10 Philip Seymour Hoffman Performances That Prove His Acting Genius

4. Brandt - The Big Lebowski

Another small role here for Hoffman, but an extremely memorable one, as the slimy, snotty, annoyingly self-satisfied lackey of The Big Lebowski, who serves as a middle-man of sorts between him and Jeff Bridges' The Dude. It's Hoffman's most straight-up comedic role on this list, one that allowed him to stick out despite the relatively minor nature of the role and the huge number of excellent actors that filled out the cast for the Coen Brothers' cult classic. Who could forget that ridiculous, amazing laugh? Much of the hilarity is in seeing Brandt try to maintain his dignity in the most undignified of situations, such as when The Big Lebowski's trophy wife, Bunny, offers to provide oral services to The Dude for $1000, all while Brandt tries to downplay the situation, declaring her to simply be "free-spirited". Quote: "You never went to college..."