Dustin Hoffman
Biography
Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. Actor Robert De Niro described him as "an actor with the everyman's face who embodied the heartbreakingly human". At a young age Hoffman knew he wanted to study in the arts, and entered into the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music; later he decided to go into acting, for which he trained at the Pasadena Playhouse in Los Angeles. His first theatrical performance was 1961's A Cook for Mr. General as Ridzinski. During that time he appeared in several guest roles on television shows like Naked City and The Defenders. He then starred in the 1966 off-Broadway play Eh? where his performance garnered him both a Theatre World Award and Drama Desk Award. His breakthrough role was as Benjamin Braddock in Mike Nichols' critically acclaimed and iconic film The Graduate (1967), for which he received his first Academy Award nomination. His next role was "Ratso" Rizzo in John Schlesinger's Midnight Cowboy (1969), in which he acted alongside Jon Voight; they both received Oscar nominations, and the film went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. He gained success in the 1970s playing roles that shaped the craft of his acting, crossing genres effortlessly in the western Little Big Man (1970), the prison drama Papillon (1973), playing a controversial and groundbreaking comedian in Bob Fosse's Lenny (1975), Marathon Man alongside Laurence Olivier (1976), and as Carl Bernstein investigating the Watergate scandal in All the President's Men (1976). In 1979, Hoffman starred in the family drama Kramer vs. Kramer alongside Meryl Streep. They both received Academy Awards for their performances. After a three-year break from films, Hoffman returned in Sydney Pollack's show business comedy Tootsie (1982) about a struggling actor who pretends to be a woman in order to get an acting role. He returned to stage acting with a 1984 performance as Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman and reprised the role a year later in a television film earning a Primetime Emmy Award. In 1987 he starred alongside Warren Beatty in Elaine May's comedy Ishtar. 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 1990s, he made appearances in such films as Warren Beatty's action comedy adaptation Dick Tracy (1990), Steven Spielberg's Hook (1991) as Captain Hook, medical disaster Outbreak (1995), legal crime drama Sleepers (1996), and the satirical black comedy Wag the Dog (1997) alongside Robert De Niro.
Known For
The Simpsons
1989
The Daily Show
1996
The Mike Douglas Show
1961
The Graham Norton Show
2007
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
1988
The Merv Griffin Show
1962
Curb Your Enthusiasm
2000
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
2003
Golden Globe Awards
1944
Golden Globe Awards
1944
Golden Globe Awards
1944
Filmography
The Simpsons
as Mr. Bergstrom (voice) · 1989
The Daily Show
as Self · 1996
The Mike Douglas Show
as Self (archive footage) · 1961
The Graham Norton Show
as Self · 2007
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
as Self - Guest · 1988
The Merv Griffin Show
as Self · 1962
Curb Your Enthusiasm
as Guide #1 · 2000
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
· 1992
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
as Self · 2003
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Nominee · 1944
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Presenter · 1944
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Nominee / Presenter · 1944
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Winner · 1944
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Cecil B. DeMille Award Recipient · 1944
Sacrée soirée
as Self · 1987
The South Bank Show
· 1978
Tony Awards
as Self - Presenter · 1956
Tony Awards
as Self - Nominee / Presenter · 1956
Tony Awards
as Self · 1956
Champs-Elysées
as Self · 1982
Naked City
as Lester Stenton · 1958
Naked City
as Finney · 1958
Wetten, dass..?
as Self · 1981
The Defenders
as Robert Burke · 1961
The Defenders
as Buddy · 1961
Spécial cinéma
as Self · 1974
Big Brother's Little Brother
as Self · 2001
The Reichen Show
as Self · 2005
Film '72
as Self · 1971
American Masters
as Self · 1986
Finding Your Roots
as Self · 2012
Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight
as Shifu (voice) · 2022
The Oscars
as Self · 1953
V Graham Norton
as Self · 2002
Today
as Self · 1952
Kung Fu Panda
as Shifu (voice) · 2008
Coucou c'est nous !
as Self · 1992
Kung Fu Panda 4
as Shifu (voice) · 2024
Tuner
as Harry Horowitz · 2026
Parkinson
as Self - Guest · 2004
Medici: Masters of Florence
as Giovanni de' Medici · 2016
Kung Fu Panda 2
as Shifu (voice) · 2011
Kung Fu Panda 3
as Shifu (voice) · 2016
Rachael Ray
· 2006
Goldene Kamera
as Self · 1984
NET Playhouse
as Zoditch · 1966
NET Playhouse
as Hanus Wicks · 1966
The Nurses
as Larson · 1962
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
as Giuseppe Baldini · 2006
The Graduate
as Ben Braddock · 1967
V.I.P. Schaukel
as Self · 1971
HBO First Look
· 1992
Sleepers
as Danny Snyder · 1996
The Holiday
as Dustin Hoffman (uncredited) · 2006
ABC Stage 67
as J.J. Semmons · 1966
Rain Man
as Raymond Babbitt · 1988
Meet the Fockers
as Bernie Focker · 2004
Stand-Up: The Laughing Therapy
as Lenny Bruce (archive footage) · 2024
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
as The Critic (uncredited) · 2004
Hook
as Captain Hook · 1991
Papillon
as Louis Dega · 1973
Liberty's Kids
as Benedict Arnold (voice) · 2002
Megalopolis
as Nush 'The Fixer' Berman · 2024
Little Fockers
as Bernie Focker · 2010
The Cobbler
as Abraham Simkin · 2014
Runaway Jury
as Wendell Rohr · 2003
The Directors
as Self · 1999
Sphere
as Dr. Norman Goodman · 1998
Midnight Cowboy
as Ratso · 1969
Chef
as Riva · 2014
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
as Joan's conscience · 1999
Luck
as Chester Bernstein · 2012
All the President's Men
as Carl Bernstein · 1976
The Tale of Despereaux
as Roscuro (voice) · 2008
Kramer vs. Kramer
as Ted Kramer · 1979
Racing Stripes
as Tucker (voice) · 2005
Outbreak
as Sam Daniels · 1995
Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five
as Shifu (voice) · 2008
Stranger Than Fiction
as Professor Jules Hilbert · 2006
Finding Neverland
as Charles Frohman · 2004
This Morning
as Self · 1988
Last Chance Harvey
as Harvey Shine · 2008
Wag the Dog
as Stanley Motss · 1997
Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Scroll
as Shifu / Warrior (voice) · 2016
Dick Tracy
as Mumbles · 1990
Straw Dogs
as David Sumner · 1971
Kung Fu Panda Holiday
as Shifu (voice) · 2010
Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters
as Shifu (voice) · 2011
Marathon Man
as Thomas 'Babe' Levy · 1976
Tootsie
as Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels · 1982
The Program
as Bob Hamman · 2015
Hero
as Bernard 'Bernie' Laplante · 1992
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
as Mr. Edward Magorium · 2007
I ♥ Huckabees
as Bernard Jaffe · 2004
Little Big Man
as Jack Crabb · 1970
MADtv
as Self · 1995
Billy Bathgate
as Dutch Schultz · 1991
Treffpunkte
as Self · 1970
Confidence
as Winston King · 2003
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)
as Harold Meyerowitz · 2017
Straight Time
as Max Dembo · 1978
Barney's Version
as Izzy Panofsky · 2010
Family Business
as Vito McMullen · 1989
Death of a Salesman
as Willy Loman · 1985
Into the Labyrinth
as Dottor Green · 2019
Roald Dahl's Esio Trot
as Mr. Hoppy · 2015
As They Made Us
as Eugene · 2022
Moonlight Mile
as Ben Floss · 2002
Megadoc
as Self · 2025
Mad City
as Max Brackett · 1997
Night of 100 Stars
as Self · 1982
Spielberg
as Self · 2017
Boychoir
as Master Carvelle · 2015
Lenny
as Lenny Bruce · 1974
Hollywood: No Sex, Please!
· 2018
Night of 100 Stars II
as Self · 1985
The Lost City
as Meyer Lansky · 2005
American Buffalo
as Walt 'Teach' Teacher · 1996
The Earth Day Special
as Every Lawyer · 1990
The Best of So Graham Norton
as Self (archive footage) · 2004
John and Mary
as John · 1969
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited) · 2010
TOVAH
as Self · 2026
The Devil's Arithmetic
as Self (Introduces Film) (uncredited) · 1999
Kung Fu Panda: The Awesome Secrets Collection
as Shifu (voice) · 2013
Ishtar
as Chuck Clarke · 1987
Nos Bastidores de Hollywood
as Self (archive footage) · 2005
All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception, and the Spirit of I.F. Stone
as Carl Bernstein (archive footage) · 2016
Earth to America
as Self · 2005
Visual Acoustics
as Self - Narrator · 2008
Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute to the Songs of Paul Simon
as Self · 2022
Diamond
as Dr. Harry Kleiman · 2026
Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?
as Georgie Soloway · 1971
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
as Self · 1995
Alan Pakula: Going for Truth
as Self · 2019
Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt
as Narrator (voice) · 1989
Mike Nichols: An American Master
as Self · 2016
Free to Be… You and Me
as Self (scenes deleted) · 1974
La Classe américaine
as Peter (archive footage) · 1993
Sam & Kate
as Bill · 2022
Led Zeppelin Played Here
as Self (archive footage) · 2014
Pressure and the Press: The Making of 'All the President's Men'
as Self · 1976
Goldwyn: The Man and His Movies
as Self - Narrator · 2001
Agatha
as Wally Stanton · 1979
PRIDE: To Be Seen - A Soul of a Nation Presentation
as Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels (archive footage) · 2022
All the President's Men Revisited
as Self · 2013
Hook: Never, Never Ending
as Self (archive footage) · 2026
Earth and the American Dream
as Reader (voice) · 1992
Jonas in the Desert
as Self · 1994
Twiggy
as Self · 2025
Heart of the Festival
as Self (archive footage) · 2002
Steve McQueen: American Icon
as Self (archive footage) · 2017
Billy Connolly: It’s Been a Pleasure...
as Self · 2020
Waldo Salt: A Screenwriter's Journey
as Self · 1990
Billy Connolly: Erect for 30 Years
· 1999
The Sensational Shocking Wonderful Wacky 70's
as Self (archive footage) · 1980
Reinventing Elvis: The 68' Comeback
as Benjamin Braddock (archive footage) · 2023
Alfredo, Alfredo
as Alfredo · 1972
There's Only One Paul McCartney
as Self · 2002
Mantrap – Straw Dogs: The Final Cut
as Self (archive footage) · 2003
Telling the Truth About Lies: The Making of "All the President's Men"
as Self · 2006
Close Up
as Self (archive footage) · 2012
Hal
as Self · 2019
The Making of 'Tootsie'
as Self · 1982
Reel Radicals: The Sixties Revolution in Film
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited) · 2002
On Location: Dustin Hoffman
as Self · 1971
Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story
as Narrator (voice) · 2010
Warner Bros. 75th Anniversary: No Guts, No Glory
as Self - Host (segment "75 Years of Award Winners") · 1998
Aretha Franklin: Duets
as Self · 1993
Madigan's Millions
as Jason Fister · 1968
The Point
as Narrator / Father (voice) · 1971
The Crowd Around the Cowboy
as Self · 1969
'The Graduate' at 25
as Self · 1992
After Midnight: Reflecting on a Classic 35 Years Later
· 2004
Bette Midler: Ol' Red Hair Is Back
as Self · 1977
Trumbo
as Self - Interviewee · 2007
Finding the Truth: The Making of 'Kramer vs. Kramer'
as Self · 2001
Controversy and Acclaim: The Timelessness of a Groundbreaking Film
as Self · 2006
Moonlight Mile: A Journey to Screen
as Self / Ben Floss · 2003
Michael Ballhaus - Eine Reise durch mein Leben
as Self · 2008
Lost in the Garden of the World
as Self · 1975
Arthur Miller: A Man of His Century
as Self - Actor · 2015
The New Cinema
as Self · 1968
Private Conversations: On the Set of ‘Death of a Salesman’
as Self / Willy Loman · 1986
The Shakespeare Sessions
· 2003
The Tiger Makes Out
as Hap · 1967
A Better Man: The Making of 'Tootsie'
as Self · 2008
Close Up
as Self - Interviewee · 2006
The Magnificent Rebel
as Self · 1973
Going the Distance: Remembering 'Marathon Man'
as Self · 2001
The Star Wagon
as Hanus Wicks · 1966
The Graduate at 25
as Himself · 1992
La Classe américaine
as Self · 2012
Arthur Penn: The Director
as Self · 1970
The Journey of the Fifth Horse
as Zoditch · 1966
The Magic of Hollywood... Is the Magic of People
as Self · 1976
Strokes of Genius: Arshile Gorky
as Self · 1982
Franz Kline - Remembered
as Self
Tower Stories
as Jacob
The Many Faces of Dustin Hoffman
as Self · 1970
The Revisionist
· 2026
Dick Smith Make Up Artist
as Self · 1976
Tuesday
as voice · 2001
Strokes of Genius: de Kooning on de Kooning
as Self · 1982
Now Showing: Unforgettable Moments from the Movies
as Host · 2003
Against the Tide
as Narrator · 2009
Dustin!
· 2009