Philip Seymour Hoffman, life of the actor.

Philip Seymour Hoffman talking into a microphone
Philip Seymour Hoffman at a press conference holding a microphone

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Update: Post-mortem results released on February 28th have stated that the actor died of an accidental overdose caused by a “mixed drug intoxication” including heroin, cocaine, amphetamines and benzodiazepine. The original story is as follows.


Actor, director, father. Phillip Seymour Hoffman passed away on February 4th 2014 in New York from a suspected drug overdose.

The celebrity was found dead in his New York apartment by friend and playwright David Bar Katz. While there has been no confirmed cause of death, investigators searching the apartment found bags of heroin and prescription medication.

Born in New York in 1967 Hoffman grew up in the New York suburb of Rochester with his mother, father and two sisters, Emily and Jill.

His love of acting came after he was forced to give up wrestling following a neck injury. When he was 17 he was selected to attend the 1984 Theatre School at the New York State Summer School of Arts.

There he met future collaborators, Dan Futterman and Bennet Miller, the screenwriter and director who Hoffman worked with on the 2005 film, Capote. A film for which he is most famous for after going on to win the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 78th Academy Awards.

Since then, Hoffman has enjoyed critical and commercial success following his Oscar nomination for his role in Doubt opposite Meryl Streep, Moneyball and The Master, for the latter he gained another Academy Award nomination.

in 2010, Hoffman had his directorial debut with the film Jack Goes Boating, where a limo driver’s blind date sparks a tale of love, betrayal, friendship, and grace centered around two working-class New York City couples. He also appeared in the film as the main character opposite Amy Ryan.

Most recently Hoffman appeared opposite Jennifer Lawrence in the worldwide blockbuster The Hunger Games: Catching Fire as head gamesmaker Pultarch Heavensbee. A role which he is scheduled to reprise in November 2014 in the sequel The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1.

Hoffman had already completed the filming for Part 1 of the film, but had seven more days of filming left at the time of his death for the second instalment.

Filmmakers, Lionsgate, have announced that there will be no change or delay to the release of the movies and that they will employ the use of CGI technology to replace Hoffman’s final moments in the film.

In recent years it has become public knowledge the Hoffman had suffered from substance abuse.

In 2006 he admitted in an interview that he had suffered from drug and alcohol abuse after graduating from college at the age of 22, for which he went into rehab at the time.

He relapsed more than 20 years later with heroin and addiction to prescription medications. In May 2013 he checked himself into drug rehab for 10 days.

Hoffman is survived by his partner of 15 years Mimi O’Donnell, with whom he had a son and two daughters.

This week in history: 27th January – 2nd February

Philip Seymour Hoffman, a middle aged blonde man stands in a suit
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, a middle aged blonde man stands in a suit

Image via parade.condenast.com

This post has been edited since publication in light of recent news.

This Sunday, February 2nd 2014 Philip Seymour Hoffman passed away. The 46 year-old actor was found dead in his bathroom on Sunday evening. Reports suggest that his death may be linked to taking drugs. Hoffman has talked about his drug abuse in the past, and has previously sought treatment.

Let us remember him as a brilliant actor. With more than 60 film credits to his name, including Mission Impossible III, The Master, and Capote. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and won the Best Actor Academy Award for Capote.

Personally I loved Hoffman as ‘The Count’ in The Boat that Rocked a period comedy about a pirate radio station. More recently I’ve enjoyed his performance in The Hunger Games, I look forward to seeing him in the final two Hunger Games films.

Adam Burt has written a feature celebrating Philip Seymour Hoffman’s life.

On January 31st 1975, Walt Disney Productions sued the producers of The Life and Times of a Happy Hooker. The film follows the life of Dutch secretary then Call Girl, Madam and Memoirist, Xaviera Hollander. In one scene, while a group sex act is being performed, the Mickey Mouse March plays in the background. Walter Stratton, Disney attorney, alleged that the use of the march constitutes “substantial and irreparable, injury, loss and damage to ownership rights”. The producers lost the case.

100 years ago on February 2nd Charlie Chaplain’s first film Making a Living was released. The short stars Chaplain as a swindler who courts a wealthy young lady with a ring he conned from her admirer. Chaplain then steals his camera after he takes shots of a car crash.

This was Chaplains first film role, the start of a huge film career which made him a household name. In 1914 he appeared in a total of 36 short films, he was in just 50 further films in his acting career which spun to 1967.