TORONTO — Philip Seymour Hoffman, who won Best Actor at the 2006 Golden Globes and Academy Awards for his work in the biopic Capote, was found dead Sunday in a New York City apartment. He was 46.
According to the New York Post, a friend of the actor found Hoffman in the bathroom of his fourth-floor unit and called 911 at around 11:30 a.m.
The friend checked on Hoffman after the actor missed a scheduled meeting with his children.
The apartment is only blocks away from the home Hoffman owned with costume designer Mimi O’Donnell and their three children, aged five to 10.
A cause of death has not been determined but the Post said Hoffman was found with a needle in his arm. CNN reported that bags of heroin were found at the scene.
Last May, Hoffman said he completed a 10-day treatment program at a rehab facility to deal with a heroin problem.
The actor struggled with drug addiction earlier in his life but said he had remained sober for more than two decades prior to a relapse in 2012.
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That same year, Ben Brantley of the New York Times called Hoffman “one of the finest actors of his generation.”
“We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Phil and appreciate the outpouring of love and support we have received from everyone,” Hoffman’s family said in a statement released Sunday afternoon. ” This is a tragic and sudden loss and we ask that you respect our privacy during this time of grieving.
“Please keep Phil in your thoughts and prayers.”
READ MORE: Hollywood remembers Philip Seymour Hoffman
Hoffman was a regular guest of the Toronto International Film Festival. Artistic Director Cameron Bailey said Sunday he was “gutted” by the actor’s death.
“Philip Seymour Hoffman built characters out of flesh and fire,” he tweeted. “We’ve lost one of the best. Gutted.”
Hoffman earned three other Oscar nominations during his career, including one last year for his supporting role in The Master.
He got the most accolades for his portrayal of Truman Capote in 2005’s Capote, which in addition to an Oscar and Golden Globe earned him a SAG Award and BAFTA as well as a long list of awards from film critics associations.
To win his Oscar in 2006, Hoffman beat Brokeback Mountain star Heath Ledger, who was found dead in January 2008 of a drug overdose inside his New York apartment.
Hoffman’s credits include The Talented Mr. Ripley, Boogie Nights and Mission Impossible III.
He also starred in the made-in-Toronto movie Owning Mahowny in 2003 — a role for which he earned a Genie nomination.
Born across Lake Ontario from Toronto in a suburb of Rochester, New York, Hoffman studied theatre in summer programs during his high school years and went on to graduate from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
His first role was in an episode of Law & Order in 1991.
Despite his success in films and television, Hoffman never gave up his passion for theatre. He earned three Tony Award nominations, including one for his work in the 2012 production of Death of a Salesman.
Canadian actor Jim Carrey was one of the first celebrities to react to Hoffman’s death on social media, writing: “Dear Philip, a beautiful beautiful soul. For the most sensitive among us the noise can be too much. Bless your heart.”
At the time of his death, Hoffman was working on The Hunger Game: Mockingjay Part 1 and Part 2 in Georgia. His last public appearance was last month at the Sundance Film Festival, where he promoted A Most Wanted Man with Canadian actress Rachel McAdams and God’s Pocket.
– with files by Erika Tucker, Christine Tam and Nick Logan
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