Philip Seymour Hoffman (1967-2014)
At some point, I don't remember exactly when, Philip Seymour Hoffman overtook Steve Buscemi as my favourite (living) actor, but I do remember why. He played disconnected people so well, so true, so recognisably. He broke my heart so many times in these roles but never as much as he has now. I never met him and...well I never will, but I felt close to him because he played people that I felt I understood or, more importantly, people that I think would have understood me. I have written about my connection with film before and in that I mentioned one of my favourite performances of his; a performance that I truly adored and admired and identified with. This was his portrayal of Caden Cotard in Synecdoche, New York (2008), a man struggling to cope with life, to get to grips with life, and so to just live life. There are many more. In his only film as director, Jack Goes Boating (2010), he played a man who couldn't understand others relationships to one another. In Boogie Night