RIP Philip Seymour Hoffman: Five of his most unforgettable roles

Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his apartment in Manhattan last night. Hoffman was found with a needle in his arm and the authorities suspect he died of drug overdose. He was 46. Over the course of his career, Hoffman had some magnificent performances and perhaps the best known of his roles is Truman Capote (in Capote), which won him 23 awards, including the Oscar for Best Actor. There are very few actors who can shift gears effortlessly between stage, blockbusters like Mission Impossible and The Hunger Games, indie films as well as challenging, serious cinema. Hoffmen was one of them. No matter how big or small the part, Hoffman played it with style. His filmography is filled with stellar performances, but here are our five favourite cine memories of Philip Seymour Hoffman. [caption id=“attachment_1371057” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Hoffman was found dead in his apartment in New York with what law enforcement officials said was a syringe in his arm. He was 46. AP[/caption] Lester Bangs, Almost Famous In Cameron Crowe’s wonderful, coming-of-age story about a teenaged boy who wants to write about rock music, Hoffman played the legendary music journalist Leslie Bangs. Bangs was the voice of wisdom and experience in the film, which meant Hoffman delivering quote-worthy lines like, “The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what we share with someone else when we’re uncool.”

Gust Avrakotos, Charlie Wilson’s War To play the foul-mouthed CIA agent Gust, Hoffman had a towering puff of hair on his head as well as a moustache and a pair of glasses that hid most of his face. If you didn’t know Hoffman was actually pale and blonde, you wouldn’t have guessed that this was all make-up. Hoffman had some fantastic scenes in this film and his performance in Charlie Wilson’s War was nominated for an Oscar.

Lancaster Dodd, The Master The role of Lancaster Dodd was based on the founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard. Director Paul Thomas Anderson had said in interviews that the moment he started thinking about The Master, he knew he wanted Hoffman to play the role of Lancaster. Hoffman won the best actor prize with co-star Joaquin Phoenix at the Venice Film Festival for The Master and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars.

Max Horovitz, Max and Mary Providing the voice for the lonely old Max in this charming little animated feature, Hoffman brought to life the odd old man whose only friend is a little girl on the other side of the planet. It’s one of the sweetest films you’ll ever see and Hoffman as Max is sure to make you feel warm, fuzzy and sniffly.

Truman Capote, Capote Playing the legendary American author in this film by Bennett Miller was undoubtedly a tour de force for Hoffman. He researched the role for months and when it was time for the shooting, Hoffman changed his voice and speaking style to match the real Capote’s. “With Capote, the part required me to be a little unbalanced, and that wasn’t really good for my mental health,” Hoffman said of the role. He won the Oscar for Best Actor for Capote.