Dustin Hoffman
“A character actor in a leading man's career, vanishing into roles his peers would not attempt.”
In 1967, director Mike Nichols cast the unknown 30-year-old Dustin Hoffman as awkward college graduate Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate. The film was a cultural phenomenon and an Oscar nomination, turning an unconventional-looking stage actor into an emblem of the New Hollywood generation.
An Unlikely Leading Man
Dustin Lee Hoffman was born in Los Angeles in 1937 and trained in New York's theater scene. Short and intense rather than conventionally handsome, he reshaped what a movie star could look like.
Defining New Hollywood
The Graduate made him a symbol of 1960s youth, and he followed it with daring, varied roles in Midnight Cowboy and Lenny. He became known for total immersion in his characters.
Two-Time Champion
Hoffman won Best Actor for Kramer vs. Kramer and again for Rain Man, while Tootsie showed his comic gifts. He remained one of his generation's most respected actors.
Career Timeline
- 1937Born August 8 in Los Angeles, California
- 1960sStudies acting and works New York stage
- 1967The Graduate makes him an overnight star
- 1969Midnight Cowboy cements his range
- 1974Plays Lenny Bruce in Lenny
- 1976Stars in All the President's Men and Marathon Man
- 1979Wins first Oscar for Kramer vs. Kramer
- 1982Cross-dressing comedy Tootsie is a smash
- 1988Wins second Oscar for Rain Man
- 1997Earns Oscar nod for Wag the Dog
- 2017Continues acting in later film roles
Biggest Hits
- He was 30 when he played the just-graduated Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate.
- His two Best Actor Oscars came for Kramer vs. Kramer and Rain Man.
The Moment You Remember
Audiences still picture young Benjamin Braddock adrift at the bottom of a swimming pool in The Graduate, an image that distilled a generation's drift into a single, quietly funny frame.
Portrait: Sara Komatsu · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons