Passing: Philip Seymour Koffman

Philip Seymour Hoffman: The Greatest Actor of His Generation

by TheAtlantic

The actor, discovered dead in his apartment at 46, was Hollywood's patron saint of schlubs, losers, and outcasts. 

 

Famous deaths invite hyperbole. The news that Philip Seymour Hoffman was discovered dead today in an apartment bathroom, with a syringe sticking out of his arm, seems like an occasion to overreact with some exaggerated summary of his career—something like "most talented and kaleidoscopic actor of his time."

Except, in this case, the compliment isn't hyperbolic at all. It's just an accurate description, as true yesterday as it is today. And the competition isn't even that close.