DUSTIN HOFFMAN (Wendall Rohr), a two-time Oscar winner and a seven-time nominee, is distinguished as one of the cinema’s most acclaimed leading actors. Recently, he starred in "Moonlight Mile," opposite Susan Sarandon, and in "Confidence," opposite Edward Burns and Rachel Weisz, for director James Foley.
He next appears in the Fox Searchlight Pictures release "I Heart Huckabees" and in ‘J.M. Barrie’s Neverland."
Born in Los Angeles, Hoffman attended Santa Monica City College and later studied at the Pasadena Playhouse, with Gene Hackman among his classmates, before moving to New York to study with Lee Strasberg. Hoffman’s first stage role was in the Sarah Lawrence College production of Gertrude Stein’s "Yes Is For A Very Young Man" which led to several roles Off Broadway, including the farce, "Eh?" directed by Alan Arkin, for which he won the Theatre World and Drama Desk Awards.
His performance in "Eh?" brought him to the attention of director Mike Nichols, who cast Hoffman in the title role in "The Graduate." His portrayal of young Benjamin Braddock brought him his first Academy Award nomination.
Hoffman has since been nominated for six more Academy Awards, for such diverse films as "Midnight Cowboy," "Lenny," "Tootsie," which he also produced through his company, Punch Productions, and "Wag the Dog," winning the Best Actor Award for "Kramer Vs. Kramer" in 1979 and for "Rain Man" in 1988.
Other films Hoffman has starred in include "Little Big Man," directed by Arthur Penn, "Straw Dogs," directed by Sam Peckinpah, "Papillion," also starring Steve McQueen, "All the Presidents Men," opposite Robert Redford, and directed by Alan J. Pakula, "Marathon Man," directed by John Schlesinger, "Straight Time," "Agatha," "Ishtar," Warren Beatty’s "Dick Tracy," "Billy Bathgate," directed by Robert Benton,
Steven Spielberg’s "Hook," "Hero," "Sleepers" and "Sphere," both directed by Barry Levinson, "American Buffalo," "Outbreak," directed by Wolfgang Petersen, "Mad City," directed by Costa-Gavras, and Luc Besson’s "Joan of Arc."
Hoffman’s stage work has been equally impressive since he made his Broadway debut with a walk-on part in "A Cook for Mr. General" in 1961. He joined the Theatre Company of Boston for one season, and then returned to New York to work as an assistant director on Arthur Miller’s "A View From the Bridge." He continued appearing on stage in such productions as "Harry, Noon and Night" and "The Journey of the Fifth Horse," for which he won an Obie® as Best Actor.
After "The Graduate," Hoffman returned to Broadway to star in "Jimmy Shine," by Murray Schisgal, before taking on the role of Ratso Rizzo in "Midnight Cowboy."
Hoffman made his directorial debut on Broadway in 1974 with Murray Schisgal’s "All Over Town." He returned to the Broadway stage a decade later as Willy Loman in the 1984 revival of Arthur Miller’s "Death of a Salesman," which he also produced, for which he earned the Drama Desk Award for Best Actor. Filmed as a special presentation for television, "Death of Salesman" also brought Hoffman an Emmy® Award. In 1989 Hoffman enjoyed a long run on the London stage as Shylock in "The Merchant of Venice" and later reprised the role on Broadway, for which he received a Tony® Award nomination.
Starting with "Tootsie," in 1982, Hoffman has also served as a producer for film, television and the stage under the banner of his company, Punch Productions. His credits as a producer include the films "Outbreak," "American Buffalo" and "Wag the Dog," Solely as a producer, he produced the feature film, "A Walk on the Moon," and served as executive producer on "The Devil’s Arithmetic." For the stage he produced "Death of a Salesman" (as well as the TV version) and "The Merchant of Venice."
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