Too Young To Die: Philip Seymour Hoffman

Philip Seymour Hoffman is one of the best and most versatile character actors of his generation. Without trying, he steals the show from the big stars in whose shadow he plays: whether Tom Cruise in "Magnolia," Al Pacino in "The Scent of Women" or Robert de Niro in "Flawless. His performance always remains in the minds of the audience. He doesn't just act, he literally melts into the roles. He shows his versatility in more than 50 films. And he is also considered one of the best on Broadway and Off-Broadway theater. He was nominated for an Oscar four times, and won it once. Hoffman is "at the top." Apparently. On February 2, 2014, the 46-year-old is found dead in his New York apartment - with a needle in his arm. Died of a heroin overdose. The news of his death comes as a shock. Hardly anyone knew that he was a drug addict and had tried in vain to get clean through withdrawal only a few months earlier. The documentary "TOO young TO DIE: Philip Seymour Hoffman - All Actor" tells the story of the extraordinary actor. The film follows him from his first steps as an actor in the high school auditorium, to his greatest successes on Broadway and in front of the Hollywood cameras. Friends, colleagues, film critics and teachers recall his clever humor, his unpretentiousness and his fearlessness on stage. Even as a 14-year-old, Hoffman played the role of Willy Loman from "Death of a Salesman" so convincingly that audiences felt transported to another world, says Hoffman's teacher, Midge Marshall. Thirty years later, Hoffman is a world star, but he shuns media hype and flashbulbs. Only on the film set and on stage is he in his element. He demands everything of himself in order to be as believable as possible in the roles. Hoffman is so successful that he becomes a world star. The star he didn't want to be.