CineScope
Basil Hoffman picture

Basil Hoffman

Acting
Known For

83 Years Old

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.

Born

Houston, Texas, USA on 18th January 1938

Died

17th September 2021

All Credits

Seinfeld Image
Seinfeld
Wig Salesman
Columbo Image
Columbo
Jason Danziger
M*A*S*H Image
M*A*S*H
Major Pfiefer
The West Wing Image
The West Wing
Congressman
Murder, She Wrote Image
Murder, She Wrote
Milton Overguard
The Waltons Image
The Waltons
Prof Ranney
Barney Miller Image
Barney Miller
Allen Korbel
Night Court Image
Night Court
Duane Sedgwick
The Twilight Zone Image
The Twilight Zone
Mr. Steward (segment "Button, Button")
The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents Image
The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Dr. Michaels
Kojak Image
Kojak
Charlie Winston
The Practice Image
The Practice
Tucker's Atty. Art Hardiman (uncredited)
Falcon Crest Image
Falcon Crest
Reverend Mustafa
Sledge Hammer! Image
Sledge Hammer!
Sam Steinway
Hill Street Blues Image
Hill Street Blues
Ed Greenglass (archive footage) (uncredited)
Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction Image
Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction
Gerald Stanley (segment "The Dresser")
Ellery Queen Image
Ellery Queen
Technical Print Man, Harry
Kindred: The Embraced Image
Kindred: The Embraced
Charon the Coroner
Out of the Blue Image
Out of the Blue
Herman Donaldson
Sanford and Son Image
Sanford and Son
Store Owner
Close Encounters of the Third Kind Image
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Longly (uncredited)
Hail, Caesar! Image
Hail, Caesar!
Stu Schwartz (Accounting)
The Artist Image
The Artist
Auctioneer
Ordinary People Image
Ordinary People
Sloan
The Box Image
The Box
Don Poates
Down with Love Image
Down with Love
C. W. (uncredited)
All the President's Men Image
All the President's Men
Assistant Metro Editor
Switch Image
Switch
Higgins
Night Shift Image
Night Shift
Drollhauser
The Last Word Image
The Last Word
Christopher Georrge
Love at First Bite Image
Love at First Bite
Hotel Manager (uncredited)
The Electric Horseman Image
The Electric Horseman
Toland
Communion Image
Communion
Dr. Friedman
The Milagro Beanfield War Image
The Milagro Beanfield War
In the Governor's Office
Comes a Horseman Image
Comes a Horseman
George Bascomb
All of Me Image
All of Me
Court Clerk
At Long Last Love Image
At Long Last Love
Movie Theatre Manager
Mommy I Didn't Do It Image
Mommy I Didn't Do It
Otis Pell
Maggie Image
Maggie
Dr. Louis Milton
My Favorite Year Image
My Favorite Year
Herb Lee
The Ratings Game Image
The Ratings Game
Frank Friedlander
Lambada Image
Lambada
Superintendent Leland
Lady Liberty Image
Lady Liberty
Willett (uncredited)
Throwdown Image
Throwdown
Judge Eller
Rio, I Love You Image
Rio, I Love You
James (segment "La Fortuna")
3 Geezers! Image
3 Geezers!
Victor
Lucky Louie Image
Lucky Louie
Wilbert Moser
Games Mother Never Taught You Image
Games Mother Never Taught You
Dwayne Hilson
Jennifer: A Woman’s Story Image
Jennifer: A Woman’s Story
Neil Turner
Culture Image
Culture
Editor
No Image
When Life Gives You Lemons
Calvin Adams
Cage Without a Key Image
Cage Without a Key
Judge
The Elvira Show Image
The Elvira Show
Dr. Marvin Zislis
Ellery Queen: Too Many Suspects Image
Ellery Queen: Too Many Suspects
Fingerprint Expert
The Great Ice Rip-Off Image
The Great Ice Rip-Off
Richards
No Image
Mimi & Me
Professor Sauer
Hefner: Unauthorized Image
Hefner: Unauthorized
Lawyer
The Pineville Heist Image
The Pineville Heist
Principal Parker
The Ice Runner Image
The Ice Runner
J.C. Kruck
Scout's Honor Image
Scout's Honor
Alexander
No Image
Surreal Estate
Mr. Black
Welcome Home, Jellybean Image
Welcome Home, Jellybean
Mr. Rasmussen
Love’s Dark Ride Image
Love’s Dark Ride
Dr. Kanlan
Third Act Image
Third Act
Uncle Paul
Discovering Ella Image
Discovering Ella
Bob Stephens
America on Parade Image
America on Parade
Mr. Roberts Image
Mr. Roberts
Mr. Roberts
No Image
The French American
Monsieur Tissot