Two Oscars, six Golden Globes, and more great film appearances since 1967 than one could shake a stick at. That’s the career of Dustin Hoffman in a sentence that does it next to no justice, and with the release of Boychoir this week, Hoffman’s got another notch on a cinematic belt that’s barely holding itself together at this point. So, who would be foolhardy enough to distill his career into a numerically-concise list of best appearances? We would, that’s who, and thanks to the frank rankings of Dominic Corry, here are Dustin Hoffman’s top ten performances.
10. Bernie LaPlante in ‘Hero’ aka ‘Accidental Hero’ (1992)
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Although it meant some of his more traditionally acclaimed performances would be excluded (sorry Kramer vs. Kramer and Little Big Man), we felt it was important to include at least a couple of Hoffman’s less appreciated films, like this old fashioned media caper directed by Stephen Frears. Hoffman is highly amusing as a lovable lowlife opposite Geena Davis and Andy Garcia, and the film displays an almost Hudsucker Proxy-esque reverence for quick-witted, classic movie repartee. Perceived as something of a giant flop, it’s much better than its reputation suggests, and Hoffman is great as a slightly cuddlier Ratso Rizzo.
“What you do in life like when you get older is, you pick the layer of bullshit that you prefer and that’s your bullshit, so to speak.” – Bernie LaPlante
9. Louis Dega in ‘Papillon’ (1973)
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Ten years after The Great Escape, Steve McQueen is back in a prison cell plotting his exit, but instead of a baseball to bounce against the wall, this time he has Dustin Hoffman for support. They play inmates of island penal colony in this proto-Shawshank based on a non-fiction novel. Assisted by Coke bottle glasses, Dusty once again manages to completely sink beneath the surface of his character, making you forget completely that this “French” white collar criminal was also Benjamin Braddock, even if they haven’t bothered with the language (or the accents).
“Hey you bastards, I’m still here.” – Papillon
8. Thomas “Babe” Levy in Marathon Man
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With this film, Hoffman became the all-time classic movie surrogate for two of life’s most painful activities – jogging and dental work. One of the many slick, propulsive thrillers that Hoffman’s presence has elevated, age has rendered Marathon Man a more artful film. It’s worth seeing just to witness Dustin go up against fellow acting titan Laurence Olivier, who plays a kindly oral hygiene expert.
“Ohh, wait. Please. Please, don’t. No. No.” – Babe
7. Carl Bernstein in ‘All The President’s Men’ (1974)
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As the slightly jaded hard-ass to Redford’s slightly green golden boy, Hoffman once again shows how great he can be in a cinematic partnership. It’s a movie-star performance from Hoffman if ever there was one, elevating an everyman character to larger than life status. His steadiness complements Redford’s furtive qualities, and together they are the journalistic version of Butch and Sundance.
“Boy, that woman was paranoid! At one point I – I suddenly wondered how high up this thing goes, and her paranoia finally got to me.” – Carl
6. Lenny Bruce in ‘Lenny’ (1974)
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This biopic (which features staged documentary elements) about the ground-breaking stand-up comic features one of Hoffman’s most transformative performances. Demonstrating comprehensibly that a physical resemblance is not necessary to convincingly inhabit a real-life person on screen, Hoffman’s aggressive vocalising forces the reality of the narrative, even within the flashback-intensive structure. There’s a big long monologue towards the end where the camera never cuts away from Hoffman, and it’s some of the most devastating work the actor has ever delivered.
“‘F-ck you.’ Never understood that insult, because f-cking someone is actually really pleasant. If we’re trying to be mean, we should say ‘unf-ck you!'” – Lenny
5. Raymond Babbit in ‘Rain Man’ (1988)
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There’s an unfashionable earnestness at the core of Rain Man that makes it seem cloying in a modern context. That all fades away when you actually watch the film, which is simply too well constructed to resist. Although the film may have skewed the perception of autism in the eyes of many, there is no denying the humanity in Hoffman’s performance. It also results in Tom Cruise’s best ever work, once again demonstrating Hoffman’s authenticating power as a scene partner (see also: Midnight Cowboy, All The President’s Men, not Ishtar).
“Uh oh fart. Uh oh fart.” – Raymond
4. Max Dembo in ‘Straight Time’ (1978)
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Hoffman started out also directing this underrated late ’70s crime pic before handing the reins over to Ulu Grosbard (True Confessions). He subsequently delivered one of the most quietly intense performances of his career as a recently paroled bank robber struggling to stay on the straight and narrow in Los Angeles. Although he’s surrounded by an amazing cast that includes Theresa Russell, M. Emmet Walsh, Harry Dean Stanton and a young Gary Busey all at the top of their game, you can’t ever take your eyes of Hoffman, who renders Dembo as a perpetually coiled snake, ready to pounce at any moment. He’s never seemed cooler. Incidentally, the film was based on a book by real-life reformed criminal Eddie Bunker, who shows up here and went on to enjoy a minor acting career that included a supporting role in Reservoir Dogs.
“They got about twenty thousand dollars on the table. We just tip toe in, tip toe out and it’s all ours.” – Max
3. Ratso Rizzo in ‘Midnight Cowboy’ (1969)
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Undoubtedly an attempt to swing as far away from Benjamin Braddock as possible to avoid typecasting, Hoffman dove headlong into a supporting role as cinema’s all-time greatest scuzz-bucket, street-smart friend to the film’s naive protagonist Joe Buck, played by a never-better Jon Voight. Hoffman is so great as Rizzo it makes you wish he only ever played slimeballs – he brings bucketloads of empathy to the kind of character that previously never received much cinematic scrutiny. Hoffman’s most-quoted performance (see below) and also his funniest.
“I’m walkin’ here!” – Ratso
2. Benjamin Braddock in ‘The Graduate’ (1967)
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Hoffman’s iconic breakout role in this coming-of-age classic broke the mould for leading men in a manner comparable to Marlon Brando’s performance in A Streetcar Named Desire. There’d never been a romantic lead like him, yet he was an absolute force of nature, mining pathos and comedy from an acting style born out of the same methods Brando subscribed to. A generation got their voice in The Graduate, and Hoffman’s performance still bears that perception. He combines the everyman quality of Jimmy Stewart with the lived-in authenticity of Robert De Niro, but looser.
“Mrs. Robinson, if you don’t mind my saying so, this conversation is getting a little strange.” – Benjamin
1. Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels in ‘Tootsie’ (1982)
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The fire in Dustin Hoffman’s eyes never burned brighter than in this big broad studio comedy the likes of which simply aren’t made anymore. Picking up where Lemmon and Curtis left off in Some Like it Hot, Hoffman set a new standard for drag performances as a desperate actor who poses as a woman to get a role in a soap opera. It’s a ridiculous gambit that is rendered authentic almost solely by the strength of Hoffman’s acting.
“Listen, you take your hands off me or I’ll knee your balls right through the roof of your mouth! Is that enough of a threat?” – Dorothy
