Philip Seymour Hoffman

Film actor, stage actor, director, Academy and Tony Award winner. To quote Tom Junod in Esquire:

There was no actor, in our time, who more ably suggested that each of us is the sum of our secrets…no actor who better let us know what he knew, which is that when each of us returns alone to our room, all bets are off.

Philip Seymour Hoffman was an accomplished actor both off and on the screen. A true character actor, Hoffman often portrayed characters at the margins of society or those at the height of terrible but unspoken loneliness. His portrayal of a charismatic leader of a New Religious Movement leader in The Master earned him several award nominations and his role as Truman Capote in Capote earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor. Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead of an apparent drug overdose in his New York city apartment on February 2nd, 2014. He is survived by his wife Mimi O'Donnell and their 3 children.

Hoffman was born in 1967 in Fairport, New York to parents Marilyn O'Connor and father Gordon Stowell Hoffman. The Hoffman's had 4 children: Philip. Jill., Emily and Gordy. Hoffman at a young age knew that he wanted to be an actor and at the age of 17 was accepted into the Theater School at the New York State Summer School of the Arts in Saratoga Springs, New York. Hoffman eventually earned a BFA in drama from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.

In 1999 Hoffman met Mimi O'Donnell, a costume designer, while directing a play. They were married up until his death. Hoffman and O'Donnell together had a son, Cooper, born in 2003, and two daughters, Tallulah, born in 2006 and Willa in 2008. Sadly, Philip Seymour Hoffman battled with drug and alcohol addiction. His addictions began after college and they brought him into rehab several times throughout his life. After a 20 year stint of sobriety, Hoffman put himself into rehab in 2013.

Hoffman began his career as a rape suspect in a 1991 episode of Law & Order. Hoffman oscillated between screen and stage throughout his career; both acting in dozens of productions and directing quite a few. His acting style was eclectic and varied. He could portray the goofy-friend in Along Came Polly, the addicted gambler in Owning Mahowny, the villain in Mission Impossible or the lonely loser in any number of films. Although he was best known for his roles in independent movies, his lead role in Capote earned him an Academy Award for best actor. His appearances in The Master, Charlie Wilson's War and Doubt earned him numerous nominations. Hoffman began his theatre career in 1995 and his acting and directing roles earned him several Drama Desk Awards.

His portrayals of dark and complex characters worked so well because they mirrored something inside of us. Hoffman's characters struck a human, emotional chord that at once disgusted us but brought us closer to a part of ourselves we'd rather keep hidden away. His talent and brilliance will truly be missed.

Watch some of his best moments and film trailers in the Mementos section!