It was over 10 years ago that I was exposed to the pure and raw talent of a young actor I did not know at the time, and that was just by watching the preview of a movie to come; "Love, Liza".  Later, watching him portray a devastated widower in that movie convinced me that I was witnessing the birth of a GREAT STAR, a force to be reckoned with; Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

He quickly blossomed and made life-lasting impressions by the way he crawled under the skin of each character he introduced to us.  It did not matter whether he pretended to be Truman Capote in "Capote" which he won an Oscar for, or his brilliant appearances in the three other movies, "The Master", "Doubt" and "Charlie Wilson's War" which he was nominated for Oscar, or his many other scene-stealing supporting roles.  He would walk into the frame and capture your full attention.  It seems he just gave his all to the scene. 

I do not know what it takes to be like a chameleon but I know we have now been robbed of one of the greatest talents of his generation.

Phillip Seymour Hoffman was found dead of a drug overdose, with a syringe still in his left forearm.  He was 46 years old.

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My blog: Nahzi's Corner