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Philip Seymour Hoffman

By Jurgen Fauth & Marcy Dermansky, About.com

Philip Seymour Hoffman

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About Philip Seymour Hoffman:

Born July 23, 1967, Philip Seymour Hoffman is considered one his generation's finest actors. He won an Oscar for his uncanny performance as Truman Capote in Capote (2005). Hoffman was born in Fairport, New York, the son of Marilyn O'Connor, a family court judge, lawyer, and civil rights activist, and Gordon S. Hoffman, a Xerox executive. He received a BFA in drama in 1989 from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.

The Philip Seymour Hoffman Performance You Don't Want To Miss:

There are so many good ones, but if you had to choose one, quintessential, small, pitch perfect, quirky Philip Seymour Hoffman performance, we'd recommend The Talented Mr. Ripley. Hoffman plays Freddy Miles, the entitle, overbearing, bloated friend of Ripley who causes enormous trouble with his suspicious nature. He's hilarious. But wait: what about Lester Bangs in Almost Famous? His part is small, but essential to the film. Or the screenwriter with broken glasses in State and Main? See them all, actually.

Philip Seymour Hoffman: The Illustrious Career:

2007 has been another remarkable year for acclaimed character actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. Coming off his Best Actor Oscar win, the actor has continued to give compelling performances in fine films: in Sidney Lumet's Before the Devil Knows You're Dead and Tamara Jenkin's The Savages.

Hoffman established his career playing in supporting roles; he's worked with nearly all of independent film's great director's including Paul Thomas Anderson, The Coen Brothers, Cameron Crowe, Spike Lee, David Mamet, Robert Benton, Todd Solondz and Anthony Minghella.

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