Philip Seymour Hoffman won Oscar for role in Capote - ITV News 2 February 2014 at 6:50pm Philip Seymour Hoffman won Oscar for role in Capote Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was reportedly found dead at his Manhattan apartment today, won an Academy Award for his role as writer Truman Capote in the film Capote. His performance received numerous high-profile accolades including the Golden Globe for Best Actor and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Last updated Wed 5 Feb 2014 Philip Seymour Hoffman: Intense actor who shunned media Philip Seymour Hoffman: Intense actor who shunned media Award-winning 'Capote' star preferred to be known by his characters. Post to Facebook Philip Seymour Hoffman: Intense actor who shunned media Award-winning 'Capote' star preferred to be known by his characters. Check out this story on USATODAY.com: CancelSend A link has been sent to your friend's email address. Posted! A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. 76 To find out more about Facebook commenting please read the Conversation Guidelines and FAQs Philip Seymour Hoffman: Intense actor who shunned media Scott Bowles , USA TODAY Published 3:12 p.m.

ET Feb. 2, 2014 | Updated 1:47 p.m. ET Feb. 3, 2014 CLOSE x Share Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead Sunday of an apparent drug overdose in his Manhattan apartment. VPC Award-winning 'Capote' star preferred to be known by his characters. Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his New York apartment Sunday, Feb. 2. (Photo: Alexandra Wyman, Invision/AP) Actor preferred to be known by characters, not personality He worked with broad range of directors He won Oscar for playing title role in 'Capote' Philip Seymour Hoffman never carried himself like a Hollywood star, which made him one of its brightest. Bookish, intense and leery of the press, Hoffman, 46, who was found dead of a suspected drug overdose Sunday in his New York apartment, earned his greatest fame for his Oscar-winning turn in 2005's Capote and his recurring role as Plutarch Heavensbee in the Hunger Games franchise. But he appeared on the radar of Hollywood's most respected directors years before that. If an actor can be measured by the caliber of filmmakers on a résumé, Hoffman's was spectacular.

KEY ROLES: From 'Capote' to 'Hunger Games' His directors included the Coen brothers in The Big Lebowski, Anthony Minghella for Cold Mountain, and he was a favorite of Paul Thomas Anderson, who cast him in Boogie Nights, Magnolia and Punch Drunk Love, among others. Hoffman's first role was in television, as a defendant in Law & Order in 1991. He would make his film breakthrough in 1992 when he appeared in four movies, the biggest being Scent of a Woman, in which he played the morally questionable classmate of Chris O'Donnell. Hoffman's love of performing included directing and the stage. He earned wide acclaim for his work on and off-Broadway. In the '90s he joined New York's Labyrinth Theater Company, whose other members include Ellen Burstyn, Bobby Cannavale, Ethan Hawke and the celebrated playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis. Hoffman also directed plays, earning Drama Desk nominations for helming Guirgis' Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train and Our Lady of 121st Street, in 2001 and 2003 respectively.

He earned both Drama Desk and Tony Award nominations for all three of his Broadway roles, in revivals of the American classics True West (2000), Long Day's Journey Into Night (2003) and Death of A Salesman (2012). Salesman teamed him with director Mike Nichols, with whom Hoffman had worked in an acclaimed 2001 Public Theater Shakespeare in the Park production of The Seagull, also featuring Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline and Natalie Portman. He was a TV force as well, capturing an Emmy nomination for playing Charlie Mayne in the 2005 HBO miniseries Empire Falls. He also was set to play a middle-aged, social-media-phobic adman in Showtime's Happyish, due later this year. Only the pilot had been filmed. But Hoffman's true medium was film, for which he would would earn scores of awards and nominations, including four Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe nominations and one win for Capote. His other Oscar nominations included three supporting-actor nods for Charlie Wilson's War (2007), Doubt (2008) and 2012's The Master.

Though Capote made him an undisputed A-lister, Hoffman never shied from character roles, and he surprised critics with his range. He was arguably the best villain of the Mission: Impossible franchise with his turn as Owen Davian in Mission: Impossible III in 2006. He would direct Jack Goes Boating in 2010. Still, Hoffman shunned many media requests, saying that he preferred for the public to see his character, not his own personality. Hoffman's work on The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I, due in theaters Nov. 21, was primarily finished, and he had about seven days remaining to shoot on the sequel, out Nov. 20, 2015. Distributor Lionsgate said Sunday that the death is not expected to alter the release dates of the film. "Philip Seymour Hoffman was a singular talent and one of the most gifted actors of our generation," Lionsgate, which distributes the Hunger Games series, said in a release Sunday. "We're very fortunate that he graced our Hunger Games family.

Losing him in his prime is a tragedy, and we send our deepest condolences to Philip's family." The actor, who appeared in last year's documentary Salinger, had under-appreciated clout among his peers, says Salinger director Shane Salerno. "To be honest, he was key in getting big names to participate" in the documentary about the author, Salerno says. "But when he agreed to do it, other people began getting on board." Other stars would include Martin Sheen, Ed Norton and John Cusack. "Once Phil signed up, it was like we had a seal of authenticity," Salerno says. "The interviews he gave were as good as the Yale professors we spoke with. You can't imagine how intellectual he was about film, stage, literature. He was as intellectual and warm as they come." Hoffman is survived by his partner of 15 years, Mimi O'Donnell, and their three children. The family released a statement via Hoffman's publicist, Karen Samfilippo: "We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Phil and appreciate the outpouring of love and support we have received from everyone.

This is a tragic and sudden loss and we ask that you respect our privacy during this time of grieving. Please keep Phil in your thoughts and prayers." Contributing: Elysa Gardner and Gary Levin 1575 CONNECT TWEET 1 LINKEDIN 76 COMMENTEMAILMORE Read or Share this story: NEVER MISS OUT Life Be a pop culture maven. Get the news, reviews and the juiciest celebrity stories that keep you in the know, Monday-Friday. Philip Seymour Hoffman obituary: Oscar-winner for 'Capote' acclaimed for an indelible succession of haunting, enigmatic performances | The Independent Philip Seymour Hoffman obituary: Oscar-winner for 'Capote' acclaimed for an indelible succession of haunting, enigmatic performances Tuesday 4 February 2014 00:00 BST Click to follow The Independent Online Hoffman with his Oscar for 'Capote' AP An actor of remarkable insight and versatility, Philip Seymour Hoffman was a stocky bear of a man with determinedly unruly hair who created on screen and stage a gallery of indelible performances.

His 23-year career marked him as one of the finest actors of his generation, and he won countless awards, including both an Academy Award and Bafta as best actor for his title role in Capote (2005), plus three more Oscar nominations and three Tony nominations for his work on stage. The New York Times described him this week-end as "Perhaps the most ambitious and widely admired American actor of his generation." Born in 1967 in Fairport, New York, he and three siblings were raised by his mother, a judge, after his parents divorced when he was nine years old. In his speech when accepting the Oscar for Capote, he asked that the audience salute his mother because "she brought up four kids alone and she deserves congratulations for that." He initially considered a career in sport until he had a serious wrestling injury. He later said that at the age of 12 a visit to the theatre to see Arthur Miller's All My Sons changed his life. He started to take an interest in high school acting, and in 1989 he graduated from New York University with a degree in drama. Shortly after this he entered rehab for the first time to deal – successfully – with alcohol and drug abuse.

"I got sober when I was 22 years old," Hoffman told CBS's 60 Minutes in 2006. Asked whether he abused drugs or alcohol, he said: "It was all that stuff. Yeah. It was anything I could get my hands on. Yeah. I liked it all." He went on to say, "I have so much empathy for these young actors that are 19 and all of a sudden they're beautiful and famous and rich. I'm like, 'Oh my God. I'd be dead.'" His first notable part was on television, playing the defendant in a rape case in an episode of Law and Order (1991) titled "The Violence of Summer", but the role he considered his breakthrough was that of an unscrupulous high school student in Scent of a Woman (1992), starring Al Pacino. "If I hadn't gotten into that film, I wouldn't be where I am today," he later said. 'It's been a domino effect. I was working in the prepared foods section of a deli when I was cast in that movie, and I haven't had a non-acting role since.

That's amazing." A string of supporting roles in films followed, included Nobody's Fool (1994), in which he was a police deputy punched by Paul Newman. The gambling movie Hard Eight (1996) was the first of five films he made with writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson, who next cast him as Scottie, a gay member of a porn-film crew, in Boogie Nights (1997), an intense and overlong comedy-drama that has become a cult movie, as has the Coen brothers' The Big Lebowski (1998). Hoffman's reputation as an actor who favoured quirky independent features was enhanced by his role in Todd Solondz' Happiness (1998), the remarkable tale of a family riddled with personal demons.

For Paul Thomas Anderson, Hoffman appeared as a warm-hearted hospital nurse in Magnolia (1999), which he described as "one of the greatest films I have ever been in and ever seen", then in Anthony Minghella's version of Patricia Highsmith's novel The Talented Mr Ripley (1999) he was Freddie, who discovers Ripley's deceit and is murdered by him (just before the film itself starts to fall apart). A superb, multi-layered performance as rock critic Lester Bangs in Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous (2000) was another indelible characterisation as was his depiction of a pre-op transexual in Anderson's Punch-Drunk Love (2002). In 2003 he played a lascivious preacher in Minghella's Cold Mountain, and the same year he starred as Dan Mahoney, an obsessive gambler in Richard Kwietniowski's fascinating version of a true story of the largest one-man bank fraud in Canadian history, Owning Mahoney (2003), a perceptive account of both gambling obsession and the extremes to which a casino will go to maintain the custom of high rollers.

The critic Roger Ebert called Hoffman's "one of the great performances of the year", while his co-star, John Hurt, described the actor as "enormously talented". As Capote Hoffman's superb mimicry of Truman Capote's prissy mannerisms in the film Capote won him international acclaim and a flock of awards, including the Oscar. "Playing Capote took a lot of concentration," he said. "I prepared for four and a half months. Sometimes being an actor is something like being a detective where you are on the search for a secret that will unlock the character. The part required me to be a little unbalanced and that was not good for my mental state. I was also holding my body in a way it doesn't want to be held and I was speaking in a voice that my vocal cords did not want to do." Hoffman next played, with relish, a villainous role opposite Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible III (2006).

Though Hoffman had no illusions about his own looks he complained at the constant use of terms such as chubby: "I'm waiting for somebody to say I'm at least cute, but nobody has." He received top billing in Sidney Lumet's final film, Before the Devil Knows Your Dead (2007), and both he and his co-star Laura Linney won acclaim for their finely nuanced portraits of a brother and sister dealing with a father in need of constant care in Tamara Jenkins' Savages (2007). He was brilliantly droll as a scruffy CIA member who supports a covert war in Afghanistan in Mike Nichols political satire, Charlie Wilson's War (2007), and played an obsessive stage director who channels his frustrations into a giant theatre project in Charlie Kaufman's convoluted Synecdoche, New York (2008). With Joaquin Phoenix in 'The Master' He gave one of his most haunting and enigmatic performances in the screen version of John Patrick Shanley's play Doubt (2008), in which he played a gregarious parish priest suspected by a nun (Meryl Streep) of having a sexual interest in a young male pupil.

In 2012 he starred in The Late Quartet as a member of a string quartet who have to re-evaluate their lives and careers when one of their members is diagnosed with Parkinson's. Hoffman received his final Oscar nomination for his role in Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master (2012) as the charismatic leader of a cult movement (loosely based on the Scientology founder, L Ron Hubbard), a performance which some compared to Orson Welles. In 2010 Hoffman made his first film as a director, Jack Goes Boating, but the Marty-like tale of a cloddish bachelor and homely girl was not well received. His stage work included involvement with the LAByrinth Theatre Company, which promotes new American drama, and his three Tony Award nominations were for his performances in True West (2000), Death of a Salesman (2012) and Long Day's Journey into Night (2013) – he described the role of Jamie Tyrone in the O'Neill play as the most demanding he had ever played. "Doing a play is good for me because it's a nice change from being on a movie set.

I try to do a play every year because it just invigorates me." He also directed in the theatre, including last year's production of Bob Glaudini's A Family for All Occasions for the Labyrinth Theatre Company, where he had formerly been co-artistic director. He also directed Jesus Hopped the A Train and Our Lady of 121st Street for the company. Hoffman fully immersed himself in his craft and took pride in its creative challenge. "In my mid-20s, an actor told me, 'Acting ain't no puzzle,' he once said. "I thought: 'Ain't no puzzle?' You must be bad! You must be really bad, because it is a puzzle. ... You start stabbing out, and you make a mistake, and it's not right, and then you try again and again. The key is you have to commit. And that's hard because you have to find what it is you are committing to." Hoffman's partner since 1991 had been the costume designer Mimi O'Donnell, and they had three children. In May last year, after over 24 years clear, he entered a rehabilitation centre to deal with problems with prescription pills and heroin.

At the time of his death he was working on The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, but was reported to have finished most of his scenes. Showtime announced recently that Hoffman would star in Happyish, a new comedy series about a middle-aged man's pursuit of happiness. He appeared at the Sundance Film Festival last month to talk about his role in the film God's Pocket, which is slated for release later this year. Anton Corbijn is the director of A Most Wanted Man, the other film starring Hoffman that premiered at Sundance. "He was not only the most gifted actor I ever worked with," Corbijn said, "he had also become an incredibly inspiring and supportive friend." Philip Seymour Hoffmann, actor and director: born Fairport, New York 23 July 1967; partner to Mimi O'Donnell (one son, two daughters); died New York 2 February 2014. BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Actor Hoffman's brush with Capote Actor Hoffman's brush with Capote By Neil Smith BBC News entertainment reporter Bafta winner Philip Seymour Hoffman reveals how he prepared to play the title role in acclaimed biopic Capote.

The term scene-stealer might have been invented for actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who - thanks to films as diverse as Boogie Nights, Happiness and The Talented Mr Ripley - has cornered the market in eye-catching supporting roles. Hoffman on Oscar win But it is the 38-year-old who is the centre of attention in Capote, a biopic of American writer Truman Capote that focuses on the years he spent writing his celebrated "non-fiction novel" In Cold Blood. Hoffman lost a reported 40lbs to play the legendary author and spent months perfecting his mannerisms and distinctive way of speaking. Pressure felt And his dedication paid off with a best actor win at the Baftas, Golden Globes - and a best actor Oscar nomination. Capote, directed by New York-based documentarian Bennett Miller, is one of a series of critically acclaimed dramas involving real-life figures. Others include Good Night and Good Luck, about the US broadcaster Edward R Murrow, and Walk the Line, a portrait of the late country singer Johnny Cash. Hoffman, who previously played Rolling Stone journalist Lester Bangs in the 2000 film Almost Famous, says he felt some pressure portraying such a well-known personality.

The goal wasn't to mimic him but to capture his energy Philip Seymour Hoffman "It upped the stakes knowing people knew how he talked and behaved," he told the BBC News website. "It took about six months of preparation, involving audio tapes, video tapes, books and people I talked to. "I used everything I could get my hands on. It was then a matter of trial and error, an hour and a half every day." Nailing Capote's external affectations, however, was only one part of the process. "I could do all these things, but ultimately I was going to have to come up with the guts of it," he explains. "The goal wasn't to mimic him but to capture his energy. I really wanted to get the essence of him, because I knew that would be more powerful." 'Human tragedy' "A mere impersonation wasn't going to carry this movie," agrees director Miller. "It really is a performance that digs deeper and gets to the universal human tragedy of the character." In the film, Capote's struggle to complete In Cold Blood - an exhaustively researched account of a gruesome mass murder in Kansas - is complicated when he befriends one of the killers.

Bennett contends that, in achieving his greatest success, the writer sowed the seeds of his own destruction. (Capote) was an artist who was seduced by ambition Director Bennett Miller (right) "He was an artist who was seduced by ambition," explains Hoffman. "He didn't produce much after that and died pretty young. "As Truman wrote in his last novel, 'More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones.' He fulfilled his own prophecy." As far as the actor is concerned, though, one does not need to be a literary giant to put oneself in his shoes. "You don't have to be a writer to want something so bad, you'll go to any lengths to get it. Most people can understand that feeling, if they're honest with themselves." Though he is best known for smaller, character-based roles in low-budget independent features, Hoffman is no stranger to larger parts on stage and screen. "This was the third time I've had to carry a movie, so I knew what I was letting myself in for on the workload front." Hoffman's next project, however, finds him on more familiar ground - playing Tom Cruise's nemesis in action sequel Mission: Impossible 3.

"It's another kind of role to play, which is refreshing and interesting to me," says the actor. "It was fun to let loose and not have to worry about my consonants so much." Capote opens in the UK on 24 February. Capote (2005) - IMDb IMDb 17 January 2017 4:34 PM, UTC NEWS There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error | Biography , Crime , Drama | 3 February 2006 (USA) In 1959, Truman Capote learns of the murder of a Kansas family and decides to write a book about the case. While researching for his novel In Cold Blood, Capote forms a relationship with one of the killers, Perry Smith, who is on death row.

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Director: Tony Gilroy Edit Storyline Famed writer Truman Capote , southern born and bred but now part of the New York City social circle, is growing weary of his current assignment of writing autobiographical type pieces for the New Yorker. After reading a newspaper article about the just occurred November 14, 1959 cold blooded murders of the Clutter family in their rural Kansas home, Truman feels compelled to write about that event as his next article. So he and his personal assistant Nelle Harper Lee , also a southern born New Yorker and an aspiring writer of her own, head to Kansas to research the story first-hand. Truman hopes to use his celebrity status to gain access to whomever he needs, such as to Laura Kinney, a friend of the Clutter daughter she who discovered the bodies, and to Alvin Dewey, the lead police investigator and also a Clutter family friend. If his celebrity doesn't work, Truman will grease the wheels by whatever means necessary. When the police eventually charge suspects, two young men named Dick ...

Written by Huggo Rated R for some violent images and brief strong language | See all certifications » Parents Guide: 3 February 2006 (USA) See more » Also Known As: $324,857 (USA) (30 September 2005) Gross: Photographer Richard Avedon is played by the film's cinematographer, Adam Kimmel . See more » Goofs When Capote purchases baby food to nurse Perry Smith back to health, several of the soup can labels on another shelf have UPC bar codes and ring-pull tops. See more » Quotes Courtesy of Tuff City Records / Night Train International By Arrangement with Ocean Park Music Group (Dallas, Texas) – See all my reviews The easiest role for an actor to play is a historical figure - we have no idea how Julius Caesar really sounded, how he moved his body, punctuated his speech, bit his lip, walked into a room, held his cigarette. The hardest role is the living, or recently deceased, celebrity whom we watched, heard, studied, mimicked and thought we understood.

JFK, Martin Luther King, Ray Charles, and, above all, the inventor of self referential celebrity, Truman Capote (with apology to Andy Warhol and, of course, Noel Coward).. After exploding to meteoric fame with his novella Breakfast at Tiffany's, Capote became the New York café society's darling, heir to Coward's gay-man-child-bon-vivant. He drank and held court with the best of New York, which just also happened to be the nexus of television in the early 60s. Before long Capote was the quintessential modern celebrity, famous for being famous. And he did it all before our eyes. Philip Seymour Hoffman does not so much play Capote as become him. And not just in mannerism, no mean feat, but in personality, because we are convinced that Hoffman feels what Capote felt, cries over the lies, accepts his moral failings. For a short story writer-raconteur from New Orleans, Capote found himself at the center of a nationally enthralling multiple homicide, facing the ultimate journalist's Faustian dilemma: if he perpetrates a lie for the sake of exposing the truth, is he ever worthy of redemption?

Capote, in the end, concluded that he wasn't; he never wrote another book. He descended into drunkenness and died a lonely soul. This is not the stuff of Holly Golightly. I saw this picture at the Toronto Film Festival with Hoffman, Catherine Keener and director Bennett Miller in attendance. Though they had seen it many many times before, it was obvious even they were moved by it and by our reaction. As we stood and applauded them, we turned to one another, glowing in the realization that we had witnessed an amazing performance. We knew Truman Capote. We watched him live on television. Truman Capote was (we imagined) our friend. Mr. Hoffman, you are Truman Capote. 350 of 454 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes Coroner: Philip Seymour Hoffman died of acute mixed drug intoxication - CNN.com Coroner: Philip Seymour Hoffman died of acute mixed drug intoxication By Ray Sanchez, CNN Updated 6:50 PM ET, Fri February 28, 2014 Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.

JUST WATCHED Coroner: Hoffman died of acute drug mix 02:42 Story highlights Academy Award-winning actor was found dead February 2 with a needle in his arm Coroner says he died of acute mixed drug intoxication Dr. Sanjay Gupta says chronic drug users may not necessarily feel effects of drugs Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was found dead February 2 on the bathroom floor of his New York apartment with a syringe in his left arm, died of acute mixed drug intoxication, including heroin, cocaine, benzodiazepines and amphetamine, the New York medical examiner's office said Friday. The manner of death was ruled an accident, the medical examiner's office said in a statement. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, said that as addicts take mixtures of drugs more chronically, they may not necessarily feel the effects of the narcotics, which still suppress the respiratory system. "They're not feeling it, but it's still having an impact on their ability to breathe, and that's the real problem," he said. "It's called stacking. You can stack the same drug too close together, or you can start to stack other drugs, one on top of the other. That's how people get into trouble.

They do call it accidental death as well." Police found nearly 50 envelopes branded "Ace of Spades" filled with what they believe was heroin in the actor's Manhattan apartment, two law enforcement sources familiar with the inquiry said. Photos: Philip Seymour Hoffman Photos: Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman: Master of film – Philip Seymour Hoffman appears in 2013's "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire." Hoffman played the role of Plutarch Heavensbee, the head gamemaker in the film. He was expected to appear in more films of the "Hunger Games" franchise, but he was found dead in his Manhattan apartment on February 2. Hoffman died of acute mixed drug intoxication , the New York medical examiner's office said. Click through the gallery for more highlights of his career. Hide Caption 1 of 16 Photos: Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman: Master of film – Hoffman appears in 2012's "A Late Quartet." He reportedly learned how to play the violin during his role as a member of a string quartet.

He told the Huffington Post that "I really got into the violin thing, because it's not acting, and I got off on that." Hide Caption 2 of 16 Photos: Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman: Master of film – Hoffman appears with Joaquin Phoenix in "The Master" (2012). He received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations in the supporting actor category for his work in the film. Hide Caption 3 of 16 Photos: Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman: Master of film – Hoffman plays manager Art Howe in the 2011 hit "Moneyball." The real Art Howe was reportedly not pleased with how he was portrayed in the film but told TMZ Sports he didn't blame Hoffman. "He was just playing the part he was given," Howe said.

Hide Caption 4 of 16 Photos: Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman: Master of film – Hoffman plays a DJ known as The Count in 2009's "Pirate Radio." Hide Caption 5 of 16 Photos: Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman: Master of film – In 2008's "Doubt," Hoffman plays Father Brendan Flynn, a Catholic priest accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a male student. This was yet another film that got Hoffman supporting actor nominations for the Oscars and the Golden Globes.

Hide Caption 6 of 16 Photos: Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman: Master of film – Hoffman plays Owen Davian in 2006's "Mission: Impossible III." The actor told AOL at the time that while an action film was not usually his type of role, "it was just one of those things where all the ingredients seemed right." Hide Caption 7 of 16 Photos: Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman: Master of film – Hoffman plays the title role in 2005's "Capote." He won the Oscar for best actor in a leading role for his performance as Truman Capote, who wrote "In Cold Blood." Hoffman also won a Golden Globe for the role.

Hide Caption 8 of 16 Photos: Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman: Master of film – Hoffman plays a phone sex-line supervisor and mattress store owner in 2002's "Punch-Drunk Love." Hide Caption 9 of 16 Photos: Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman: Master of film – Hoffman plays Lester Bangs in 2000's "Almost Famous." He delivers one of the film's most memorable scenes when he advises Patrick Fugit's character, William Miller, that "the only true currency in this bankrupt world is what we share with someone else when we're uncool." Hide Caption 10 of 16 Photos: Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman: Master of film – Hoffman appears with Rebecca Pidgeon in 2000's "State and Main." He plays a screenwriter suffering from writer's block. Hide Caption 11 of 16 Photos: Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman: Master of film – Jude Law and Hoffman share a scene in 1999's "The Talented Mr. Ripley." Hoffman was hailed as a scene stealer in the psychological thriller set in Italy.

Hide Caption Philip Seymour Hoffman: Master of film – Hoffman in 1998's comedy-drama "Happiness." Hide Caption 13 of 16 Photos: Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman: Master of film – Hoffman plays Brandt, Mr. Lebowski's personal assistant, in the 1998 cult comedy hit "The Big Lebowski." Hide Caption 14 of 16 Photos: Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman: Master of film – Hoffman played the slightly creepy production assistant Scotty in 1997's "Boogie Nights," with Mark Wahlberg and John C. Reilly. Hide Caption 15 of 16 Photos: Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman: Master of film – Hoffman plays George Willis Jr. in 1992's "Scent of a Woman." He is credited as Philip S. Hoffman in the movie. Hide Caption Capote Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb 350 out of 454 people found the following review useful: Mr. Hoffman, you are Truman Capote.

from Dallas, Texas 27 September 2005 The easiest role for an actor to play is a historical figure - we have no idea how Julius Caesar really sounded, how he moved his body, punctuated his speech, bit his lip, walked into a room, held his cigarette. The hardest role is the living, or recently deceased, celebrity whom we watched, heard, studied, mimicked and thought we understood. JFK, Martin Luther King, Ray Charles, and, above all, the inventor of self referential celebrity, Truman Capote (with apology to Andy Warhol and, of course, Noel Coward).. After exploding to meteoric fame with his novella Breakfast at Tiffany's, Capote became the New York café society's darling, heir to Coward's gay-man-child-bon-vivant. He drank and held court with the best of New York, which just also happened to be the nexus of television in the early 60s. Before long Capote was the quintessential modern celebrity, famous for being famous. And he did it all before our eyes. Philip Seymour Hoffman does not so much play Capote as become him.

And not just in mannerism, no mean feat, but in personality, because we are convinced that Hoffman feels what Capote felt, cries over the lies, accepts his moral failings. For a short story writer-raconteur from New Orleans, Capote found himself at the center of a nationally enthralling multiple homicide, facing the ultimate journalist's Faustian dilemma: if he perpetrates a lie for the sake of exposing the truth, is he ever worthy of redemption? Capote, in the end, concluded that he wasn't; he never wrote another book. He descended into drunkenness and died a lonely soul. This is not the stuff of Holly Golightly. I saw this picture at the Toronto Film Festival with Hoffman, Catherine Keener and director Bennett Miller in attendance. Though they had seen it many many times before, it was obvious even they were moved by it and by our reaction. As we stood and applauded them, we turned to one another, glowing in the realization that we had witnessed an amazing performance. We knew Truman Capote. We watched him live on television. Truman Capote was (we imagined) our friend. Mr. Hoffman, you are Truman Capote. Was the above review useful to you?

227 out of 322 people found the following review useful: Humanizing Capote from Los Angeles, CA 11 September 2005 This moving film lives and breathes on the powerful shoulders of Phillip Seymour Hoffman's stunning performance in the title role. Hoffman captures all of the unique physical characteristics that made Capote such a familiar public figure in his lifetime and invests them with a humanity that is almost unbearably poignant. The film focuses on Capote's research on the book "In Cold Blood" and the personal journey that his relationship and identification with killer Perry Smith became (Capote says at one point that it was like they grew up in the same house, and he went out the front door while Perry went out the back), a compelling and complicated relationship that this uncompromising film presents in moving detail. But what truly makes it a unique work of art is the brilliant work of Hoffman - always an interesting actor - whose performance as Truman Capote should elevate him to the pantheon of film giants. Was the above review useful to you?

286 out of 449 people found the following review useful: The Manipulation Of A Master Manipulator from Los Angeles, USA 23 November 2005 Beautifully told, masterfully performed, harrowing, amusing, cruel, moving. A sensational achievement. I sat there disturbed and transfixed. Witnessing the impossible. Truman Capote with the mask, without the mask. The same man, different men, all men, no man. The creature at work, thinking of work, planning his work, working his work, wheeling an dealing. Living his life, life as work, work as life. An ego bigger than his talent and all talent and no ego. Feeling without feeling. Cunning, innocent, blasphemous, a child, a monumental son of a bitch. Philip Seymour Hoffman surprising us again. Charles Laughton I thought. What a thought! Charles Laughton 2005. That kind of talent that kind of boldness and brains. Everything and everyone in "Capote" seem to be. To be totally. I've never seen a photograph of Harper Lee but I imagine her just like Catherine Keener. The film is a miracle of sorts.

I can't wait to see it again. Was the above review useful to you? 160 out of 203 people found the following review useful: Mesmerizing Performance in a Complex, Contradictory Film from Alexandria, VA 28 October 2005 Like the non-fiction novel and the Richard Brooks film that was made from it, "In Cold Blood," "Capote" focuses on and sympathizes with two killers at the expense of the four murdered members of the Clutter family. Once the viewer gets beyond this sticking point, however, all three works are outstanding, unforgettable experiences. Unlike the book and the original movie, "Capote" does explore the contradictory feelings that author Truman Capote wrestles with as he researches and writes "In Cold Blood." His feelings for Perry Smith, the more "sensitive" of the two killers, are particularly problematic as Capote becomes emotionally close to Smith and helps the men with legal aide that postpones the executions, while at the same time Capote cannot finish his book until Smith and Hickcock are hanged.

Praise for Philip Seymour Hoffman's uncanny performance as Truman Capote cannot be overstated and, come awards time, if he does not collect enough accolades to fill his mantel, indictments for film critics and Academy voters would be in order. Hoffman not only captures the mannerisms and voice of Capote, he inhabits the man's soul and expresses his feelings and emotions without histrionics or the type of caricature that mimics often have made of the notoriously fey writer in the past. Fortunately, Hoffman's performance is only the jewel in a gilded crown of fine writing, excellent direction, and solid supporting performances. "Capote" will send viewers back to their bookshelves to re-read the book and to their video libraries to re-view the 1967 film. Considering the time that Capote spent with the two convicted murderers, questions arise as to why the Richard Brooks film did not have Truman Capote as a character, but rather presented a bland, nameless investigative writer, who wanders through the proceedings without much purpose. The film is so good and so intriguing that questions such as that, and what happened to the writer that Capote lived with?

and did Harper Lee write anything beyond "To Kill a Mockingbird?" and did Capote's presence at the execution lead to his alcoholism, his lack of further writing, and eventually his death, and other questions will send viewers to Google as soon as they get home. "Capote" is an outstanding film and possibly the first of the year to be assured of a place on the "10 Best" lists for 2005. Was the above review useful to you? 112 out of 139 people found the following review useful: Cold Manipulation from United States 9 October 2005 Every action has a reaction, and watching "Capote", we can't help but wonder how it ever got made. "Capote" is entrancing, dark, depressing, and quite satisfying. It benefits from Hoffman's perfect performance. He embodies the physical and psychological make up of a man who was the toast of the nation before and after the publication of its classic novel, "In Cold Blood". As a human being, he appeared to be an intelligent, fascinating, and manipulative creature. He could have gotten away with almost anything.

Then he found the two criminals behind one of the most heinous crimes of the century and might have gotten to the realization he could also be trapped by their own dark existences. It is difficult to ascertain what happened to Capote after he developed a relationship with Smith. He grows attracted to the actions and revelations behind this killer, and we never really know what is exactly going on. There are displays of guilt and detachment at different parts in the film. What we do see is that something really affected the man, and it changed his life for good. The film moves slowly but never loses its audience. Along with Hoffman, a remarkable supporting cast keeps us interests going, and enough is presented to make us want to know more. That will probably be the film's only flaw. It fails to deliver everything it promises. It is a big satisfying tease, but after all, we are left with an endless number of questions. Keener is wonderful as Capote's supporting friend, and in his lover's role, Bruce Greenwood intrigues us as well, with the dubious character that never gives enough information to explain his attraction to a total opposite. "Capote" is a really good film and should be admire for it achieves.

For those who want to explore more in depth what lies behind the protagonists of the movie, there are several books that will give you a more detailed background on their nature. The truth, will however, remain, a big mystery. Was the above review useful to you? 135 out of 190 people found the following review useful: Conjuring Capote from Los Angeles, CA 2 October 2005 Brilliant portrayals are chilling. Philip Seymour Hoffman's invocation of the essence of Truman Capote is mesmerizing. I suspect that most of the readers on websites such as these may not have stored memories of Capote in the 60's. An unlikely media darling, I vividly recall his flaunting gay affectations and cosmopolitan barbs. Hoffman's detailed and incisive performance implores, "And the Oscar goes to........" Beyond his performance is a riveting and eerie story directed with flawless craft and impressive restraint. It is a film that left me sitting and discussing its nuances and its depth, until the theater's lights flickered to oust me.

The film surrounds the time when Capote wrote "In Cold Blood," a book nearly everyone read in the late 60's, its title seeming obvious. This latest movie inserts Capote into the original crimes that inspired "In Cold Blood" and challenges us to revisit that title. Was the above review useful to you? 82 out of 122 people found the following review useful: In cold blood from New York 7 October 2005 Director Bennet Miller's "Capote" is a film that shows great intelligence in the way it captured the essence of Truman Capote, a man who achieved fame and notoriety with most of the fiction he wrote. This film concentrates in the period of his life in which he got obsessed by a notorious murder case of the fifties about the murder of a family in Kansas. Dan Futterman has written the screen play based on the book by Gerald Clarke. The film is an account about the writing of the novel "In Cold Blood" that showed how the two young men who committed the heinous crime are caught, processed and hanged for their actions. If you haven't watched the film, perhaps you would like to stop here.

When the film opens we get a vision of a lonely house in the distance. This being the Midwest, we are given a flat expanse devoid of elevations anywhere. The camera takes us to that lonely house as a young woman comes calling for her friend that lives in there. Not getting any response, she goes in to a room upstairs where she discovers her friend has been killed. The colors are dark, as is the tone of the film. Truman Capote, who had been connected to the New Yorker magazine, sees the article in the N.Y. Times and gets interested. This case that shocked the country, at the time, shows a promise for the writer. The next time we meet him, he is in the small town in Kansas accompanied by his good friend and steadying influence, Nell Harper Lee, a writer. By becoming friendly with the sheriff's wife, Mr. Capote gets a privilege by having access to the two murderers. Truman is clearly deeply affected by his relationship with Perry Smith, a handsome dark man who shows a lot of intensity. By gaining their trust, Capote is able to put together his best selling book "In Cold Blood", which will revolutionize American letters in the way the two criminals are portrayed.

Truman Capote, while pursuing the completion of his book, doesn't come clean to Perry Smith. In fact, when questioned about things he has learned, Capote gives evasive answers because he is not prepared to share with his main subject things that clearly should have been clarified from the start. Watching the brilliant take of Philip Seymour Hoffman as Truman Capote on the screen, brought to mind another great actor, Meryl Streep, who like Mr. Hoffman is a chameleon in the interpretation of a character. Mr. Hoffman is perfect as the writer because he has captured every mannerism and the speech inflection of Truman Capote. Catherine Keener is perfect as Nelle, the true friend and companion. Bruce Greenwood plays Truman Capote's companion Jack Dunphy. Chris Cooper is totally wasted as Sheriff Dewey. Adam Kimmel excellent cinematography contributes to the atmosphere the director gave the film because of the use of muted colors in what appear to be the bleak winter of the Midwest. Was the above review useful to you?

80 out of 124 people found the following review useful: provocative, stark, and powerful *** This review may contain spoilers *** Capote Reviewed by Sam Osborn Rating: 3.5 out of 4 Director: Bennett Miller Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Chris Cooper Screenplay: Dan Futterman MPAA Classification: R (some violent images and brief strong language) It seems that once a year we're treated to a performance so staggeringly magnificent that it seems as if the actor's a shoe-in for the Academy's Best Actor prize. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is just that actor for 2005. His portrayal of Truman Capote was best described by Telluride Film Festival's Galaxy Theater host as a "resurrection". Like Jamie Foxx's Ray, Charlize Theron's Monster, and Nicole Kidman's Virginia Wolfe, Hoffman's Capote is simply devastating. He stated at Telluride that after first accepting the role and watching a recording of Truman Capote he frankly thought he was in over his head. But throughout pre-production he gathered and compiled all of Capote's mannerisms and began practicing them, slowly and truly becoming Truman Capote.

And from the first line of Hoffman's dialogue, with his squinched high voice, and self-absorbed tone we know he's succeeded. The actual film is nearly eclipsed by Hoffman's performance. But Director Bennett Miller and an impressive supporting cast manage to keep up with Hoffman's breakneck achievement. Shot in monochromatic, nearly black and white starkness, the film inherits a raw power that builds to its stunning climactic sequence. And although the film drags some in the middle, it finishes strong and leaves us with much to discuss. It's provocative, stark, and powerful. Capote opens with the discovery of a family of four murdered in the small town of Hokum, Kansas in 1953 (don't quote me on the date, please). Coming off his second novel, Truman Capote (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) is searching for his next project. Intrigued by the murders, he takes the investigation, agreeing on authoring an article for The New Yorker. Meeting with the town's Sheriff, Alvin Dewey (Chris Cooper), he's met with opposition in the town for his peculiar manner.

But his companion on the investigation, Harper Lee (Catherine Keener), offsets his homosexuality with terse, homegrown professionalism. Months later the two killers, Perry Smith (Clifton Collins Jr.) and Richard Hickcock (Mark Pellegrino) are apprehended by Sheriff Dewey and soon sentenced to death. Finding himself increasingly drawn to the story by the sentence, Truman begins personally interviewing the murderers, particularly Perry Smith, at their maximum security prison. Avoiding discussion of the murders themselves, Capote learns more about their lives outside of crime, finding a humanity never put into print before and causing him to extend his article for The New Yorker into the full-length novel, In Cold Blood. It would be the first True Crime novel ever written. His extensive interviews with Smith lead to a strange relationship open to many terms of controversial interpretation. He feels compelled to assist the men and lead the world's opinion away from demonizing headlines. Capote even goes to lengths to find them a decent lawyer for their Supreme Court appeal. The screenplay deals with this controversy between Capote and Smith with beautiful ambiguity. Screenwriter Dan Futterman leaves it to Capote's character to interpret their relationship for the audience, instead of the story doing so in a ham-handed way.

And with Hoffman's performance so obsessively complete, the result is magnificent. We oddly understand Capote's pain and his unique love for Perry Smith. He obviously sees the monster inside, but realizes the human entirely. Some even speculated around the festival that Capote fell in love with Smith. It's incredibly profound. But at the same time, Futterman's screenplay relies too much on Capote's obsession with Smith. Audience's in the 50's were terrified by Capote's humanistic realization of the murderer, but now, that sort of True Crime journalism is accepted, and even expected, from murder investigations. This reliance causes the film to linger too long on Capote's build-up interviews before the shocking, twisting confession he needs to finish the novel. Also, audiences have recently grown tired of the biopic, probably because of the last year's heaping pile of them. This mutes the typical drama that occurs in all dramatic biopics, with the character's slow deterioration. Despite these flaws, Capote is still an arresting portrait of a murder. And to go along with this portrait is the complete resurrection of Truman Capote in Phillip Seymour Hoffman. The film works to succeed beyond a simple biopic.

It also hits on the difficult topic of true crime, delving into the imagination and conscience of a man that killed in cold blood. Was the above review useful to you? 69 out of 109 people found the following review useful: 2 Capote, or NOT 2 Capote???, That Is The Question... from United States 30 September 2005 CAPOTE, first of all, is a well written film by the talented Dan Futterman, whose performance in URBANIA we will always remember, and for Philip Seymour Hoffman, this is his "Golden Globe and Oscar Award" all in one. From the first scene, Hoffman creates the essence of the acid tongued, tremendously talented, yet damaged, Truman Capote. Having read IN COLD BLOOD when it first came out, CAPOTE really captures on the screen the horror of what took place on that Kansas farm and the cinematography, costumes and locations are wonderful to behold. Miss Keener's performance is such a subtle and intelligent contrast to the hysteria of Capote, and his perfect foil.

In the scenes with Perry Smith, they are haunting and disturbing, as if it feels like two cobras are circling one another, waiting for the first one to strike. And in this context, I ask, "2 Capote, or NOT 2 Capote?, that is the question", because both are on the take-Smith to use Capote for obtaining a pardon, Capote, to nail the story that will gain him the adulation he so adores. And then, Capote slides downhill, while Perry rots in prison. CAPOTE captures the essence of the 1950's, the horror of a brutal killing in the vast farmlands of Kansas, and delivers a knock out performance from Philip Seymour Hoffman. If only IN COLD BLOOD had not seemed like a manipulation by a writer out for glory at the expense of a prisoner who believed in him. Was the above review useful to you?

64 out of 107 people found the following review useful: Well done, moving account of Capote's life during the writing of 'In Cold Blood' from New York City 7 September 2005 I saw a press screening of this film recently, and was highly impressed by its moving account of the period in Truman Capote's life during which he wrote 'In Cold Blood'. The direction by the relatively unknown Bennett Miller is personal, evocative and affecting, but without being over-dramatic or saccharine. This is helped immensely by Philip Seymour Hoffmann's incredible performance as Capote, as well as solid acting from Catherine Keener, Clifton Collins Jr., and Chris Cooper. Cooper plays K.B.I. Agent Alvin Dewey with perhaps a bit too much intensity, given his relatively small amount of screen time, but the portrayal nonetheless comes off as heart-felt. The cinematography by Adam Kimmel is suitably gray and moody, with many evocative views of the flat Kansas plains, but most of the screen time is spent with the camera focused on Hoffmann - all of it time well spent.

While I haven't read the biography by Gerald Clarke on which it's based, the script seems to hit enough salient details to evoke Capote's frame of mind, without inundating the audience with more than would fit in a feature-length film. I suppose one of my only complaints about the film would be that at times the conversations take on a sheen of Hollywood, saying things for dramatic impact that perhaps might not have been said in real life. But then again, I never met Capote, so who knows for sure. All in all, this was a deeply engrossing film, and one I would highly recommend, especially if you're a fan of Truman Capote. Was the above review useful to you? Page 1 of 42:

Question: Who won an Oscar for playing the title role in the film Capote?
Answer: PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN