Image of Basil Hoffman

Basil Hoffman

Basil Harry Hoffman (January 18, 1938 — September 17, 2021) was an American actor with a film and television career spanning five decades, mostly in supporting roles. He starred in films with many award-winning directors, including Alan Pakula and Robert Redford. He has also authored two books about acting, including Acting and How to Be Good at It. Hoffman was born in Houston, Texas in January 1938, the son of Beulah (née Novoselsky) and David Hoffman, an antique dealer. He graduated from Tulane University; and he spent two years at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, receiving a scholarship for the second, graduating year. His thirteen years of work in New York included many plays, some roles in episodic television, a recurring character on One Life to Live on ABC, hundreds of commercials and a film role in Lady Liberty with Sophia Loren, directed by Mario Monicelli. He made his first trip to Los Angeles in 1974. In that season, he filmed a theatrical feature, At Long Last Love, for Peter Bogdanovich. In the years that followed he appeared in two television movies, television episodes of Kung Fu, The Rockford Files, Sanford and Son (2 roles), Police Woman, Columbo, Kojak, M*A*S*H (2 roles), Barney Miller and several TV commercials. He had recurring roles as the fingerprint technician on Ellery Queen and as Principal Dingleman on Square Pegs. Although most of his work was in film and television, he made a few stage appearances, most notably in Sand Mountain, by Romulus Linney, for which he won a Drama-Logue Award, the first staged reading of Martin E. Brooks’ Joe and Flo at the Actors Studio, and the world premiere of William Blinn's Walking Peoria. He was best known for his work with distinguished film directors, including Peter Bogdanovich, Mario Monicelli, Richard Benjamin, Carl Reiner (twice), Peter Medak (six times) and Alan J. Pakula (twice); Academy Award winners Joel and Ethan Coen, Paolo Sorrentino, Michel Hazanavicius, Steven Spielberg, Delbert Mann, Blake Edwards, Stanley Donen, Sydney Pollack, Ron Howard and Robert Redford (twice as director); and others. His films include: All the President's Men, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, My Favorite Year, The Box, The Electric Horseman, Night Shift, Lucky Lady, Switch, The Milagro Beanfield War, Rio, I Love You, The Pineville Heist, and the Academy Award-winning Best Pictures Ordinary People and The Artist, among many others. A long-time private acting teacher and coach, he was also a frequent guest lecturer and teacher at prestigious professional and academic institutions, including the American Film Institute, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Emerson College, the University of Southern California, Confederation College in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, and the Academie Libanaise des Beaux Arts in Beirut, Lebanon. In 2008, he returned to Beirut as a U.S. State Department Cultural Envoy to Lebanon to teach acting and directing at the University of Balamand's Academie Libanaise des Beaux Arts, Lebanese University, Notre Dame University and St. Joseph University's Institut D'Etude Sceniques Audiovisuelles et Cinematographiques. ... Source: Article "Basil Hoffman" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.


Read bio at tmdb | Read bio at Wikipedia
Born:
Jan 18, 1938 In Houston, Texas, USA
Movie/TV Credits:
66
First Appeared:
In the series Columbo 1971-09-15
Latest Project:
Movie Discovering Ella 2023-07-08
Known For
Poster of Mr. Roberts
Poster of The Artist
Poster of Down with Love
Poster of Columbo
Filmography
Movie Discovering Ella Bob Stephens 2023-07-08
Movie Lucky Louie Wilbert Moser 2023-05-02
Movie Third Act Uncle Paul 2022-01-01
Movie Mr. Roberts Mr. Roberts 2019-05-17
Movie The Last Word Christopher Georrge 2017-03-03
Movie Hail, Caesar! Stu Schwartz (Accounting) 2016-02-05
Movie The Pineville Heist Principal Parker 2016-04-06
Movie The French American Monsieur Tissot 2015-10-15
Movie Throwdown Judge Eller 2014-12-31
Movie Rio, I Love You James (segment "La Fortuna") 2014-09-12
Movie 3 Geezers! Victor 2013-05-22
Movie The Artist Auctioneer 2011-10-12
Movie Surreal Estate Mr. Black 2011-10-20
Movie When Life Gives You Lemons Calvin Adams 2010-01-01
Movie The Box Don Poates 2009-10-29
Movie Down with Love C. W. (uncredited) 2003-05-08
Movie Hefner: Unauthorized Lawyer 1999-12-08
Series The West Wing Congressman 1999-09-22
Series The Practice Tucker's Atty. Art Hardiman (uncredited) 1997-03-04
Series Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction Gerald Stanley (segment "The Dresser") 1997-05-25
Movie Culture Editor 1997-10-01
Series Kindred: The Embraced Charon the Coroner 1996-04-02
Movie The Elvira Show Dr. Marvin Zislis 1993-01-01
Movie The Ice Runner J.C. Kruck 1992-01-01
Movie Mimi & Me Professor Sauer 1991-09-07
Movie Switch Higgins 1991-05-10
Movie Lambada Superintendent Leland 1990-03-16
Series Seinfeld Wig Salesman 1989-07-05
Movie Communion Dr. Friedman 1989-11-10
Movie The Milagro Beanfield War In the Governor's Office 1988-03-18
Series Sledge Hammer! Sam Steinway 1986-09-23
Series The Twilight Zone Mr. Steward 1985-09-27
Series The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents Dr. Michaels 1985-09-29
Movie Welcome Home, Jellybean Unknown 1984-03-24
Series Night Court Duane Sedgwick 1984-01-04
Movie All of Me Court Clerk 1984-09-21
Series Murder, She Wrote Milton Overguard 1984-09-30
Movie The Ratings Game Frank Friedlander 1984-12-15
Movie Night Shift Drollhauser 1982-07-30
Movie My Favorite Year Herb Lee 1982-10-01
Movie Games Mother Never Taught You Dwayne Hilson 1982-11-27
Series Maggie Dr. Louis Milton 1981-10-24
Series Hill Street Blues Ed Greenglass (archive footage) (uncredited) 1981-01-15
Series Falcon Crest Reverend Mustafa 1981-12-04
Movie Ordinary People Sloan 1980-09-19
Movie Scout's Honor Alexander 1980-09-30
Movie Jennifer: A Woman’s Story Neil Turner 1979-03-05
Movie Love at First Bite Hotel Manager (uncredited) 1979-04-26
Series Out of the Blue Herman Donaldson 1979-09-09
Movie The Electric Horseman Toland 1979-12-21
Movie Love’s Dark Ride Dr. Kanlan 1978-04-02
Movie Comes a Horseman George Bascomb 1978-10-25
Movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind Longly (uncredited) 1977-12-14
Movie All the President's Men Assistant Metro Editor 1976-04-09
Movie America on Parade 1976-04-03
Movie At Long Last Love Movie Theatre Manager 1975-03-01
Series Barney Miller Allen Korbel 1975-01-23
Movie Ellery Queen: Too Many Suspects Fingerprint Expert 1975-03-23
Movie Cage Without a Key Judge 1975-03-14
Series Ellery Queen Technical Print Man, Harry 1975-09-11
Movie The Great Ice Rip-Off Richards 1974-11-06
Series Kojak Charlie Winston 1973-10-24
Series M*A*S*H Major Pfiefer 1972-09-17
Series Sanford and Son Store Owner 1972-01-14
Series Columbo Jason Danziger 1971-09-15
Movie Lady Liberty Willett (uncredited) 1971-12-22