About
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...
Known for
ColumboSeries • 1971
SeinfeldSeries • 1989
The West WingSeries • 1999
M*A*S*HSeries • 1972
Murder, She WroteSeries • 1984
Falcon CrestSeries • 1981
The Rockford FilesSeries • 1974
Hill Street BluesSeries • 1981
The PracticeSeries • 1997
Night CourtSeries • 1984
The WaltonsSeries • 1972
Barney MillerSeries • 1975
MatlockSeries • 1986
The Twilight ZoneSeries • 1985
The New Alfred Hitchcock PresentsSeries • 1985
Beyond Belief: Fact or FictionSeries • 1997
KojakSeries • 1973
Sanford and SonSeries • 1972
Sledge Hammer!Series • 1986
All the President's MenMovie • 1976
Ellery QueenSeries • 1975
Close Encounters of the Third KindMovie • 1977
Hail, Caesar!Movie • 2016
Eerie, IndianaSeries • 1991