA. O. Scott,[76] considered it to be one of the best films of the 2000s.[77]
The dramaOwning Mahowny (2003) gave Hoffman his second lead role, starring oppositeMinnie Driver as a bank employee whoembezzles money to feed hisgambling addiction. It was based on the true story of Toronto bankerBrian Molony, who committed the largest fraud in Canadian history. Hoffman met with Molony to prepare for the role and help him play the character as accurately as possible.[78] He was determined not to conform to "movie character" stereotypes,[69] and his portrayal of addiction won approval from theRoyal College of Psychiatrists.[78] Roger Ebert assessed Hoffman's performance as "a masterpiece of discipline and precision,"[79] but the film earned little at the box office.[80]
Hoffman's second 2003 appearance was a small role inAnthony Minghella's successfulCivil War epicCold Mountain.[81] He played an immoral preacher, a complex character that Hoffman described as a "mass of contradictions".[82] The same year, from April to August, he appeared withVanessa Redgrave,Brian Dennehy, andRobert Sean Leonard in a Broadway revival ofEugene O'Neill'sLong Day's Journey into Night.[83] DirectorRobert Falls later commented on the dedication and experience that Hoffman brought to his role of alcoholic Jamie Tyrone: "Every night he ripped it up to an extent that he couldn't leave [the role]. Phil carried it with him."[84] Hoffman received his second Tony Award nomination, this time forBest Featured Actor in a Play.[56] In 2004, he appeared as the crude, has-been actor friend ofBen Stiller's character in the box-office hitAlong Came Polly.[85] Reflecting on the role,People said it proved that "Hoffman could deliver comedic performances with the best of them".[30]
Hoffman won many awards for his portrayal of the writerTruman Capote (pictured in 1959) inCapote (2005).
A turning point in Hoffman's career came with the biographical filmCapote (2005), which dramatizedTruman Capote's experience of writing histrue crime novelIn Cold Blood (1966).[86] Hoffman took the title role for a project that he co-produced and helped bring to fruition.[87][88] Portraying the idiosyncratic writer proved highly demanding, requiring significant weight loss and four months of research—such as watching video clips of Capote to help him affect the author's effeminate voice and mannerisms. Hoffman stated that he was not concerned with perfectly imitating Capote's speech, but he did feel a great duty to "express the vitality and the nuances" of the writer.[89][90] During filming, he stayed in character constantly so as not to lose the voice and posture: "Otherwise", he explained, "I would give my body a chance to bail on me."[90]Capote was released to great acclaim, particularly regarding Hoffman's performance.[91] Many critics commented that the role was designed to win awards,[92] and indeed Hoffman received anOscar,Golden Globe,Screen Actors Guild Award,BAFTA, and various other critics' awards.[93] In 2006,Premiere listed his role inCapote as the 35th-greatest movie performance of all time.[94] After the film, several commentators began to describe Hoffman as one of the finest, most ambitious actors of his generation.[88]
Hoffman received his onlyPrimetime Emmy Award nomination for his supporting role in theHBO miniseriesEmpire Falls (2005), about life in a New England town. He ultimately lost to castmate Paul Newman.[95] In 2006, he appeared in the summer blockbusterMission: Impossible III, playing the villainous arms dealer Owen Davian oppositeTom Cruise. A journalist forVanity Fair stated that Hoffman's "black-hat performance was one of the most delicious in a Hollywood film sinceAlan Rickman's inDie Hard ",[58] and he was generally approved of for bringing gravitas to the action film. With a gross of nearly US$400 million, it exposed Hoffman to a mainstream audience.[96]
Returning to independent films in 2007, Hoffman began with a starring role inTamara Jenkins'sThe Savages, whereLaura Linney and he played siblings responsible for putting their dementia-ridden father (Philip Bosco) in a care home. Jake Coyle of the Associated Press stated that it was "the epitome of a Hoffman film: a mix of comedy and tragedy told with subtlety, bone-dry humor, and flashes of grace".[39] Hoffman received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance inThe Savages.[97] He next appeared inBefore the Devil Knows You're Dead, the final film by veteran directorSidney Lumet, where he played arealtor who embezzles funds from his employer to support his drug habit. Mosher comments that the character was one of the most unpleasant of Hoffman's career, but that his "fearlessness again revealed the humanity within a deeply flawed character" as he appeared naked in the opening sex scene.[98] The film was received positively by critics as a powerful and affecting thriller.[99]
The year 2008 contained two significant Hoffman roles. InCharlie Kaufman's enigmatic dramaSynecdoche, New York, he starred as Caden Cotard, a frustrated dramatist who attempts to build a scale replica of New York inside a warehouse for a play.[102] Hoffman again showed his willingness to reveal unattractive traits, as the character ages and deteriorates, and committed to a deeply psychological role.[103] Critics were divided in their response to the "ambitious and baffling" film.[104] Sonny Bunch ofThe Washington Times found it "impressionistic, inaccessible, and endlessly frustrating", likening Hoffman's character to "God, if God lacked imagination".[105] Conversely, Roger Ebert named it the best film of the decade and considered it one of the greatest of all time,[106] andRobbie Collin, film critic forThe Daily Telegraph, believes Hoffman gave one of cinema's best performances.[107]
Hoffman's second role of the year came opposite Meryl Streep andAmy Adams inJohn Patrick Shanley'sDoubt, where he played Father Brendan Flynn—a priest accused ofsexually abusing a 12-year-old African-American student in the 1960s. Hoffman was already familiar withthe play and appreciated the opportunity to bring it to the screen; in preparing for the role, he talked extensively to a priest who lived through the era.[108] The film had a mixed reception, with some critics such as Peter Bradshaw ofThe Guardian suspicious of it asOscar bait,[109] but Hoffman gained second consecutive Best Supporting Actor nominations at the Oscars, BAFTAs, and Golden Globes, and was also nominated by theScreen Actors Guild.[93]
Reflecting on Hoffman's work in the late 2000s, Mosher writes that the actor remained impressive, but had not delivered a testing performance on the level of his work inCapote. The film criticDavid Thomson believed that Hoffman showed indecisiveness at this time, unsure whether to play spectacular supporting roles or become a lead actor who is capable of controlling the emotional dynamic and outcome of a film.[116]
Hoffman's profile continued to grow with the new decade, and he became an increasingly recognizable figure.[25] Despite earlier reservations about directing for the screen,[11] his first release of the 2010s was also his first as a film director. The independent dramaJack Goes Boating was adapted fromRobert Glaudini's play of the same name, which Hoffman had starred in and directed for the LAByrinth Theater Company in 2007. He originally intended to only direct the film, but decided to reprise the main role of Jack—a lonely limousine driver looking for love—after the actor he wanted for it was unavailable.[117] The low-key film had a limited release, and was not a high earner,[118] though it received many positive reviews.[119][120] However, Dave Edwards of theDaily Mirror remarked that "Hoffman's directing debut delivers a film so weak I could barely remember what it was about as I left",[121] while criticMark Kermode appreciated the cinematic qualities that Hoffman brought to the film, and stated that he showed potential as a director.[122] In addition toJack Goes Boating, in 2010 Hoffman also directedBrett C. Leonard's tragic dramaThe Long Red Road for theGoodman Theatre inChicago. Steven Oxman ofVariety described the production as "heavy handed" and "predictable", but "intriguing and at least partially successful".[123]
Hoffman at theMoneyball premiere in September 2011
Hoffman next had significant supporting roles in two films, both released in the last third of 2011. InBennett Miller'sMoneyball, a sports drama about the2002 season of theOakland Athletics baseball team, he played the managerArt Howe. The film was a critical and commercial success, and Hoffman was described as "perfectly cast" by Ann Hornaday ofThe Washington Post, but the real-life Art Howe accused the filmmakers of giving an "unfair and untrue" portrayal of him.[124] Hoffman's second film of the year wasGeorge Clooney's political dramaThe Ides of March, in which he played the earnest campaign manager to theDemocratic presidential candidate Mike Morris (Clooney). The film was well-received and Hoffman's performance, especially in the scenes oppositePaul Giamatti—who played the rival campaign manager—was positively noted.[125] Hoffman's work on the film earned him his fourth BAFTA Award nomination.[93]
In the spring of 2012, Hoffman made his final stage appearance, starring asWilly Loman in a Broadway revival ofDeath of a Salesman oppositeAndrew Garfield. Directed byMike Nichols, the production ran for 78 performances and was the highest-grossing show in theEthel Barrymore Theatre's history.[126] Many critics felt that Hoffman, at 44, was too young for the role of 62-year-old Loman,[3] and Chris Jones of theChicago Tribune felt that the character had been interpreted poorly.[127] Hoffman admitted that he found the role difficult,[33] but he nevertheless earned his third Tony Award nomination.[56]
Hoffman collaborated with Paul Thomas Anderson for the fifth time inThe Master (2012), where he turned in what criticPeter Bradshaw considered the most memorable performance of his career.[128] Set in 1950s America, the film featured Hoffman as Lancaster Dodd, the charismatic leader of a nascent Scientology-type movement who brings a troubled man (Joaquin Phoenix) under his tutelage. Hoffman was instrumental in the project's development, having been involved with it for three years.[33] He assisted Anderson in the writing of the script by reviewing samples of it, and suggested making Phoenix's character, Freddie Quell, the protagonist instead of Dodd.[129] A talented dancer,[40] Hoffman was able to showcase his abilities by performing a jig during a surreal sequence; Bradshaw called it an "extraordinary moment" that "only Hoffman could have carried off."[128]The Master was praised as an intelligent and challenging drama,[130] and Drew Hunt of theChicago Reader also felt that it contained Hoffman's finest work: "He's inscrutable yet welcoming, intimidating yet charismatic, villainous yet fatherly. He epitomizes so many things at once that it's impossible to think of [Dodd] as mere movie character".[71] Hoffman and Phoenix received a jointVolpi Cup Award at theVenice Film Festival for their performances, and Hoffman was also nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA Award and a SAG Award for the supporting role.[93]
A Late Quartet was Hoffman's other film release of 2012, where he played a violinist in a string quartet whose members (played byChristopher Walken,Catherine Keener, andMark Ivanir) face a crisis when one is diagnosed withParkinson's disease. The drama received favorable reviews, and Stephen Holden ofThe New York Times called Hoffman's performance "exceptional".[131][132] In 2013, Hoffman joined the popularHunger Games series in its second film,The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, where he played gamemakerPlutarch Heavensbee. The film finished as the 10th-highest grossing in history to that point,[133] and Hoffman became recognizable to a new generation of film-goers.[128] In January 2014, shortly before his death, he attended theSundance Film Festival to promote two films. InAnton Corbijn'sA Most Wanted Man, a thriller based onJohn le Carré's novel, Hoffman played a German intelligence officer. His performance was praised by Xan Brooks as one of "terrific, lip-smacking relish: full of mischief, anchored by integrity."[134] The other wasGod's Pocket, the directorial debut of actorJohn Slattery, in which Hoffman played a thief.[135] In November 2014, nine months after his death,The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, was released, in which he had a major role. It was dedicated in his memory.[136]
At the time of his death, Hoffman was filmingThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, the fourth film in the series, and had already completed the majority of his scenes.[137] His two remaining scenes were rewritten to compensate for his absence.[138] The film was released in November 2015.[139] Hoffman was also preparing for his second directorial effort, aProhibition-era drama titledEzekiel Moss, which was to starAmy Adams andJake Gyllenhaal.[140] In addition, he had filmed apilot episode for theShowtime seriesHappyish, in which he played the lead role of an advertising executive. Plans for a full season were put on hold following his death.[141]Steve Coogan was recast in the role.[142]
Hoffman at a Hudson Union Society event in September 2010
Hoffman rarely mentioned his personal life in interviews, stating in 2012 that he would "rather not because my family doesn't have any choice. If I talk about them in the press, I'm giving them no choice. So I choose not to."[143] For 14 years, he was in a relationship with costume designer Mimi O'Donnell, whom he had met in 1999 when they were both working on the Hoffman-directed playIn Arabia We'd All Be Kings.[144] They lived in New York City and had a son,Cooper, and two daughters.[145] While some reports stated Hoffman and O'Donnell separated in late 2013,[146] O'Donnell later said she and Hoffman were both committed to their relationship, but he had moved out of their longtime residence to a nearby apartment to protect their children from the effects of his relapse into substance abuse.[147]
Hoffman felt that keeping his personal life private was beneficial to his career: "The less you know about me the more interesting it will be to watch me do what I do".[21] Hoffman was also discreet about his religious and political beliefs, but it is known that he voted for theGreen Party candidateRalph Nader in the 2000 presidential election.[8][143] He also donated toAl Franken's senate campaign and theDemocratic National Committee.[148]
In a 2006 interview with60 Minutes, Hoffman revealed he had engaged indrug and alcohol misuse during his time at New York University, saying he had used "anything I could get my hands on. I liked it all."[149] Following his graduation in 1989, he entered adrug rehabilitation program at age 22, and remained sober for 23 years. However, he relapsed in 2012, and admitted himself to drug rehabilitation for about ten days in May 2013.[3][149]
On February 2, 2014, Hoffman was found dead in the bathroom of hisManhattan apartment by his friend, playwright and screenwriter David Bar Katz.[150] He was 46 years old.[151] Although friends stated that Hoffman's drug use was under control at the time,[146] detectives searching the apartment found heroin and prescription medication at the scene and revealed that he had a syringe in his arm.[152] Hoffman's death was officially ruled an accident caused by "acutemixed drug intoxication, includingheroin,cocaine,benzodiazepines, andamphetamine".[153] Michael Schwirtz ofThe New York Times said, "Whether Hoffman had taken all of the substances on the same day, or whether any of the substances had remained in his system from earlier use, was not reported."[154]
After the Mass, Hoffman's body was taken to be cremated, with his ashes given to his partner and children.[155][156] He left his fortune of around $35 million to Mimi O'Donnell in his October 2004 will, trusting her to distribute money to their children.[157]
Hoffman's death was lamented by fans and the film industry and was described by several commentators as a considerable loss to the profession.[71][107][128][158][159] On February 5, 2014, theLAByrinth Theatre Company honored his memory by holding a candlelight vigil, and Broadway dimmed its lights for one minute.[160] Three weeks after Hoffman's death, Katz established the American Playwriting Foundation in Hoffman's memory. With the money received from a libel lawsuit against theNational Enquirer which inaccurately claimed that Hoffman and Katz were lovers, the foundation awards an annual prize of $45,000 to the author of an unproduced play. Katz named this the "Relentless Prize" in honor of Hoffman's dedication to the profession.[161][162] He would later remember Hoffman with a poem published inThe Guardian in December 2014.[163] In tribute, actressCate Blanchett dedicated herBAFTA trophy to Hoffman when she won theBest Actress forBlue Jasmine onFebruary 16.[164] Years later, at the90th Academy Awards,Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri actorSam Rockwell dedicated his win forBest Supporting Actor to Hoffman.[165]
Hoffman was held in high regard within both the film and theater industries, and he was often cited in the media as one of the finest actors of his generation.[3][143][166] In a 2022 readers' poll byEmpire magazine, he was voted one of the 50 greatest actors of all time.[167] One writer described Hoffman as "too pudgy to look romantic or heroic";[40][168] however, the actor said he was grateful for his appearance, as it made him believable in a wide range of roles.[72] Joel Schumacher once said of him in 2000, "The bad news is that Philip won't be a $25-million star. The good news is that he'll work for the rest of his life".[116] TheAiken Standard of South Carolina referred to him as an "anti-star", whose real identity remained "amorphous and unmoored".[169] Hoffman was acutely aware that he was often too unorthodox for the Academy voters. He remarked, "I'm sure that people in the big corporations that run Hollywood don't know quite what to do with someone like me, but that's OK. I think there are other people who are interested in what I do."[15]
Most of Hoffman's notable roles came in independent films, including particularly original ones, but he also featured in several Hollywood blockbusters.[3][18] He generally played supporting roles, appearing in both dramas and comedies,[170] but was noted for his ability to make small parts memorable.[13][18] Peter Bradshaw, film critic forThe Guardian, felt that "Almost every single one of his credits had something special about it".[128] David Fear ofRolling Stone wrote that Hoffman "added heft to low-budget art films, and nuance and unpredictability to blockbuster franchises. He was a transformative performer who worked from the inside out, blessed with an emotional transparency that could be overwhelming, invigorating, compelling, devastating."[23]
Hoffman was praised for his versatility and ability to fully inhabit any role,[14][40] but specialized in playing creeps and misfits: "his CV was populated almost exclusively by snivelling wretches, insufferable prigs, braggarts and outright bullies" writes the journalist Ryan Gilbey.[18] Hoffman was appreciated for making these roles real, complex and even sympathetic;[3][18][23] while Todd Louiso, director ofLove Liza, believed that Hoffman connected to people on screen because he looked like an ordinary man and revealed his vulnerability.[171] Xan Brooks ofThe Guardian remarked that the actor's particular talent was to "take thwarted, twisted humanity and ennoble it".[40] "The more pathetic or deluded the character," writes Gilbey, "the greater Hoffman's relish seemed in rescuing them from the realms of the merely monstrous."[18] When asked in 2006 why he undertook such roles, Hoffman responded, "I didn't go out looking for negative characters; I went out looking for people who have a struggle and a fight to tackle. That's what interests me."[172]
The journalist Jeff Simon described Hoffman as "probably the most in-demandcharacter actor of his generation",[11] but Hoffman said he never took it for granted that he would be offered roles.[74] Although he worked hard and regularly,[15] he was humble about his acting success: an anecdote went that when asked by a friend in the early 2000s if he was having any luck in his career, he quietly replied, "I'm in a film,Cold Mountain, that has just come out."[10]Patrick Fugit, who worked with Hoffman onAlmost Famous, recalled the actor was intimidating but an exceptional mentor and influence in "aschool-of-hard-knocks way", remarking that "there was a certain weight that came with him".[173] Hoffman admitted that he sometimes appeared in big-budget studio films for the money, but said, "ultimately my main goal is to do good work. If it doesn't pay well, so be it."[174] He kept himself grounded and invigorated as an actor by attempting to appear on stage once a year.[174]
Hoffman occasionally changed his hair and lost or gained weight for parts,[13] and he went to great lengths to reveal the worst in his characters.[55] But in a 2012 interview, he confessed that performing to a high standard was a challenge: "The job isn't difficult. Doing it well is difficult."[18] In an earlier interview withThe New York Times, he explained how deeply he loved acting but added, "that deep kind of love comes at a price: for me, acting is torturous, and it's torturous because you know it's a beautiful thing ... Wanting it is easy, but trying to be great—well, that's absolutely torturous."[9] This struggle was confirmed by the authorJohn le Carré, who met Hoffman during the adaptation of his novelA Most Wanted Man. While praising the actor's intelligence and intuition, le Carré acknowledged the burden that Hoffman felt: "It was painful and exhausting work, and probably in the end his undoing. The world was too bright for him to handle."[175]
In 2022, a statue of Hoffman was unveiled in his hometown ofFairport, New York. The statue was sculpted byDavid A. Annand and commissioned by James Declan Tobin, a film producer who befriended Hoffman's mother at the2015 Sundance Film Festival.[176] Originally on loan from a gallery inNew York City,[177] the statue was permanently installed outside theGeorge Eastman Museum in 2023. Hoffman’s mother, Marilyn O'Connor, called the sculpture "a loving memorial" to her son.[178]
^ Hoffman continued to collaborate with Anderson, appearing in all but one of the director's first six films. The others wereBoogie Nights,Magnolia,Punch-Drunk Love, andThe Master.[18]
^John C. Reilly co-starred with Hoffman in Anderson's filmsHard Eight,Boogie Nights, andMagnolia, and the pair were already well-acquainted with each other as actors.
^"State and Main". Box Office Mojo.Archived from the original on February 24, 2014. RetrievedFebruary 19, 2014. "State and Main". Rotten Tomatoes. January 12, 2001.Archived from the original on February 13, 2014. RetrievedFebruary 19, 2014.
^Seidman, Robert (December 28, 2009)."Best of the Decade Picks". At the Movies. Archived fromthe original on January 2, 2011. RetrievedDecember 24, 2014 – via TV by the Numbers.
^"Charlie Wilson's War". Rotten Tomatoes. December 21, 2007.Archived from the original on October 9, 2018. RetrievedFebruary 22, 2014. "Charlie Wilson's War". Box Office Mojo.Archived from the original on February 26, 2014. RetrievedFebruary 22, 2014.
^French, Philip (May 17, 2009)."Synecdoche, New York".The Guardian.Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. RetrievedFebruary 16, 2014.
^Ide, Wendy (May 15, 2009)."Synecdoche, New York".The Times. Archived fromthe original on March 5, 2021. RetrievedFebruary 22, 2014. "Synecdoche, New York". Rotten Tomatoes. October 24, 2008.Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. RetrievedFebruary 22, 2014.
^Cagin, Chris (July 19, 2010)."Mary and Max: DVD Review".Slant.Archived from the original on February 27, 2014. RetrievedFebruary 23, 2014. "Mary and Max". Rotten Tomatoes. December 22, 2009.Archived from the original on February 5, 2014. RetrievedFebruary 23, 2014.
^Oxman, Steven (February 22, 2010)."Review:The Long Red Road".Variety.Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. RetrievedFebruary 12, 2014.
^"Moneyball". Metacritic.Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. RetrievedJuly 7, 2012. "Moneyball". Box Office Mojo.Archived from the original on June 3, 2019. RetrievedFebruary 23, 2014. Hornaday, Ann (September 23, 2011)."Moneyball".The Washington Post. Archived fromthe original on September 12, 2014. RetrievedFebruary 23, 2014. "Howe upset with "Moneyball" portrayal".Fox Sports. September 27, 2011.Archived from the original on November 16, 2012. RetrievedNovember 16, 2012.
^"The Ides of March". Rotten Tomatoes. October 7, 2011.Archived from the original on June 3, 2017. RetrievedOctober 30, 2011. Edelstein, David (October 2, 2011)."K Streetwalkers".The New York Magazine.Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. RetrievedFebruary 12, 2014. Travers, Peter (October 6, 2011)."The Ides of March".Rolling Stone.Archived from the original on March 4, 2014. RetrievedFebruary 12, 2014.
