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Philip Seymour Hoffman

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Actor, also producer and director · Died February 2, 2014, aged 46 · Fairport, New York, USA

Oscar winner · Golden Globe winner · BAFTA Award winner · 5 other major award bodies

Philip Seymour Hoffman (July 23, 1967 – February 2, 2014) was an American actor, director, and producer. Best known for his distinctive supporting and character roles–typically lowlifes, eccentrics, bullies, and misfits—Hoffman acted in many films, including leading roles, from the early 1990s until his death in 2014. Drawn to theater as a teenager, Hoffman studied acting at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He began his screen career in a 1991 episode of Law & Order and started to appear in films in 1992. He gained recognition for his supporting work, notably in Scent of a Woman (1992), Boogie Nights (1997), Happiness (1998), Patch Adams (1998), The Big Lebowski (1998), Magnolia (1999), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Almost Famous (2000), Punch-Drunk Love (2002), and Along Came Polly (2004). He began to occasionally play leading roles, and for his portrayal of the author Truman Capote in Capote (2005), won multiple accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Actor. Hoffman's profile continued to grow and he received three more Oscar nominations for his supporting work as a brutally frank CIA officer in Charlie Wilson's War (2007), a priest accused of pedophilia in Doubt (2008), and the charismatic leader of a Scientology-type movement in The Master (2012). While he mainly worked in independent films, including The Savages (2007) and Synecdoche, New York (2008), Hoffman also appeared in Flawless (1999), and Hollywood blockbusters such as Twister (1996) and Mission: Impossible III (2006), and in one of his final roles, as Plutarch Heavensbee in the Hunger Games series (2013–15). The feature Jack Goes Boating (2010) marked his debut as a filmmaker. Hoffman was also an accomplished theater actor and director. He joined the off-Broadway LAByrinth Theater Company in 1995, where he directed, produced, and appeared in numerous stage productions. His performances in three Broadway plays—True West in 2000, Long Day's Journey into Night in 2003, and Death of a Salesman in 2012—all led to Tony Award nominations.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 23, 1967
Died
February 2, 2014 (aged 46)
From
Fairport, New York, USA
Works as
Actor, also producer and director
Titles
54 on MovieCove · 69 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 13% in 30 days

What are Philip Seymour Hoffman's films like?

Across their 52 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy14 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 75th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama12 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 90th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 69th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Crime8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 84th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Biography4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 85th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Documentary3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile
: browse their Documentary movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
24%
Self
22%
Morality
20%
Survival
11%
Society
8%
Power
8%
Ideas
7%
Identity11 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty9 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love7 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt6 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption6 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose7 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 51 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 15 · Serious 11 · Dark 25

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 31 · Stylized 15 · Heightened 5

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 11 · Charged 19 · Intense 21

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 18 · Shifting 24 · Whiplash 9

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 23 · Some laughs 23 · Funny 5

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 28 · Even-paced 19 · Relentless 4

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 14 · Engaged 24 · Full focus 13

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 16 · Affecting 11 · Heavy 24

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 24 · Open-ended 19 · Ambiguous 8

Roles they play

29 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 6 of 29 analyzed roles.

Hero
6 of 29
Threshold guardian
5 of 29
Mentor
5 of 29
Trickster
4 of 29
Shapeshifter
3 of 29
Shadow
3 of 29
Ally
2 of 29
Herald
1 of 29
Show the 29 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
32
Melancholic
24
Contemplative
17
Warm
12
Absurd
10
Other
45

How their films linger

Thought-provoking21 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 11 with a twist

  • Happy14
  • Bittersweet22
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous13

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Philip Seymour Hoffman's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 41 of their 54 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (15).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Philip Seymour Hoffman's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

69 credits, 54 with a MovieCove page; 28 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2(2015)

    as Plutarch Heavensbee

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Happyish(2015)

    Show 10 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all shows

  • The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1(2014)

    In Memory Of · Thanks · as Plutarch Heavensbee

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • A Most Wanted Man(2014)

    In Memory Of · as Günther Bachmann

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • God's Pocket(2014)

    Producer · as Mickey Scarpato

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Feed Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Thanks

  • The Hunger Games: Catching Fire(2013)

    as Plutarch Heavensbee

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • The Frame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Show 1 episode · as Plutarch Heavensbee

  • The Master: Unguided Message (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Actor

  • A Late Quartet(2012)

    as Robert Gelbart

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • The Master(2012)

    as Lancaster Dodd

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The Ides of March(2011)

    as Paul Zara

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Moneyball(2011)

    as Art Howe

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Jack Goes Boating(2010)

    Director · Executive Producer · as Jack

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Restoring a Masterpiece: The Renovation of Eastman Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • The Invention of Lying(2009)

    as Jim the Bartender

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Mary and Max(2009)

    as Max (voice)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Pirate Radio(2009)

    as The Count

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Doubt(2008)

    as Father Brendan Flynn

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Synecdoche, New York(2008)

    as Caden Cotard

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Charlie Wilson's War(2007)

    as Gust Avrakotos

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • The Savages(2007)

    as Jon Savage

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Before the Devil Knows You're Dead(2007)

    as Andy Hanson

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Strangers with Candy(2005)

    as Henry

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Mission: Impossible III(2006)

    as Owen Davian

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Capote(2005)

    Executive Producer · as Truman Capote

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Empire Falls(2005)

    Show 2 episodes · as Charlie Mayne

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all shows

  • Along Came Polly(2004)

    as Sandy Lyle

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Cold Mountain(2003)

    as Reverend Veasey

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Mattress Man Commercial (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Dean Trumbull

  • Owning Mahowny(2003)

    as Dan Mahowny

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Love Liza(2002)

    as Wilson Joel

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • 25th Hour(2002)

    as Jacob Elinsky

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Punch-Drunk Love(2002)

    as Dean Trumbell

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Red Dragon(2002)

    as Freddy Lounds

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Icons(2002)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Almost Famous(2000)

    as Lester Bangs

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • State and Main(2000)

    as Joseph Turner White

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • The Talented Mr. Ripley(1999)

    as Freddie Miles

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Magnolia(1999)

    as Phil Parma

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Flawless(1999)

    as Rusty

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Patch Adams(1998)

    as Mitch

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Happiness(1998)

    as Allen

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Next Stop Wonderland(1998)

    as Sean

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • The Big Lebowski(1998)

    as Brandt

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Montana(1998)

    as Duncan

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Liberty! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Show 6 episodes · as Joseph Plumb Martin

  • Boogie Nights(1997)

    as Scotty J.

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Culture (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Bill

  • Hard Eight(1996)

    as Young Craps Player

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Anita Liberty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Man at Party #3

  • Arthur(1996)

    Show 1 episode · as William Fillmore Toffman (voice)

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all shows

  • Twister(1996)

    as Dusty

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Fifteen Minute Hamlet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    as Bernardo, Horatio & Laertes

  • It Is Now Our Time: Peter Sellars’ The Merchant of Venice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    as Launcelot Gobbo

  • Nobody's Fool(1994)

    as Officer Raymer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • When a Man Loves a Woman(1994)

    as Gary

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Yearling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    as Buck

  • Szuler(1992)

    as Martin

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Getaway(1994)

    as Frank Hansen

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Money for Nothing(1993)

    as Cochran

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • My Boyfriend's Back(1993)

    as Chuck Bronski

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Joey Breaker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Wiley McCall

  • Scent of a Woman(1992)

    as George Willis, Jr.

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Leap of Faith(1992)

    as Matt

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • My New Gun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Chris

  • The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Triple Bogey on a Par Five Hole (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Klutch

  • Law & Order(1990)

    Show 1 episode · as Steven Hanauer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 69 titles from 1990 to 2015; peak year 2008.

Biggest box office

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)

$865M worldwide

Highest rated

Mary and Max (2009)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014)

Film career

MilestoneAward winNomination
19902015

Peak 2008 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 27 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

  • 1992Screen debut· Leap of Faith
  • 1999Screen Actors Guild Award nomination· Flawless
  • 1999Screen Actors Guild Award nomination· Magnolia
  • 2000Screen Actors Guild Award nomination· Almost Famous
  • 2002First top-billed film· Love Liza
  • 2005Oscar win· Capote
Show 7 more milestones

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting67 of 69: 62 only acting, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score82ndDirecting1 of 69: 0 only directing, 1 with another roleProducing4 of 69: 1 only producing, 3 with another roleOther crew3 of 69: 1 only other crew, 2 with another role

69 titles, 5 with more than one role — acting and producing overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

1990s31 · acting2000s23 · 23 acting · 1 crew2010s15 · 13 acting · 6 crew

Billing

usually 3rd · top billed in 18% of 49 roles
9297020712

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

an Oscar, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and 6 other major awards from 35 major nominations, 1998–2013.

WinNomination
  1. 2013
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actor
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Supporting Actor
  2. 2012
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actor
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Venice award, won · Best Actor
  3. 2009
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actor
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
    • +2 other major bodies · 1 win and 2 nominations
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Acting Ensemble
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actor
      • Independent Spirit Award, won
  4. 2008
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actor
    • +2 other major bodies · 1 win and 2 nominations
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Acting Ensemble
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actor
      • Independent Spirit Award, won · Best Male Lead
  5. 2006
    • Oscar, won · Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
    • BAFTA Award, won · Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
    • +2 other major bodies · 2 wins
      • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Actor
      • Independent Spirit Award, won · Best Male Lead
  6. 2005
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
  7. 2001
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture
  8. 2000
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Theatrical Motion Picture
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Show 2 earlier years
  1. 1999
    • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Supporting Male
  2. 1998
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Philip Seymour Hoffman's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 82nd percentile, the median of all 49; across their 51 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 77th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

77thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 51

Approval · how many liked their films

82ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 51

Reach · how many have seen their films

94thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 51

Midcredits score across 54 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up31
  • 50th to 74th14
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

32 of their 54 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved13
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser32
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · actor

Szuler (1992)

76th percentile spread · 28% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Mary and Max (2009)

Midcredits 99th · 89% liked

Reviewers score the acting 82/100 in their films, across 46 reviewed titles; fans 87, detractors 56. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Philip Seymour Hoffman's work okay for kids?

Across up to 38 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore31 titles10–79 · median 59 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity38 titles15–75 · median 40 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity32 titles26–90 · median 59 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs31 titles26–87 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense31 titles24–79 · median 59 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Philip Seymour Hoffman work with?

People who share at least 2 of Philip Seymour Hoffman's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Julianne Moore shares the most, 7.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles