About
| Birth Notes: | 23 July 1967, Fairport, New York, USA |
| Height: | 5' 9 1/2" |
| Nicknames: | Phil |
| Biography: | 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. |
Filmography
| 25th Hour (2002) as Jacob Elinsky |
| Almost Famous (2000) as Lester Bangs |
| Along Came Polly (2004) as Sandy Lyle |
| Capote (2005) as Truman Capote |
| Charlie Wilson's War (2007) as Gust Avrakotos |
| Cold Mountain (2003) as Reverend Veasey |
| Flawless (1999) as Rusty |
| Happiness (1998) as Allen |
| Leap of Faith (1992) as Matt |
| Love Liza (2002) as Wilson Joel |
| Mary and Max (2009) as Max Jerry Horovitz |
| Next Stop Wonderland (1998) as Sean |
| Nobody's Fool (1994) as Officer Raymer |
| Patch Adams (1998) as Mitch |
| Punch-Drunk Love (2002) as Dean Trumbell |
| Scent of a Woman (1992) as George Willis, Jr. |
| Strangers with Candy (2005) as Henry |
| Sydney (1996) as Young Craps Player |
| Synecdoche, New York (2008) as Caden Cotard |
| The Invention of Lying (2009) as Jim the Bartender |
| The Savages (2007) as Jon Savage |
| The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) as Freddie Miles |
| Twister (1996) as Dustin Davis |
| A World for Inclusion (2008) as Himself |
| Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007) as Andy Hanson |
| Boogie Nights (1997) as Scotty J. |
| Culture (1997) as Bill |
| Doubt (2008) as Father Brendan Flynn |
| Farragut North (2011) as Paul Zara |
| Film Trix 2004 (2004) as Himself |
| I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale (2009) as Himself |
| Jack Goes Boating (2010) as Jack |
| Joey Breaker (1993) as Wiley McCall |
| Last Party 2000 (2001) as Himself - Narrator |
| Magnolia (1999) as Phil Parma |
| Mission: Impossible III (2006) as Owen Davian |
| Money for Nothing (1993) as Cochran |
| Moneyball (2011) as Art Howe |
| Montana (1998) as Duncan |
| Mr. Crumpacker and the Man from the Letter (2012) |
| My Boyfriend's Back (1993) as Chuck Bronski |
| My New Gun (1992) as Chris |
| Owning Mahowny (2003) as Dan Mahowny |
| Red Dragon (2002) as Freddy Lounds |
| Salinger (2010) as Himself |
| State and Main (2000) as Joseph Turner White |
| Szuler (1994) as Martin |
| The Big Lebowski (1998) as Brandt |
| The Boat That Rocked (2009) as The Count |
| The Fifteen Minute Hamlet (1995) as Bernardo/Horatio/Laertes |
| The Getaway (1993) as Frank Hansen |
| The Master (2011) as The Master |
| Triple Bogey on a Par Five Hole (1991) as Klutch |
| Vanikoro (2009) |
| When a Man Loves a Woman (1994) as Gary |
| Jack Goes Boating (2010) |
Trivia
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* 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." * He had the flu the entire time he appeared in Almost Famous (2000). * Has appeared in all of Paul Thomas Anderson's movies, but has stated that he will not appear in Anderson's upcoming film, There Will Be Blood (2007). * Younger brother of Gordy Hoffman. * Has three children with girlfriend Mimi O'Donnell: Cooper Alexander Hoffman (b. March 2003), Tallulah Hoffman (b. November 2006) and Willa Hoffman (b. October 17, 2008). * Taught an advanced "Directing the Actor" class for one semester at Columbia University School of the Arts Graduate Film Division during 2003. * BFA in Drama - 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." * Appears in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) and Red Dragon (2002). Both are remakes of earlier films (Plein soleil (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 TV 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 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. * Philip and his girlfriend, Mimi O'Donnell, are expecting their second child [June 19, 2006]. * 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. * Mother: 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". * His father is Gordon S. Hoffman. * Auditioned for the role of "Cubby Barnes" in Ransom (1996). * "Law & Order" (1990) {The Violence of Summer (#1.14)}, 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 NYU 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 NYU'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 out to the late great 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, BAFTA Award, Critics' Choice Award, Golden Globe Award and SAG 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), and Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds (2009). * He is a big New York Jets fan. |
Quotes
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* A lot of people describe me as chubby, which seems so easy, so first-choice. Or stocky. Fair-skinned. Tow-headed. There are so many other choices. How about dense? I mean, I'm a thick kind of guy. But I'm never described in attractive ways. I'm waiting for somebody to say I'm at least cute. But nobody has. * "Being unemployed is not good for any actor, no matter how successful you are. You always remember what it feels like to go to the unemployment office, what it feels like to be fired from all those restaurants". * "Not only couldn't I get a job as an actor, I couldn't hold down the temporary non- acting jobs I managed to get. I got fired as a waiter in restaurants and as a lifeguard at a spa" --On his life before films "If I hadn't gotten into Scent of a Woman (1992), I wouldn't be where I am today. It's been a domino effect ever since". * "Actors are responsible to the people we play. I don't label or judge. I just play them as honestly and expressively and creatively as I can, in the hope that people who ordinarily turn their heads in disgust instead think, 'What I thought I'd feel about that guy, I don't totally feel right now' ". -- On his responsibility as an actor * "To have that concentration to act well is like lugging things up staircases in your brain. I think that's a thing people don't understand. It is that exhausting. If you're doing it well, if you're concentrating the way you need to, if your will and your concentration and emotional and imagination and emotional life are all in tune, concentrated and working together in that role, that is just like lugging weights upstairs with your head..And I don't think that should get any easier". -- On acting * "Other people disagree with me, but Scent of a Woman really was my breakthrough. I was working in the prepared foods section of a deli when I was cast in that movie, and I've never had a non-acting job since. That's amazing". * Success isn't what makes you happy. It really isn't. Success is doing what makes you happy and doing good work and hopefully having a fruitful life. If I've felt like I've done good work, that makes me happy. The success part of it is all gravy. * Sometimes I'm working on a film and someone will ask me if I'm having fun. And I'm tempted to tell them the truth: No, absolutely not. Having no fun here at all. You know what's going to be fun? When it's done, and I've done a fuckin' good job, and I know people are getting something out of that. I'll have a lot of fun then. A ton of it. * I'm probably more personal when I'm acting than at any other time. More open, more direct. Because it allows me to be something that I can't always feel comfortable with when I'm living my own life, you know? Because it's make- believe. * Acting is so difficult for me that, unless the work is of a certain stature in my mind, unless I reach the expectations I have of myself, I'm unhappy. Then it's a miserable existence. I'm putting a piece of myself out there. If it doesn't do anything, I feel so ashamed. I'm afraid I'll be the kind of actor who thought he would make a difference and didn't. Right now, though, I feel like I made a little bit of difference. * Doing a play is good for me because it's a nice change from being on a movie set. I try to do a play every year because it just invigorates me. * I think Magnolia is one of the best films I've ever seen and I can say that straight and out and anybody that disagrees with me I'll fight you to the death. I just think it is one of the greatest films I've ever been in and ever seen. * "It was an incredibly honest, unique, specific and personal story of addiction. He lives to feed the beast and it gets him farther away from reality, intimacy and life.To me, it's not even about gambling. It's about a man and how he behaves in this pressurized world he has created for himself. There is no relief for this guy. It's about a man who cuts off his feelings at the same time his girlfriend [Minnie Driver] comes at him harder. Life comes at him harder, too, but he can only think about his addiction." - On his role in Owning Mahowny. * It's not by going into 'the business,'. The business can't be a thought. You get a foothold because you want to get a foothold as an artist. Your desire, your intensity, has to be about being a great actor or a great painter or a great musician. If that's strong enough, it'll lead you to good teachers and to places where you'll learn. For me, the business wasn't a thought. I was doing a play, and a friend in the play said, 'My manager is here tonight and she wants to meet you.' And I said, 'Oh.' And that's how I got a manager. * "It's the Coen brothers, and you never think you're going to get to work with people like that. I thought I'd never get the part. So I wanted to do something very weird. I went in and started ranting and raving and they were laughing their asses off. I was petrified but, I figured, at least they laughed a lot." - On getting his part in the Big Lebowski. * My favorite thing about acting is being alone and going through the scripts and working on it and getting ideas and asking myself questions, looking outside myself for them and researching and getting to the bottom of something and being creative with it as an actor and how to express it in a creative fashion. That's my favorite part. And,the actual acting of it. * On my down time I do a lot of nothing. I just kinda read, run and hang out with friends because I haven't had a lot of it lately. I just try to do a lot of nothing. Go to some sports. I like to play tennis. I travel a lot with my work now so if you are travelling all the time you don't want to travel you want to stay home. And when you stay home you really don't want to do too much because you've been going out and getting up early and staying out late all the time. So you just do very little. * "Playing Freddie Miles was really easy. It was one of those parts you know exactly what you're doing. The character is not beating around the bush at all. His main action is to expose Tom Ripley as a phoney." - On his role in the Talented Mr. Ripley. * Sometimes it's hard to say no. Ultimately, if you stick to your guns, you have the career that you want. Don't get me wrong. I love a good payday and I'll do films for fun. But ultimately my main goal is to do good work. If it doesn't pay well, so be it. * "Study, find all the good teachers and study with them, get involved in acting to act, not to be famous or for the money. Do plays. It's not worth it if you are just in it for the money.You have to love it." - On his advice to aspiring actors. * The stage can be more satisfying because you spend a lot of time rehearsing, and film is more technical. In the end it just depends on the work and the director. I do like the world of the theater though. * "Film is a very uncomfortable medium for an actor. It's just not conducive to doing what actors do. The first few days of shooting are like you just getting over the fact that your there. These people and the camera over the shoulder and the light and the boom - you're just going crazy trying to find some kind of center of relaxation and then you can get into a rhythm and it can be very satisfying. If you do good work and it's on film, that's a very satisfying thing." - 2006 * Actors are responsible to the people we play. * My passion to develop as an actor didn't have anything to do with people knowing me. I had no idea that would happen. To become famous, to become a celebrity is something that I thought happened to other people. |
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