Dustin Hoffman: The Accomplished Actor

Biography

Hoffman was born in Los Angeles, California, into a Jewish-Ashkenazi family with Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, and Romanian roots. Originally, their family name was "Gehman" in the Russian Empire.

He was educated at Santa Monica College and began taking acting lessons at the Pasadena Playhouse. Before embarking on his career, Hoffman worked various odd jobs and appeared in commercials.

Career

In 1960, Hoffman secured a role in an Off-Broadway theater production, leading him to study the Method acting technique at the Actors Studio. Throughout the 1960s, he made appearances in television series and starred in his first film, "The Tiger Makes Out," alongside Eli Wallach. In addition to his acting roles, Hoffman taught acting at a community college and directed several theater productions, such as William Saroyan's "The Time of Your Life."

Film Career

Hoffman gained significant recognition when director Mike Nichols cast him in "The Graduate" in 1967, co-starring with Anne Bancroft. His role in the film earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

From then on, Hoffman received two more Oscar nominations for his roles in "Midnight Cowboy" (1969) alongside Jon Voight and "Lenny" (1974), in which he portrayed the comedian Lenny Bruce. Two years after the Watergate scandal, Hoffman appeared alongside Robert Redford in "All the President's Men" and starred in "Marathon Man," both based on screenplays by William Goldman.

In 1979, Hoffman won his first Academy Award for his role in "Kramer vs. Kramer," directed by Robert Benton. In the film, he played a divorced father fighting for custody of his son, co-starring with Meryl Streep.

In 1982, Hoffman starred in "Tootsie" alongside Jessica Lange, where he spent most of his time disguised as a woman. This role earned him another Oscar nomination, and the film itself received ten nominations.

In 1988, Hoffman won his second Academy Award for his portrayal of an autistic man in "Rain Man." During the 1990s, Hoffman appeared in numerous films, including "Dick Tracy" directed by Warren Beatty, "Hook" directed by Steven Spielberg, "Outbreak" alongside Morgan Freeman and Donald Sutherland, and "Wag the Dog" directed by Barry Levinson.

In 2004, Hoffman starred alongside Barbara Streisand, Robert De Niro, and Ben Stiller in the comedy "Meet the Fockers," a sequel to "Meet the Parents." His performance earned him an MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance.

In 2008, he appeared in the romantic drama "Last Chance Harvey" alongside Emma Thompson. In 2012, Hoffman made his regular TV series debut, playing the lead role in HBO's "Luck."

In 2013, Hoffman directed his first film, "Quartet."

In 2017, he starred alongside Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller in the comedy "The Meyerowitz Stories."

Personal Life

Hoffman has two children from his first marriage to American actress Anne Byrne, which lasted from 1969 to 1980. He has four more children, including actor Jake Hoffman, from his second marriage to American-Jewish businesswoman Lisa Gottsegen.

In late 2017, allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct against Hoffman were made public by several women.