# Philip Seymour Hoffman has died. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 2, 2014, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philip-seymour-hoffman-has-died/680364 "2014-02-02T18:34:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philip-seymour-hoffman-has-died/680364/121 "2014-02-03T20:27:37Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > I realize this is speculation, and I won’t defend it, but it does bear mentioning that Mr. Hoffman had recently starred in a film critical of a certain movement that has a history of being aggressive in silencing its detractors. I know Hunger Games fans are intense, but… ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philip-seymour-hoffman-has-died/680364/122 "2014-02-03T20:34:41Z")
When I heard he had died, I think my first thought was “Let it be a heart attack, not suicide or a drug overdose. It’s so much easier on the family if it’s a heart attack.” I’m sure his family and friends will wonder if there was anything else they could have done and be tormented with the idea. So sad. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philip-seymour-hoffman-has-died/680364/123 "2014-02-03T20:43:30Z")
Police are saying that he was found with 50 bags of heroin. Is there any reasonable possibility that such an amount is appropriate for personal use, or does this suggest that he may have been dealing? ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philip-seymour-hoffman-has-died/680364/124 "2014-02-03T20:58:20Z")
People who are habituated to opiates can take amounts that would literally kill an elephant. I have no idea if PSH had that kind of tolerance. And “50 bags” isn’t exactly a precise amount. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philip-seymour-hoffman-has-died/680364/125 "2014-02-03T21:04:07Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Police are saying that he was found with 50 bags of heroin. Is there any reasonable possibility that such an amount is appropriate for personal use, or does this suggest that he may have been dealing? He was wealthy from movies. I’d suspect it was a load for personal use. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philip-seymour-hoffman-has-died/680364/126 "2014-02-03T21:22:02Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > He was wealthy from movies. I’d suspect it was a load for personal use. Or he was going to invite a bunch of friends to a heroin party. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philip-seymour-hoffman-has-died/680364/127 "2014-02-03T23:24:15Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > People who are habituated to opiates can take amounts that would literally kill an elephant. I have no idea if PSH had that kind of tolerance. And “50 bags” isn’t exactly a precise amount. Given the stories about him recently getting out of rehab, it’s possible that he had that sort of tolerance, lost it, and then started using again in the same amounts he did before he sobered up. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philip-seymour-hoffman-has-died/680364/128 "2014-02-03T23:32:18Z")
> [@Haunted\_Pasta](#): > > …not particularly uplifting movie. But man, it’s pretty much the case study of an actor just disappearing into a role. In the role of the title character, PSH is stuck playing a man who may well be the most flat, boring, uninteresting, vanilla persona… > > It is nevertheless an excellent film. If you’re drawn to PSH’s terrific portrayals of everyday, sad-sack characters, you should definitely see it. It occurs to me that Gene Hackman is a similar sort of actor (and also one of the greats). ---
**Author:** ![Esco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9de053/32.png) [@Esco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esco)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philip-seymour-hoffman-has-died/680364/129 "2014-02-03T23:54:34Z")
Cops found a whole pile of prescription pills also. Enough to fill a small pharmacy. - Clonidine hydrochloride (a blood-pressure medication). - Buprenorphine (an addiction treatment drug). - Vyvanse (used to treat attention-deficit disorder). - Hydroxyzine (to treat anxiety). - Methocarbamol (a muscle relaxer). And of course 70 bags of heroin Read more here: [NYPD hunting for Hoffman’s heroin dealer](http://nypost.com/2014/02/03/nypd-launches-intense-hunt-for-hoffmans-heroin-dealer/) ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philip-seymour-hoffman-has-died/680364/130 "2014-02-03T23:55:27Z")
He was absolutely brilliant in _Magnolia_. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philip-seymour-hoffman-has-died/680364/131 "2014-02-04T00:05:07Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > That would be interesting if Hoffman didn’t already have a history of drug problems. that only makes it sooooo much easier, no one would think it strange, just sad, or perhaps expected. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philip-seymour-hoffman-has-died/680364/132 "2014-02-04T00:12:51Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > That’s one of the first things I think of when “great actor in a terrible movie” comes up. Also he was brilliant in **Along Came Polly**. Cringeworthy character in a funny way but he was great. I laugh when I think of him trying to play basketball “Let it rain!!” and he misses by a mile. And one of the great tiny details in a movie – he sprawls out on the couch with his legs spread out, wearing heather gray athletic shorts and inevitably, perfectly, they’re coming apart a tiny bit where all the seams meet. I like to think he had a hand in that idea. 🙂 But otherwise I am crushed. He was absolutely my favorite actor and I will miss everything he could have done. His poor kids. My friend told me when we were at their house for the Superbowl and another friend’s boyfriend who didn’t know who he was said “Ah, he’s dead. Hey, don’t pick up heroin”. Well, yeah, but take a moment to acknowledge it’s sad, don’t jump right to fuck him, he did it to himself. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philip-seymour-hoffman-has-died/680364/133 "2014-02-04T00:14:36Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Drug addiction is such a horrible disease. [slight hijack] It’s not a disease. Calling it a disease makes people feel like it “isn’t their fault”. Being an addict is not something that happens unless you expose yourself to something and your body/brain says you can’t live without another “fix.” Whether it be gambling, drugs, sex, or whatever, the addiction is real, but calling it a disease removes responsibility away from the addict and puts it on some mysterious, uncontrollable genetic trigger that absolves the addict from the responsibility of their dangerous and selfish behavior. Sorry, i didn’t mean to hijack this thread and i know there is a better place for this, but I just get so frustrated when people call addiction a disease. Someone didn’t sneeze on PSH and make him a heroin addict. He did that all by himself. He could have been in a room full of heroin and heroin addicts shooting up, and he would have been just fine. When he decided to put that drug in his body (by himself, not being tied down and forced to ingest it against his will), and continued to do it, he created his own problem. Calling it a disease is not fair to the countless diseases out there that are real. This is a sad death, but he didn’t die from ALS or cancer. [/slight hijack] As for PSH and his death. Wow, this one surprised me. I had no idea he had a drug problem. He was a guy I loved to hate. He often played roles that were edgy and hard to like, like the priest in **Doubt** , or the preacher in **Cold Mountain**. I remember hating hin in **Scent of a Woman** , and he was rather unlikeable in **The Talented Mr. Ripley**. However, he was a fine actor, and his performances were almost always memorable. No matter the size of the role, he always seemed to bring his “A” game. He always made me notice him, which always impressed me. His role in **Cold Mountain** , for example, was rather small, and yet he was excellent. I loved him in **Charlie Wilson’s War**. No matter the role, he was always believable and I can’t remember a single role in which he disappointed me. I wasn’t crazy about **Pirate Radio** , but that entire movie didn’t work for me. Loved him in **Charlie Wilson’s War** , **Capote** , **Doubt** , **The Talented Mr. Ripley** and **Cold Mountain** , among others. He will be missed. A rare talent. ---
**Author:** ![Moonchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philip-seymour-hoffman-has-died/680364/134 "2014-02-04T00:42:27Z")
> [@DaphneBlack](#): > > I saw him with John C Reilly in ‘True West’ in NYC. It was in a small, intimate space and it was one of my favourite live theatre experiences. He and Reilly would switch roles each performance. If this was Hoffman’s acting troupe, my friend was also among the group and Hoffman was often instrumental in getting my friend various roles. He told me recently (Thanksgiving) that Hoffman had resumed drinking and become prone to behaving a bit loopy when they interacted. Hoffman was developing a show for a pay cable channel about a debauched advertising executive with Hoffman playing lead (my friend was to be cast as another regular) and the show was interspersed with the ad exec’s wild dreams. From my friend’s description – and he is talented and thus paints a great picture – it sounded hysterical. The pilot was gettng jerked around by station reps, but it’s scrapped now, of course. ☹ I have read about more than one addict saying that even though they may not be addicted to alcohol, they are more prone to returning to addictive substances while drinking. I wonder if this is what did in Hoffman. (I am not an addiction expert – except when it comes to my own). ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philip-seymour-hoffman-has-died/680364/135 "2014-02-04T01:05:46Z")
**Doubt** - [Doubt (8/10) Movie CLIP - What Have I Done? (2008) HD - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuJ2soRp1VI) A magnificent film with magnificent actors. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philip-seymour-hoffman-has-died/680364/136 "2014-02-04T01:15:40Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > As for PSH and his death. Wow, this one surprised me. I had no idea he had a drug problem. In an interview on NPR’s “Fresh Air” in 1999, Hoffman mentioned he had a problem with substance abuse when he was in his early 20s. However, I didn’t recall hearing anything about any problems until a couple years ago when he checked himself into rehab for heroin addiction and that was a bit of a suprise since he didn’t display any of the usual signs people associate with a celebrity addict (e.g…, bizarre public behavior, incoherent interviews, clashes with the law, getting fired from movies and plays, etc.). What I did notice though is that he’d been looking a lot older. The guy was two years younger than me but he already looked like he was in his late 50s. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philip-seymour-hoffman-has-died/680364/137 "2014-02-04T01:27:22Z")
Had I ever bothered to do anything that would have been worth making a major motion picture about, he would have been my first pick to play me. Really good actor, looked enough like me that it wouldn’t be a total stretch. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philip-seymour-hoffman-has-died/680364/138 "2014-02-04T02:44:01Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > What I did notice though is that he’d been looking a lot older. The guy was two years younger than me but he already looked like he was in his late 50s. Funny you should mention that. My wife and I both over-shot his age by 10 years. We both guessed late 50’s also. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philip-seymour-hoffman-has-died/680364/139 "2014-02-04T02:57:50Z")
He was younger than me, too. Now _there’s_ a daunting thought. > [@JKellyMap](#): > > It occurs to me that Gene Hackman is a similar sort of actor (and also one of the greats). Not a bad comparison. I see your point. ---
**Author:** ![Esox\_Lucius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Esox\_Lucius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esox_Lucius)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philip-seymour-hoffman-has-died/680364/140 "2014-02-04T03:04:29Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > It’s not a disease. I agree completely. Addiction is a symptom of a deeper underlying problem, not a disease unto itself. Drying out in rehab is only a band-aid. It doesn’t make the underlying problem go away. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philip-seymour-hoffman-has-died/680364.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philip-seymour-hoffman-has-died/680364.md?page=8)