:''See stock character and ''commedia dell'arte'' for a discussion of related theatrical traditions.''

A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defines a ''character actor'' as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining ''character part'' in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or peculiarities". The earliest example of ''character actor'' cited by the ''OED'' derives from the 9 November 1883 edition of ''The Stage'', which defined the term as "one who portrays individualities and eccentricities, as opposed to the legitimate actor who [...] endeavours to create the rôle as limned by the author".

Career paths

There are many reasons people might become character actors. Actors may also simply seem better suited to character roles than to leading roles. While any film has a handful of leading roles, it may also require dozens of smaller supporting roles, and there are arguably more opportunities for professional success as a character actor than as a movie star. Although actors become character actors by choice, others find character work because they are seen as typecast (strongly identified with, or only suitable for certain types of roles), often due to an early success with a particular role or genre. J. T. Walsh and Dennis Hopper made a career of playing villainous characters and Steve Buscemi has made a career of playing scheming deadbeats and offbeat villains. Some actors may become character actors because casting agents believe they lack some of the physical attributes usually associated with movie stars: they may be regarded as too tall, too short, unattractive, overweight, or somehow lacking an ephemeral "star quality".

Some actors may have a perceived over-the-top style or presence that overwhelms or threatens to upstage other actors, which means that directors often choose to limit their screentime, in effect giving more power and value to their performance. An example of strong screen presence is Peter Greene, an actor with a unique look. Some other well known examples include Christopher Lee due to his physical presence and distinctive voice and Malcolm McDowell due to certain idiosyncrasies associated with his style dating back to ''A Clockwork Orange''. Actors may be deemed too old or too young for leading roles. Being "too old" is more of a problem for women, who may find that their range of acting jobs drops precipitously after the age of forty (see ageism). Actors from marginalized or minority groups (such as certain ethnic or racial groups or women) might be barred from roles for which they were otherwise suited. Actors from outside of the U.S. may be famous in their own countries, but find their roles limited in the U.S. for various reasons (see Marcel Dalio, Cantinflas and Jet Li).

Some character actors have distinctive voices or accents which limit their roles. Actors such as James Earl Jones, Tim Curry, Gilbert Gottfried, Selma Diamond and Julie Kavner have been able to turn this to their advantage, often in voice-over work. Sometimes character actors have developed careers because of specific talents that are required in genre films, such as dancing, horsemanship or swimming ability. The stars of a movie that fails badly at the box office are often considered part of the reason it failed, and they may have trouble finding work later. Character actors are almost never blamed for these failures, and can continue to find work relatively easily.

Popular film character actors

Many character actors, including the following, have earned acclaim for their performances but have rarely been cast in leading roles:

Crossover to stardom

Some character actors have eventually gained star status and have become widely known, or perhaps even become lead actors or actresses. Examples include:

Occasional crossover to film directing

Character actors sometimes become film directors who have either made the crossover to acting or worked in front of the camera before, such as John Huston, Sydney Pollack, Paul Mazursky, Orson Welles, Mathieu Kassovitz, Lindsay Anderson, John Cassavetes, Woody Allen, Roman Polanski, Mark Rydell, Terry Jones, Jon Favreau, Ben Stiller, Otto Preminger and Tim Blake Nelson to name a few.

Further reading

References

Category:Acting Category:Television terminology

de:Charakterrolle fr:Acteur de genre it:Attore caratterista pl:Aktor charakterystyczny ru:Характерный актёр simple:Character actor sv:Karaktärsskådespelare

name	Luke Askew
birth date	1937 (age 73-74)
birth place	Macon, Georgia, U.S.
occupation	Film, television actor
awards	}}

Luke Askew (born 1937 in Macon, Georgia, U.S.) is an American actor best known for his role in the 1969 film ''Easy Rider''.

Askew was born in Macon, Georgia. He made his film debut in Otto Preminger's ''Hurry Sundown'' (1967), but was first noticed as an actor for his role in the 1967 film ''Cool Hand Luke''. He was one of the first actors daring to wear long hair in this era, which he had to hide under a hat during the filming of this movie. The next year he worked with John Wayne in ''The Green Berets'' (with his hair cut short). The following year he worked with Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda in ''Easy Rider''. This film set him on the road to becoming a cult figure of modern cinema.

Askew has continued to work as an actor since then, predominantly appeared as an actor on television series. This includes work on such series as: ''Bonanza'', ''Mission: Impossible'', ''The Rockford Files'', ''The Six Million Dollar Man'', ''T. J. Hooker'', ''L.A. Law'', ''MacGyver'',''Walker, Texas Ranger'' and HBO's ''Big Love''. He has appeared frequently with Bill Paxton.

He also took part in ''Easy Rider: Shaking the Cage'' (1999), a documentary about the making of the film on the ''Easy Rider'' DVD. Askew sang Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Jimmy Reed songs at The Gaslight Cafe. According to Bob Dylan, Luke, when he sang at The Gaslight Cafe, was a "guy who sounded like Bobby Blue Bland".

Filmography

''''Hurry Sundown'' (film)'', (1967)

''The Happening'' (1967)

''Cool Hand Luke'' (1967)

''Will Penny'' (1968)

''The Green Berets'' (1968)

''The Devil's Brigade'' (1968)

''Easy Rider'' (1969)

''The Magnificent Seven Ride'' (1972)

''The Culpepper Cattle Company'' (1972)

''The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid'' (1972)

''Walking Tall Part 2'' (1975)

''Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid'' (1973)

''Slipstream'' (1973)

''Posse'' (1975)

''Rolling Thunder'' (1977)

''Wanda Nevada'' (1979)

''Frailty'' (2001)

''Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood'' (2003) (documentary)

''The Greatest Game Ever Played'' (2005)

References

External links

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800030854/filmography

Category:1937 births Category:Actors from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:Living people

de:Luke Askew fi:Luke Askew

name	Elisha Cook, Jr.
birth name	Elisha Vanslyck Cook, Jr.
birth date	December 26, 1903
birth place	San Francisco, California, U.S.
death date
othername	Elisa CookElisha Cook
death place	Big Pine, California, U.S.
years active	1930–88
occupation	Actor
spouse	}}

Elisha Vanslyck Cook, Jr. (December 26, 1903 – May 18, 1995) was an American character actor who made a career out of playing cowardly villains and weedy neurotics in dozens of films. He was perhaps most noted for his portrayal of the "gunsel" Wilmer, who tries to intimidate Humphrey Bogart's Sam Spade in ''The Maltese Falcon''.

Career

Cook was born in San Francisco, the son of Elisha Vanslyck Cook, Sr., a pharmacist. He grew up in Chicago. He started out in vaudeville and stock by age 14. He was a traveling actor in the East and Midwest before arriving in New York City, where Eugene O'Neill cast him in his play ''Ah, Wilderness!'', which ran on Broadway for two years. In 1936, Cook settled in Hollywood and, after playing a series of college-aged parts, began a long stint playing weaklings or sadistic losers and hoods. His acting career spanned more than 60 years. Cook's characters usually ended up being killed off (strangled, poisoned or shot); he was arguably Hollywood's most notable fall guy for many years. He made a rare appearance in slapstick comedy in the cameo role of The Screenwriter in 1941's ''Hellzapoppin'''. In Universal's ''Phantom Lady'' of 1944, he portrays a slimy, intoxicated nightclub-orchestra drummer to memorable effect. He had a substantial uncredited role as Bobo in ''I, The Jury'' (1953).

Other notable roles included Wilmer the "gunsel" in ''The Maltese Falcon'' (1941), a henchman (Marty Waterman) of the murderous title character in ''Born to Kill'', the doomed informant Harry Jones in ''The Big Sleep'' (1946), the pugnacious ex-Confederate soldier "Stonewall" Torrey in ''Shane'' (1953), and George Peatty, the crooked hen-pecked husband to Marie Windsor, in Stanley Kubrick's ''The Killing'' (1956). At the other end of the cinematic spectrum, he appeared in William Castle's horror film ''House on Haunted Hill'', released in 1959.

Cook did work, too, on American television. He played a private detective in a 1953 episode of ''Adventures of Superman'' TV series titled ''Semi-Private Eye''. That same season, he guest starred on NBC's ''The Dennis Day Show.'' He appeared in the second episode of The Fugitive (TV series). He played lawyer Samuel T. Cogley in the ''Star Trek'' episode "Court Martial", Isaac Isaacson on the ''Batman'' TV series, Weasel Craig in ''Salem's Lot'', and later had a long-term recurring role as Icepick on ''Magnum, P.I.''.

He also appeared in ''The Bionic Woman'' episode "Once a Thief" in 1977 opposite Lindsay Wagner.

Personal life

Cook married twice. His first marriage was to Mary Lou Cook in 1929, but they divorced in 1942. His second marriage, which lasted until his death, was to Peggy McKenna Cook in 1943. He had no children, although he spent time raising a niece. He lived in Bishop, California, typically summering on Lake Sabrina in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

According to John Huston, who directed him in ''The Maltese Falcon'':

"[Cook] lived alone up in the High Sierra, tied flies and caught golden trout between films. When he was wanted in Hollywood, they sent word up to his mountain cabin by courier. He would come down, do a picture, and then withdraw again to his retreat."

Death

Cook died of a stroke on May 18, 1995 in Big Pine, California.

Filmography

''Her Unborn Child'' (1930) (film debut)

''Pigskin Parade'' (1936)

''They Won't Forget'' (1937)

''Submarine Patrol'' (1938)

''He Married His Wife'' (1940)

''Stranger on the Third Floor'' (1940)

''Tin Pan Alley'' (1940)

''Ball of Fire'' (1941)

''I Wake Up Screaming'' (1941)

''The Maltese Falcon'' (1941)

''Hellzapoppin''' (1941)

''A-Haunting We Will Go'' (1942)

''Baptism of Fire'' (1943)

''Phantom Lady'' (1944)

''Dark Waters'' (1944)

''Dillinger'' (1945)

''Two Smart People'' (1946)

''The Big Sleep'' (1946)

''Born to Kill'' (1947)

''The Gangster'' (1947)

''The Long Night'' (1947)

''The Great Gatsby'' (1949)

''Don't Bother to Knock'' (1952)

''I, The Jury'' (1953) (uncredited)

''Shane'' (1953)

''The Killing'' (1956)

''Accused of Murder'' (1956)

''Baby Face Nelson'' (1957)

''House on Haunted Hill'' (1959)

''One-Eyed Jacks'' (1961)

''Papa's Delicate Condition'' (1963)

''Black Zoo'' (1963)

''The Haunted Palace'' (1963)

''Welcome to Hard Times'' (1967)

''Rosemary's Baby'' (1968)

''The Night Stalker'' (1972) (TV)

''The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid'' (1972)

''Messiah of Evil'' (1972)

''Blacula'' (1972)

''Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid'' (1973) (uncredited)

''Emperor of the North Pole'' (1973)

''Electra Glide in Blue'' (1973)

''The Outfit'' (1973)

''The Black Bird'' (1975)

''St. Ives'' (1976)

''The Champ'' (1979)

''Salem's Lot'' (1979) (TV)

''1941'' (1979)

''Tom Horn'' (1980)

''Carny'' (1980)

''Harry's War'' (1981)

''Hammett'' (1982)

''Treasure: In Search of the Golden Horse'' (1984)

References

External links

Category:1903 births Category:1995 deaths Category:Actors from California Category:American film actors Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:Deaths from stroke Category:People from Bishop, California Cook, Elisha Jr.

de:Elisha Cook es:Elisha Cook, Jr. fr:Elisha Cook Jr. pt:Elisha Cook, Jr.

birth name	Dustin Lee Hoffman
birth date	August 08, 1937
birth place	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
occupation	Actor
years active	1960–present
spouse	Anne Byrne (1969–80)Lisa Gottsegen(1980–present)
other names	Sam Etic }}

Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable types of characters.

He first drew critical praise for the 1966 Off-Broadway play ''Eh?'' for which he won a Theatre World Award and a Drama Desk Award. This was soon followed by his breakthrough movie role as Benjamin Braddock in ''The Graduate'' (1967). Since then Hoffman's career has largely been focused in cinema with only sporadic returns to television and the stage. Some of his most noted films are ''Papillon'', ''Marathon Man'', ''Midnight Cowboy'', ''Little Big Man'', ''Lenny'', ''All the President's Men'', ''Kramer vs. Kramer'', ''Tootsie'', ''Rain Man'', ''Wag the Dog'', and ''Meet the Fockers''.

Hoffman has won two Academy Awards (for his performances in ''Kramer vs. Kramer'' and ''Rain Man''), five Golden Globes, three BAFTAs, three Drama Desk Awards, a Genie Award, and an Emmy Award. Dustin Hoffman received the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1999.

Early life

Hoffman was born in Los Angeles, the second son of Lillian (née Gold) and Harry Hoffman. His father worked as a prop supervisor/set decorator at Columbia Pictures before becoming a furniture salesman. Hoffman was named after stage and silent screen actor Dustin Farnum. His older brother, Ronald, is a lawyer and economist. Hoffman is from an Ashkenazi Jewish family of immigrants from Ukraine and Romania. His upbringing was not religious or observant. He graduated from Los Angeles High School in 1955 and enrolled at Santa Monica College with the intention of studying medicine, leaving after a year to join the Pasadena Playhouse.

Career

Early work

Hoffman began his acting career at the Pasadena Playhouse alongside future Academy Award winner Gene Hackman. After two years at the playhouse, Hackman headed for New York City with Hoffman soon following. Having considerable difficulty getting roles in part due to his unconventional countenance for an actor of that time, he took a series of odd jobs, including working as a restaurant coat checker, working in the typing department of the city Yellow Pages directory, and stringing Hawaiian leis. During this time period he would get an occasional bit television role but left acting briefly to teach in order to support himself. Hoffman would also occasionally do television commercials; an often-replayed segment on programs that explore actors' early work is a clip showing Hoffman touting the Volkswagen Fastback.

In 1960, Hoffman landed a role in an Off-Broadway production and followed with a walk-on role in a Broadway production in 1961. Hoffman then studied at the famed Actors Studio and became a dedicated method actor. Sidney Pink, a producer and 3D movie pioneer, discovered him in one of his Off-Broadway roles and cast him in ''Madigan's Millions''. His first critical success was in ''Eh?'' by Henry Livings which had its US premiere off-Broadway at the Circle in the Square Downtown on October 16, 1966.

Through the early and mid-1960s, Hoffman made appearances in television shows and movies, including ''Naked City'', ''The Defenders'' and ''Hallmark Hall of Fame''. Hoffman made his theatrical film debut in ''The Tiger Makes Out'' in 1967, alongside Eli Wallach.

In 1967, immediately after wrapping up principal filming on ''The Tiger Makes Out'', Hoffman flew from New York City to Fargo, North Dakota, where he directed a production of William Saroyan's ''The Time of Your Life'' for the Emma Herbst Community Theatre. The $1,000 he received for the eight-week contract was all he had to hold him over until the funds from the movie materialized.

Major roles

In 1966, Mike Nichols cast Hoffman in ''The Graduate'', which prevented him from appearing in the acclaimed Mel Brooks film, ''The Producers'' as Franz Liebkind. The film began production in March 1967. Hoffman received an Academy Award nomination for his performance and became a major star. Although he initially endured some anti-semitic derision for his unusual looks and ethnicity, Hoffman's outstanding success in this film and his numerous later acclaimed roles is credited with broadening the field of major film roles for other actors of once undesirable ethnicities

After the success of this film, another Hoffman film, ''Madigan's Millions'', shot before ''The Graduate'', was released on the tail of the actor's newfound success. It was considered a failure at the box office.

In December 1968, Hoffman returned to Broadway to appear in the title role of Murray Schisgal and John Sebastian's musical ''Jimmy Shine''. For his performance in the production Hoffman won a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance. Just a few weeks after leaving the production, Hoffman's next major film ''Midnight Cowboy'' premiered in theatres across the United States on May 25, 1969. For his role as Ratso Rizzo in the film, Hoffman received his second Oscar nomination and the film won the Best Picture honor. This was followed by his role in ''Little Big Man'' (1970) where Jack Crabb, his character, ages from teenager to a 121-year-old man. The film was widely praised by critics, but was overlooked for an award except for a supporting nomination for Chief Dan George.

Hoffman continued to appear in major films over the next few years. ''Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?'' (1971), ''Straw Dogs'' (also 1971), and ''Papillon'' (1973) were followed by ''Lenny'' (1974), for which Hoffman received his third nomination for Best Actor in seven years.

Less than two years after the Watergate scandal, Hoffman and Robert Redford starred as Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, respectively, in ''All the President's Men'' (1976). Hoffman next starred in ''Marathon Man'' (also 1976), a film based on William Goldman's novel of the same name, opposite Laurence Olivier. Hoffman's next roles were less successful. He opted out of directing ''Straight Time'' (1978) but starred as a thief. His next film, Michael Apted's ''Agatha'', was with Vanessa Redgrave as Agatha Christie.

Hoffman next starred in Robert Benton's ''Kramer vs. Kramer'' (1979) as workaholic Ted Kramer whose wife (Meryl Streep) unexpectedly leaves him; he raises their son alone. Hoffman gained his first Academy Award, and the film also received the Best Picture honor, plus the awards for Best Supporting Actress (Streep) and Director.

In ''Tootsie'' (1982), Hoffman portrays Michael Dorsey, a struggling actor who finds himself dressing up as a woman to land a role on a soap opera. His co-star was Jessica Lange. ''Tootsie'' earned ten Academy Award nominations, including Hoffman's fifth nomination.

Hoffman then turned to television in the role of Willy Loman in ''Death of a Salesman'', for which he won the 1985 Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Lead Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries. He would also go on to win a Golden Globe for the same performance.

Hoffman's largest film failure was Elaine May's ''Ishtar'', with Warren Beatty. The film faced severe production problems, received almost completely negative reviews from critics and was nominated for three Razzie awards. However, Hoffman and Beatty liked the film's final cut and tried to defend it. Hoffmann and Beatty were unaffected by the flop, and ''Ishtar'' became a cult film. James House, who later became a country music artist, served as Hoffman's vocal coach in the film.

In director Barry Levinson's ''Rain Man'' (1988), Hoffman starred as an autistic savant, opposite Tom Cruise. Levinson, Hoffman and Cruise worked for two years on the film, and his performance garnered Hoffman his second Academy Award. Upon accepting, Hoffman stated softly to his fellow nominees that it was okay if they didn't vote for him because "I didn't vote for you guys either." After ''Rain Man'', Hoffman appeared with Sean Connery and Matthew Broderick in ''Family Business''. The film did relatively poorly with the critics and at the box office. In 1991, Hoffman voiced substitute teacher Mr. Bergstrom in ''The Simpsons'' episode "Lisa's Substitute", under the pseudonym Sam Etic. As a reference to this episode, during the episode featuring the Itchy & Scratchy movie, Lisa claims that Dustin Hoffman had a cameo in that movie but didn't use his real name.

Throughout the 1990s, Hoffman appeared in many large, studio films, such as ''Dick Tracy'' (1990) (where his ''Ishtar'' co-star Beatty plays the titular character), ''Hero'' (1992) and the ill-fated ''Billy Bathgate'' (1991) co-starring with Nicole Kidman who was nominated for a Golden Globe). Hoffman also played the title role of Captain Hook in Steven Spielberg's ''Hook'' (also 1991), earning a Golden Globe nomination; in this movie, Hoffman's costume was so heavy that he had to wear an air-conditioned suit under it. Hoffman played the lead role in ''Outbreak'' (1995), alongside Rene Russo, Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Donald Sutherland. Following that, he appeared in the 1996 revenge-drama/legal-thriller ''Sleepers'' (1996) with Brad Pitt, Jason Patric, and Kevin Bacon.

It was in the mid-1990s that Hoffman starred in—and was deeply involved in the production of—David Mamet's ''American Buffalo'' (also 1996), one of the very few "pure art projects" he is known for, and an early effort of film editor Kate Sanford. In 1997, Hoffman starred opposite John Travolta in the Costa Gavras film ''Mad City'' and gained his seventh Academy Award nomination for his performance in ''Wag The Dog'', in a role that allowed Hoffman the chance to work with both Robert De Niro and Dennis Leary. He next appeared in Barry Levinson's adaptation of ''Sphere'' (1998), opposite Sharon Stone, Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Coyote, Queen Latifah and Liev Schreiber. Hoffman next appeared in ''Moonlight Mile'' (2002), followed by ''Confidence'' (2003) opposite Edward Burns, Andy García and Rachel Weisz. Hoffman would finally have a chance to work with Gene Hackman, in Gary Fleder's ''Runaway Jury'' (also 2003), an adaptation of John Grisham's bestselling novel.

Hoffman played theater owner Charles Frohman in the J. M. Barrie historical fantasia ''Finding Neverland'' (2004), costarring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet. In director David O. Russell's ''I Heart Huckabees'' (also 2004), Hoffman appeared opposite Lily Tomlin as an existential detective team.

Seven years after his nomination for ''Wag the Dog'', Hoffman got a second opportunity to perform again with Robert De Niro, co-starring with Barbra Streisand and Ben Stiller in the 2004 comedy ''Meet the Fockers'', a sequel to ''Meet the Parents'' (2000). Hoffman won the 2005 MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance. In 2005, he voiced a horse in ''Racing Stripes'', and appeared in cameo roles in Andy García's ''The Lost City'' and on the final episode of HBO sitcom ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'''s fifth season. Hoffman appeared in ''Stranger than Fiction'' (2006), played the perfumer Giuseppe Baldini in Tom Tykwer's film ''Perfume: The Story of a Murderer'' (also 2006) and had a cameo in the same year's ''The Holiday''.

In 2007, he was featured in an advertising campaign for Australian telecommunications company Telstra's Next G network, appeared in the 50 Cent video "Follow My Lead" as a psychiatrist, and played the title character in the family film ''Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium''. In 2008, although he was reluctant to perform in an animated film, Hoffman had a prominent role as Shifu in the acclaimed film ''Kung Fu Panda'', which was praised in part for his comedic chemistry with Jack Black and his character's poignantly complex relationship with the story's villain. He later won the Annie Award for Voice Acting in an Animated Feature for ''Kung Fu Panda'' and has continued into the role in the franchise's subsequent filmed productions outside of the upcoming television series. He next voiced Roscuro in ''The Tale of Despereaux'' and played the title character in ''Last Chance Harvey''.

Hoffman will be starring in the HBO horse-racing drama ''Luck'', as a man involved in activities such as bookmaking and casino operations. He will also direct ''Quartet'', a BBC Films comedy starring Maggie Smith and Albert Finney. He also appeared in ''Little Fockers'', the critically panned, 2010 sequel to ''Meet the Fockers'', this time in a much smaller role. In 2011, Hoffman reprised his role as Shifu in ''Kung Fu Panda 2''.

Personal life

Hoffman married Anne Byrne in May 1969. The couple had two children, Karina (b. 1966) and Jenna (born October 15, 1970). Karina is adopted. The couple divorced in 1980. He married attorney Lisa Hoffman (née Gottsegen) in October 1980; they have four children – Jacob Edward (born March 20, 1981), Rebecca (b. March 17, 1983), Maxwell Geoffrey (born August 30, 1984), and Alexandra Lydia (born October 27, 1987). Hoffman also has two grandchildren. In an interview, he said that all of his children from his second marriage had bar or bat mitzvahs and that he is a more observant Jew now than when he was younger; he also lamented that he is not fluent in Hebrew. In 1970, Hoffman and Byrne were living in Greenwich Village in a building next door to the townhouse destroyed by members of The Weatherman when they detonated a bomb in the building's basement, killing three people. In the 2002 documentary ''The Weather Underground'', Hoffman can be seen standing in the street during the aftermath of the explosion.

A political liberal, Hoffman has long supported the Democratic Party and Ralph Nader. In 1997, he was one of a number of Hollywood stars and executives to sign an open letter to then-German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, published as a newspaper advertisement in the ''International Herald Tribune'', which protested the treatment of Scientologists in Germany.

Robert Duvall was a roommate of Hoffman's during the early years of their careers in New York City.

There were many rumors and discussions in July 2010 about Hoffman canceling his appearance at the Jerusalem Film Festival as a reaction to the Gaza flotilla raid. However, his representatives told ''The New York Times'' there was “no truth” to this report.

In 2009, he received the freedom of the Italian city Ascoli Piceno for being there during 1972 to shoot the movie ''Alfredo, Alfredo'' by Pietro Germi, where he played the role of Alfredo Sbisà.

Filmography and awards

Year	Film	Role	Notes
	''The Tiger Makes Out''	Hap
''The Graduate''	Benjamin Braddock
1968	''Madigan's Millions''	Jason Fister
	''Sunday Father''	A 'Sunday Father'	short subject
''Midnight Cowboy''	Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo	BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role also for ''John and Mary (film)
	John	[[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role also for ''Midnight Cowboy''Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1970		Jack Crabb	Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
	''On Location: Dustin Hoffman''	Himself	short subject
	Georgie Soloway
''Straw Dogs''	David Sumner
1972	''Alfredo, Alfredo''	Alfredo Sbisà
1973		Louis Dega
1974		Lenny Bruce	Nominated – Academy Award for Best ActorNominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading RoleNominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
	''The Magic of Hollywood... Is the Magic of People''	Himself	short subject
	Carl Bernstein
	Babe Levy	Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role also for ''All the President's Men (film)
1978	''[[Straight Time''	Max Dembo	also producer
		Wally Stanton	National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor also for ''Kramer vs. Kramer''
''Kramer vs. Kramer''	Ted Kramer	Academy Award for Best ActorDavid di Donatello for Best Actor
1982	''[[Tootsie''	Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels	BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading RoleBoston Society of Film Critics Award for Best ActorGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNational Society of Film Critics Award for Best ActorNominated – Academy Award for Best Actor
1984	''Terror in the Aisles''		archival footage
1985		Willy Loman	Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor – Miniseries or a Movie
1986	''Private Conversations''	Himself	documentary
1987		Chuck Clarke
1988	''[[Rain Man''	Raymond Babbitt
	''Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt''	Narrator	documentary
	Vito McMullen
1990		Mumbles
		Dutch Schultz
	Captain Hook	Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
		Bernard 'Bernie' Laplante	Extra : Man at the bar 35:07 into Basic Instinct
''Horton Hears a Who!''	Narrator
1993	''La Classe américaine''	Peter	in archive footage only
1994	''Jonas in the Desert''	Himself	documentary
1995		Colonel Sam Daniels
		Walt 'Teach' Teacher
	Danny Snyder
			Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award
	Max Brackett
''Wag the Dog''	Stanley Motss	Nominated – Academy Award for Best ActorNominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated – Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
1998		Dr. Norman Goodman
1999	''The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc''	The Conscience
	''Tuesday''	Narrator	short subject
''Goldwyn''	Narrator	documentary
		Ben Floss
''Liberty's Kids''	''Benedict Arnold''	voice
	''The Shakespeare Sessions''	Himself	documentary
	Winston King
''Runaway Jury''	Wendell Rohr
	''Freedom2speak v2.0''	Himself – Actor, USA	documentary
''Finding Neverland''	Charles Frohman	Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
''I Heart Huckabees''	Bernard
''Meet the Fockers''	Bernie Focker	MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance
''Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events''	The Critic	uncredited
	''Racing Stripes''	Tucker	voice
	Meyer Lansky
		Giuseppe Baldini
	Professor Jules Hilbert
''The Holiday''	Himself	uncredited
2007	''Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium''	Mr. Edward Magorium, Avid Shoe-Wearer
	''Kung Fu Panda''	Master Shifu
	Roscuro	voice
''Last Chance Harvey''	Harvey Shine	Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
		Izzy	Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
''Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story''	Narrator	documentary
''Little Fockers''	Bernie Focker
	''Kung Fu Panda 2''	Master Shifu	voice
	unknown	in production

References

External links

Simply Dustin Hoffman

Top Dustin Hoffman Films

Dustin Hoffman video interview at stv.tv, December 2007

Category:1937 births Category:Actors from California Category:Actors Studio alumni Category:American film actors Category:American Jews Category:American stage actors Category:American voice actors Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:Best Actor Academy Award winners Category:Best Actor BAFTA Award winners Category:Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Best Miniseries or Television Movie Actor Golden Globe winners Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Drama Desk Award winners Category:American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent Category:American people of Romanian-Jewish descent Category:Jewish actors Category:Living people Category:Obie Award recipients Category:Royal Shakespeare Company members Category:Theatre World Award winners Category:Genie Award winners for Best Supporting Actor

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birth date	July 24, 1965
birth place	Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
birth name	Paul Friedman
occupation	Film, television actor
yearsactive	1990–present }}

Paul Ben-Victor (born July 24, 1965) is an American actor.

Ben-Victor was born Paul Friedman, in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Leah Kornfeld, a playwright, and Victor Friedman. Ben-Victor debuted on the small screen in 1987 in the made-for-TV movie ''Blood Vows: The Story of a Mafia Wife'' and on an episode of ''Cagney & Lacey''. Fifteen years after beginning his television career with bit parts, Ben-Victor found himself cast in important roles on HBO dramas ''The Wire'' and ''Entourage'', as well as making a 2006 appearance as Coach Lou on ''My Name is Earl''. He portrayed Moe Howard in the 2000 made-for-TV film ''The Three Stooges''.

Ben-Victor has been featured on many television cop dramas like ''Monk'' and ''CSI'', and also had a recurring role as two-bit con man Steve Richards on three episodes of ''NYPD Blue'' from 1994 to 1997.

Ben-Victor has co-written stage plays with his mother. At least two of their plays have been staged in the Manhattan area, including "Club Soda" and "The Good Steno".

Ben-Victor had a starring role in the Sci-Fi channel television show, ''The Invisible Man'', alongside Vincent Ventresca. The two later guest starred together on the hit TV show ''Las Vegas''. They were reunited again on an episode of the new USA Network series ''In Plain Sight'' (Episode 1.2, "Hoosier Daddy"), on which Ben-Victor has a supporting role.

Appeared on "Everybody Hates Chris" as Mr. Thurman

In 2008, Ben-Victor held a supporting role in the feature film, ''Clear Lake, WI'', starring Michael Madsen.

In August 2008, Ben-Victor co-starred in ''Coma'', a web series on Crackle.

Filmography

''Should've Been Romeo (2010 film)

''The Rookie'' (1990)

''Cool World'' (1992)

''Tombstone'' (1993)

''True Romance'' (1993)

''The X-Files'' (1994) (TV series)

''Bushwhacked'' (1995) (uncredited)

''Houseguest'' (1995)

''A Civil Action'' (1998)

''Point Blank'' (1998)

''The Corruptor'' (1999)

''The Invisible Man'' (2000) (TV series)

''The Three Stooges'' (2000) (TV)

''Drowning Mona'' (2000)

''Daredevil'' (2003)

''The Wire'' (2002) (TV series) (2003–2008) as Spiros Vondas

''Monk'' (2005) (TV series)

''Entourage'' (2005–2008) (TV series)

''Randy and The Mob'' (2006)

''The Shield'' (2006) (TV series)

''My Name Is Earl'' (2006) (TV series)

''All the King's Men'' (2006)

''John from Cincinnati'' (2007) (TV series)

''In Plain Sight'' (2008)- (Present) (TV series)

''Clear Lake, WI'' (2009)

''Everybody Hates Chris'' (2009) (TV series)

''The Mentalist'' (2010) (TV series)

''Childrens Hospital'' (2011) (TV series)

References

External links

Official Site

Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:Actors from New York Category:American Jews Category:People from Brooklyn Category:People from New York City Category:1965 births Category:Living people

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