The film world mourns Philip Seymour Hoffman

Article by News Team | 03 Feb 2014

Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead at his New York apartment on Sunday, with all major news sources reporting that his death was due to a heroin overdose. His fellow actors and filmmakers rushed to pay tribute to the much-loved character actor, who shot to fame with show-stealing roles in Boogie Nights, The Big Lebowski, The Talented Mr. Ripley and Almost Famous, before going on to win an Oscar for his performance in biopic Capote, and essaying a memorable villain in J.J. Abrams' box office smash Mission: Impossible 3.

In 2010, he made his directorial debut with Jack Goes Boating. He also had a long and celebrated career on the stage, founding a theatre company, the Bullstoi Ensemble, early in his career, and later becoming the co-artistic director of New York's LAByrinth Theater Company, appearing on Broadway regularly and winning acclaim as both an actor and director. In a recent high-profile film role, he delivered a bravura performance in Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master. At the time of his death, he was preparing to shoot the final scenes of his performance in the forthcoming Hunger Games sequel.  

The Guardian quoted the reactions of several actors and film-makers to news of Hoffman's death, as they arrived at the London Critics' Circle Awards on Sunday night. "There are actors and there are movie stars and sometimes they're both but he was an actor first and a movie star second," commented Steve Coogan, praising Hoffman for raising the bar for character actors. "He did some tremendous work," Coogan continued. "People have different opinions about actors but you wouldn't find anybody who would have a bad word to say about any of his performances – they were all incredibly nuanced."

In a statement, also quoted by The Guardian, Robert DeNiro commented: "I'm very, very saddened by the passing of Phil. He was a wonderful actor. This is one of those times where you say 'this just shouldn't be.' He was so young and gifted and had so much going, so much to live for." 

Over on Twitter, Hoffman's fellow actors added their voices to the wave of tributes, with Jim Carrey calling Hoffman "a beautiful beautiful soul," adding: "For the most sensitive among us the noise can be too much. Bless your heart." In comments that were echoed by a great many of his peers, Ricky Gervais described Hoffman as "one of the greatest actors of a generation and a sweet, funny and humble man." Other actors lining up to pay tribute to Hoffman included George Clooney, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris O'Dowd, Jon Favreau, Mia Farrow, and Aaron Paul.

The New York Post broke the story of the actor's death, reporting that he was found on Sunday morning in his New York apartment, following what is believed to have been an intravenous heroin overdose. Hoffman, who confessed in 2006 that he had struggled with drug and alochol dependency following his graduation from New York drama school, the Tisch School of the Arts, entered rehab at the age of 22. It is widely believed that the actor had been clean for over 20 years until a relapse last year. He is survived by partner, costume designer Mimi O'Donnell, and three children. 

Speaking to the New York Times in 2008, Hoffman offered an insight into the struggle he underwent to deliver his titanic performances. "Acting is torturous, and it's torturous because you know it's a beautiful thing," he told NYT's Lynn Hirschberg. "I was young once, and I said, 'That's beautiful and I want that.' Wanting it is easy, but trying to be great – well, that's absolutely torturous."