You are here

Home / Explore film & TV / Films, TV and people

Dustin Hoffman

Born: 8 August 1937, Los Angeles, Calif.

Introduction

Dustin Hoffman is an award-winning American actor and director who, in the late 1960s, helped pave the way for a new generation of Hollywood leading men.

With his breakthrough role in The Graduate, Dustin Hoffman became an instant success, proving that leading men didn’t have to fit the mould. The Graduate remains a compelling film worthy of rediscovery, and its position in Hoffman’s career is equally notable. Instead of accepting similar roles, his next performance as Rizzo in Midnight Cowboy confirmed him as a dynamic and versatile actor who refused to be pigeonholed.

During this period he worked with some of the greatest English-language directors of the time, and many of his films are classics in their own right. Hoffman remains a true, collaborative acting talent.

Highlighted works

  • Quartet

    Quartet

    Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut is an enjoyable comic drama featuring an ensemble of Britain’s finest actors.

  • Brooklyn

    Brooklyn

    In this lavish adaptation of Colm Tóibín's acclaimed novel, a young Irish woman in search of work emigrates to New York to start a new life.

  • Roald Dahl's Esio Trot

    A man with a crush on his neighbour goes to extraordinary lengths to get her attention.

  • Wag the Dog

    This satire stars Robert De Niro as a spin doctor and Dustin Hoffman as a Hollywood producer, together tasked with creating fake news.

  • Kramer vs. Kramer

    Kramer vs. Kramer

    Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep play parents fighting a bitter custody battle in this heart-wrenching, Oscar-winning drama.

  • Mad City

    A small-time reporter finds himself in the middle of a hostage crisis. But will it be a career opportunity?

  • Straw Dogs

    Sam Peckinpah’s controversial thriller, about an American couple who move to a Cornish village – setting off a tragic chain of events.

  • Lenny

    In Bob Fosse’s compelling drama, Hoffman plays comedian Lenny Bruce, a tortured soul who goes off the rails.

  • Little Big Man

    Hoffman plays 121-year-old Jack Crabb, a questionable hero who claims to have lived through much of America’s turbulent past.

  • Tootsie

    Tootsie

    With the help of some heavy cosmetics and the right wardrobe, an out-of-work actor becomes a star.

  • All the President's Men

    In this classic political thriller the Watergate scandal is told from the viewpoints of the journalists (Hoffman and Redford).

  • Marathon Man

    Marathon Man

    John Schlesinger’s classic thriller, featuring Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier and a chilling visit to the dentist.

  • Papillon

    Steve McQueen stars as a burglar wrongly convicted of murder who befriends his prison-mate (Hoffman) and plans to escape.

  • Midnight Cowboy

    Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight were nominated for Oscars for their brilliant performances as a pair of hustlers on the streets of New York.

  • The Graduate

    The Graduate

    Mike Nichols’ groundbreaking film stars Dustin Hoffman as a disillusioned young man who’s led astray by the seductive Mrs Robinson, mother of the girl he loves.

Filmography

Latest from the BFI

  • Latest from the BFI

    Latest news, features and opinion.

More information

Films, TV and people

  • Films, TV and people

    Film lists and highlights from BFI Player.

More information

Sight & Sound magazine

  • Sight & Sound magazine

    Reviews, interviews and features from the international film magazine.

More information

You are here

Home / Explore film & TV / Films, TV and people

Back to the top