PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN...
ONE word...
TALENT...
NO! TWO words...
AMAZING TALENT! This could go ON and ON... knowwhutimsayin'? IMO, Philip WAS amongst a FEW, of best, in the HISTORY of entertainment. PERIOD! END OF STATEMENT! Upon hearing of his death last Febuary, I mourned in disbelief!! As the world of entertainment goes - it lost a unique BEST in the field!! Broadway dimmed their lights (THAT NEVER happens!) EVER!! I was working on a mini-film at the time and dedicated it to his family and made it in his memory...
I remember the first time I ever saw Philip on-screen. WOW! AMAAZING! Most actors... (example: the movie Rocky! It's Rocky - but in the back of your mind you know it's still Sly Stallone.) Philip had the ability to bring 'you' into the character he was playing. Noone other than Chaplin has ever been able to do that for me!!
So with respect, and without further ado.. here is his story!!
Philip Seymour Hoffman came into the world on July 23, 1967, in Fairport, New York. A nice suburb... 9 miles (or so), east of Rochester, NY. Even has a plaque to his homage there! That's-a-niiice!! 'Twas a great place for a talent such as Philip... to take life in a first!! Indeed... coming into his own in this nice neighborhood - had few lows. He grew up in this posh Fairport home. No doubt passing this welcoming sign mannnnnny a time and taking in this wonderful view.
No doubt the environment of this community shaped a young talented Philip, into who he was to become!
Philip spent his high school years here... where he first discovered his love of theater!!
TALENT? (even then....)
IMMESURABLE!!
At the time of his death.. he was living in this NYC building. I've video...yup video folks... i'll be posting soon....
Living, guest bath, guest bed, and kitchen.... AWNING! Covering all angles here!
Very little is known (THOUGH MUCH is speculated) about Philip's personal life. He rarely mentioned his personal life in interviews, stating in 2012 that he would "rather not because my family doesn't have any choice. If I talk about them in the press, I'm giving them no choice. So I choose not to."
From all indications .. Philip had been very public (amidst his otherwise very private life), had professed to drug use, but it was under control. That's the thing about it, however. As a friend of a 'hooked & crooked" former heroin user.. I can attest that he (Philip) probably DID indeed have it under control. I watched a close friend struggle for YEARS with that horrid addiction. Having it under control at the current moment doesn't mean you will an hour (or day or week) from now. You don't understand the demon until you know the persistant fucker!! It's a BiOTCH!! Indeed - the scummy demon knocked a GIANT down!! Philip's unexpected death was widely mourned by fans and the film industry, and was described by several commentators as a considerable loss to the profession. East to west.. south to the TOP (White House), had a comment of sincere condolence! IMO, they were VERY right.... and the loss still today - reverberates throughout the industry.
Just 3 nights before his death... he was in GREAT spirits at an Atlanta club talking to patrons!! A VERY approachable down to earth person! Though he appeared tired on the flight home from Atlanta... with cameras on our phones - I think everyone is 'da paparazzi' now haha!
AMAZING FOSHO!... Especially when you consider the level of star he was burning in the sky at! Extraordinary!! Not many at Philip's level are soo down to earth. Even some of the nicest ones.. have a personal aura about them! Philip was ALWAYS CLASS-A! 100% of the time!
Philip's last day began routine enough. That Saturday morn - he came into his favorite coffee shop in Greenwich Village for the regular order: a 4-shot expresso over ice with a splash of milk. According to the shops manaager... He seemed perfectly fine,"..and added.. "He seemed in good very happy & in good spirits!" Cut to around 1:30pm Saturday... Philip's assistant speaks with him on the phone. She also says.. he sounded just fine. She tells police she had just "visited Philip at his apartment on Friday, & noticed, "nothing out of the ordinary."
SATURDAY @ 2 p.m. -- The first clues that something is not quite right... Mimi O'Donnell, Hoffman's ex-partner and mother of their three children, sees him near his apartment. She later tells authorities she thought "he appeared to be high..But can't confirm for sure." Around 5pm.. Philip is spotted walking up Greenwich Street dressed in a "a big, puffy coat," by NYC radio show producer, Paul Pabst. Paul's sister calls out to Philip... who "seems surprised a stranger recognized him." Philip greets them and is cordial... even giving her, "a half high-five," before continuing. Paul's sister remarks that Philip seemed, "out of it." One hour later, Philip is spotted at a grocery store ATM, withdrawing cash... less than 15 mins. later - Philip comes back to the ATM... making 2 withdrawls. A little more than an hour later... Philip makes another withdrawal at the same ATM. The store clerk reported, "he looked fine."
Saturday evening, around 6:45pm... Philip had dinner with 2 friends at a favorite restaurant and bar in the West Village that he frequently visited. It is a short meal, (but a good one fosho.) Philip has an all American meal.. a cheeseburger and drinks a cranberry soda. The bartender at the restaurant, says... "it appeared to be a business dinner. Nothing outta the norm." After dinner... another stop at the same ATM.. In totality (=all 6 (final answer) withdrawls total), $1,200, was withdrawn at $200 intervals each time. Around 8pm, Mimi talks to Philip on the phone. She again said, "he seemed to be high." After their conversation, other than a text from Philip to his friend... no other contact with Philip on Saturday was confirmed...
ENTER IN SUNDAY... 9am -- Philip fails to show up at Mimi's home in the West Village to pick up his three children. His no-show causes concern due to his usual punctualness. After calls to him are unanswered - Mimi calls a friend of Philip's and screenwriter, David Bar Katz, to ask him to check on Philip. David Katz, btw, was the recipient of the last text from Philip.. asking him to come over and watch the Knicks. David arrived at Philip's apartment at around 11:20am.. no doubt coming thru the front door.. passing thru the living quarters, looked in bedroom... No Philip... to the bathroom next, and there - Philip was found in shorts and a red t-shirt... slumped over against the bathtub. His glasses were still on and the syringe still in his left arm. At 11:32am... police were called & they arrived at the apartment shortly afterward with a team from the Medical examiner's office who pronounced him dead at 11:36am. When Mimi was called & told what has happened... She quickly picked their son up from the playground and brought him home.
Meanwhile, Philip's apartment front had become a frenzy of media & paparazzi. (As it does when these kind stories develop.) Investigators discovered over 20 envelopes of what they believe is heroin in the apartment where Hoffman is found. There 'are' reports of 50 bags of heroin... 70 bags... yada yada - this has been called falsetto by law enforcement & is referenced so in the official report... which can be found by doing a google. It was a SAD & HEARTBREAKING day of mourning for the entertainment industry as a whole. Philip was only 46 years young!
The wake for Philip was an endless field of arrivals.. the funeral (below), a blowout of stars, family, and friends that showed up to pay their respects. Broadway dimmed their lights (THEY NEVER do that... except but for a few.) Though Feburary 17, 2014 - will FOREVER be a day of infamy for the entertainment industry as a whole.... GREAT entertainment & his LEGACY that he left , lives on forever!
R.I.P. Philip - Now! Hopefully! You are recieving the peace you so desperatly sought in this life.. and deserved! Thank you for the wonderful talent you shared with us, and the gems that live on in your films! ~Tony Nudo
You can leave your digital non-wilting purty flowers.. and messages for Philip, here!
***GOT THEM BITCHES! click here to see the low lifes who sold Philip the heroin that killed him. Lock 'em up and DESTROY the key!!
TRIBUTES TO PHILIP!
Success isn't what makes you happy. It really isn't. Success is doing what makes you happy and doing good work and hopefully having a fruitful life. If I've felt like I've done good work, that makes me happy. The success part of it is all gravy.