Claim: Dustin Hoffman is an actor.

Dustin Lee Hoffman -LRB- born August 8 , 1937 -RRB- is an American actor and a director , with a career in film , television , and theatre since 1960 . Hoffman has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters . He won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1980 for Kramer vs. Kramer , and in 1989 for Rain Man .   Widely considered one of the finest actors in history , Hoffman first drew critical praise for starring in the play , Eh ? , for which he won a Theatre World Award and a Drama Desk Award . This achievement was soon followed by his breakthrough 1967 film role as Benjamin Braddock , the title character in The Graduate . Since that time , Hoffman 's career has largely been focused on the cinema , with sporadic returns to television and to the stage . Hoffman 's notable films include : Midnight Cowboy , Little Big Man , Straw Dogs , Papillon , Lenny , Marathon Man , All the President 's Men , Kramer vs. Kramer , Tootsie , Rain Man , Hook , and Wag the Dog . He made his directorial debut in 2012 , with Quartet .   Along with 2 Academy Award wins , Hoffman has been nominated for 5 additional Academy Awards , and he was nominated for 13 Golden Globes , winning 6 -LRB- including an honorary award -RRB- . He has won 4 BAFTAs , 3 Drama Desk Awards , 2 Emmy Awards , and a Genie Award . Hoffman received the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1999 , and the Kennedy Center Honors Award in 2012 .