caption death_date death_place years_active birth_place awards relatives name birth_date alma_mater image article_title birth_name partner occupation death_cause
hoffman of march '' in october 2011 at the paris premiere of '' the ides 2 february 2014 manhattan , new york , u.s. 1991 -- 2014 fairport , new york , u.s. list of awards and nominations gordy hoffman -lrb- brother -rrb- philip seymour hoffman 23 july 1967 tisch school of the arts philip seymour hoffman 2011.jpg philip seymour hoffman
 philip hoffman mimi o'donnell -lrb- 1999 -- 2013 -rrb- actor , producer , director acute mixed drug intoxication
philip seymour hoffman

philip seymour hoffman -lrb- july 23 , 1967 -- february 2 , 2014 -rrb- was an american actor , director , and producer of film and theater .
best known for his distinctive supporting and character roles -- typically lowlifes , bullies , and misfits -- hoffman was a regular presence in films from the early 1990s until his death at age 46 .
drawn to theater as a teenager , hoffman studied acting at new york university 's tisch school of the arts .
he began his screen career in a 1991 episode of `` law & order '' and started to appear in films in 1992 .
he gained recognition for his supporting work throughout the decade , notably in `` boogie nights '' -lrb- 1997 -rrb- , `` happiness '' -lrb- 1998 -rrb- , `` the big lebowski '' -lrb- 1998 -rrb- , `` magnolia '' -lrb- 1999 -rrb- , and `` the talented mr. ripley '' -lrb- 1999 -rrb- .
he began to occasionally play leading roles , and for his portrayal of the author truman capote in `` capote '' -lrb- 2005 -rrb- , won multiple accolades including the academy award for best actor .
hoffman 's profile continued to grow , and he received three more oscar nominations for his supporting work as a brutally frank cia officer in `` charlie wilson 's war '' -lrb- 2007 -rrb- , a priest accused of pedophilia in `` doubt '' -lrb- 2008 -rrb- , and the charismatic leader of a scientology-type movement in `` the master '' -lrb- 2012 -rrb- .
while he mainly worked in independent films , including `` the savages '' -lrb- 2007 -rrb- and `` synecdoche , new york '' -lrb- 2008 -rrb- , hoffman also appeared in hollywood blockbusters , such as `` twister '' -lrb- 1996 -rrb- and '' '' -lrb- 2006 -rrb- , and one of his final roles was plutarch heavensbee in the `` hunger games '' series -lrb- 2013 -- 15 -rrb- .
the feature `` jack goes boating '' -lrb- 2010 -rrb- marked his debut as a filmmaker .
hoffman was also an accomplished theater actor and director .
he joined the off-broadway labyrinth theater company in 1995 , where he directed , produced , and appeared in numerous stage productions .
his performances in three broadway plays -- `` true west '' -lrb- 2000 -rrb- , `` long day 's journey into night '' -lrb- 2003 -rrb- , and `` death of a salesman '' -lrb- 2012 -rrb- -- all led to tony award nominations .
hoffman struggled with drug addiction as a young adult , and relapsed in 2013 after many years of sobriety .
in february 2014 , he died of combined drug intoxication -- an unexpected event that was widely lamented by the film and theater fraternities .
remembered for his fearlessness in playing reprehensible characters , and for bringing depth and humanity to such roles , hoffman was described in his `` new york times '' obituary as `` perhaps the most ambitious and widely admired american actor of his generation '' .
