Cate Blanchett won the Best Actress award at the BAFTAS this week for her portrayal of waning socialite Jasmine Francis in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine (2013). The actress has already won several awards for her role but her most memorable speech is undoubtedly her most recent. Blanchett dedicated her award to her friend and fellow actor, Philip Seymour Hoffman. She spoke out to the ‘monumental presence who is now so sadly in absence’ and confirmed that his ‘unflinching quest for truth, both in art and in life, will be missed; by not only the people in this room or in the industry, but the audiences who loved you so dearly.’ This statement couldn’t be truer.
Philip Seymour Hoffman was branded as one of the greatest actors; not just of our time, but in cinema history. The actor’s untimely death has left many fans, filmmakers and fellow actors shocked and devastated knowing that he had so much more to offer.
Philip Seymour Hoffman was born in Fairport, New York in 1967 and was of Irish, German, English and Dutch descent. After his parents divorced in 1976, Hoffman’s interest in acting heightened when he was forced to give up wrestling and took up drama to replace the hobby. He was selected to be a student at the New York State Summer School of Arts at the age of 17 and later attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where he graduated with a B.F.A. degree in Drama in 1989.
After appearing as a guest spot in an episode of Law & Order (1991-), Hoffman’s first screen role came in the comedy-drama Leap of Faith (1992) where he starred alongside Steve Martin and Debra Winger. His breakthrough role, however, came in the Oscar-winning drama Scent of a Woman (1992) which starred Al Pacino. In the years that followed, Hoffman continued to portray smaller, supporting roles, such as with When a Man Loves a Woman (1994).
When Hoffman met director Paul Thomas Anderson in 1996, his career took a turn for the better. At the age of 29, he appeared alongside Philip Baker Hall in Anderson’s directorial debut Hard Eight (1996) which premiered at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. Hard Eight marked the first of five collaborations between Hoffman and Anderson and instigated one of the most appreciated relationships in cinema. Furthermore, 1996 also saw Hoffman appear alongside Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton in the box-office smash Twister (1996). However, it was his next project that saw him collaborate with Paul Thomas Anderson once more.
Hoffman portrayed 1970s porn production assistant Scotty J in Boogie Nights (1997); a role that saw him in love with the lead character, porn mogul Dirk Diggler (Mark Wahlberg). Scotty J became one of Hoffman’s most notorious roles and was the benchmark for many particular characteristics that he rejuvenated in many other characters. He appeared in three more Paul Thomas Anderson films; Magnolia (1999), Punch-Drunk Love (2002) and The Master (2012), for which Hoffman was nominated for an Academy Award.
The late 1990s brought Hoffman a lot of notoriety after featuring in a large number of popular and critically acclaimed films including The Big Lebowski (1998), The Talented Mr Ripley (1999) and Happiness (1999), which was nominated for numerous awards. Hoffman also featured in and narrated the 2001 documentary The Party’s Over which saw the actor address American political issues. The documentary also featured acclaimed figures like Tim Robbins, Eddie Vedder and Charlton Heston.
After starring in popular films like Red Dragon (2002) and Along Came Polly (2003), Hoffman’s career heightened again after winning the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal as Truman Capote in Bennett Miller’s Capote (2005). The actor thanked his mother for raising him and his three sisters alone and quoted the Van Morrison song Crazy Love. Hoffman stayed in character throughout the whole production process of Capote and also won the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award and BAFTA award for Best Actor for his untimely portrayal as Truman Capote.
After his Oscar win, Hoffman continued to produce stellar performances for the big screen. Hoffman’s following two roles, Charlie Wilson’s War (2007) and Doubt (2008), earned the actor two more Oscar nominations. He received his third and final nomination for his portrayal as cult leader Lancaster Dodd in Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master (2012). The performance was regarded as one of the best of its time and truly highlighted Hoffman’s unique abilities as an actor.
Philip Seymour Hoffman was in the middle of filming The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part II at the time of his death. He had portrayed games judge Plutarch Heavensbee in the previous three films and audiences will be able to see the actor once again on the silver screen. It is palpable that Philip Seymour Hoffman’s passing was far too premature and will be sadly missed in the world of cinema.