Multi-award winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has been found dead in his New York apartment with the earliest rumours indicating that it was due to an apparent drug overdose. He had been candid about previous problems with alcohol and drugs but had sought rehab last year. His representatives had had to correct reports earlier in the week after a social-media hoax had wrongly proclaimed his passing, but police have confirmed that today's reports are accurate.
The acclaimed actor, who was aged 46, was familiar for his film and stage work, had a long and distinguished career in a range of diverse roles. He was one of a handful of actors who always seemed equally at home in both independent features and mainstream blockbusters. His film appearances included such movies as: Punch Drunk Love, The Big Lebowski, Patch Adams, Magnolia, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Almost Famous, 25th Hour, Boogie Nights, Charlie Wilson's War, The Invention of Lying, Capote, Cold Mountain, Doubt, The Savages, Moneyball, The Ides of March, Twister and the big bad guy of Mission Impossible III, opposite Tom Cruise.
He won many awards, most recently nominated for an Oscar for his supporting role in 2013's The Master, but he had also been nominated as Best Actor in 2009 (for Doubt), 2008 (for Charlie Wilson's War) and had won the statuette in the category for 2006's Capote. He was also the recipient of Golden Globe, BAFTAs, Tonys and nominated for an Emmy for Empire Falls in 2005. After essaying the role of Plutarch Heavensbee in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, he reprises the role in its sequel The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part One (out later this year). He was currently shooting 'Part Two' , due for release next year, but is believed to have finished most of his work on that project - with only seven days left to shoot. He was also due to appear in the upcoming Showtime series Happyish, the pilot for which had received a good response on the Television Crtics' Association winter tour. It seems unlikely the new show could move forward without his central presence.
He leaves longterm partner Mimi O’Donnell and their three young children. Always in demand as a versatile, nuanced actor and with a flourishing career as a director, he also leaves a significant hole in the Hollywood firmament...
