Philip Seymour Hoffman

Biography

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.

Known For

Law & Order

The Daily Show

Golden Globe Awards

Tony Awards

Arthur

LIVE with Kelly and Mark

Late Night with Conan O'Brien

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

All Movies (76)

• Starring Austin Pendleton2016 · as Self
• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 22015 · as Plutarch Heavensbee
• Straight from the Heart: A Tribute to Philip Seymour Hoffman2015 · as Self (Archive Footage)
• The Making of A Most Wanted Man2015 · as Self
• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 12014 · as Plutarch Heavensbee
• A Most Wanted Man2014 · as Günther Bachmann
• God's Pocket2014 · as Mickey Scarpato
• The Hunger Games: Catching Fire2013 · as Plutarch Heavensbee
• Salinger2013 · as Self - Actor
• Discord and Harmony: Creating a Late Quartet2013 · as Self
• A Late Quartet2012 · as Robert Gelbart
• The Master2012 · as Lancaster Dodd
• The Ides of March2011 · as Paul Zara
• Moneyball2011 · as Art Howe
• A Child's Garden of Poetry2011 · as Self (voice)
• Jack Goes Boating2010 · as Jack
• Restoring a Masterpiece: The Renovation of Eastman Theatre2010 · as Narrator (voice)
• The Invention of Lying2009 · as Jim the Bartender
• Mary and Max2009 · as Max (voice)
• Doubt: Stage to Screen2009 · as Self
• The Boat That Rocked2009 · as The Count
• I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale2009 · as Self
• Doubt2008 · as Father Brendan Flynn
• Synecdoche, New York2008 · as Caden Cotard
• Directed by Sidney Lumet: How the Devil Was Made2008 · as Self
• Charlie Wilson's War2007 · as Gust Avrakotos
• The Savages2007 · as Jon Savage
• Before the Devil Knows You're Dead2007 · as Andy Hanson
• Strangers with Candy2006 · as Henry
• Mission: Impossible III2006 · as Owen Davian
• Making Capote: Concept to Script2006 · as Self
• Truman Capote: Answered Prayers2006 · as Self
• Capote2005 · as Truman Capote
• Along Came Polly2004 · as Sandy Lyle
• Cold Mountain2003 · as Reverend Veasey
• Mattress Man Commercial2003 · as Dean Trumbull
• The Evolution of an American Filmmaker2003 · as Self
• Owning Mahowny2003 · as Dan Mahowny
• A Director's Journey: The Making of 'Red Dragon'2003 · as Self
• Love Liza2002 · as Wilson Joel
• 25th Hour2002 · as Jacob Elinsky
• Punch-Drunk Love2002 · as Dean Trumbell
• Red Dragon2002 · as Freddy Lounds
• Last Party 20002001 · as Self
• Almost Famous2000 · as Lester Bangs
• State and Main2000 · as Joseph Turner White
• Inside 'The Talented Mr. Ripley'2000 · as Self
• Reflections on 'the Talented Mr. Ripley'2000 · as Self
• That Moment: Magnolia Diary2000 · as Self
• The Talented Mr. Ripley1999 · as Freddie Miles
• Magnolia1999 · as Phil Parma
• Flawless1999 · as Rusty
• Patch Adams1998 · as Mitch Roman
• Happiness1998 · as Allen
• Next Stop Wonderland1998 · as Sean
• The Big Lebowski1998 · as Brandt
• Montana1998 · as Duncan
• Boogie Nights1997 · as Scotty J.
• Culture1997 · as Bill
• Hard Eight1997 · as Young Craps Player
• Anita Liberty1997 · as Man at Party #3
• Twister1996 · as Dusty
• The Fifteen Minute Hamlet1995 · as Bernardo, Horatio & Laertes
• It Is Now Our Time: Peter Sellars’ The Merchant of Venice1994 · as Launcelot Gobbo
• Nobody's Fool1994 · as Officer Raymer
• When a Man Loves a Woman1994 · as Gary
• The Yearling1994 · as Buck
• Szuler1994 · as Martin
• The Getaway1994 · as Frank Hansen
• Money for Nothing1993 · as Cochran
• My Boyfriend's Back1993 · as Chuck Bronski
• Joey Breaker1993 · as Wiley McCall
• Scent of a Woman1992 · as George Willis, Jr.
• Leap of Faith1992 · as Matt
• My New Gun1992 · as Chris
• Triple Bogey On A Par Five Hole1992 · as Klutch

All TV Shows (19)

• The Frame2013 · as Plutarch Heavensbee
• Too Young to Die2012 · as Self (archive footage)
• Chelsea Lately2007 · as Self (archive footage)
• Empire Falls2005 · as Charlie Mayne
• HypaSpace2002 · as Self
• Icons2002
• The Early Show1999 · as Self - Guest
• The Directors1999 · as Self
• Liberty!1997 · as Joseph Plumb Martin
• Arthur1996 · as William Fillmore Toffman (voice)
• The Daily Show1996 · as Self
• Inside the Actors Studio1994 · as Self
• Late Night with Conan O'Brien1993 · as Self - Guest
• The Tonight Show with Jay Leno1992
• Law & Order1990 · as Steven Hanauer
• LIVE with Kelly and Mark1988 · as Self
• Tony Awards1956 · as Self - Nominee
• The Oscars1953 · as Self
• Golden Globe Awards1944 · as Self - Nominee