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Philip Seymour Hoffman

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Actor · 1967 – 2014 · Fairport, New York, USA

Philip Seymour Hoffman (July 23, 1967 – February 2, 2014) was an American actor, director, and producer. Best known for his distinctive supporting and character roles–typically lowlifes, eccentrics, bullies, and misfits—Hoffman acted in many films, including leading roles, from the early 1990s until his death in 2014. Drawn to theater as a teenager, Hoffman studied acting at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He began his screen career in a 1991 episode of Law & Order and started to appear in films in 1992. He gained recognition for his supporting work, notably in Scent of a Woman (1992), Boogie Nights (1997), Happiness (1998), Patch Adams (1998), The Big Lebowski (1998), Magnolia (1999), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Almost Famous (2000), Punch-Drunk Love (2002), and Along Came Polly (2004). He began to occasionally play leading roles, and for his portrayal of the author Truman Capote in Capote (2005), won multiple accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Actor. Hoffman's profile continued to grow and he received three more Oscar nominations for his supporting work as a brutally frank CIA officer in Charlie Wilson's War (2007), a priest accused of pedophilia in Doubt (2008), and the charismatic leader of a Scientology-type movement in The Master (2012). While he mainly worked in independent films, including The Savages (2007) and Synecdoche, New York (2008), Hoffman also appeared in Flawless (1999), and Hollywood blockbusters such as Twister (1996) and Mission: Impossible III (2006), and in one of his final roles, as Plutarch Heavensbee in the Hunger Games series (2013–15). The feature Jack Goes Boating (2010) marked his debut as a filmmaker. Hoffman was also an accomplished theater actor and director. He joined the off-Broadway LAByrinth Theater Company in 1995, where he directed, produced, and appeared in numerous stage productions. His performances in three Broadway plays—True West in 2000, Long Day's Journey into Night in 2003, and Death of a Salesman in 2012—all led to Tony Award nominations.

Movies24

  • Movie6.8
  • Movie7.4
  • Movie6.9
  • Movie7.8

    The Big Lebowski

    1998 · 12K votes

  • Movie6.8

    Mission: Impossible III

    2006 · 7.8K votes

  • Movie7.8

    Scent of a Woman

    1992 · 4.1K votes

  • Movie7.6

    Boogie Nights

    1997 · 3.7K votes

  • Movie6.6

    Twister

    1996 · 4K votes

  • Movie7.5

    Almost Famous

    2000 · 3.2K votes

  • Movie7.2

    The Talented Mr. Ripley

    1999 · 4.3K votes

  • Movie7.7

    Magnolia

    1999 · 4.2K votes

  • Movie7.3

    Moneyball

    2011 · 6K votes

  • Movie6.0

    Along Came Polly

    2004 · 3.1K votes

  • Movie7.1

    Punch-Drunk Love

    2002 · 2.9K votes

  • Movie7.3

    Patch Adams

    1998 · 3.5K votes

  • Movie6.9

    Cold Mountain

    2003 · 2K votes

  • Movie7.1

    The Master

    2012 · 3.4K votes

  • Movie6.5

    Charlie Wilson's War

    2007 · 1.7K votes

  • Movie6.2

    The Invention of Lying

    2009 · 2.4K votes

  • Movie7.3

    25th Hour

    2002 · 2.7K votes

  • Movie7.1
  • Movie6.7

    The Ides of March

    2011 · 2.8K votes

  • Movie7.9

    Mary and Max

    2009 · 2.3K votes

  • Movie5.8

    The Getaway

    1994 · 403 votes

Series19

  • TV7.3

    Law & Order

    1990 · 725 votes

  • TV6.4

    The Daily Show

    1996 · 660 votes

  • TV5.6

    LIVE with Kelly and Mark

    1988 · 51 votes

  • TV7.3
  • TV7.0

    Golden Globe Awards

    1944 · 20 votes

  • TV5.4
  • TV
  • TV4.5

    Chelsea Lately

    2007 · 22 votes

  • TV7.0

    The Oscars

    1953 · 84 votes

  • TV7.0

    Arthur

    1996 · 188 votes

  • TV6.2

    The Early Show

    1999 · 10 votes

  • TV8.0

    Icons

    2002 · 2 votes

  • TV10.0

    The Frame

    2013 · 2 votes

  • TV6.1

    The Directors

    1999 · 9 votes

  • TV6.6

    Empire Falls

    2005 · 77 votes

  • TV7.8

    Liberty!

    1997 · 11 votes

  • TV7.2

    Too Young to Die

    2012 · 9 votes

  • TV5.0

    HypaSpace

    2002 · 3 votes

  • TV