Born: 23rd July 1967

Died: 2nd February 2014 (aged 46)

Son of a lawyer and judge and a Xerox employee, New York born Philip Seymour Hoffman excelled in supporting roles playing eccentrics and bullies but also took on several major roles including the portrayal of Truman Capote, in Capote, for which he won his only Oscar in 2006 (he also won a BAFTA that year for the same role). He graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a B.F.A degree in drama two years before his first film debut in 1991. Although a private man, Hoffman did admit that he once had a problem with drug and alcohol addiction whilst at University and, although sober for twenty three years, he relapsed in 2013 which lead to his death a year later.

All of Hoffman’s top five films are supporting roles – the first being his final ever acting role as Plutarch Heavensbee, featuring all but one of the films in The Hunger Games franchise (officially these films, individually, are the highest grossing box office top three but it’s the same character so I count them all as his number one). Saying that you look at the way he plays Heavensbee in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is totally different to the way he is in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay (Parts 1&2). I have seen these films before but was fully convinced by his role in Catching Fire that I was surprised by its ending; it helps that the script is brilliant but its takes a good actor to get that across an audience. Second on his list, is his role of Dusty in Twister alongside Bill Paxton. On first meeting Dustin ‘Dusty’ Davis, in Twister, you’d think he’s a bit of a ‘stoner’ in the way he looks and that he’s ‘singing’ along to Eric Clapton but you soon realise that he is just high on his life as a storm chaser. His enthusiasm may have been lost on Melissa but as a viewer I was caught up in it. It was nice to see Seymour Hoffman as a lighter character as I’m used to seeing him in much harder roles like most of his other roles in his top five. Weirdly, his third film is a third film – the third film in the Mission:Impossible series that is. Owen Davian is, as the IMF describe him, a “black market trafficker, extremely dangerous and an IMF priority” (personally I’d say Psychotic Ba*@!rd). From the first moment we meet him you can tell the sort of character he is going to be; he is pointing a gun at Ethan’s wife’s head but it is from the end of the film. If you take the film in a chronological order you may think he could be a charming man (apart from being chased by the IMF and there has to be reason for that) but you soon realise he’s not. Hoffman really brings the quiet menacing character of Davian in the scene on the plane (once you see this scene you’ll understand why I describe him the way I do) the other part that really proves Hoffman’s credibility as an actor is when he is ‘playing’ Ethan Hunt as Davian, every time I have to think twice – is it Hoffman or Tom Cruise in prosthetics? Its Hoffman’s face but Cruise’s mannerisms. Next we have Red Dragon, now some of you may not realise this but this is a remake of the 1986 film Manhunter (both are based on Thomas Harris’ book ‘Red Dragon’). Personally I think this is a poor remake, and not just because of who stars in the original whatever other people say, but I do think Philip Seymour Hoffman plays a better Freddy Lounds than Stephen Lang, not that I’m saying Lang isn’t a good actor I just feel Hoffman portrays Freddy better. He’s a grubbier journalist who seems willing to do anything to get his story, just like Hoffman was willing to do anything for this role (all I can say is OUCH!).

I could say the final film is my favourite Philip Seymour Hoffman film but unfortunately I can’t as its not his role that makes it so wonderful – that credit has to go to its star Robin Williams. I always have to take my hat off to any actor that shares the screen with Mr Williams and can still keep his composure, which I think Hoffman does admirably in Patch Adams, especially when Williams storms out the room calling him a “Prick” as he goes, I swear the camera stays on his face longer than necessary just to see how long he lasts before he cracks a smile!. Mitch is the total opposite to ‘Patch’, he is studious and believes he needs to study hard and follow the rules whereas it all seems to come naturally to Adams and he doesn’t like it*. Yet even he realises that he needs some help from ‘Patch’ and its nice to see that difference spread through Hoffman’s character. Whatever mood I’m in Patch Adams always makes me laugh and it always makes me cry.

*have to point out here that ‘Patch’ is a mature student so the 16 year age gap is appropriate (even though Hoffman was 31 and not of university age when he made this film)

It’s rare that I say this but I don’t think that I have a favourite film to write about here. I think Seymour Hoffman is a brilliant actor in which ever role he plays but I did find a little independent film that he made around the same time he was playing the devious Davian called The Savages. It’s a sweet film about a brother and sister who reconnect as they look after their ill father. We never really find out why Wendy and Jon are estranged from each other (we are told why they are estranged from their father but not each other) but when they start looking after their father it’s obvious that they have picked up where they left off but their relationship deepens as the film develops. It’s worth a watch just for seeing Hoffman in a ‘neck harness’

As well as an award winning actor Philip Seymor Hoffman was also an accomplished Theatre actor and Director, gaining several Tony Award nominations and winning a Theatre World Award for his performance(s) in Sam Shepard’s ‘True West’ on Broadway. He left behind three children, only one of which, his son Cooper Hoffman, has followed him into acting staring in the 2021 film ‘Licorice Pizza’ – directed by Paul Thomas Anderson who worked with Philip on several films.