10 Philip Seymour Hoffman Performances That Prove His Acting Genius

RIP Philip, and thanks for the brilliant work.

What a horrible loss for cinema. Philip Seymour Hoffman left us yesterday at the far too young age of 46, and it's certainly not mere sentiment to say that he was unquestionably one of the greatest actors of his generation, delivering four Oscar-nominated performances, the first of which won him the gong outright. Whether working for his long-time collaborator Paul Thomas Anderson or starring in a throwaway comedy like Ben Stiller's Along Came Polly, Hoffman always gave it his all and is distinguished as one actor who never gave a bad performance or phoned anything in. And what better way to honour the actor than to return to his greatest performances? Picking just 10 was quite a challenge indeed, so you'll have to forgive me if one or two of your favourites didn't quite make the cut (25th Hour and Charlie Wilson's War were particularly painful omissions), but we'll all agree that Hoffman demonstrated his range and flat-out brilliance in every single one of these turns. RIP Philip, and thanks for the brilliant work.
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Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.