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Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman (July 23, 1967 – February 2, 2014) was an American actor. Known for his distinctive supporting and character roles—lowlifes, eccentrics, underdogs, and misfits—he acted in many films and theatrical productions, including leading roles, from the early 1990s until his death in 2014. He received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards and three Tony Awards. In 2022, Empire magazine listed Hoffman as one of 50 Greatest Actors Of All Time.Having studied acting at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts he gained recognition for his supporting work, notably in Scent of a Woman (1992), Twister (1996), Boogie Nights (1997), Patch Adams (1998), The Big Lebowski (1998), Magnolia (1999), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), and Almost Famous (2000). He received the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Truman Capote in Capote (2005). Other Oscar-nominated roles include the frank CIA officer in Charlie Wilson's War (2007), a Catholic priest accused of pedophilia in Doubt (2008), and the charismatic cult leader in The Master (2012). Other notable roles include Flawless (1999), Along Came Polly (2004), Mission: Impossible III (2006), The Savages (2007), Synecdoche, New York (2008) and in the Hunger Games series (2013–2015). He directed Jack Goes Boating (2010).
Hoffman was also an accomplished theater actor and director. He joined the off-Broadway LAByrinth Theater Company in 1995, where he directed, produced, and appeared in numerous stage productions. For his performances in three Broadway plays, he received three Tony Award nominations for Sam Shephard's True West in 2000, Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night in 2003, and Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman in 2012.
Hoffman struggled with drug addiction as a young adult and relapsed in 2012 after many years of abstinence. In February 2014, he died of combined drug intoxication. Remembered for his fearlessness in playing reprehensible characters, and for bringing depth and humanity to such roles, Hoffman was described in his New York Times obituary as "perhaps the most ambitious and widely admired American actor of his generation".
Source: Wikipedia