Philip Seymour Hoffman Sculpture
A bronze sculpture of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman is installed outside the Dryden Theatre at the George Eastman Museum. It was created by David A. Annand, an award-winning Scottish sculptor and a member of the Royal Society of Sculptors, and commissioned by Irish-born philanthropist and film producer James Declan Tobin of Boston.
Among the most admired actors of his generation, Philip Seymour Hoffman was born and grew up in nearby Fairport and attended many screenings at the Dryden Theatre. He was known as an artist interested in the process and challenges of acting, who wrought moments of truth and humanity in difficult or marginalized characters. His work ethic and natural gifts created a career of indelible roles, and he was eagerly sought by the finest filmmakers and dramatists. He received the Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for Capote and was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for Charlie Wilson’s War, Doubt, and The Master.
Despite his success in films, Hoffman retained his love for the stage, where he was a successful actor and director. He served for several years as an artistic director of LAByrinth Theater Company in New York City. His stage performances garnered three Tony nominations.
David A. Annand, an award-winning Scottish artist who is a member of the Royal Society of Sculptors, worked from photographs to capture the likeness. This sculpture captures Phil as many knew him, walking with a large bag over his shoulder, perhaps containing a script or notes on his latest production. The sculpture was commissioned by James Declan Tobin and donated to the George Eastman Museum by the Sumner Roy Kates Charitable Trust.
“Our board of trustees, staff, and members are thrilled that this wonderful sculpture of Philip Seymour Hoffman has been placed at our Dryden Theatre,” said Bruce Barnes, Ron and Donna Fielding Director of the George Eastman Museum. “Since the museum was founded, one of our key missions has been to preserve and exhibit motion pictures, and this statue enables us to recognize Hoffman’s extraordinary contribution to the art of cinema.”
About the Sculpture
The tribute to Hoffman was commissioned by Irish-born philanthropist and film producer James Declan Tobin of Boston, whom his mother Marilyn O’Connor befriended at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015. Upon seeing a sculpture in Ireland of blues guitarist Rory Gallagher, Tobin knew he had found the artistic form for a tribute, as well as the artist. He commissioned a sculpture of Hoffman with the same artist, David A. Annand. Annand worked from more than 500 photographs to capture the likeness. The sculpture depicts Hoffman in casual attire on his way to work with a messenger bag across his chest. The funding for the commission was provided by the Sumner Roy Kates Charitable Trust, which Tobin oversees as president and which was created by his father.
About Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman (1967–2014) began his career as an actor when he was in his teens. He stepped on stage at Fairport High School to play the part of Radar in Mash, directed by Midge Marshall. His first professional work was the lead in Breeze From the Gulf, a family drama directed by Barbara Biddy, at Shipping Dock Theatre in Rochester. In 1984, when he was a senior in high school, he took on the role of Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman.
After graduating from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Hoffman was cast in small supporting roles in a couple of high-profile movies, Scent of a Woman (1992) and Twister (1996). When Peter Sellers mounted a modern-day Merchant of Venice—that traveled from Chicago to London, Berlin, and Paris—Hoffman had the opportunity to be where he loved: acting on stage. In New York City, he joined the company of LABrynth Theater, where he found a home, a theatre family, and opportunity to explore and expand his craft. It was there he took the opportunity to direct the first plays written by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis. His friendship and collaboration with Paul Thomas Anderson resulted in five critically acclaimed movies, including Boogie Nights (1997) and The Master (2012). Hoffman’s film directorial debut was Jack Goes Boating (2010), for which he was also actor and producer.
In all, Hoffman acted in fifty-six movies. For his portrayal of author Truman Capote in Capote (2005), he won twenty-six awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor. He received three Oscar nominations as Best Supporting Actor for his performances in Charlie Wilson’s War (2007), Doubt (2008), and The Master (2012). Throughout his career, he starred in ten and directed nineteen stage productions.
A couple of family favorites and lesser-known roles include two animation parts. He created the voice for Max in the claymation movie Mary and Max (2009) and played William Fillmore Toffman on a 2009 episode of the Emmy-winning series Arthur. Hoffman also narrated the documentary about the Eastman Theatre following its expansion and renovation.