Philip Seymour Hoffman Is Still The Master: Remembering His 15 Best Film Performances

We lost the incredible Philip Seymour Hoffman in Feb. 2014, and the hole in the industry still looms large. With a career spanning over three decades, Hoffman worked alongside several masters both in front and behind the camera. The New York-born actor was a staple of some of Paul Thomas Andersons most fascinating works. These

We lost the incredible Philip Seymour Hoffman in Feb. 2014, and the hole in the industry still looms large.  

With a career spanning over three decades, Hoffman worked alongside several masters both in front and behind the camera. The New York-born actor was a staple of some of Paul Thomas Anderson’s most fascinating works. These included an expansive look at the porn industry with “Boogie Nights” (1997), a character mosaic of love and loss with “Magnolia” (1999), a wild expose on social anxiety with “Punch-Drunk Love” (2002) and a look at the beginnings of a cult in “The Master” (2012). 

He also worked with filmmakers such as Sidney Lumet (“Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead”), Cameron Crowe (“Almost Famous”), Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (“The Big Lebowski”) and Charlie Kaufman (“Synecdoche, New York”).  

An actor’s actor, he shared the screen with the likes of Oscar-winners Al Pacino (“Scent of a Woman”), Paul Newman (“Nobody’s Fool”), Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts (“Charlie Wilson’s War”), George Clooney (“The Ides of March”), Brad Pitt (“Moneyball”), Nicole Kidman (“Cold Mountain”) and Robin Williams (“Patch Adams”). 

Hoffman didn’t shy away from the consumer-friendly blockbuster hits either, shown by his work in “The Hunger Games” franchise opposite Jennifer Lawrence and his villainous turn in “Mission Impossible III” with Tom Cruise. 

His spirit endures and still ripples in our cinematic psyches. We can see it everywhere, notably in his son Cooper Hoffman, who made his acting debut last year with Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Licorice Pizza” (2021), which was nominated for best picture. 

To celebrate his birthday, Variety ranks the 15 best film performances of his career.  

Read below, and click on the image to watch “The Scene That Proves It” 

Honorable mentions: “25th Hour” (2002); “Charlie Wilson’s War” (2007); “Happiness” (1998); “Mission: Impossible III” (2006); “The Savages” (2007) 

  • A Most Wanted Man (2014)

    Role: Günther Bachmann 

    Director: Anton Corbijn
    Writer(s): Andrew Bovell (based on “A Most Wanted Man” by John le Carré)
    Distributor: Lionsgate 

    The scene that proves it: “It takes a minnow to catch a barracuda…”

    The last of Hoffman’s films to be finished and premiere before his death, Anton Corbijn’s taut thriller, featuring standout turns from Rachel McAdams and Robin Wright, never found its proper moment to shine in film history. The espionage thriller has Hoffman playing a German leading a covert government team to recruit informants with ties to terrorist organizations. The movie has a rapid pace and is one of the better constructed spy adaptations of the last few years. 

  • Twister (1996)

    Role: Dustin “Dusty” Davis 

    Director: Jan de Bont
    Writer(s): Michael Crichton, Anne-Marie Martin
    Distributor: Warner Bros 

    The scene that proves it: “Red meat, we crave sustenance.” 

    Philip Seymour Hoffman is pure fun in overdrive. That’s what his tornado chasing, and meat-loving Dusty in Jan de Bont’s action classic “Twister” represents in his filmography. From queuing up tracks like Deep Purple’s “Child in Time” and Eric Clapton’s “Motherless Child,” Hoffman showed he was the epitome of cool. 

  • The Ides of March (2011)

    Role: Paul Zara 

    Director: George Clooney
    Writer(s): George Clooney, Beau Willimon, Grant Heslov (based on “Farragut North” by Beau Willimon)
    Distributor: Sony Pictures 

    The scene that proves it: “There’s one thing I value in this world, and that’s loyalty…”

    The political landscape gets the George Clooney treatment in the adaptation of “Farragut North,” co-starring Hoffman as Paul Zara, a campaign manager to presidential candidate Mike Morris (Clooney) and mentor to the junior campaign manager Stephen (Ryan Gosling). The film gives a crash course in the art of survival and backstabbing.  

  • Magnolia (1999)

    Role: Phil Parma 

    Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
    Writer(s): Paul Thomas Anderson
    Distributor: New Line Cinema 

    The scene that proves it: “Maybe you could put me in touch with somebody if I explain myself…?”

    In a film with so many characters and performances, Hoffman’s work stands out in “Magnolia” (1999), another collaboration with Paul Thomas Anderson. In the ensemble, he portrays Phil Parma, a nurse to Earl (Jason Robards final film performance) and father of Frank (played by Oscar-nominee Tom Cruise), who brings passion and threads the film’s most emotional numbers together. Even in a scene on a phone call looking for Frank, he unloads some fabulous acting techniques. 

  • Flawless (1999)

    Role: Rusty 

    Director: Joel Schumacher
    Writer(s): Joel Schumacher
    Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 

    The scene that proves it: “As long as you get down on those banana republican knees…”

    The role that landed Hoffman his first Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for best actor was in the underseen and underappreciated flick from Joel Schumacher. It co-stars Robert DeNiro as a conservative man who gets singing lessons from the drag queen next door, played expertly by the great Philip Seymour Hoffman. Perhaps more of category confusion that led to his omission from the Oscars, landing in both lead and supporting lineups during the circuit, along with more mixed reviews on the film itself, it’s worth watching for Hoffman alone.  

  • Moneyball (2011)

    Role: Art Howe 

    Director: Bennett Miller
    Writer(s): Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, Stan Chervin (based on “Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game” by Michael Lewis)
    Distributor: Sony Pictures 

    The scene that proves it: “You’re killing this team.”

    As the Oakland Athletics manager Art Howe, Hoffman goes toe-to-toe with Brad Pitt’s Billy Beane, who faces opposition for his managerial tactics. He slides into the role with ease, representing the traditional stakes that baseball enthusiasts love. It’s a sports drama that really sings thanks to the excellence of the actor. 

  • Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

    Role: Dean Trumbell 

    Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
    Writer(s): Paul Thomas Anderson
    Distributor: Sony Pictures 

    The scene that proves it: “Are you threatening me, dick?”

    As mattress store owner Dean in PTA’s anxiety-driven cult classic, Hoffman is a huge reason why Adam Sandler’s career-best performance is such a work of art. Their phone conversation between the two actors, and the confrontation in Utah, in an intimidation death match, serves as two of the best scenes in all of PTA’s filmography – not to mention Hoffman’s.  

  • Boogie Nights (1997)

    Role: Scotty J.  

    Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
    Writer(s): Paul Thomas Anderson
    Distributor: New Line Cinema 

    The scene that proves it: “I’m a fucking idiot.”

    Only a master like Philip Seymour Hoffman could make holding a boom microphone look so profound. In PTA’s look into the rise of a young porn star in the 1970s and 80s, with a large sprawling cast that includes Julianne Moore and Oscar-nominee Burt Reynolds, Hoffman’s Scotty J, a boom operator who falls in love with Dirk Diggler (Mark Wahlberg) is a snap of the fingers in screentime but makes an indelible impression. 

  • Synecdoche, New York (2008)

    Role: Caden Cotard 

    Director: Charlie Kaufman
    Writer(s): Charlie Kaufman
    Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics 

    The scene that proves it: “I won’t settle for anything less than the brutal truth.”

    The psychological drama was the directorial debut of Charlie Kaufman, best known for his Oscar-winning screenplay “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” (2004). Hoffman plays theater director Caden Cotard, who finds his life unraveling as he suffers from numerous physical ailments, leading to one of Hoffman’s most physically transformative performances. 

  • Almost Famous (2000)

    Role: Lester Bangs 

    Director: Cameron Crowe
    Writer(s): Cameron Crowe
    Distributor: DreamWorks Animation 

    The scene that proves it: “Women will always be a problem for guys like us.”

    The 1970s have never looked so good, with Hoffman co-starring in Cameron Crowe’s coming-of-age dramedy “Almost Famous,” in which Hoffman plays rock ‘n’ roll journalist Lester Bangs, who sees the talent of the young and impressionable writing prodigy William (Patrick Fugit). Hoffman’s work stands out next to the likes of his nominated co-stars Kate Hudson and Frances McDormand and has long been referred to as an acting snub of the year. 

  • The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

    Role: Freddie Miles  

    Director: Anthony Minghella
    Writer(s): Anthony Minghella (based on “The Talented Mr. Ripley” by Patricia Highsmith)
    Distributor: Paramount Pictures 

    The scene that proves it: “I think I’m saying it.”

    The BFF of American playboy Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law), the music loving Freddie loves to party and listen to records with his friends. That is, until he becomes suspicious of the creepy Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) and gets a few knots on the head for his troubles. Like his co-star Cate Blanchett, the role isn’t particularly large but makes an impression and is utterly memorable.  

  • Doubt (2008)

    Role: Father Brendan Flynn 

    Director: John Patrick Shanley
    Writer(s): John Patrick Shanley (based on “Doubt: A Parable” by John Patrick Shanley)
    Distributor: Miramax Films 

    The scene that proves it: “You have taken vows! Obedience being one.”

    An acting showcase with his fellow Oscar nominees Meryl Streep, Amy Adams and Viola Davis, Hoffman’s work as an accused priest is electrically charged. From delivering the parable on gossip to showing the boys how to keep their fingernails, the slam dunk performance was part of one of the incredible supporting actor lineups of the decade which culminated in the posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight.” 

  • Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007)

    Role: Andy Hanson 

    Director: Sidney Lumet
    Writer(s): Kelly Masterson
    Distributor: ThinkFilm 

    The scene that proves it: “Try to look normal.”

    Tormenting his brother Hank, played by Ethan Hawke, and setting the screen ablaze alongside Marisa Tomei and Albert Finney, Hoffman’s bravura work in Sidney Lumet’s final film is one of his most egregious awards oversights. Likely because he had two other roles that year for “The Savages” and his Oscar nominated turn in “Charlie Wilson’s War,” this was nonetheless the most challenging and rewarding of the killer trio. 

  • The Master (2012)

    Role: Lancaster Dodd 

    Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
    Writer(s): Paul Thomas Anderson
    Distributor: The Weinstein Company 

    The scene that proves it: “If you already know the answers to your questions, why do you ask, pig fuck?”

    Going toe-to-toe with Oscar nominee Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams, the trio deliver a masterclass on acting in Paul Thomas Anderson’s period drama. It was his final Oscar nomination before his death, though he lost to Christoph Waltz (“Django Unchained”), but he managed a win from the Critics Choice awards. Although I see it as more of a co-leading role, the work still stands tall in his filmography. 

  • Capote (2005)

    Role: Truman Capote 

    Director: Bennett Miller
    Writer(s): Dan Futterman (based on “Capote” by Gerald Clarke)
    Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics 

    The scene that proves it: “I did everything I could.”

    After a multitude of Oscar snubs, Philip Seymour Hoffman landed his first Oscar nomination for best actor for his portrayal of famed novelist Truman Capote in Bennett Miller’s directorial debut. He wears his boisterous charisma like a lifelong owned jacket, adapting the mannerisms with the underlying pain from a childhood of sorrow. He won the Academy Award and is etched into mountains of cinema history.  

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