Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman is a man who embodies the highest ideals of the acting art in North America. Furthermore, he did it by breaking all sorts of rules.
For one thing, when he first tried getting work, he was as un-movie star-like as you can get, short, big nosed and with the air of a shy introvert. However, perceptive directors like Mike Nichols realized what he could do; for example, in The Graduate in 1967, he took the world by storm with a powerful sincerity in his performance which took Method Acting to its height. Furthermore, he is credited for expanding the possibilities for different ethnicities to reach Hollywood stardom during the New Hollywood era as an actor who defied the stereotypes to hit it big his way.
Furthermore, he displayed a smart career sense when he chose the slimy disreputable hustler, Ratso in Midnight Cowboy, for his major follow up role. In doing so, he set the reputation of the actor who can play any role like a master. These included; a 121-year-old survivor of the Battle of the Little Bighorn in Little Big Man, a quiet intellectual who has to get tough in Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs, Lenny Bruce in Lenny, a sensitive father in Kramer vs. Kramer, a woman (to be certain, an actor playing a woman) in Tootsie, an autistic savant in Rain Man and the voice of a deeply complex red panda kung fu master in the Kung Fu Panda franchise among others. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor both for Rain Man and Kramer.
Furthermore, he has a reputation for being difficult to work with, but this is tolerated because of the fact that his suggestions/demands are made by someone who cares about his work and they often help his films become better.
Even better, if you are cast with him in a film he cares about and Hoffman feels your acting is not good enough for him, cancel your free time because you're in for some tutoring from him. If all goes well, you'll end up doing the best performance of your career because of what he taught you. For instance, the fact that Jack Black had some of his most acclaimed acting in Kung Fu Panda is no accident, considering Hoffman insisted on coaching him through the Action Film Quiet Drama Scenes.
- Adorkable: When he hit the big time as The Graduate, he quickly overcame the anti-semitic sneering by being adorable to women as this quiet and insecure introvert.
- Doing It for the Art
- Master of Disguise
- Method Acting
- Nice Jewish Boy
- Star-Making Role: The Graduate
- Typecasting: Deliberately averted by the sheer volume of different roles he has played.
Film:
- The Tiger Makes Out (1967): Hap
- The Graduate (1967): Benjamin "Ben" Braddock
- Madigan's Millions (1968): Jason Fister
- Midnight Cowboy (1969): Enrico Salvatore "Ratso" Rizzo
- John and Mary (1969): John
- Little Big Man (1970): Jack Crabb
- Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? (1971): Georgie Soloway
- Straw Dogs (1971): David Sumner
- Alfredo, Alfredo (1972): Alfredo Sbisà
- Papillon (1973): Louis Dega
- Lenny (1974): Lenny Bruce
- All the President's Men (1976): Carl Bernstein
- Marathon Man (1976): Thomas Babington "Babe" Levy
- Straight Time (1978): Max Dembo
- Agatha (1979): Wally Stanton
- Kramer vs. Kramer (1979): Ted Kramer
- Tootsie (1982): Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels
- Ishtar (1987): Chuck Clarke
- Rain Man (1988): Raymond "Ray" Babbitt
- Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989): Narrator
- Family Business (1989): Vito McMullen
- Dick Tracy (1990): Mumbles
- Billy Bathgate (1991): Dutch Schultz
- Hook (1991): Captain James Hook
- Hero (1992): Bernard "Bernie" Laplante
- Outbreak (1995): Colonel Sam Daniels
- Sleepers (1996): Danny Snyder
- American Buffalo (1996): Walt "Teach" Teacher
- Mad City (1997): Max Brackett
- Wag the Dog (1997): Stanley Motss
- Sphere (1998): Dr. Norman Goodman
- The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999): The Conscience
- Moonlight Mile (2002): Ben Floss
- Confidence (2003): Winston King
- Runaway Jury (2003): Wendell Rohr
- Finding Neverland (2004): Charles Frohman
- I ♥ Huckabees (2004): Bernard Jaffe
- Meet the Fockers (2004): Bernie Focker
- Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004): The Critic (Uncredited cameo)
- The Lost City (2005): Meyer Lansky
- Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006): Giuseppe Baldini
- Stranger than Fiction (2006): Professor Jules Hilbert
- Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (2007): Mr. Edward Magorium
- Last Chance Harvey (2008): Harvey Shine
- Barney's Version (2010): Israel "Izzy" Panofsky
- Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story (2010): Narrator
- Little Fockers (2010): Bernie Focker
- Quartet (2012): Himself
- Chef (2014): Riva
- Boychoir (2014): Carvelle
- The Cobbler (2014): Abraham Simkin
- The Program (2015): Bob Hamman
- The Meyerowitz Stories (2017): Harold Meyerowitz
- Into the Labyrinth (2019): Doctor Green
- As They Made Us (2022): Eugene
- Sam & Kate (2022): Bill
- Naked City (1961, 1963): Finney, Lester Stenton
- The Defenders (1962, 1965): Buddy, Robert Burke
- The Nurses (1965): Larson
- The Journey of the Fifth Horse (1966): Zoditch
- The Star-Wagon (): Hanus Wicks
- ABC Stage 67 (1967): J.J. Semmons
- Premiere (1968): Arthur Greene
- The Point! (1971): Narrator / Father
- Death of a Salesman (1985): William "Willy" Loman
- Curb Your Enthusiasm (2005): Larry's Guide #1
- Luck (2011–2012): Chester "Ace" Bernstein
- Roald Dahl's Esio Trot (2015): Mr Henry Hoppy
- Medici: Masters of Florence (2016): Giovanni de' Medici
- A Cook for Mr. General (Playhouse Theatre, 1961): Ridzinski
- The Subject Was Roses (Belasco Theatre, 1964): Timmy Clearly
- Jimmy Shine (Brooks Atkinson Theatre, 1968): Jimmy Shine
- All Over Town (Booth Theatre, 1974)
- Death of a Salesman (Broadhurst Theatre, 1984): Willy Loman
- The Merchant of Venice (46th Street Theatre, 1989): Shylock
- The Simpsons (1991): Mr. Bergstrom (Credited as Sam Etic)
- A Wish for Wings That Work (1991): Milquetoast the Cross-Dressing Cockroach
- Liberty's Kids (2002–2003): Benedict Arnold (voice)
- Racing Stripes (2005): Tucker
- Kung Fu Panda (2008): Master Shifu
- Secrets of the Furious Five (2008): Master Shifu
- The Tale of Despereaux (2008): Roscuro
- Kung Fu Panda Holiday (2010): Master Shifu
- Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011): Master Shifu
- Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters (2011): Master Shifu
- Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Scroll (2016): Master Shifu & Warrior
- Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016): Master Shifu
