He was the kid who was told that "plastics" was the industry of the future in "The Graduate." He was the young con man irritated by New York traffic in "Midnight Cowboy" who yelled at a taxi driver, "I'm walking here! I'm walking here!" And he was the grown man with a child's mind in "Rain Man" who always knew when it was time for Judge Wapner to be on. Now, that's range. And since the early 1960s, over dozens of movies (and the occasional TV series), Dustin Hoffman has proved he can do it all -- villain, shnook, and everyman.
Born in L.A. in 1937, Hoffman studied alongside Gene Hackman (they were New York-based roommates at one point; Hoffman also roomed with Robert Duvall at one point), but he only landed spotty stage and TV roles until Mike Nichols hired him in 1967's "The Graduate," a film that showcased Hoffman as a directionless college grad who sleeps with the mother of the girl he actually falls for.
Playing a college graduate at 30 proved Hoffman had the chops to take on just about any role thrown his way, and he blazed through the rest of the next few decades by choosing roles that were not just ideal for his talents but which became iconic in their own right: a single dad in 1979's "Kramer vs. Kramer" (for which he won his first Oscar) Watergate investigator Carl Berstein in 1976's "All the President's Men," and "Marathon Man," where he had one of the worst visits to a dentist in recorded history. In the 1980s he took a fearless swing into drag comedy by playing a soap actress in 1981's "Tootsie," then earned his second Oscar in 1989 as the autistic savant "Rain Man."
Today, Hoffman is likely to be recognized by younger audiences as Bernie Focker from 2010's "Little Fockers" and as the voice of master Shifu in the "Kung Fu Panda" films. He's also something of a musician, too, having contributed songs to 2008's "Last Chance Harvey" and performed songs on "The Simpsons," 1987's "Ishtar," in "Tootsie" and 1971's "Who is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?"
Hoffman's recent return to TV in HBO's "Luck" was shut down when three horses died during production, but he's far from done with being one of Hollywood's more unique celebrities. Recently he completed his directorial debut on the British comedy "Quartet" for BBC Films, and is rumored to be up for a role as a crime boss in "The Contortionist's Handbook," with Channing Tatum. Whatever he decides to do next, he'll undoubtedly be as versatile as when he started.
Happy 75th, Dustin Hoffman!
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