ACTOR · BORN 1967 · DIED 2014
Philip Seymour Hoffman
- Born
- 23 July 1967, Fairport, New York, USA
- Died
- 2 February 2014
- Known for
- No Country for Old Men (2007), The Revenant (2015), The Big Lebowski (1998), Magnolia (1999)
23 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
Philip Seymour Hoffman (23 July 1967 – 2 February 2014) was an actor best known for No Country for Old Men, The Revenant and The Big Lebowski.
23 Interesting Facts About Philip Seymour Hoffman
Interesting Facts (6)
- #001
When asked who his acting idols were, Philip Seymour Hoffman named Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Newman, Meryl Streep and Christopher Walken.
- #002
Philip Seymour Hoffman had the flu throughout the time he was filming Almost Famous (2000).
- #003
Philip Seymour Hoffman became a father for the third time at 41 when his girlfriend Mimi O'Donnell gave birth to their daughter Willa Hoffman on 17 October 2008.
- #004
His funeral was held at St. Ignatius Loyola Church in New York.
- #005
He appeared in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) and Red Dragon (2002). Both are remakes of earlier films (Purple Noon (1960) and Manhunter (1986)), and in each he plays a character named Freddie who is killed by the villain or protagonist.
- #006
Besides playing the role of Truman Capote, Hoffman and Toby Jones shared the distinction of appearing in films adapted from John le Carré novels. Jones appeared in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) and Hoffman in A Most Wanted Man (2014). They appeared together in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013). Another interesting fact is that both actors' final films were part of a film series split into two parts: Jones in the Harry Potter series and Hoffman in the Hunger Games series.
Behind the Scenes (6)
- #007
He did not drink alcohol. He got sober at 22 and said he quit because "I was 22 and I was panicked for my life."
- #008
He appeared in every Paul Thomas Anderson film except There Will Be Blood (2007).
- #009
He was a big fan of the crime drama series Breaking Bad (2008).
- #010
GoodFellas (1990) was one of his favorite films.
- #011
In 2003 he taught an advanced "Directing the Actor" course for one semester at Columbia University School of the Arts' Graduate Film Division.
- #012
After winning the Oscar for Capote (2005), he was working with a filmmaker from his old high school in Fairport, New York, and helping him with his project.
Characters & Cast (2)
- #013
He attended McQuaid Jesuit High School, where Father William O'Malley, S.J. taught. O'Malley, who directed the school's musical and drama productions, played Father Dyer in the film The Exorcist.
- #014
Hoffman was not related to Dustin Hoffman, but both played Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman. In the production featuring Dustin Hoffman, one of his sons was played by Stephen Lang, who also played Freddie Lounds in Manhunter (1986). Philip Seymour Hoffman took on the same role in Red Dragon (2002).
Career & Awards (6)
- #015
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."
- #016
For his performance in Capote (2005), Philip Seymour Hoffman won 23 awards, including the widely admired Oscar.
- #017
Philip Seymour Hoffman initially took up acting because he had a crush on a girl in his high school theater club.
- #018
- #019
He was twice nominated for Broadway's Tony Award: in 2000 for Best Actor (Play) for the revival of Sam Shepard's True West, and in 2003 for Best Actor (Featured Role - Play) for the revival of Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night.
- #020
Hoffman played Truman Capote in the 2005 film Capote. Six years earlier, he had played Freddie Miles in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), adapted from Patricia Highsmith's novel. Capote had helped launch Highsmith's writing career by supporting her application to Yaddo, a retreat for writers and artists, while she was writing her first novel, Strangers on a Train.
Life & Family (3)
- #021
At New York University, he was a founding member, along with actor Steven Schub and director Bennett Miller, of the Bullstoi Ensemble, a short-lived and unstable theater company.
- #022
As a child, Hoffman was involved in sports, especially wrestling.
- #023
Hoffman had a younger sister named Emily Hoffman and an older sister named Jill Hoffman.
Related pages
- Emily Watson — Philip Seymour Hoffman comes up in the facts on that page
- Jessica Chastain — Philip Seymour Hoffman comes up in the facts on that page
- Edward Norton — Philip Seymour Hoffman comes up in the facts on that page
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
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