Obituaries

Oscar-Winning Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman Found Dead at 46

Hoffman last appeared on Broadway in the 2012 revival of ”Death of a Salesman”.

Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman has died after an apparent drug overdose.
Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman has died after an apparent drug overdose.
(© David Gordon)

Academy Award-winning and three-time Tony-nominated actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his Manhattan apartment Sunday morning. He was 46 years old.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Hoffman was discovered by a screenwriter who then called 911 at approximately 11:15am. The New York Post recently reported that Hoffman was found with a hypodermic needle still in his arm.

Hoffman was a celebrated actor and director. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2006 for his performance in Capote and earned Tony Award nominations for his Broadway appearances in True West, Long Day's Journey Into Night, and Death of a Salesman. He joined LAByrinth Theater Company in 1995 and has performed in and directed several of the company's stage productions.

In a recent interview with TheaterMania, actor Jeffrey DeMunn spoke of Hoffman, who directed him off-Broadway in A Family for All Occasions at the Bank Street Theatre: "[Hoffman] just understands the whole process from top to bottom," said DeMunn. "He knows where the truth lies. He's wonderful to work with. It's tough work but wonderful. He's just so smart and so perceptive."

Hoffman is survived by his partner, costume designer Mimi O’Donnell, as well as their three children: a son, Cooper Alexander, and two daughters, Tallulah and Willa.

Finn Wittrock, Linda Emond, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Andrew Garfield take their curtain call on the opening night of Broadway's Death of a Salesman in March 2012.
Finn Wittrock, Linda Emond, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Andrew Garfield take their curtain call on the opening night of Broadway's Death of a Salesman in March 2012.
(© Tristan Fuge)