Dustin Hoffman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dustin Hoffman
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Dustin Hoffman at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival
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Dustin Lee Hoffman
August 8, 1937 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Other names | Sam Etic |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1960–present |
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Works
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Full lists |
| Political party | Democratic |
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| Children | 6, including Jake |
| Awards | Full list |
Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is a famous American actor. He is known for playing many different kinds of characters. Dustin Hoffman has won many important awards for his acting. These include two Academy Awards (also known as Oscars), four BAFTA Awards, and five Golden Globe Awards. He also received special honors like the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1999.
Hoffman first studied music before deciding to become an actor. He trained at the Pasadena Playhouse. His first movie was The Tiger Makes Out in 1967. He won Oscars for his roles in Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) and Rain Man (1988). He was also nominated for Oscars for movies like The Graduate (1967) and Tootsie (1982). Other popular movies he starred in include Hook (1991) and Meet the Fockers (2004).
In recent years, he has acted in films like Finding Neverland (2004) and The Meyerowitz Stories (2017). He also voiced characters in the Kung Fu Panda movies. In 2012, he directed his first movie, Quartet.
Dustin Hoffman also has a successful career in theater. He made his Broadway debut in 1961. He starred in a famous play called Death of a Salesman in 1984. He won an Emmy Award for playing the same role in a TV movie.
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Early Life and How He Started
Dustin Lee Hoffman was born on August 8, 1937. His birthplace was Los Angeles, California, in the United States. His father worked in movies before becoming a furniture salesman. Dustin was named after a silent film actor named Dustin Farnum. He has an older brother named Ronald. His family is Jewish, with roots in Ukraine and Romania.
Dustin Hoffman went to Los Angeles High School. After that, he went to Santa Monica College. He first wanted to study medicine. But he took an acting class and loved it. He then decided to become an actor. His aunt even told him he wasn't "good-looking enough" to be an actor. He spent many years working odd jobs and trying to find acting roles. He also studied piano when he was younger.
Becoming a Film Star
Early Acting Jobs (1960-1966)
Dustin Hoffman's first acting job was at the Pasadena Playhouse. He acted alongside Gene Hackman, who also became a famous actor. Later, Hoffman, Hackman, and Robert Duvall lived together in New York City. They were all trying to find acting jobs. Hoffman had a unique look and was small. This made it hard for him to get roles at first. He sometimes got small parts in TV shows and commercials.
Hoffman studied at the Actors Studio. He became a dedicated actor who deeply explored his characters. In 1960, he got a role in an off-Broadway play. His first Broadway play was A Cook for Mr. General in 1961. He also worked as an assistant director for some plays. His acting in the play Eh? in 1966 was highly praised. He also made his first film, The Tiger Makes Out, in 1967.
The Graduate and His Big Break (1967-1969)
In 1966, director Mike Nichols met Dustin Hoffman. Nichols was very impressed with Hoffman's audition. He decided to cast him in the movie The Graduate (1967). This was Hoffman's first major movie role. He was nominated for an Academy Award for it.
The Graduate was a huge success at the box office. It made Dustin Hoffman a major new star. He then took on the lead role in Midnight Cowboy (1969). He wanted to show critics that he could play many different types of characters. For this role, he played a homeless person. He even dressed up like one to meet the director! Midnight Cowboy also won the Best Picture Oscar. Hoffman received his second Oscar nomination for his role.
In 1969, Hoffman also starred with Mia Farrow in John and Mary. He won a British Academy Film Award for his acting in this movie.
More Great Films (1970-1979)
After these successes, Hoffman starred in Little Big Man (1970). In this film, his character ages from a teenager to a 121-year-old man. Critics loved the movie. He continued to appear in big movies like Straw Dogs (1971) and Papillon (1973).
In 1974, Hoffman starred in Lenny. He was nominated for another Best Actor Oscar for this film. The movie was about the life of comedian Lenny Bruce.
In 1976, Hoffman starred in All the President's Men. He played a real-life journalist, Carl Bernstein. The movie was about the Watergate scandal. Hoffman and Robert Redford played reporters who uncovered a big political scandal. Critics called the film a "spellbinding detective story."
Hoffman then starred in Marathon Man (1976). He played a student who gets chased by a former Nazi. To prepare for the role, Hoffman tried not to sleep for days. His co-star, Laurence Olivier, told him, "Dear boy! Next time try acting. It's much easier."
In 1979, Hoffman starred in Kramer vs. Kramer. He acted alongside Meryl Streep. The movie was about a couple's divorce and how it affected their young son. Hoffman won his first Academy Award for this role. The film also won Best Picture.
Expanding His Roles (1980-1989)
In Tootsie (1982), Hoffman played a struggling actor. His character dresses up as a woman to get a role on a TV show. The movie received many Oscar nominations. Hoffman's performance was praised for being funny and real.
In 1984, Hoffman played Willy Loman in the play Death of a Salesman on Broadway. He later played the role again in a TV movie. He won an Emmy Award for it. Hoffman had always loved this play. He felt it was like his own family story.
Hoffman also starred in Ishtar (1987) with Warren Beatty. This movie had many problems during filming and got bad reviews. However, some people now see it as a "cult film."
Next, he starred in Rain Man (1988) with Tom Cruise. Hoffman played an autistic savant. To prepare, he spent two years with autistic people. He learned their behaviors and how they see the world. He used this to create his character, Raymond Babbitt.
Rain Man won four Academy Awards. This included Best Picture and Best Actor for Hoffman. The director, Barry Levinson, said Hoffman has an "enormous range" as an actor.
After Rain Man, Hoffman appeared in Family Business (1989). He acted with Sean Connery. They played a father and son. Even though their acting styles were different, they worked very well together.
Established Actor (1990-1999)
In the 1990s, Dustin Hoffman appeared in many big studio films. He voiced a character in The Simpsons in 1991. He also starred in Dick Tracy (1990) and Billy Bathgate (1991).
One of his most famous roles was Captain Hook in Steven Spielberg's Hook (1991). His costume was so heavy that he had to wear an air-conditioned suit!
In 1995, Hoffman played a medical doctor in Outbreak. He worked to stop a deadly virus from spreading. Critics said Hoffman's tense acting made the movie very thrilling.
He also appeared in Sleepers (1996) with Robert De Niro and Brad Pitt. In 1997, Hoffman received his seventh Academy Award nomination for his role in Wag The Dog. This was another film directed by Barry Levinson.
In 1999, Hoffman received the AFI Life Achievement Award. This award celebrates an actor's entire career. Many famous actors praised his work at the ceremony.
2000s and Beyond
In the 2000s, Hoffman continued to act in many films. He appeared in Finding Neverland (2004) and I Heart Huckabees (2004). He also reunited with Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller in the comedy Meet the Fockers (2004). He won an MTV Movie Award for his funny performance.
In 2008, Hoffman voiced the character of Shifu in the animated film Kung Fu Panda. He was praised for his voice acting and won an Annie Award. He continued to voice Shifu in the sequels.
He starred with Emma Thompson in Last Chance Harvey (2008). The movie was about two lonely people who find a connection. The director noted that Hoffman was a perfectionist.
In 2010, he appeared in Little Fockers, a sequel to Meet the Fockers. In 2012, Dustin Hoffman directed his first movie, Quartet. It was a comedy-drama about retired musicians. The film received good reviews.
In 2015, he starred in a BBC TV film called Roald Dahl's Esio Trot. He won an International Emmy Award for his acting. In 2017, Hoffman starred in the Netflix film The Meyerowitz Stories. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and received a long standing ovation.
In 2020, it was announced that Hoffman would return to Broadway in the play Our Town. He also appeared in the films As They Made Us (2022) and Sam & Kate (2022). In 2022, he was cast in Francis Ford Coppola's new film, Megalopolis, which premiered in 2024. He also voiced Shifu again in Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024).
Awards and Honors
Dustin Hoffman has received many important awards throughout his career.
- In 1999, he was given the AFI Life Achievement Award. This award celebrates actors who have made a big impact on film.
- In 2009, he received an Honorary Cesar Medal in France.
- In 2012, he received the Kennedy Center Honors. This award recognizes artists for their lifetime contributions to American culture.
- In 2017, the Gotham Awards honored Hoffman for his achievements in film. They praised his wide range of roles and how he plays complex characters.
Actor Robert De Niro has called him "an actor with the everyman's face." Actress Elizabeth Marvel said his work is "never anything less than extraordinary."
Personal Life
Family
Dustin Hoffman married Anne Byrne in 1969. He adopted her daughter, Karina. They also had a daughter named Jenna. They divorced in 1980.
Later in 1980, he married Lisa Gottsegen. They have four children together: Jacob, Rebecca, Maxwell, and Alexandra. Dustin Hoffman also has several grandchildren. He has said that his children had bar or bat mitzvahs.
Other Interests
Dustin Hoffman supports the Democratic Party. He was successfully treated for cancer in 2013.
See also
- List of actors with Academy Award nominations
- List of actors with two or more Academy Award nominations in acting categories
- List of actors with two or more Academy Awards in acting categories
