Virtually nobody was surprised when American character actor
Philip Seymour
Hoffman
was announced as the winner of the 2006 Academy Award for best actor. He had been nearly every critic's pick for the honour and had already amassed several other awards—including the Screen Actors Guild, BAFTA Film, Independent Spirit, and Golden Globe awards—for his portrayal of
Truman
Capote
in
Hoffman
delivered a complex, honest performance that captured
Capote
's essence and mannerisms without caricaturing him.
Capote
, which depicted the title character during the time he was researching what became his best-known book,
In Cold Blood
(1965). Already well known for his ability to immerse himself completely in his roles,
Hoffman
was born on July 23, 1967, in Fairport,
N.Y.
, and became interested in theatre when he was in high school. Following studies at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts (B.F.A., 1989), he began working in the theatre in
New York City
and
Chicago
and on tour in Europe. His first notable movie role was in
Hoffman
had not abandoned the stage, however. He not only acted, garnering Tony Award nominations for a revival of
Sam
Shepard
's
John C.
Reilly
alternated roles, and a revival of
Eugene
O'Neill
's LAByrinth Theater Company in
New York City
, for which he served as co-artistic director. Television credits included the HBO miniseries
Scent of a Woman
(1992), and later films, including
Twister
(1996), gained him further audience recognition. His big breakthrough came with his painfully emotional performance in
Boogie Nights
(1997), and he went on to add a number of noteworthy credits, among them
Happiness
(1998),
Flawless
(1999),
Magnolia
(1999),
The Talented Mr. Ripley
(1999),
Almost Famous
(2000), and
State and Main
(2000).
True West
(2000), in which he and costar
Long Day's Journey into Night
(2003), but also produced and directed, especially for the
Empire Falls
(2005).
Following
Hoffman
turned in another change-of-pace performance as the villain in
Capote
,
Mission: Impossible III
(2006). Future projects included
The Savages
and
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
, both scheduled for release in 2007, and the yet-to-be-filmed
Charlie Wilson's War
and
Synecdoche, New York.
