Dustin Hoffman

Lore & Background

Hoffman studied at the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music before deciding to go into acting, training at the Pasadena Playhouse. He made his film debut with the black comedy The Tiger Makes Out (1967). He went on to receive two Academy Awards for Best Actor playing a man going through a divorce in Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) and an autistic savant in Rain Man (1988). He was Oscar-nominated for The Graduate (1967), Midnight Cowboy (1969), Lenny (1974), Tootsie (1982), and Wag the Dog (1997). Other notable roles include in Little Big Man (1970), Straw Dogs (1971), Papillon (1973), Marathon Man (1976), All the President's Men (1976), Ishtar (1987), Dick Tracy (1990), Hook (1991) and Chef (2014).

In the 21st century, he mostly transitioned to supporting roles in films such as Finding Neverland (2004), I Heart Huckabees (2004), and Stranger than Fiction (2006), as well as Meet the Fockers (2004) and its sequel Little Fockers (2010), The Meyerowitz Stories (2017), and Megalopolis (2024). Hoffman has voiced roles in The Tale of Despereaux (2008) and the Kung Fu Panda film series (2008–present). In 2012, he made his directorial debut with Quartet.

Hoffman made his Broadway debut in the 1961 play A Cook for Mr. General. He subsequently starred as Willy Loman in the 1984 revival of Death of a Salesman and reprised the role a year later in a television film, earning a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. In 1989, he received a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play nomination for his role as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. He has received three Drama Desk Awards, for his performances in Eh? (1967), Jimmy Shine (1969), and Death of a Salesman (1984).

Reader's Guide

Dustin Hoffman's significance lies in his role as a leading man during the formation of New Hollywood, where his portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters helped redefine leading-man archetypes. His career spans from the 1960s into the 2020s, with landmark performances in The Graduate, Kramer vs. Kramer, and Rain Man, the latter two earning him Academy Awards for Best Actor. Hoffman's versatility is evident across genres, from comedy in Tootsie to drama in Midnight Cowboy and thriller in Marathon Man. He also earned acclaim on stage, including a Tony nomination for The Merchant of Venice and an Emmy for Death of a Salesman. His legacy includes multiple lifetime achievement honors: the Cecil B. DeMille Award (1997), the AFI Life Achievement Award (1999), and the Kennedy Center Honors (2012). In later decades, he transitioned to supporting roles and voice work, notably in the Kung Fu Panda series, and directed his first film, Quartet, in 2012.

Did You Know?

• Hoffman was named after stage and silent screen actor Dustin Farnum.
• He initially hoped to become a classical pianist and studied piano during much of his youth.
• He composed a song called 'Shooting the Breeze' alongside Bette Midler, who wrote the words.
• Hoffman, Gene Hackman, and Robert Duvall lived together in the 1960s while all three focused on finding acting jobs.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable types of characters." — Dustin Hoffman "On Straw Dogs; in "Sam Peckinpah Breaks a Bottle" by Chris Hodenfield, Rolling Stone (May 13, 1971), p. 18." — Dustin Hoffman "Interview, Films Illustrated (May-June 1980)." — Dustin Hoffman