By Betsy Pray
Staff Writer
He played more than 50 different roles in less than 25 years.
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, one of the best-known actors in Hollywood in recent years, was found dead in his New York City apartment this past Sunday. What many people don’t know is that the 46-year-old began his acting career right here in Western New York in the town of Fairport, a suburb of Rochester.
Hoffman began his long and distinguished career as an actor as a student in Fairport High School. According to a story from 13WHAM News in Rochester, Hoffman followed in his older brother Gordy’s footsteps into theatre after an injury sidelined his sports interest.
After graduating from Fairport High School in 1985, he attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, according to the Internet Movie Database. His first professional role was in a 1991 episode of “Law & Order.” After that, he gradually gained recognition over the decade in various roles in both mainstream and independent films, such as “Twister,” “The Big Lebowski” and “Almost Famous.”
Bonaventure journalism and mass communication alum Jack Garner, ‘67, a film critic and columnist from the Rochester newspaper the Democrat and Chronicle, interviewed Hoffman a number of times over the years. Also a friend of Hoffman’s family in Fairport, Garner shared his insight on Hoffman’s death.
“On a Rochester level, it’s painful because he’s one of our own,” Garner said. “He has a great effect on a lot of the actors locally; he did some theatre here before he went on to the world.”
Garner described Hoffman as a brave actor with a willingness to play risky and dark roles, notably in the 1998 film “Happiness.”
“He played guys who were on the darker side of life. His mother once told him, ‘You give voice to the voiceless,’” Garner said. “We should all appreciate that he did that.”
One of Hoffman’s most prominent roles was in the 2005 film “Capote,” playing the title character of Truman Capote. His performance earned him one of Hollywood’s highest accolades, the Academy Award for Best Actor. He would receive three more nominations for Best Supporting Actor between then and 2013, for his performances in “Charlie Wilson’s War,” “Doubt” and “The Master,” respectively. His most recent role was as Plutarch Heavensbee in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.”
A USA Today story highlighted how Hoffman had the opportunity to work with some of Hollywood’s most famous actors throughout his career, including Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, Al Pacino and Tom Hanks.
Despite Hoffman’s death, Garner emphasized how Hoffman’s legacy will live on in the films he appeared in during his 24-year-long career.
“Phil has all these great films, and I’m glad we have all these films to look at.” Garner said. “They will live on.”
