Who is Dustin Hoffman? Everything You Need to Know (2025)

At ‘Pasadena Playhouse,’ Hoffman got acquainted with Gene Hackman, who was struggling to land decent roles at that time. They both moved to New York, but Hoffman did not get many opportunities because of his supposedly unconventional looks.

During the ‘60s, Hoffman received opportunities to act in Off-Broadway productions. Side by side, he also studied method acting at ‘Actors Studio.’ Finally, in 1966, he performed in a big production, ‘Eh?’ by Henry Livings.

In 1967, he acted in his first theatrical film ‘The Tiger Makes Out.’ He then directed the productions of ‘Two for the Seesaw’ and ‘The Time of Your Life’ for the ‘Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre,’ for which he received $1000.

Mike Nichols cast him to play the lead role in ‘The Graduate’ (1967). The movie became a huge box office hit, collecting more than $100 million against a budget of just $3 million. His unconventional looks and brilliant acting skills established him as a star. He also received an ‘Academy Award’ nomination for his performance.

Although Hoffman started receiving offers in Hollywood, he returned to Broadway in 1968 to act in ‘Jimmy Shine.’ His acting was thoroughly appreciated and he received a ‘Drama Desk Award.’

In 1969, ‘Midnight Cowboy,’ an American drama starring Hoffman and Jon Voight, was released. Hoffman was once again nominated for an ‘Academy Award’ and the movie won three ‘Academy Awards.’

His next big film ‘Little Big Man’ was released in 1970. It was considered to be an unconventional movie at that time, more like an anti-establishment film. The movie was well-received by the critics.

For the next few years, Hoffman appeared in movies like ‘Who is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?’ (1971), ‘Straw Dogs’ (1971), ‘Papillon’ (1973), and ‘Lenny’ (1974). For his performance in ‘Lenny,’ he received his third ‘Oscar’ nomination.

In 1976, he starred in major films like ‘All the President’s Men’ and ‘Marathon Man.’ These movies established him as a seasoned actor. In the ensuing years, he acted in ‘Straight Time’ (1978) and ‘Agatha’ (1979).

The year 1979 elevated Hoffman’s position in the American film industry when ‘Kramer vs. Kramer’ was released. His portrayal of a workaholic father earned him accolades, including his first ‘Academy Award.’

A television movie titled ‘Death of a Salesman’ was released in 1985. It turned out to be another stepping stone in Hoffman’s career. His acting in the movie was critically acclaimed and he won an ‘Emmy’ and ‘Golden Globe’ for his role.

He then appeared in the 1987 comedy movie ‘Ishtar,’ which was a serious failure in Hoffman’s otherwise shining film career. He starred in the movie with Warren Beatty. Although it was a flop, ‘Ishtar’ became a cult film.

Hoffman was appreciated for his portrayal of an autistic savant in the film ‘Rain Man’ in 1988. He prepared for the role for around two years and received his second ‘Oscar’ for his performance.

In the following year, ‘Family Business’ was released in which Hoffman starred alongside actors like Sean Connery and Matthew Broderick. The movie was critically panned but found commercial success on video rentals.

Throughout the ‘90s, he did movies like ‘Dick Tracy’ (1990), ‘Billy Bathgate’ (1991), ‘Hook’ (1991), ‘Outbreak’ (1995), and ‘Sleepers’ (1996). He played the title role of ‘Captain Hook’ in ‘Hook.’ While he starred alongside Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey in ‘Outbreak,’ he shared screen space with Brad Pitt and Robert De Niro in ‘Sleepers.’

1997 proved to be a successful year for Hoffman as he appeared in ‘Mad City’ with John Travolta and ‘Wag the Dog,’ a black comedy, with Robert De Niro. For ‘Wag the Dog,’ he received his seventh ‘Academy Award’ nomination.

In early 2000, he got to perform in movies like ‘Moonlight Mile’ (2002), ‘Confidence’ (2003), ‘Runaway Jury’ (2003), and ‘Finding Neverland’ (2004).

In 2004, Hoffman and Robert De Niro worked together again in ‘Meet the Fockers,’ a sequel to the movie ‘Meet the Parents.’ He won the ‘MTV Movie Award’ for ‘Best Comedic Performance’ for the movie.

In 2006, he starred alongside actors like Will Ferrell and Maggie Gyllenhaal in ‘Stranger Than Fiction,’ a comedy-drama fantasy film. In the same year, he also played ‘Giuseppe Baldini’ in ‘Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.’

In 2007, he did an advertising campaign for the Australian telecommunications company Telstra's ‘Next G’ network and then appeared in 50 Cent’s music video ‘Follow My Lead’ as a psychiatrist. He also starred in ‘Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium.’

He voiced ‘Master Shifu’ in the animation film ‘Kung Fu Panda’ in 2008. It is said that he was initially reluctant to play the voice role. To his surprise, his voice acting won him the ‘Annie Award’ for ‘Voice Acting in an Animated Feature.’

In 2011, he reprised his role as ‘Shifu’ in the commercially successful film ‘Kung Fu Panda 2.’ Around the same time, he directed ‘Quartet,’ a BBC Films comedy, starring Maggie Smith. The following year, he recorded ‘Being There’ for ‘Audible.com.’

In 2014, he was part of the classic hit ‘Chef’ alongside Jon Favreau. He then starred in movies like ‘Boychoir’ and ‘The Cobbler.’ The following year, he co-starred alongside Judi Dench in the TV movie ‘Roald Dahl's Esio Trot,’ which earned him an ‘International Emmy Award’ for ‘Best Actor.’

In 2016, he reprised his role as ‘Master Shifu’ in ‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ and in the short film ‘Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Scroll.’

His 2017 movie ‘The Meyerowitz Stories’ premiered at the ‘Cannes Film Festival’ and received widespread critical acclaim. In the film, he starred alongside Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, and Emma Thompson.

In 2019, he appeared in the Italian thriller ‘L'uomo del labirinto’ (Into the Labyrinth). He was then cast to play ‘Eugene’ in Mayim Bialik’s drama movie ‘As Sick as They Made Us.’ In 2022, he starred as ‘Eugene’ in the American drama film ‘As They Made Us’ written and directed by Mayim Bialik. The film received an 81% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes. That same year, he also portrayed ‘Bill’ in the Darren Le Gallo-directed comedy film ‘Sam & Kate.’ The film had its premiere at the Austin Film Festival.

He will be next seen in the upcoming American epic science fiction drama film ‘Megalopolis.’ He will also appear in the upcoming animated film ‘Kung Fu Panda 4.’