Born August 8, 1937 to Lillian and Harry Hoffman, a prop supervisor at Columbia, Dustin Hoffman had originally wanted to be a concert pianist but turned to acting instead, making his stage debut at the Pasadena Playhouse opposite Gene Hackman in the late 1950s. He and Hackman moved to New York in pursuit of Broadway roles where their third roommate was another future star, Robert Duvall.
Off-Broadway in 1960, he was on Broadway and TV from 1961. He made his film debut in 1967 in a minor role in The Tiger Makes Out after which he was cast in the lead in The Graduate which made him an overnight star. He was nominated for an Oscar for that and for 1969’s Midnight Cowboy. That same year he received the first bad reviews of his career for the critically lambasted John and Mary opposite Mia Farrow.
Hoffman had his pick of roles in the 1970s and turned in critically acclaimed performances in such films as Little Big Man, Straw Dogs, Papillon, Lenny (his third Oscar nomination), All the President’s Men, Marathon Man, Straight Time, Agatha, and Kramer vs. Kramer for which he received his fourth Oscar nomination and first win.
The actor’s output in the 1980s slowed considerably. He received his fifth Oscar nomination for 1982’s Tootsie and then won a Tony for the 1984 Broadway revival of Death of a Salesman and an Emmy for the 1985 TV version. His 1987 film, Ishtar was the biggest critical and box-office failure of his career, but his 1988 film, Rain Man was a critical and box-office smash, earning him his sixth Oscar nomination and second win. It was also his third film to earn a Best Picture Oscar after Midnight Cowboy and Kramer vs. Kramer and the fourth of his films to win Best Director after The Graduate, Midnight Cowboy and Kramer vs. Kramer.
Hoffman’s 1990s output increased dramatically, but his roles now alternated between leads in Billy Bathgate, Outbreak, key supporting roles in Dick Tracy and Hook, and co-leads in Mad City and Wag the Dog, winning his seventh Oscar nomination for the latter, his last to date.
In the first decade of the 21st Century, Hoffman continued to alternate between starring and supporting roles and added direction to his repertoire. He was on screen in such diverse films as Finding Neverland, Meet the Fockers, Stranger Than Fiction, and Last Chance Harvey. Behind the camera, he directed Maggie Smith and Tom Courtenay in Quartet. In the 2010s he appeared in such films as Barney’s Version, The Meyerowitz Stories, and Into the Labyrinth.
The actor’s output has slowed in the 2020s but his starring role in the upcoming Tuner has early awards buzz, and he has since completed two more films, Tower Stories and The Revisionist, and is currently filming Diamond.
Dustin Hoffman remains an acting force at 87.
ESSENTIAL FILMS
THE GRADUATE (1967), directed by Mike Nichols
Hoffman seemingly came out of nowhere to land the starring role in 1967’s top comedy in which everything from Calder Willingham and Buck Henry’s adaptation of Charles Webb’s novel to the contemporary soundtrack by Simon and Garfunkel fit together perfectly. Hoffman was an immediate sensation as the aimless, naïve, recent college graduate who is seduced by the middle-aged mother (Anne Bancroft) of a girl he likes (Katharine Ross). All three stars were nominated for Oscars, as was Nichols for his direction, Robert Surtees for his Cinematography, Willingham and Henry for their Screenplay and the film itself. Nichols won.
MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969), directed by John Schlesinger
Hoffman immediately proved his versatility with his portrayal of the sickly, crippled conman, Enrico “Ratso” Rizzo who befriends Jon Voight’s Joe Buck, the strapping young Texas cowboy who comes to New York to make his fortune as a male prostitute. “I’m walking here”, Hoffman’s line as he stops traffic on a busy Manhattan street, became a popular catchphrase at the time. Originally rated ‘X’, the film became the only X-rated film to win an Oscar for Best Picture. The rating was later changed without changing a single thing. It also won Oscars for Schlesinger and screenwriter Waldo Salt. Hoffman and Voight were both nominated for Best Actor.
KRAMER VS. KRAMER (1979), directed by Robert Benton
This one really touched a nerve at the time as real life married women of the day were leaving their husbands and children in record numbers to pursue life on their own. Hoffman plays the upwardly mobile advertising executive whose unhappy wife (Meryl Streep) leaves him and their young son (Justin Henry) only to come back later, taking him to court to re-gain custody of the child. Nominated for nine Oscars, it won five for Best Picture, Actor (Hoffman), Supporting Actress (Streep), Director and Adapted Screenplay (also Benton). It was also nominated for Supporting Actor (Henry), Supporting Actress (Jane Alexander), Cinematography and Editing.
TOOTSIE (1982), directed by Sydney Pollack
Hoffman had his most unusual role as out of work actor Michael Dorsey who disguises himself as an actress whom he calls Dorothy Michaels to find work on a TV soap opera. Nicknamed “Tootsie”, he falls in love with his beautiful co-star Julie, played by Jessica Lange, while Julie’s father Les, played by Charles Durning, falls in love with him/her. The madcap comedy with heart earned ten Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Actor (Hoffman), two Supporting Actresses (Lange, Teri Garr), Director, Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Sound, Editing and Original Song (“It Might Be You”). Lange was the only winner.
RAIN MAN (1988), directed by Barry Levinson
Rain Man drew a lot of publicity outside of the usual show biz channels for being the first film to deal with autism, then a subject about which the public knew very little. It was the must-see film of its time. Although Hoffman plays the title character, an autistic savant, his co-star Tom Cruise has the film’s larger role as a selfish yuppie who learns after the death of his father that he had an older brother he never knew (Hoffman) to whom the wealthy father has left his fortune. Nominated for eight Oscars, it won four for Best Picture, Actor (Hoffman), Director and Original Screenplay. It was also nominated for Best Cinematography, Art Direction, Editing and Original Score.
DUSTIN HOFFMAN AND OSCAR
The Graduate (1967) – nominated – Best Actor
Midnight Cowboy (1969) – nominated – Best Actor
Lenny (1974) – nominated – Best Actor
Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) – Oscar – Best Actor
Tootsie (1982) – nominated – Best Actor
Rain Man (1988) – Oscar – Best Actor
Wag the Dog (1997) – nominated – Best Actor
