What are the best Philip Seymour Hoffman performances of all time?

A peerless ensemble player who could be the heart of a film or its most unsettling presence, Hoffman left an irreplaceable body of work. Which role is his greatest?

1

Capote

A 2005 biopic in which Hoffman plays Truman Capote researching his landmark novel In Cold Blood, winning him the Academy Award.

2

The Master

A 2012 Paul Thomas Anderson drama in which Hoffman plays Lancaster Dodd, the charismatic leader of a religious cult.

3

Boogie Nights

A 1997 Paul Thomas Anderson drama in which Hoffman plays Scotty J., a lovesick boom operator in the adult film industry.

4

Magnolia

A 1999 Paul Thomas Anderson ensemble drama in which Hoffman plays Phil Parma, a compassionate nurse caring for a dying man.

5

Almost Famous

A 2000 Cameron Crowe drama in which Hoffman plays legendary rock critic Lester Bangs mentoring a teenage journalist.

6

Doubt

A 2008 drama in which Hoffman plays Father Flynn, a charming priest accused of inappropriate conduct by a stern nun.

7

Synecdoche, New York

A 2008 Charlie Kaufman drama in which Hoffman plays a theater director staging an endlessly ambitious recreation of his own life.

8

Charlie Wilson's War

A 2007 political comedy-drama in which Hoffman plays sharp CIA operative Gust Avrakotos helping fund Afghan rebels.

9

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

A 2007 Sidney Lumet thriller in which Hoffman plays a desperate man who ropes his brother into robbing their parents' jewelry store.

10

Flawless

A 1999 crime-comedy drama in which Hoffman plays a flamboyant drag queen who helps a stroke-stricken neighbor recover through singing.

11

The Big Lebowski

A 1998 Coen Brothers cult comedy in which Hoffman plays Brandt, the excruciatingly polite assistant of a millionaire.

12

25th Hour

A 2002 Spike Lee drama in which Hoffman plays a schoolteacher friend of a man spending his last day before a drug conviction.

13

Mission: Impossible III

A 2006 action thriller in which Hoffman plays the terrifying villain Owen Davian, widely considered one of the franchise's best antagonists.

14

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

A 2013 sci-fi blockbuster in which Hoffman plays Plutarch Heavensbee, the cunning Head Gamemaker with a hidden agenda.