Dustin Hoffman
Acting • Born 1937-08-08
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.
Filmography
197 credits
Finding Neverland
Movie • 2004
Charles Frohman
Hook
Movie • 1991
Captain Hook
All the President's Men
Movie • 1976
Carl Bernstein
Rain Man
Movie • 1988
Raymond Babbitt
Straw Dogs
Movie • 1971
David Sumner
Stranger Than Fiction
Movie • 2006
Professor Jules Hilbert
Wag the Dog
Movie • 1997
Stanley Motss
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Movie • 2006
Giuseppe Baldini
Sphere
Movie • 1998
Dr. Norman Goodman
Meet the Fockers
Movie • 2004
Bernie Focker
I ♥ Huckabees
Movie • 2004
Bernard Jaffe
The Tale of Despereaux
Movie • 2008
Roscuro (voice)
Marathon Man
Movie • 1976
Thomas 'Babe' Levy
Sleepers
Movie • 1996
Danny Snyder
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
Movie • 1999
Joan's conscience
Family Business
Movie • 1989
Vito McMullen
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
Movie • 2007
Mr. Edward Magorium
Midnight Cowboy
Movie • 1969
Ratso
Madigan's Millions
Movie • 1968
Jason Fister
Hero
Movie • 1992
Bernard 'Bernie' Laplante
Confidence
Movie • 2003
Winston King
Little Big Man
Movie • 1970
Jack Crabb
There's Only One Paul McCartney
Movie • 2002
Self
Papillon
Movie • 1973
Louis Dega
Moonlight Mile
Movie • 2002
Ben Floss
Runaway Jury
Movie • 2003
Wendell Rohr
American Buffalo
Movie • 1996
Walt 'Teach' Teacher
Agatha
Movie • 1979
Wally Stanton
Straight Time
Movie • 1978
Max Dembo
Outbreak
Movie • 1995
Sam Daniels
Mantrap – Straw Dogs: The Final Cut
Movie • 2003
Self (archive footage)
Kramer vs. Kramer
Movie • 1979
Ted Kramer
Kung Fu Panda
Movie • 2008
Shifu (voice)
Death of a Salesman
Movie • 1985
Willy Loman
Mad City
Movie • 1997
Max Brackett
Tootsie
Movie • 1982
Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels
Lenny
Movie • 1974
Lenny Bruce
Billy Bathgate
Movie • 1991
Dutch Schultz
Ishtar
Movie • 1987
Chuck Clarke
The Lost City
Movie • 2005
Meyer Lansky
The Sensational Shocking Wonderful Wacky 70's
Movie • 1980
Self (archive footage)
The Graduate
Movie • 1967
Ben Braddock
John and Mary
Movie • 1969
John
Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five
Movie • 2008
Shifu (voice)
La Classe américaine
Movie • 1993
Peter (archive footage)
Last Chance Harvey
Movie • 2008
Harvey Shine
Close Up
Movie • 2012
Self (archive footage)
Visual Acoustics
Movie • 2008
Self - Narrator
Barney's Version
Movie • 2010
Izzy Panofsky
Led Zeppelin Played Here
Movie • 2014
Self (archive footage)
Little Fockers
Movie • 2010
Bernie Focker
Kung Fu Panda 2
Movie • 2011
Shifu (voice)
Billy Connolly: Erect for 30 Years
Movie • 1999
The Magnificent Rebel
Movie • 1973
Self
Kung Fu Panda Holiday
Movie • 2010
Shifu (voice)
Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters
Movie • 2011
Shifu (voice)
Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?
Movie • 1971
Georgie Soloway
Aretha Franklin: Duets
Movie • 1993
Self
Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story
Movie • 2010
Narrator (voice)
Alfredo, Alfredo
Movie • 1972
Alfredo
Kung Fu Panda 3
Movie • 2016
Shifu (voice)
Pressure and the Press: The Making of 'All the President's Men'
Movie • 1976
Self
Against the Tide
Movie • 2009
Narrator
Reinventing Elvis: The 68' Comeback
Movie • 2023
Benjamin Braddock (archive footage)
All the President's Men Revisited
Movie • 2013
Self
Chef
Movie • 2014
Riva
The Cobbler
Movie • 2014
Abraham Simkin
The Shakespeare Sessions
Movie • 2003
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
Movie • 1995
Self
PRIDE: To Be Seen - A Soul of a Nation Presentation
Movie • 2022
Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels (archive footage)
The Many Faces of Dustin Hoffman
Movie • 1970
Self
Tower Stories
Movie
Jacob
The Program
Movie • 2015
Bob Hamman
Free to Be… You and Me
Movie • 1974
Self (scenes deleted)
Kung Fu Panda 4
Movie • 2024
Shifu (voice)
Now Showing: Unforgettable Moments from the Movies
Movie • 2003
Host
Roald Dahl's Esio Trot
Movie • 2015
Mr. Hoppy
Megalopolis
Movie • 2024
Nush 'The Fixer' Berman
Earth to America
Movie • 2005
Self
Dustin!
Movie • 2009
Boychoir
Movie • 2015
Master Carvelle
Nos Bastidores de Hollywood
Movie • 2005
Self (archive footage)
Racing Stripes
Movie • 2005
Tucker (voice)
Trumbo
Movie • 2007
Self - Interviewee
Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute to the Songs of Paul Simon
Movie • 2022
Self
Night of 100 Stars II
Movie • 1985
Self
Bette Midler: Ol' Red Hair Is Back
Movie • 1977
Self
Goldwyn: The Man and His Movies
Movie • 2001
Self - Narrator
Mike Nichols: An American Master
Movie • 2016
Self
Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Scroll
Movie • 2016
Shifu / Warrior (voice)
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)
Movie • 2017
Harold Meyerowitz
The New Cinema
Movie • 1968
Self
The Earth Day Special
Movie • 1990
Every Lawyer
Telling the Truth About Lies: The Making of "All the President's Men"
Movie • 2006
Self
The Point
Movie • 1971
Narrator / Father (first telecast)
Hal
Movie • 2019
Self
The Holiday
Movie • 2006
Dustin Hoffman (uncredited)
Moonlight Mile: A Journey to Screen
Movie • 2003
Self / Ben Floss
Arthur Penn: The Director
Movie • 1970
Self
Tuner
Movie • 2026
Harry Horowitz
The Tiger Makes Out
Movie • 1967
Hap
Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt
Movie • 1989
Narrator (voice)
Michael Ballhaus - Eine Reise durch mein Leben
Movie • 2008
Self
The Devil's Arithmetic
Movie • 1999
Self (Introduces Film) (uncredited)
The Star Wagon
Movie • 1966
Hanus Wicks
The Journey of the Fifth Horse
Movie • 1966
Zoditch
All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception, and the Spirit of I.F. Stone
Movie • 2016
Carl Bernstein (archive footage)
Spielberg
Movie • 2017
Self
A Better Man: The Making of 'Tootsie'
Movie • 2008
Self
Tuesday
Movie • 2001
voice
'The Graduate' at 25
Movie • 1992
Self
Dick Tracy
Movie • 1990
Mumbles
Controversy and Acclaim: The Timelessness of a Groundbreaking Film
Movie • 2006
Self
The Crowd Around the Cowboy
Movie • 1969
Self
Waldo Salt: A Screenwriter's Journey
Movie • 1990
Self
The Making of 'Tootsie'
Movie • 1982
Self
On Location: Dustin Hoffman
Movie • 1971
Self
Arthur Miller: A Man of His Century
Movie • 2015
Self - Actor
Into the Labyrinth
Movie • 2019
Dottor Green
Jonas in the Desert
Movie • 1994
Self
The Magic of Hollywood... Is the Magic of People
Movie • 1976
Self
Going the Distance: Remembering 'Marathon Man'
Movie • 2001
Self
Warner Bros. 75th Anniversary: No Guts, No Glory
Movie • 1998
Self - Host (segment "75 Years of Award Winners")
Lost in the Garden of the World
Movie • 1975
Self
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Movie • 2004
The Critic (uncredited)
Earth and the American Dream
Movie • 1992
Reader (voice)
Finding the Truth: The Making of 'Kramer vs. Kramer'
Movie • 2001
Self
La Classe américaine
Movie • 2012
Self
Alan Pakula: Going for Truth
Movie • 2019
Self
Billy Connolly: It’s Been a Pleasure...
Movie • 2020
Self
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
Movie • 2010
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Private Conversations: On the Set of ‘Death of a Salesman’
Movie • 1986
Self / Willy Loman
As They Made Us
Movie • 2022
Eugene
Sam & Kate
Movie • 2022
Bill
Night of 100 Stars
Movie • 1982
Self
After Midnight: Reflecting on a Classic 35 Years Later
Movie • 2004
Twiggy
Movie • 2025
Self
Kung Fu Panda: The Awesome Secrets Collection
Movie • 2013
Shifu (Voice)
The Revisionist
Movie
Reel Radicals: The Sixties Revolution in Film
Movie • 2002
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Strokes of Genius: de Kooning on de Kooning
Movie • 1982
Self
Franz Kline - Remembered
Movie
Self
Strokes of Genius: Arshile Gorky
Movie • 1982
Self
Steve McQueen: American Icon
Movie • 2017
Self (archive footage)
Megadoc
Movie • 2025
Self
Diamond
Movie
Hollywood: No Sex, Please!
Movie • 2018
Heart of the Festival
Movie • 2002
Self (archive footage)
TOVAH
Movie • 2026
Self
Time Out
Movie
This Morning
TV • 1988
Self
The Simpsons
TV • 1989
Mr. Bergstrom (voice)
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
TV • 2003
Self
The Daily Show
TV • 1996
Self
Today
TV • 1952
Self
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
TV • 1988
Self - Guest
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
TV • 1992
Naked City
TV • 1958
Lester Stenton
Curb Your Enthusiasm
TV • 2000
Guide #1
MADtv
TV • 1995
Self
Liberty's Kids
TV • 2002
Benedict Arnold (voice)
ABC Stage 67
TV • 1966
J.J. Semmons
The Nurses
TV • 1962
Larson
The Directors
TV • 1999
Self
V Graham Norton
TV • 2002
Self
The Defenders
TV • 1961
Robert Burke
The Defenders
TV • 1961
Buddy
The Oscars
TV • 1953
Self
Big Brother's Little Brother
TV • 2001
Self
Luck
TV • 2012
Chester Bernstein
American Masters
TV • 1986
Self
Naked City
TV • 1958
Finney
Wetten, dass..?
TV • 1981
Self
The Mike Douglas Show
TV • 1961
Self (archive footage)
Finding Your Roots
TV • 2012
Self
Medici: Masters of Florence
TV • 2016
Giovanni de' Medici
The Graham Norton Show
TV • 2007
Self
V.I.P. Schaukel
TV • 1971
Self
The Reichen Show
TV • 2005
Self
Rachael Ray
TV • 2006
Spécial cinéma
TV • 1974
Self
Goldene Kamera
TV • 1984
Self
Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight
TV • 2022
Shifu (voice)
Coucou c'est nous !
TV • 1992
Self
Champs-Elysées
TV • 1982
Self
Treffpunkte
TV • 1970
Self
HBO First Look
TV • 1992
Golden Globe Awards
TV • 1944
Self - Nominee
Golden Globe Awards
TV • 1944
Self - Presenter
Stand-Up: The Laughing Therapy
TV • 2024
Lenny Bruce (archive footage)
Golden Globe Awards
TV • 1944
Self - Nominee / Presenter
Sacrée Soirée
TV • 1987
Self
Close Up
TV • 2006
Self - Interviewee
Film '72
TV • 1971
Self
Golden Globe Awards
TV • 1944
Self - Winner
The Merv Griffin Show
TV • 1962
Self
Golden Globe Awards
TV • 1944
Self - Cecil B. DeMille Award Recipient