4. Phillip Seymour Hoffman - Roger Ebert
It's still strange to think that the immensely talented Phillip Seymour Hoffman is no longer with us - a thought that also resonants with the late film critic and essayist Roger Ebert. After Hoffman's recent death, Ebert's wife announced that - in the instance that a biopic were ever made of his life - he had wanted Phillip Seymour Hoffman to play him. There have been many instances of seemingly "perfect" casting decisions, and this certainly feels like one of them. The Ebert biopic is still reportedly in the works, and is to be produced by Martin Scorsese - the problem now, of course, is that we've lost the perfect leading man. And in this case, it isn't due to scheduling issues or because an actor got too old or turned down the part. This would have undoubtably been a great, majestic project had it ever manifested with the involvement of Mr. Seymour Hoffman; he would've nailed Ebert better than anyone on Earth.