Dustin Hoffman
Born: 1937-08-08 in Los Angeles, California, USA
Known For: Acting
Biography
Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. Actor Robert De Niro described him as "an actor with the everyman's face who embodied the heartbreakingly human". At a young age Hoffman knew he wanted to study in the arts, and entered into the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music; later he decided to go into acting, for which he trained at the Pasadena Playhouse in Los Angeles. His first theatrical performance was 1961's A Cook for Mr. General as Ridzinski. During that time he appeared in several guest roles on television shows like Naked City and The Defenders. He then starred in the 1966 off-Broadway play Eh? where his performance garnered him both a Theatre World Award and Drama Desk Award. His breakthrough role was as Benjamin Braddock in Mike Nichols' critically acclaimed and iconic film The Graduate (1967), for which he received his first Academy Award nomination. His next role was "Ratso" Rizzo in John Schlesinger's Midnight Cowboy (1969), in which he acted alongside Jon Voight; they both received Oscar nominations, and the film went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. He gained success in the 1970s playing roles that shaped the craft of his acting, crossing genres effortlessly in the western Little Big Man (1970), the prison drama Papillon (1973), playing a controversial and groundbreaking comedian in Bob Fosse's Lenny (1975), Marathon Man alongside Laurence Olivier (1976), and as Carl Bernstein investigating the Watergate scandal in All the President's Men (1976). In 1979, Hoffman starred in the family drama Kramer vs. Kramer alongside Meryl Streep. They both received Academy Awards for their performances. After a three-year break from films, Hoffman returned in Sydney Pollack's show business comedy Tootsie (1982) about a struggling actor who pretends to be a woman in order to get an acting role. He returned to stage acting with a 1984 performance as Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman and reprised the role a year later in a television film earning a Primetime Emmy Award. In 1987 he starred alongside Warren Beatty in Elaine May's comedy Ishtar. He won his second Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the autistic savant Ray Babbitt in the 1988 film Rain Man, co-starring Tom Cruise. In 1989, he was nominated for a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for playing Shylock in a stage performance of The Merchant of Venice. In the 1990s, he made appearances in such films as Warren Beatty's action comedy adaptation Dick Tracy (1990), Steven Spielberg's Hook (1991) as Captain Hook, medical disaster Outbreak (1995), legal crime drama Sleepers (1996), and the satirical black comedy Wag the Dog (1997) alongside Robert De Niro.
Filmography
2024
- Kung Fu Panda 4 as Shifu (voice)
- Megalopolis as Nush 'The Fixer' Berman
- Stand-Up: The Laughing Therapy as Lenny Bruce (archive footage)
2023
- Reinventing Elvis: The 68' Comeback as Benjamin Braddock (archive footage)
2022
- Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight as Shifu (voice)
- PRIDE: To Be Seen - A Soul of a Nation Presentation as Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels (archive footage)
- Sam & Kate as Bill
- As They Made Us as Eugene
- Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute to the Songs of Paul Simon as Self
2020
2019
- Hal as Self
- Into the Labyrinth as Dottor Green
- Alan Pakula: Going for Truth as Self
2017
- Spielberg as Self
- The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) as Harold Meyerowitz
- Steve McQueen: American Icon as Self (archive footage)
2016
- Kung Fu Panda 3 as Shifu (voice)
- Medici: Masters of Florence as Giovanni de' Medici
- Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Scroll as Shifu / Warrior (voice)
- All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception, and the Spirit of I.F. Stone as Carl Bernstein (archive footage)
- Mike Nichols: An American Master as Self
2015
- The Program as Bob Hamman
- Brooklyn ... (Thanks)
- Boychoir as Master Carvelle
- Roald Dahl's Esio Trot as Mr. Hoppy
- Arthur Miller: A Man of His Century as Self - Actor
2014
- Chef as Riva
- Led Zeppelin Played Here as Self (archive footage)
- The Cobbler as Abraham Simkin
2013
- All the President's Men Revisited as Self
- Kung Fu Panda: The Awesome Secrets Collection as Shifu (Voice)
2012
- Quartet ... (Director)
- Finding Your Roots as Self
- Close Up as Self (archive footage)
- La Classe américaine as Self
- Luck as Chester Bernstein
2011
- Kung Fu Panda 2 as Shifu (voice)
- Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters as Shifu (voice)
2010
- Kung Fu Panda Holiday as Shifu (voice)
- Little Fockers as Bernie Focker
- Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Barney's Version as Izzy Panofsky
- Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story as Narrator (voice)
2009
- Against the Tide as Narrator
- Dustin!
2008
- Kung Fu Panda as Shifu (voice)
- The Tale of Despereaux as Roscuro (voice)
- Last Chance Harvey as Harvey Shine
- Visual Acoustics as Self - Narrator
- Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five as Shifu (voice)
- A Better Man: The Making of 'Tootsie' as Self
- Michael Ballhaus - Eine Reise durch mein Leben as Self
2007
- The Graham Norton Show as Self
- Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium as Mr. Edward Magorium
- Trumbo as Self - Interviewee
2006
- The Holiday as Dustin Hoffman (uncredited)
- Perfume: The Story of a Murderer as Giuseppe Baldini
- Rachael Ray
- Stranger Than Fiction as Professor Jules Hilbert
- Controversy and Acclaim: The Timelessness of a Groundbreaking Film as Self
- Telling the Truth About Lies: The Making of "All the President's Men" as Self
- Close Up as Self - Interviewee
2005
- Racing Stripes as Tucker (voice)
- The Reichen Show as Self
- The Lost City as Meyer Lansky
- Earth to America as Self
- Nos Bastidores de Hollywood as Self (archive footage)
2004
- Meet the Fockers as Bernie Focker
- Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events as The Critic (uncredited)
- Finding Neverland as Charles Frohman
- I ♥ Huckabees as Bernard Jaffe
- After Midnight: Reflecting on a Classic 35 Years Later
2003
- The Ellen DeGeneres Show as Self
- Mantrap – Straw Dogs: The Final Cut as Self (archive footage)
- Runaway Jury as Wendell Rohr
- Moonlight Mile: A Journey to Screen as Self / Ben Floss
- Confidence as Winston King
- The Shakespeare Sessions
- Now Showing: Unforgettable Moments from the Movies as Host
2002
- Moonlight Mile as Ben Floss
- V Graham Norton as Self
- Liberty's Kids as Benedict Arnold (voice)
- There's Only One Paul McCartney as Self
- Reel Radicals: The Sixties Revolution in Film as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
2001
- Big Brother's Little Brother as Self
- Tuesday as voice
- Finding the Truth: The Making of 'Kramer vs. Kramer' as Self
- Goldwyn: The Man and His Movies as Self - Narrator
- Going the Distance: Remembering 'Marathon Man' as Self
2000
- Curb Your Enthusiasm as Guide #1
1999
- A Walk on the Moon ... (Producer)
- The Devil's Arithmetic as Self (Introduces Film) (uncredited)
- The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc as Joan's conscience
- The Directors as Self
- Billy Connolly: Erect for 30 Years
1998
- Sphere as Dr. Norman Goodman
- Tarzan and the Lost City ... (Producer)
- Warner Bros. 75th Anniversary: No Guts, No Glory as Self - Host (segment "75 Years of Award Winners")
1997
- Wag the Dog as Stanley Motss
- Mad City as Max Brackett
1996
- The Daily Show as Self
- American Buffalo as Walt 'Teach' Teacher
- Sleepers as Danny Snyder
1995
- Outbreak as Sam Daniels
- The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies as Self
- MADtv as Self
1994
- Jonas in the Desert as Self
1993
- La Classe américaine as Peter (archive footage)
- Aretha Franklin: Duets as Self
1992
- The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
- HBO First Look
- Coucou c'est nous ! as Self
- Hero as Bernard 'Bernie' Laplante
- Earth and the American Dream as Reader (voice)
- 'The Graduate' at 25 as Self
1991
- Hook as Captain Hook
- A Wish for Wings That Work as Milquetoast (voice)
- Billy Bathgate as Dutch Schultz
1990
- Dick Tracy as Mumbles
- Waldo Salt: A Screenwriter's Journey as Self
- The Earth Day Special as Every Lawyer
1989
- The Simpsons as Mr. Bergstrom (voice)
- Family Business as Vito McMullen
- Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt as Narrator (voice)
1988
- LIVE with Kelly and Mark as Self - Guest
- Rain Man as Raymond Babbitt
- This Morning as Self
1987
- Sacrée Soirée as Self
- Ishtar as Chuck Clarke
1986
- American Masters as Self
- Private Conversations: On the Set of ‘Death of a Salesman’ as Self / Willy Loman
1985
- Death of a Salesman as Willy Loman
- Night of 100 Stars II as Self
1984
- Goldene Kamera as Self
1982
- Champs-Elysées as Self
- Tootsie as Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels
- Night of 100 Stars as Self
- Strokes of Genius: Arshile Gorky as Self
- The Making of 'Tootsie' as Self
- Strokes of Genius: de Kooning on de Kooning as Self
1981
- Wetten, dass..? as Self
1980
- The Sensational Shocking Wonderful Wacky 70's as Self (archive footage)
1979
- Kramer vs. Kramer as Ted Kramer
- Agatha as Wally Stanton
1978
- Straight Time as Max Dembo
1977
1976
- All the President's Men as Carl Bernstein
- Marathon Man as Thomas 'Babe' Levy
- Pressure and the Press: The Making of 'All the President's Men' as Self
- The Magic of Hollywood... Is the Magic of People as Self
1975
- Lost in the Garden of the World as Self
1974
- Spécial cinéma as Self
- Lenny as Lenny Bruce
- Free to Be… You and Me as Self (scenes deleted)
1973
- Papillon as Louis Dega
- The Magnificent Rebel as Self
1972
- Alfredo, Alfredo as Alfredo
1971
- The Point as Narrator / Father (first telecast)
- V.I.P. Schaukel as Self
- Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? as Georgie Soloway
- Straw Dogs as David Sumner
- Film '72 as Self
- On Location: Dustin Hoffman as Self
1970
- Little Big Man as Jack Crabb
- The Many Faces of Dustin Hoffman as Self
- Arthur Penn: The Director as Self
- Treffpunkte as Self
1969
- Midnight Cowboy as Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo
- John and Mary as John
- The Crowd Around the Cowboy as Self
1968
- Madigan's Millions as Jason Fister
- The New Cinema as Self
1967
- The Graduate as Ben Braddock
- The Tiger Makes Out as Hap
1966
- ABC Stage 67 as J.J. Semmons
- The Star Wagon as Hanus Wicks
- The Journey of the Fifth Horse as Zoditch
1962
- The Merv Griffin Show as Self
- The Nurses as Larson
1961
- The Mike Douglas Show as Self (archive footage)
- The Defenders as Robert Burke
1958
- Naked City as Lester Stenton
1956
- Tony Awards as Self
1953
- The Oscars as Self
1952
- Today as Self
1944
- Golden Globe Awards as Self - Nominee