Philip Seymour Hoffman, whose life was tragically cut short on Sunday, never gave a bad film performance that I’ve ever seen.
And many, many of them were inspired: He was a genius at getting to the (often dark) heart of a character in a single scene.
Here are clips of 12 of my favorite scenes from his work:
‘Boogie Nights’
After a small part in Paul Thomas Anderson’s little-seen “Hard Eight,’’ the director gave Hoffman a role that first got him noticed in Hollywood. In this ’70s period piece, Hoffman plays a schlubby, closeted sound-boom operator who makes a clumsy drunken pass at the star (Mark Wahlberg) of the porn film he’s working on and is predictably rebuffed.
‘The Big Lebowksi’
Equally at home in comedy and drama, Hoffman (in one of his most unusual roles) plays an officious butler showing off the title character’s photographs to Jeff Bridges in this Joel and Ethan Coen classic.
‘Magnolia’
Hoffman has a small but crucial role as a compassionate male nurse who helps a dying regret-filled millionaire (Jason Robards Jr. in his final screen performance) in Paul Thomas Anderson’s sprawling melodrama.
‘Almost Famous’
Mentoring a character based on writer-director Cameron Crowe (Patrick Fugit), Hoffman’s rock critic Lester Bangs extols the virtues of honesty — something that applies to the actor’s work.
‘Love Liza’
Practically nobody saw this film, written by Hoffman’s brother Gordy, about a widower who copes with his grief by sniffing gasoline. Here, he totally loses it at work as a computer programmer.
‘Punch-Drunk Love’
Hoffman could make even Adam Sandler look good, as he demonstrates in this hilarious, obscenity-filled aria from yet another collaboration with Paul Thomas Anderson.
‘Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead’
Accompanied by his terrified brother (Ethan Hawke), Hoffman’s heroin addict brutally murders his dealer and an unconscious addict in this shocking sequence from director Sidney Lumet’s last film.
‘Charlie Wilson’s War
Hoffman often played older than this real age. Here, almost unrecognizable as a CIA operative, he memorably clashes with his boss (John Slattery) over an assignment in a comedy thriller that resulted in his second Oscar nomination.
‘Synecdoche, New York’
Hoffman plays a theater director whose masterwork — an epic stage version of his own life — goes horribly awry in Charlie Kaufman’s endearingly eccentric film.
‘Doubt’
As a priest accused of abusing a youngster, Hoffman has a pointed showdown with Meryl Streep’s mother superior. Both received Oscar nominations under John Patrick Shanley’s direction.
‘A Late Quartet’
As a middle-aged violinist who’s spent decades playing with a famous classic quartet, Hoffman confronts another member (Mark Ivanir) who wants to take over after its leader is stricken with Parkinson’s.
‘The Master’
Playing a character loosely based on Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard in his final collaboration with Paul Thomas Anderson, Hoffman interviews a new recruit to his cult, played by Joaquin Phoenix. Both received Oscar nominations.