Description:
Film and stage actor and theater director Philip Seymour Hoffman was born in the Rochester, New York, suburb of Fairport on July 23, 1967. After becoming involved in high school theatrics, he attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, graduating with a B.F.A. degree in Drama in 1989. He made his feature film debut in the indie production Triple Bogey on a Par Five Hole (1991) as Phil Hoffman, and his first role in a major release came the next year in My New Gun (1992). While he had supporting roles in some other major productions, his breakthrough role came in Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights (1997). He quickl
Film and stage actor and theater director Philip Seymour Hoffman was born in the Rochester, New York, suburb of Fairport on July 23, 1967. After becoming involved in high school theatrics, he attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, graduating with a B.F.A. degree in Drama in 1989. He made his feature film debut in the indie production Triple Bogey on a Par Five Hole (1991) as Phil Hoffman, and his first role in a major release came the next year in My New Gun (1992). While he had supporting roles in some other major productions, his breakthrough role came in Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights (1997). He quickly became an icon of indie cinema, establishing a reputation as one of the screen's finest actors, in a variety of supporting and second leads in indie and major features, including Todd Solondz's Happiness (1998), Flawless (1999), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia (1999), Almost Famous (2000) and State and Main (2000). He also appeared in supporting roles in such mainstream, big-budget features as Red Dragon (2002), Cold Mountain (2003) and the upcoming Mission: Impossible III (2006).
Hoffman is also quite active on the stage. On Broadway, he has earned two Tony nominations, as Best Actor (Play) in 2000 for a revival of Sam Shepard's "True West" and as Best Actor (Featured Role - Play) in 2003 for a revival of Eugene O'Neill (I)'s "Long Day's Journey into Night". His other acting credits in the New York theater include "The Seagull" (directed by Mike Nichols for The New York Shakespeare Festival), "Defying Gravity", "The Merchant of Venice" (directed by Peter Sellars), "Shopping and F*@%ing" and "The Author's Voice" (Drama Desk nomination). He is the Co-Artistic Director of the LAByrinth Theater Company in New York, for which he directed "Our Lady of 121st Street" by Stephen Adly Guirgis. He also has directed "In Arabia, We'd All Be Kings" and "Jesus Hopped the A Train" by Guirgis for LAByrinth, and "The Glory of Living" by Rebecca Gilman at the Manhattan Class Company.
Hoffman consolidated his reputation as one of the finest actors under the age of 40 with his turn in the title role of Capote (2005), for which he won the Los Angeles Film Critics Award as Best Actor. In 2006, he was awarded the Best Actor Oscar for the same role.
On February 1st, 2014, Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in an apartment in Greenwich, Connecticut. Investigators found Hoffman with a syringe in his arm and two open envelopes of heroin next to him. Mr. Hoffman was long known to struggle with addiction. In 2006, he said in an interview with "60 Minutes" that he had given up drugs and alcohol many years earlier, when he was age 22. In 2013, he checked into a rehabilitation program for about 10 days after a reliance on prescription pills resulted in his briefly turning again to heroin.
Trademark:
Characters often run through a large range of emotions
His sluggish, almost listless way of talking
Trivia:
Has twice been nominated for Broadway's Tony Award: as Best Actor (Play) in 2000 for a revival of Sam Shepard's "True West"; and as Best Actor (Featured Role - Play) in 2003 for a revival of Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey into Night".
Had the flu the entire time he appeared in Almost Famous (2000).
With the exception of There Will Be Blood (2007), he appears in all of Paul Thomas Anderson's films.
Younger brother of Gordy Hoffman.
Taught an advanced "Directing the Actor" class for one semester at Columbia University School of the Arts Graduate Film Division during 2003.
Received his Bachelor's degree in Drama from New York University, Tisch School of the Arts (1989).
Has appeared in three films with Julianne Moore: Boogie Nights (1997), The Big Lebowski (1998), and Magnolia (1999). They each then went on to appear in separate film in the Hannibal Lecter series. Moore played Clarice Starling in Hannibal (2001), and Hoffman played Freddie Lounds in Red Dragon (2002).
In his sophomore year of high school, he suffered an injury that prevented him from playing multiple sports.
In 2002, he appeared in 25th Hour (2002), opposite Edward Norton and Brian Cox; and in Punch-Drunk Love (2002), opposite Emily Watson. That same year, he appeared with both Norton and Watson in Red Dragon (2002), which was a remake of Manhunter (1986), in which Cox had appeared.
Grew up in upstate New York, outside of Rochester, in the village of Fairport.
When asked who his acting idols were, he named Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Newman, Meryl Streep and Christopher Walken.
Does not drink alcohol. He became sober when he was 22 years old and says that he quit because, "I was 22 and I was panicked for my life.".
Has appeared in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) and Red Dragon (2002). Both are remakes of earlier films (Purple Noon (1960) and Manhunter (1986)), and both feature him as a character named Freddie who is killed by the villain/title character.
While working as a lifeguard, he once met musician Miles Davis. Davis appeared in an episode of the television series Crime Story (1986), and shared a scene with Stephen Lang. Lang appeared in Manhunter (1986) as Freddy Lounds, the character Hoffman played in Red Dragon (2002).
His performance as Truman Capote in Capote (2005) is ranked #35 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).
His mother, Marilyn Hoffman Connor, is a judge in Rochester, New York.
After winning his Oscar for Capote (2005), he has been working with a filmmaker from his former high school in Fairport, New York, helping him with his project.
Goodfellas (1990) is one of his favorite films.
He won 23 awards for his performance in Capote (2005), including the coveted Oscar.
His parents divorced when he was 9.
Has a younger sister named Emily Hoffman and an older sister named Jill Hoffman.
Parents are Gordon S. Hoffman and Marilyn Hoffman Connor.
Meet his girlfriend Mimi (a costumer designer) in 1999 while they were working in the play "In Arabia We'd All Be Kings".
Auditioned for the role of Cubby Barnes in Ransom (1996), which went to Donnie Wahlberg.
Law & Order: The Violence of Summer (1991), in which he appeared, also featured another actor named Philip Hoffman.
As of 2008, he and Dustin Hoffman are the only two winners of a Best Actor in a Leading Role Oscar to share a last name. Philip won for Capote (2005) and Dustin won for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) and Rain Man (1988).
At New York University was a founding member of the notoriously short-lived and volatile theater company the Bullstoi Ensemble with actor Steven Schub and director Bennett Miller.
College roommates at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts with actor 'Steven Schub' (lead singer of ska band The Fenwicks) and Jimmie Corrieri (guitarist of The Fenwicks).
Upon accepting his Oscar for Capote (2005), Hoffman asked everyone to congratulate his mother, because "She brought up four kids alone, and she deserves a congratulations for that.".
Beat Heath Ledger for an Academy Award for Best Actor in 2005 for his title role in Capote (2005), and then lost to the late actor for the Best Supporting Actor in 2008 to Ledger's performance in The Dark Knight (2008).
Is one of seven actors to have won the Academy Award, B.A.F.T.A. Award, Critics' Choice Award, Golden Globe Award and S.A.G. Award for the same performance. The others in chronological order are Geoffrey Rush for Shine (1996), Jamie Foxx for Ray (2004), Forest Whitaker The Last King of Scotland (2006), Javier Bardem for No Country for Old Men (2007), Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood (2007), Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight (2008), Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds (2009), and Daniel Day-Lewis again for Lincoln (2012).
Was a huge fan of the New York Jets.
The longest he has gone without an Oscar nomination is 4 years, between Doubt (2008) and The Master (2012).
He worked with his namesake Philip Hoffman on Law & Order: The Violence of Summer (1991).
Was a huge fan of the crime drama series Breaking Bad (2008).
Is one of 8 actors who have received an Oscar nomination for their performance as a priest. The others, in chronological order, are: Spencer Tracy for San Francisco (1936) and Boys Town (1938); Charles Bickford for The Song of Bernadette (1943); Bing Crosby for Going My Way (1944) and The Bells of St.
Mary's (1945); Barry Fitzgerald for Going My Way (1944); Gregory Peck for The Keys of the Kingdom (1944); Karl Malden for On the Waterfront (1954); and Jason Miller for The Exorcist (1973). Tracy, Crosby and Fitzgerald all won Oscars for their performances.
He had German, English, Irish, Dutch, and remote Polish, ancestry. His paternal great-grandfather, Orville Hoffman, was the son of German immigrants, Johann Adam Hoffman and Barbara Kleinhans.
Became a father for the 1st time at age 35 when his girlfriend Mimi O'Donnell gave birth to their son Cooper Alexander Hoffman in March 2003.
Became a father for the 2nd time at age 39 when his girlfriend Mimi O'Donnell gave birth to their daughter Tallulah Hoffman in November 2006.
Became a father for the 3rd time at age 41 when his girlfriend Mimi O'Donnell gave birth to their daughter Willa Hoffman on October 17, 2008.
Attended the 56th Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany. [February 2006]
Attended the 2008 Cannes Film Festival in France. [May 2008]
Attended the Cannes 2002 Film Festival in France. [May 2002]
Attended the premiere of Pirate Radio (2009) in Amsterdam, Netherlands. [April 2009]
In May 2013, Hoffman announced that he checked into substance abuse treatment center because he had started snorting heroin.
Hoffman was found dead, reportedly from a drug overdose, in his Manhattan apartment on February 2, 2014, exactly one day after the death (from pneumonia) of another Best Actor Oscar winner, 83-year-old Maximilian Schell (for Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)).
On Friday, January 31, 2014, Media Mass, a website best known for death hoaxes, posted a story that actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was dead. Hoffman died on February 2, 2014.
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Tags: Actor (37), American (10), Born 1967 (10), Died 2014 (10), Male (8), Oscar Winner (6), Deceased (5), Action (3), Awesome (3), White (3), Straight (3), Director (3), The Man (3), Golden Globe Winner (3), Kills It (3), Top Notch (3), Killer (2), Alcoholism (2), Chameleon (2), Versatile (2)
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