Dustin Hoffman Biography

Dustin Lee Hoffman, Actor

Birthdate: August 8, 1937

Birthplace: Los Angeles, CA

Sign: Leo

Dustin Lee Hoffman was born on August 8, 1937 in Los Angeles, CA to a father who worked at Columbia Studios in props and set dressing before shifting to furniture design and eventually launching his own store, Harry Hoffman Furniture Company. His mother was a former jazz pianist and provided Hoffman with a piano and a teacher from age five.

Hoffman was a restless student who frequently frustrated parents and teacher with poor grades and was kicked out of school in third grade. He had dreams of becoming a jazz musician, but eventually gave up out of frustration with what he felt was his limited talent. He gave up that dream in his late teens to try his hand at something else.

He graduated from Los Angeles High School in 1955 and soon enrolled at Santa Monica City College where he dropped out within a year due to bad grades and fear of flunking out. Before he left the school, he took an acting course because he was guaranteed not to fail and it was an easy three credits. Hoffman found himself completely enthralled in the class and for the first time in his life, he found his ability to focus for hours on end.

Hoffman convinced his parents to fund his new passion with tuition to the Pasadena Playhouse where he became fast friends with fellow student Gene Hackman. At the time, the Playhouse was full of actors hoping to become the next Rock Hudson. Hoffman and Hackman stood apart with their average looks. They shared the stage in several productions over the next two years including "Of Mice and Men" and "The Taming of the Shrew," before Hackman decided to take his chances in New York City. Hoffman soon followed his friend to the big city

It would be several years before Hoffman would work on even the smallest stage; instead taking jobs in a mental institution and typing phone books while auditioning for roles for which he was consistently rejected. By 1960, he was ready to give up acting when he finally landed onstage in one of Gertrude Stein's final plays, "Yes is for a Very Young Man." The following year, he had a small part on Broadway and his first walk-on television role.

After a brush with death, and a year with the Theater Company of Boston, Hoffman returned to the New York stage in 1965 in "Harry, Noon and Night." In the late 1960s, character-based dramas boldly explored the darker side of the American dream. Hoffman was among the establishing figures in "new Hollywood" when director Mike Nichols cast the unknown in "The Graduate" in 1967. Due to his career-making performance in the film, Hoffman became a symbol of that generation and received an Academy Award nomination for his performance. Hoffman was nominated a second time for his portrayal of Enrico"Ratso" Rizzo in Midnight Cowboy starring alongside newcomer, Jon Voight.

Hoffman's career was definitely on an upswing moving into the 1970s. He starred in "Little Big Man" in 1970, earning him a BAFTA nomination. Hoffman went on to star in "Straw Dogs" in 1971 and "Papillon" in 1973. Hoffman was recruited by John Schlesinger for the thriller "Marathon Man" in 1974 and "Lenny" in that same year. He was nominated yet again, for his role in that film.

In 1976, Hoffman tackled the portrayal of a young Washington Post reporter, Carl Bernstein in the docudrama, "All the President's Men." Hoffman scored critical and popular success in 1979 with "Kramer vs Kramer." Dustin received his first Oscar for his painfully honest portrayal of what can often happen to children caught in the middle of a divorce. His next effort, "Tootsie" in 1982, was considerably more light-hearted. Hoffman returned to Broadway for the revival of "Death of a Salesman." He was overlooked for a Tony award but when a taped version aired on CBS in 1985, he was recognized with Emmy and Golden Globe Awards.

Embarrassed by the movie, "Ishtar" in 1987, Hoffman rebounded with a second Academy Award for his critically acclaimed role as an autistic savant in "Rain Man" in 1988. After a host of disappointments at the box office, Hoffman bounced back once again in a heroic role in the hit thriller, "Outbreak" in 1995. After mediocre success with "Sleepers", "Wag the Dog" and "Sphere," Hoffman was honored by the American Film Institute with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

In 2003, two friends would reunite opposite each other on the big screen when Hoffman would star opposite Hackman in "Runaway Jury." He went on to team with Barbara Streisand in the 2004 comedy, "Meet the Fockers" where he nearly stole the entire film with his characterization of proud father Bernie Focker. Dustin went on to voice martial arts master, Shifu, in the hugely popular "Kung Fu Panda" in 2008. Hoffman has made a return to award contention when he received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in the Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical category.

Hoffman has been married twice and is the father of six children. Jenna Byrne and Karina Hoffman-Birkhead are his children with first wife, Anne Byrne while Jake Hoffman, Rebecca Hoffman, Max Hoffman and Alexandra Hoffman are his children from his second marriage to Lisa Gottsegen.