Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his New York apartment on the afternoon of February 2.
The film industry has experienced a tremendous loss, with Hoffman arguably the most gifted actor of our time, and one of the finest ever.
I’m not being hyperbolic from the shock of his death — Hoffman’s acting was invariably layered and magnetic.
He was that rare actor I constantly looked forward to seeing more of.
Hoffman is most recognized for his titular role in the 2005 biopic Capote, where he found heart and soul beneath the dainty, flamboyant caricature that was Truman Capote.
He deserved his many accolades, including an Oscar win for Best Actor.
However, Hoffman should be remembered for his remarkably diverse body of work.
While his Capote was an effete intellectual, Hoffman also commonly portrayed more rugged, roguish characters (Charlie Wilson’s War), maniacal villains (Mission: Impossible III) and social outcasts (Boogie Nights, Flawless).
Hoffman’s peerless skill came from finding the conflict in every scene, making quiet discussions as tense as gunfights.
This talent was especially on display in 2012’s The Master, a film in which he co-starred with Joaquin Phoenix.
Hoffman’s riff on L. Ron Hubbard, playing a cult leader named Lancaster Dodd, was a lesson in dramatic acting.
Dodd was a vulnerable child, wrapped in the weathered skin of a cerebral reverend, whose fabricated sect was crumbling around him.
Hoffman was at once fearsome and fearful; the performance is among the strongest of the decade.Hoffman gained a new following recently, when he was cast as Plutarch Heavensbee in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
Despite the role being relatively small, Hoffman brought his own profundity to the enigmatic “Gamemaker.” He was set to reprise the role in the film’s two follow-ups.
Hoffman had impactful parts in numerous other films: The Big Lebowski, Magnolia, Almost Famous, and Doubt, to name a few.
To describe the actor’s artistry in each of these wouldn’t just run long. It would be pointless. All of the movies listed above deserve a viewing in Hoffman’s honor.
Though somewhat overlooked throughout his 23-year career, Hoffman will no doubt go down as one of cinema’s all-time greats, as this week the industry feels the immense weight of his passing.
Dustin Dyer
Features Editor
