Known for his distinctive supporting and character roles —eccentrics, underdogs, and misfits—he acted in many films and theatrical productions, including leading roles, from the early s until his death in He was voted the greatest actor of the 21st century in a ranking by The Independent.
Ripley , and Almost Famous He began to occasionally play leading roles, and for his portrayal of the author Truman Capote in Capote , won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Further Oscar nominations came for playing a brutally frank CIA officer in Charlie Wilson's War , a priest accused of child sexual abuse in Doubt , and the charismatic leader of a Scientology -type movement in The Master He played Plutarch Heavensbee in the Hunger Games series — , in one of his final roles.
The feature Jack Goes Boating marked his debut as a filmmaker. Hoffman was also an accomplished theater actor and director. He joined the off-Broadway LAByrinth Theater Company in , where he directed, produced, and appeared in numerous stage productions.
Hoffman struggled with drug addiction as a young adult and relapsed in after many years of sobriety. In February , he died of combined drug intoxication. Remembered for the nuance, depth, and humanity he brought to his diverse roles, Hoffman was described in his obituary in The New York Times as "perhaps the most ambitious and widely admired American actor of his generation". Philip had one brother, Gordy , and two sisters, Jill and Emily.
Philip Hoffman was baptized a Catholic and attended Mass as a child, but did not have a heavily religious upbringing. He recalled in , "I was changed—permanently changed—by that experience. It was like a miracle to me. Philip Hoffman developed a love for the theater, and proceeded to attend regularly with his mother, who was a lifelong enthusiast.
