Philip Seymour Hoffman

Hoffman’s childhood passion was wrestling; he gave it up due to a neck injury

Philip Seymour Hoffman, who died in New York after a suspected heroin overdose this week at age 46, was an American actor and director of repute. On Sunday morning, he was found in an unresponsive state lying on his bathroom floor with a needle stuck in his arm. Bags of heroin were also discovered in the apartment, located in the city’s trendy Greenwich Village area. Though aloof, Hoffman lived without the trappings of Hollywood success and was a common sight in the area, dropping his children to school, walking or biking, almost always in rumpled clothes.

Wrestling was Hoffman’s childhood passion. But a neck injury forced him to give up the sport. He completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in drama in 1989 from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Hoffman played varied roles in several high profile films. His filmography includes Scent of a Woman (1992), Twister (1996), Boogie Nights (1997), The Big Lebowski (1998), Patch Adams (1998), The Talented Mr Ripley (1999), Almost Famous (2000) and Cold Mountain (2003). Critically-acclaimed films in his later years include Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007), The Savages (2007), Moneyball (2011) and The Ides of March (2011). In 2010, Hoffman made his feature film directorial debut with Jack Goes Boating.

His biggest moment, of course, was when he won an Oscar for best actor for his portrayal of writer Truman Capote in the film Capote in 2005. He was also nominated for the Best Supporting Actor award three times.

Hoffman is survived by his long-time partner Mimi O’Donnell and their three children. His battles with drug and alcohol addiction began in his college days. He had undergone rehabilitation, but could never really shake off his deadly drug habit.

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