Dustin Hoffman
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Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is a BAFTA, two-time Academy Award, and five-time Golden Globe-winning American method actor.
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[edit] Early life
Hoffman was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Lillian (née Gold), a jazz pianist, and Harry Hoffman, who worked as a prop supervisor/set decorator at Columbia Pictures before becoming a furniture salesman.[1][2] His brother, Ronald, is a lawyer and economist. Hoffman's family was Jewish, although he did not have a religious upbringing.[3][4]
[edit] Career
[edit] Early career
Hoffman began acting at the Pasadena Playhouse with fellow actor Gene Hackman. After two years at the playhouse, Hackman headed for New York City and Hoffman soon followed. He worked a series of odd jobs, including coat checking at restaurants, working in the typing department of the city Yellow Pages directory, and stringing Hawaiian leis, while getting the occasional bit television role. To support himself, he left acting briefly to teach. He worked as a professional fragrance tester for Maxwell House. He also did the occasional television commercial. An oft-replayed segment on programs that explore actors' early work is a clip showing Hoffman touting the Volkswagen Fastback.
In 1960, Hoffman landed a role in an off-Broadway production and followed with a walk-on role in a Broadway production in 1961. Hoffman then studied at the famed Actors Studio and became a dedicated method actor.
Through the early and mid-1960s, Hoffman made appearances in television shows and movies, including Naked City, The Defenders and Hallmark Hall of Fame. Hoffman made his theatrical film debut in The Tiger Makes Out in 1967, alongside Eli Wallach.
[edit] Mainstream roles
In 1966, Mike Nichols, began casting The Graduate. Negotiations with Warren Beatty and Robert Redford fell through, Hoffman auditioned for the role. Hoffman had been set to play the role of Nazi playwright Franz Liebkind in Mel Brooks' 1968 movie The Producers, but dropped out when he landed the role of Benjamin Braddock, opposite Anne Bancroft. The film began production in March 1967. Hoffman received an Academy Award nomination for his performance. After the success of this film, another Hoffman film, Madigan's Millions, shot before The Graduate, was released on the tail of the actor's newfound success. It was considered a failure at the box office.
Hoffman's next role was Ratso Rizzo in Midnight Cowboy. Hoffman received his second Academy Award nomination for Midnight Cowboy, while the film won the Best Picture honor. This was followed by his role in Little Big Man, wherein he played Jack Crabb, who ages from teenager to the age of 121 years in the film. The film was widely praised by critics, but was overlooked for an award except for a supporting nomination for Chief Dan George.
Hoffman continued to appear in major films over the next few years. Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?, Straw Dogs, and Papillon were followed by Lenny in 1974. Hoffman once again received a nomination for Best Actor, his third nomination in seven years.
Less than two years after the Watergate scandal, Hoffman and Robert Redford starred as Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, respectively, in All the President's Men. Hoffman next starred in Marathon Man, a film based on William Goldman's novel of the same name, opposite Laurence Olivier as a sadistic former Nazi who plans to smuggle diamonds out of America. To achieve his character's exhausted look in the torture scene in the film, Hoffman deprived himself of sleep for two days.[citation needed]
Hoffman's next roles were not as successful. He opted out of directing Straight Time but starred as a thief. His next film, Michael Apted's Agatha, was opposite Vanessa Redgrave starring as Agatha Christie.
Hoffman's next starred in Robert Benton's Kramer Vs. Kramer as workaholic Ted Kramer whose wife unexpectedly leaves him and he must raise their son alone. Hoffman starred alongside Meryl Streep in the film, which earned Hoffman his first Academy Award. The film also received the Best Picture honor, as well as Supporting Actress (Streep) and Director.
In Tootsie, Hoffman portrays Michael Dorsey, a struggling actor who finds himself dressing up as a woman (Dorothy Michaels) to land a role on a soap opera. His co-star was Jessica Lange. Tootsie earned ten Academy Award nominations, including Hoffman's fifth nomination.
Hoffman then turned to television in the role of Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, for which he won the 1985 Emmy Award for Outstanding lead actor in a TV movie or miniseries. He would also go on to win a Golden Globe for the same performance.
Hoffman's largest film failure came in Elaine May's Ishtar, with Warren Beatty. The film received largely negative reviews from critics and was nominated for three Razzie awards. James House, who later became a country music artist, served as Hoffman's vocal coach in the film.[5]
In director Barry Levinson's Rain Man, Hoffman starred as Raymond Babbitt, opposite Tom Cruise. Levinson, Hoffman and Cruise worked for two years on the film, His performance garnered Hoffman his second Academy Award. Upon accepting, Hoffman stated softly to his fellow nominees that it was okay if they didn't vote for him because "I didn't vote for you guys either."[citation needed]
After Rain Man, Hoffman appeared with Sean Connery and Matthew Broderick in Family Business. The film did relatively poorly with the critics and at the box office. In 1991, Hoffman voiced the character of Mr. Bergstrom in the Simpsons episode Lisa's Substitute, under the pseudonym Sam Etic.
Throughout the 1990s, Hoffman appeared in many large, studio films, such as Warren Beatty's Dick Tracy, Hero and the ill-fated Billy Bathgate. Hoffman also played the title role of Captain Hook in Steven Spielberg's Hook, earning Hoffman a Golden Globe nomination.
Hoffman played the lead role in Sam Daniels in Outbreak, alongside Rene Russo, Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Donald Sutherland. Following that, he appeared in Sleepers with Brad Pitt and Jason Patric. He starred opposite John Travolta in the Costa Gavras vehicle Mad City.
Hoffman gained his seventh Academy Award nomination for his role in Wag The Dog. He next appeared in Barry Levinson's adaptation of Sphere, opposite Sharon Stone, Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Coyote, Queen Latifah and Liev Schreiber.
Hoffman next appeared in Moonlight Mile, followed by Confidence opposite Edward Burns, Andy Garcia and Rachel Weisz. Hoffman would finally have a chance to work with Gene Hackman, in Gary Fleder's Runaway Jury, an adaptation of John Grisham's bestselling novel.
More recently, Hoffman played theatre owner Charles Frohman in the J.M. Barrie biopic Finding Neverland, costarring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet. In director David O. Russell's I ♥ Huckabees, Hoffman played opposite Lily Tomlin as an existential detective team.
Hoffman co-starred with Barbra Streisand, Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller in 2004's Meet the Fockers, a sequel to Meet the Parents. Hoffman won the 2005 MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance. Also, Hoffman recently was featured in cameo roles in Andy Garcia's The Lost City and on the final episode of HBO sitcom "Curb Your Enthusiasm"'s fifth season.
In 2006, Hoffman appeared in Stranger than Fiction, played the perfumier Giuseppe Baldini in Tom Tykwer's film Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, and had a small cameo in the 2006 film, The Holiday.
In 2007 he was featured in an advertising campaign for Australian telecommunications company Telstra's Next G network.[6], appeared in the 50 Cent video "Follow My Lead" as the psychiatrist, and played the title character in the family film Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium.
[edit] Personal life
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Hoffman married Anne Byrne in May 1969. The couple had two children, Karina and Jenna. They divorced in 1980. His second marriage to attorney Lisa Gottsegen in October 1980, produced four more children - Jacob, Maxwell, Rebecca and Alexandra. Hoffman also has two grandchildren.
A political liberal, Hoffman has long supported the Democratic Party and Ralph Nader.
Robert Duvall was a roommate of Hoffman during their struggling actor years in New York City. Duvall and Hoffman tease each other on the matter of acting training, as Duvall was trained by Sanford Meisner whereas Hoffman was brought up on Lee Strasberg's method acting. Hoffman is good friends with actor Gene Hackman, who was also friends with Duvall during their years as starving actors.
Hoffman on a talk show once stated that the Oscars were "obscene, dirty and no better than a beauty contest." When presenting an award at the 1974 Oscar ceremonies, Frank Sinatra responded strongly: "Contrary to what Mr. Hoffman thinks, it is not an obscene evening. It is not garish and it is not embarrassing".
[edit] Filmography and awards
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
| 1967 | The Tiger Makes Out | Hap | |
| The Graduate | Benjamin Braddock | BAFTA Award; Golden Globe; Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actor | |
| 1968 | Madigan's Millions | Jason Fister | |
| 1969 | Sunday Father | A 'Sunday Father' | short subject |
| Midnight Cowboy | 'Ratso' Rizzo | BAFTA Award; Nominated - Golden Globe; Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actor | |
| John and Mary | John | BAFTA Award (combined with Midnight Cowboy) Nominated - Golden Globe | |
| 1970 | Little Big Man | Jack Crabb | Nominated - BAFTA Award |
| 1971 | On Location: Dustin Hoffman | Himself | short subject |
| Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? | Georgie Soloway | ||
| Straw Dogs | David Sumner | ||
| 1972 | Alfredo, Alfredo | Alfredo Sbisà | |
| 1973 | Papillon | Louis Dega | |
| 1974 | Lenny | Lenny Bruce | Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actor; Nominated - Golden Globe |
| 1976 | The Magic of Hollywood... Is the Magic of People | Himself | short subject |
| All the President's Men | Carl Bernstein | Nominated - BAFTA Award (with Marathon Man) | |
| Marathon Man | Babe Levy | Nominated - BAFTA Award (with All the President's Men) Nominated - Golden Globe | |
| 1978 | Straight Time | Max Dembo | also producer |
| 1979 | Agatha | Wally Stanton | |
| Kramer vs. Kramer | Ted Kramer | Academy Award for Best Actor; Golden Globe; Nominated - BAFTA Award | |
| 1982 | Tootsie | Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels | BAFTA Award; Golden Globe; Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actor |
| 1985 | Death of a Salesman | Willy Loman | Emmy Award; Golden Globe |
| 1986 | Private Conversations | Himself | documentary |
| 1987 | Ishtar | Chuck Clarke | |
| 1988 | Rain Man | Raymond Babbitt | Academy Award for Best Actor; Golden Globe; Nominated - BAFTA Award |
| 1989 | Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt | Narrator | documentary |
| Family Business | Vito McMullen | ||
| 1990 | Dick Tracy | Mumbles | |
| 1991 | Billy Bathgate | Dutch Schultz | |
| Hook | Capt. Hook | Nominated - Golden Globe | |
| 1992 | Hero | Bernard 'Bernie' Laplante | |
| 1994 | Jonas in the Desert | Himself | documentary |
| 1995 | Outbreak | Colonel Sam Daniels | |
| 1996 | American Buffalo | Walt 'Teach' Teacher | |
| Sleepers | Danny Snyder | ||
| 1997 | Golden Globes - Cecil B. DeMille Award | ||
| Mad City | Max Brackett | ||
| Wag the Dog | Stanley Motss | Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actor; Nominated - Golden Globe | |
| 1998 | Sphere | Dr. Norman Goodman | |
| 1999 | The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc | The Conscience | |
| 2001 | Tuesday | Narrator | short subject |
| Goldwyn | Narrator | documentary | |
| 2002 | Moonlight Mile | Ben Floss | |
| 2003 | The Shakespeare Sessions | Himself | documentary |
| Confidence | Winston King | ||
| Runaway Jury | Wendell Rohr | ||
| 2004 | Freedom2speak v2.0 | Himself - Actor, USA | documentary |
| Finding Neverland | Charles Frohman | ||
| I ♥ Huckabees | Bernard | ||
| Meet the Fockers | Bernie Focker | ||
| Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events | The Critic | uncredited | |
| 2005 | Racing Stripes | Tucker | voice |
| The Lost City | Meyer Lansky | ||
| 2006 | Perfume: The Story of a Murderer | Giuseppe Baldini | |
| Stranger than Fiction | Professor Jules Hilbert | ||
| 2007 | Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium | Mr. Edward Magorium, Avid Shoe-Wearer | |
| 2008 | Kung Fu Panda | Shifu (voice) | post-production |
| The Tale of Despereaux | Roscuro (voice) | post-production | |
| Last Chance Harvey | TBA | filming |
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jon Voight for Coming Home | Academy Award for Best Actor 1979 for Kramer vs. Kramer | Succeeded by Robert De Niro for Raging Bull |
| Preceded by Jon Voight for Coming Home | Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama 1980 for Kramer vs. Kramer | Succeeded by Robert De Niro for Raging Bull |
| Preceded by Dudley Moore for Arthur | Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy 1983 for Tootsie | Succeeded by Michael Caine for Educating Rita |
| Preceded by Michael Douglas for Wall Street | Academy Award for Best Actor 1988 for Rain Man | Succeeded by Daniel Day-Lewis for My Left Foot |
| Preceded by Michael Douglas for Wall Street | Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama 1989 for Rain Man | Succeeded by Tom Cruise for Born on the Fourth of July |
| Preceded by Robert Wise | AFI Life Achievement Award 1999 | Succeeded by Harrison Ford |
| Preceded by Clint Eastwood | EAMA Life Achievement Award 2005 | Succeeded by Christopher Lee |
[edit] References
- ^ Yahoo movies biography.
- ^ Film Reference.com biography.
- ^ Bernard, Sarah. "The Tortoise and the Whoopee Cushion", New York Magazine, 2007-11-18. Retrieved on 2007-11-22.
- ^ Hoffman's Jewish return. Ynet.com. 19 November 2006.
- ^ James House Biography: OLDIES.Com
- ^ O'Sullivan, Matt. "Rap for Telstra over ad promise", Sydney Morning Herald. 25 August 2007.
[edit] External links
- Dustin Hoffman at the Internet Movie Database
- Dustin Hoffman at the Internet Broadway Database
- Dustin Hoffman video interview at stv.tv, December 2007
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Hoffman, Dustin |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 8, 1937 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Los Angeles, California |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
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