I first noticed him in twister. Love his quote
You slaughter your own cows, Meg, nice.
we crave red meat
Meg's gravy is famous. It's practically a food group.
there are other great ones in that movie

I first really noticed him in the
dirk diggler
movie.. aka boogie nights

Oh wow, heh. I had almost forgotten about that film/role. Thanks for directly answering my question, though.
I meant the thread as a bit of levity & humor for anyone who has followed him or enjoyed his acting over the years. I don't know if 'Nobody's Fool' is necessarily when he began to get noticed as an upper tier actor, but I suppose there's those who would make the argument.
I remember him 'Scent of a Woman' too.

Nobody's Fool with Paul Newman as the gung-ho Officer Raymer

It was funny because I actually had no idea who he was before Along Came Polly came out. Then I knew him from that movie as the guy who introduced the word "sharting" to the world. Then Capote came out and I was like ..what? haha.

He should win something soon?? HELLO? He won a oscar for his performance for this very movie!
And i understand u didn't like the movie, but how can u not be convinced by the astonishing way he depicted Capote? I mean, its not given to everyone to be able to play a homosexual and even less making it look so real and believable Did you ever doubt that Hoffman was really homo? When i watched it i was convinced he was one and thats how one recognize a good actor, when he makes u think he's NOT acting IMO. Have u ever heard Hoffman's real voice? He has such a manly deep voice that contrasts incredibly with the one he chose for Capote, and the behaviour, the gesture, the mimics. Amazing and damn comvincing!
Especially the last scene when he says goodbye to both beep and starts to cry i mean, wasn't it great and one of the most performance ever??
Its beyond my understanding O_o
But again, its only my opinion.
Peace
"People who don't like their beliefs being laughed at shouldn't have such funny beliefs"

Hoffman is and always has been an incredible actor. Hoffman's "Owning Mahowny" comes to mind. I challenge you to find an actor who better portrays the addiction of gambling.superb acting. Incredible performance as well as in Capote.

deepblue501, you're crazy. It's not a matter of opinion. It's a matter of fact.Capote was in no way, no how, his worst performance. It was one of his best. He was sublime in it.
You clearly do not know anything about acting if you think that that was his worst performance.

The point is; when Hoffman's on screen - even if it's a supporting role - it's Hoffman that you watch.
I agree 100%.
Wait a minute who am I here?

I think Capote was his worst performace. I hated it. But Hoffman belongs to the most talented actors currently. He was great in:

• Magnolia
• Happiness
• Talented Mr. Ripley
• 25th hour
  and much more. He plays in great movies (except for Capote) and knows how to pick 'em. He should win something soon.

The point is; when Hoffman's on screen - even if it's a supporting role - it's Hoffman that you watch. He has great screen presence and can always be relied on to give a finely nuanced performance. Talking of which; why has nobody thought to mention the performance that Clifton Collins jr gives in 'Capote'?

That was the first time I saw him too and he made an impression! Yeah and also Happiness he played really good there! I watch every movie he is in because you know the movie is gonna be at least over par and he never disappoints!

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Well said AND77. I first saw him in The Talented Mr Ripley and have loved his performances ever since! Whatever character he plays, he's always entertaining.

He's also phenomenal in 25th Hour with Ed Norton. Hoffman, Norton and Barry Pepper are actually all exceptional.

Very well said!

I'm guessing the OP is really asking why Hoffman is so highly regarded when he has not had a history of being "popular" with middle America, i.e. "no one has heard of him."
If you've seen many of his films, you know that Hoffman plays interesting, off-beat characters in just about every film he's in. Before "Capote," I mostly knew him for his performances in "Flawless," "Love Liza," "Boogie Nights," and "Almost Famous." Even onscreen with major stars, Hoffman is clearly the most talented man in the room.
Hoffman is very well-respected because he is known to choose characters he LIKES and WANTS TO PLAY over glamorous big-budget films with crappy scripts (although he's known to show up in big-budget films he likes occasionally).
Bottom line: he's been known in the industry for years as a man who acts, not a man with a career agenda aspiring to be a star and to make buckets of money. Also, it goes without saying that he is one of the greatest actors of our time.

What do you think of his performance in Capote? That's really the bottom line.