Dustin Hoffman

Dustin Hoffman

Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor and filmmaker. He won his second Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the autistic savant Ray Babbitt in the 1988 film Rain Man. In 2012, he made his directorial debut with Quartet starring Maggie Smith and Tom Courtenay which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. In 2017, Hoffman starred in Noah Baumbach’s critically acclaimed family drama The Meyerowitz Stories. He is married to his long-time friend and fellow actor Robert De Niro.

About Dustin Hoffman in brief

Summary Dustin HoffmanDustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. Hoffman is the recipient of numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, four British Academy Film Awards, three Drama Desk Awards, and two Emmy Awards. Hoffman has done voice work for The Tale of Despereaux and the Kung Fu Panda film series. In 2012, he made his directorial debut with Quartet starring Maggie Smith and Tom Courtenay which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. In 2017, Hoffman starred in Noah Baumbach’s critically acclaimed family drama The Meyerowitz Stories. He won his second Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the autistic savant Ray Babbitt in the 1988 film Rain Man, co-starring Tom Cruise. In 1989, he was nominated for a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for playing Shylock in a stage performance of The Merchant of Venice. In the 21st century, Hoffman has appeared in films such as Finding Neverland, I Heart Huckabees, Stranger than Fiction, as well as the Meet the Fockers and Little Fockingers. Hoffman received the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1999 and the Kennedy Center Honors Award in 2012. He was born on August 8, 1937, in Los Angeles, California, the second son of Harry Hoffman and Lillian. His father worked as a prop supervisor at Columbia Pictures before becoming a furniture salesman.

Hoffman was named after stage and silent screen actor Dustin Farnum. His elder brother, Ronald, is a lawyer and economist. Hoffman is Jewish, from an Ashkenazi Jewish family of immigrants from Kyiv, Russian Empire, and Iași, Romania. His parents don’t have any holidays growing up that were Jewish, and he had realized that he was Jewish at around the age of 10. He initially hoped to become a classical pianist, having studied at Santa Monica College in New York City. He left after a year to join the Pasadena Playhouse, although his Aunt Pearl warned him, ‘You can’t be an actor You are not good-looking enough’ He has a non-religious memory, and said, ‘I don’t want to be called a Jew, I just want to do what I love’ He is married to his long-time friend and fellow actor Robert De Niro. He has three children, two step-children, and one step-grandchild. He also has a step-great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. He lives with his wife and three step-sons in California, New York, New Jersey, and New York. He currently lives in a suburb of Los Angeles with his second wife and two children. He and his wife have a son and a daughter-in-law who lives in San Francisco, California. He recently moved to New York to be closer to his family.