Philip Seymour Hoffman’s 7 Greatest Movie Roles

Published February 5, 2014
Updated January 8, 2018

5. Lancaster Dodd in The Master (2012)

The Master is One of Philip Seymour Hoffman Greatest Role

Source: Ace Show Biz

In one of his more recent films, Philip Seymour Hoffman acted as the intensely charismatic cult leader Lancaster Dodd. In The Master, Dodd is a religious fanatic championing The Cause, a life’s purpose that demands all of his time and energy. Hoffman excelled at engaging in the dynamic relationship between his character and drunkard Freddie Quell, played by Joaquin Phoenix. Check out this scene from The Master:

6. Scotty J. in Boogie Nights (1997)

Philip Seymour Hoffman in Boogie Nights

Source: E! Online

Philip Seymour Hoffman’s first acting credit was as Steven Hanauer in Law and Order, back in 1991. Almost six years later, he played Scotty J in Boogie Nights, the story of a man’s experiences in the California pornography industry in the 1970s and 1980s. As you can see from the following video clip, the role of Scotty J. was vastly different from many of Hoffman’s other acting gigs. Be sure to watch this video clip from the movie:

7. Art Howe in Moneyball (2011)

Philip Seymour Hoffman Greatest Role in Moneyball

Source: HotFlick.net

For Moneyball, Philip Seymour Hoffman had to team up with director Bennett Miller (from Capote) for a second project. In the film, Hoffman portrays Art Howe, the dry, unchanging Oakland Athletics manager. As visible in the above picture, Hoffman remained in his A’s uniform for most of the movie. To see Hoffman in action, check out this scene from Moneyball:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdCNcN-NFXA

author
Kiri Picone
author
Kiri Picone holds a B.A. in English and creative writing from Pepperdine University and has been writing for various digital publishers for more than 10 years.
editor
Savannah Cox
editor
Savannah Cox holds a Master's in International Affairs from The New School as well as a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, and now serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Sheffield. Her work as a writer has also appeared on DNAinfo.