ben braddock

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Watch: The Hollywood Icon Dustin Hoffman's Top 10 Greatest Films Dustin Hoffman: His 10 greatest films Hard to believe, isn't it? Much-loved movie legend Dustin Hoffman celebrates his 75th birthday on Wednesday. Still one of the most popular figures in Hollywood, Hoffman has come a long way from his humble origins as a prop supervisor's son from Los Angeles, and has garnered one of the most impressive CVs in the industry during his 45 year career.So, why not join us as we celebrate this landmark occasion by looking back at the great man's ten best films. The Graduate (1967) The Graduate was Hoffman's Hollywood breakthrough and remains perhaps his most iconic role. He stars as titular graduate Ben Braddock, who becomes embroiled in a love affair with Anne Bancroft's older Mrs Robinson. The timeless film features the young Hoffman uttering the immortal line: 'Mrs Robinson, you're trying to seduce me, aren't you?', and earned him his first Academy Award nomination. Midnight Cowboy (1969) His second Academy Award nomination came for his turn as Enrico 'Ratso' Rizzo in John Schlesinger's supremely dark drama Midnight Cowboy. The film explores grimy derelict Ratso's friendship with Texan male prostitute Joe Buck (Jon Voight) as they traverse the seedy underbelly of New York. Little Big Man (1970) Little Big Man, the epic adaptation of Thomas Berger's novel of the same name, features Hoffman giving a virtuoso performance as Jack Crabb, last survivor of Custer's Last Stand. Portraying the character at ages 17 to 121, the role must rank as one of the greatest age spans portrayed by a single actor. Straw Dogs (1971) Sam Peckinpah's raw Straw Dogs was banned in the UK for years thanks to its controversial content, and sees Hoffman put in a wonderfully unnerving performance as David Summer, a mild- mannered mathmetician in a rural English hinterland who turns into a blood-hungry killer following a campaign of harrassment against him and his wife. All the President's Men (1976) As his career reached its scintillating peak in the mid-1970s Hoffman and Robert Redford took on the roles of the two journalists who managed to bring down President Nixon, which made for a hugely engaging on-screen pairing. Marathon Man (1976) Marathon Man sees Hoffman star alongside the legendary Laurence Olivier, and he gives a magnificently nervy performance in Midnight Cowboy director John Schlesinger's atmospheric thriller. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) The first of Hoffman's two Academy Awards came for his role in Kramer vs. Kramer, in which he gives a tender performance as a divorcee father, which mirrored the divorce he himself was going through at the time Tootsie (1982) Hoffman's performance in 1982 comedy Tootsie is certainly one of his most memorable. He stars as an out-of-work actor who dons women's clothes in order to bag a female role in a soap opera. Rain Man (1988) Rain Man sees Hoffman give an acting masterclass as an autistic man with an astonishing gift for solving maths problems. The film earned the actor his second Academy Award. Wag the Dog (1997) Wag the Dog may not be one of Hoffman's most famous films, but it's certainly one of his funniest. Starring as a Hollywood producer enlisted by a government agent (Robert De Niro) to stage a fake war, Hoffman shows off his impeccable comic timing during a stunning performance.