A strawberry blond character actor who has given fearless performances that expose both the beauty and ugliness of real life, Philip Seymour Hoffman has created a number of memorable characters since his debut in the early 1990s. Some may recall the actor as one of the snooty prepsters in "Scent of a Woman" (1992) while others might remember him as Dusty, one of the storm chasers in "Twister" (1996). Smaller roles in films including "Leap of Faith" (1992), "Sliver" (1993), and "When a Man Loves a Woman" (1994) helped to earn him a "Hey, it's that guy" level of familiarity with audiences before his real breakthrough came with a turn as the slightly pathetic Scotty, the film crew member with a crush on porn star Dirk Diggler, in "Boogie Nights" (1997). Hoffman's painfully realistic portrayal elicited both sympathy and horror in moviegoers, many of whom have been in the demoralizing situation and well-remember or would rather not revisit that rejection, Such unsettling emotional verity has marked much of Hoffman's work throughout his relatively short put prolific career. In 1998 alone, the actor offered a gallery of portraits from the officious assistant to "The Big Lebowski" to Hope Davis' politically active boyfriend in "Next Stop Wonderland". In Todd Solondz's darkly comedic "Happiness", he played an average cubicle dweller who sublimates his boring, lonely existence with nervy and graphic obscene phone calls. This no-holds-barred performance nearly stole the film out from under talented actors in incendiary performances, like Dylan Baker as a family man/pedophile. He was colder and more composed as the driven, by-the-books med school roommate of Robin Williams' "Patch Adams.”
Raised in a suburb of the upstate New York city of Rochester, Hoffman was an avid athlete, a wrestler in high school who also held an interest in acting. A neck injury that took him off the mat and a summer course at NYC's now defunct Circle Repertory Company convinced him to pursue a theatrical career and he has consistently interspersed stage roles with his film and television assignments. Among the most notable productions in which he was cast are Peter Sellars 1994 international touring staging of "The Merchant of Venice", the 1998 Off-Broadway play "Shopping and F**king" and Sam Shepard's gripping "True West", giving a remarkable Tony Award-nominated performance opposite frequent collaborator John C Reilly, with the two actors taking on the added challenge of switching roles every few performances. A member of the board of the LAByrinth Theater Company, Hoffman has directed and/or produced stagings at the independent playhouse including 1999's "In Arabia, We'd All Be Kings" and 2000's "Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train.”
Comfortable downplaying his looks and allowing himself to be emotionally exposed, often to physically unattractive but great dramatic effect to play a character, Hoffman has undertaken a wide range of parts and consistently delivered fine performances. As his profile has increased, so has the quality of the roles. After his banner year, Hoffman landed his biggest and most challenging role to date, starring as Rusty, a pre-op transsexual vocal coach, opposite Robert De Niro's homophobic stroke victim in Joel Schumacher's "Flawless" (1999). Disclosing in interviews that he got in touch with Rusty's need to be a woman by calling upon his own feelings of inadequacy and not belonging, Hoffman delivered another almost uncomfortably emotionally true performance. He followed up with a role in Paul Thomas Anderson's ambitious drama "Magnolia", playing gentle and well-adjusted caretaker Phil Parma, a role written specifically for the actor by Anderson. A turn in "The Talented Mr. Ripley" as the snotty playboy who sees through Ripley's facade rounded out 1999.
Hoffman give a tour-de-force supporting performance as legendary rock critic Lester Bangs in Cameron Crowe's semi-autobiographical rock-and-roll coming of age odyssey "Almost Famous" (2000). His loving portrayal of the mainstay of music journalism at once evoked the eccentric, idealistic passion and acerbic, cynical spirit of Bangs. He had a much-deserved romantic leading role as a burdened screenwriter in the clever comedy "State and Main" (2000) and brought a sense of wonder and urgency to the political documentary "The Last Party 2000", serving as the film's host and guide to the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. Hoffman also starred in the feature adaptation of his brother's screenplay "Love, Liza" (2002), directed by Todd Louiso.
Hoffman emerged one of the most in-demand and well-regarded character actors in the industry, working with directors and co-stars ranging from of-the-moment to critically hailed to legendary. His impressive slate of films included supporting turns in Brett Ratner's "Red Dragon" (2002) as a journalist who gets too close to the serial killer story; Anderson's "Punch Drunk Love" (2002) as a nefarious waterbed salesman/phone sex con blackmailer; and Spike Lee's "The 25th Hour" (2002) as an disillusioned high school English teacher who envies his friends' drug dealing lifestyles but has no intention of ever giving up his job for the easy money. He took the lead with a notable performance in the indie crime drama "Owning Mahowny" (2003) playing a seemingly astute, quiet and helpful bank manager who pulled off the largest single-handed bank fraud in Canadian history, grossing over $10 million in 18 months to feed his gambling obsession. Reuniting with his "Talented Mr. Ripley" collaborators Anthony Minghella and Jude Law, Hoffman added a lascivious spark to Law's grim journey in "Cold Mountain" (2003) as the defrocked preacher Veasey who is constantly tempted by carnal sins.
Foraying into out-and-out comedy, he next appeared as Ben Stiller's buddy who offers poor love life advice in "Along Came Polly" (2004). In 2005, Hoffman received strong notices for his turn in the humorous, poignant HBO miniseries "Empire Falls" as C. B. Whiting, appearing in flashback as the man embroiled in an affair with the mother (Robin Wright Penn) of the central character (Ed Harris). That same year the actor hit a career high with his triumphant portrayal of the author Truman Capote in the biopic "Capote," a film he helped shepherd to the screen, capturing the characteristic quirks of his subject but never caricaturing them and imbuing Capote's amusing facade with a genuine human core underneath as he struggles with his personal feelings for Perry Smith, the convicted killer Capote chronicled in his true crime masterpiece In Cold Blood. His performance won Hoffman a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama, as well as the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role. The Hoffman Express kept rolling when he won the Oscar for Best Actor at the 78th Annual Academy Awards. Meanwhile, he then signed on to appear opposite Tom Cruise in the big budget sequel "Mission Impossible 3" (lensed 2005).
