Tribute: Philip Seymour Hoffman (1967 - 2014)

This has really not been a good weekend.   Every time I’ve gone online since Friday evening, there’s been a new, significant death to report in the film industry.

The tragic story is still developing, but Philip Seymour Hoffman (1967 – 2014) -- just 46 years old -- has been confirmed dead this afternoon.  Details are still forthcoming, but so far they are all heart-breaking.

A staggering talent, Hoffman earned an Academy Award for his lead role in Capote (2005), and nominations for performances in Charlie Wilson’s War (2007) and Doubt (2008). 

Hoffman’s significant and impressive film roles are nearly too numerous to fully note, but he starred in dramas including Boogie Nights (1997), which is one of my all-time favorite movies about the 1970s, and he played the role of Lester Bangs -- a professional hero of mine --  in Almost Famous (2000).  

Hoffman also starred in dramas including Magnolia (1999) and The Master (2012).

Mr. Hoffman appeared regularly in thrillers such as Twister (1996), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Red Dragon (2002), and Mission: Impossible 3 (2006). 

Of late, he has appeared, in a supporting status, in the popular The Hunger Games franchise, as Plutarch.

The terrible news of Mr. Hoffman’s passing is so upsetting and unexpected that I am truly at a loss for words right now. 

I can only state, at this juncture, that I never saw a film in which Philip Seymour Hoffman phoned it in, or didn’t convincingly get “inside” his character.  His talent seemed boundless.  I mourn his loss at such a young age, when he still had so many great performances let to give us…