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
2026
- Tuner as Harry Horowitz
- TOVAH as Self
- The Revisionist
- Diamond
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)
- Sam & Kate as Bill
- As They Made Us as Eugene
- Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute to the Songs of Paul Simon as Self
- PRIDE: To Be Seen - A Soul of a Nation Presentation as Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels (archive footage)
2020
2019
- Into the Labyrinth as Dottor Green
- Alan Pakula: Going for Truth as Self
- Hal as Self
2017
- Spielberg as Self
- The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) as Harold Meyerowitz
- Steve McQueen: American Icon as Self (archive footage)
2016
- Medici: Masters of Florence as Giovanni de' Medici
- Kung Fu Panda 3 as Shifu (voice)
- 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
- Brooklyn ... (Thanks)
- The Program as Bob Hamman
- 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
- The Cobbler as Abraham Simkin
- Led Zeppelin Played Here as Self (archive footage)
2013
- Kung Fu Panda: The Awesome Secrets Collection as Shifu (Voice)
- All the President's Men Revisited as Self
2012
- Finding Your Roots as Self
- Luck as Chester Bernstein
- Quartet ... (Director)
- Close Up as Self (archive footage)
- La Classe américaine as Self
2011
- Kung Fu Panda 2 as Master Shifu (voice)
- Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters as Shifu (voice)
2010
- Little Fockers as Bernie Focker
- Kung Fu Panda Holiday as Shifu (voice)
- Barney's Version as Izzy Panofsky
- Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story as Narrator (voice)
2009
- Against the Tide as Narrator
- Dustin!
2008
- Kung Fu Panda as Master Shifu (voice)
- Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five as Shifu (voice)
- The Tale of Despereaux as Roscuro (voice)
- Last Chance Harvey as Harvey Shine
- A Better Man: The Making of 'Tootsie' as Self
- Visual Acoustics as Self - Narrator
- 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
- Perfume: The Story of a Murderer as Giuseppe Baldini
- The Holiday as Dustin Hoffman (uncredited)
- Rachael Ray
- Stranger Than Fiction as Professor Jules Hilbert
- Close Up as Self - Interviewee
- Telling the Truth About Lies: The Making of "All the President's Men" as Self
- Controversy and Acclaim: The Timelessness of a Groundbreaking Film as Self
2005
- The Reichen Show as Self
- Racing Stripes as Tucker (voice)
- The Lost City as Meyer Lansky
- Nos Bastidores de Hollywood as Self (archive footage)
- Earth to America as Self
2004
- Meet the Fockers as Bernie Focker
- Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events as The Critic (uncredited)
- I ♥ Huckabees as Bernard Jaffe
- Finding Neverland as Charles Frohman
- After Midnight: Reflecting on a Classic 35 Years Later
2003
- The Ellen DeGeneres Show as Self
- Runaway Jury as Wendell Rohr
- Confidence as Winston King
- Moonlight Mile: A Journey to Screen as Self / Ben Floss
- The Shakespeare Sessions
- Mantrap – Straw Dogs: The Final Cut as Self (archive footage)
- Now Showing: Unforgettable Moments from the Movies as Host
2002
- V Graham Norton as Self
- Liberty's Kids as Benedict Arnold (voice)
- Moonlight Mile as Ben Floss
- Reel Radicals: The Sixties Revolution in Film as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Heart of the Festival as Self (archive footage)
- There's Only One Paul McCartney as Self
2001
- Big Brother's Little Brother as Self
- 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
- Tuesday as voice
2000
- Curb Your Enthusiasm as Guide #1
1999
- The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc as Joan's conscience
- The Directors as Self
- A Walk on the Moon ... (Producer)
- The Devil's Arithmetic as Self (Introduces Film) (uncredited)
- Billy Connolly: Erect for 30 Years
1998
- Sphere as Dr. Norman Goodman
- Warner Bros. 75th Anniversary: No Guts, No Glory as Self - Host (segment "75 Years of Award Winners")
- Tarzan and the Lost City ... (Producer)
1997
- Wag the Dog as Stanley Motss
- Mad City as Max Brackett
1996
- The Daily Show as Self
- Sleepers as Danny Snyder
- American Buffalo as Walt 'Teach' Teacher
1995
- Outbreak as Sam Daniels
- MADtv as Self
- The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies 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 Himself
- 'The Graduate' at 25 as Self
1991
- Hook as Captain Hook
- Billy Bathgate as Dutch Schultz
1990
- Dick Tracy as Mumbles
- The Earth Day Special as Every Lawyer
- Waldo Salt: A Screenwriter's Journey as Self
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
- The Making of 'Tootsie' as Self
- Strokes of Genius: Arshile Gorky 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
- Marathon Man as Thomas 'Babe' Levy
- All the President's Men as Carl Bernstein
- 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
- Film '72 as Self
- V.I.P. Schaukel as Self
- Straw Dogs as David Sumner
- Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? as Georgie Soloway
- The Point as Narrator / Father (first telecast)
- On Location: Dustin Hoffman as Self
1970
- Treffpunkte as Self
- Little Big Man as Jack Crabb
- Arthur Penn: The Director as Self
- The Many Faces of Dustin Hoffman as Self
1969
- Midnight Cowboy as Ratso
- John and Mary as John
- The Crowd Around the Cowboy as Self
1968
- The New Cinema as Self
- Madigan's Millions as Jason Fister
1967
- The Graduate as Ben Braddock
- The Tiger Makes Out as Hap
1966
- ABC Stage 67 as J.J. Semmons
- NET Playhouse as Zoditch
- 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 - Presenter
1953
- The Oscars as Self
1952
- Today as Self
1944
- Golden Globe Awards as Self - Nominee