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Basil Hoffman

Highest Rated: 97% My Favorite Year (1982)

Lowest Rated: 8% Rio, I Love You (2014)

Birthday: Jan 18, 1938

Birthplace: Houston, Texas, USA

Basil Hoffman is a character actor who works in film and television. He's also an acting coach and has written textbooks on the subject, including "Acting and How to Be Good at It." Hoffman's first role beyond plays and commercials came as a juror on the TV drama "The Defenders" in 1964. He began appearing in films in the 1970s, most notably "All the President's Men," with Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman, in 1976, and in the western "Comes a Horseman" in 1978. He appeared alongside Redford again in the 1979 western"The Electric Horseman," and in 1980 had a supporting role in the multiple-Oscar winning drama "Ordinary People" as Sloan. On television, meanwhile, Hoffman made repeat appearances on the medical drama "Marcus Welby, M.D.," the sitcom "Sanford and Son," and the war comedy "M*A*S*H," all in the mid- to late-'70s. In the early 1980s, Hoffman made several appearances as Principal Dingleman on the high school sitcom "Square Pegs"--Sarah Jessica Parker's first big TV role--and then in the mid-80s made several more recurring appearances on the soap "Santa Barbara" and the classic cop drama "Hill Street Blues." Hoffman continued to appear on a steady series of TV shows into the early 2000s, and he even returned to the principal's chair as Headmaster Ludwig in the 2010 comedy "One Wish." Basil Hoffman died on September 17, 2021 at the age of 83.

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Highest rated movies

97% 84% My Favorite Year
Watchlist
95% 87% The Artist
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93% 63% Night Shift
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70% 55% Love at First Bite
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67% 54% Comes a Horseman
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62% 57% The Electric Horseman
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46% 46% Communion
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42% 24% The Box
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41% 64% The Last Word Watchlist
29% 44% Switch
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Filmography

Movies

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Lucky Louie Unknown (Character) - 2024
No Score Yet No Score Yet Project: Puppies for Christmas Fred (Character) - 2019
41% 64% The Last Word Nervous Older Man (Character) $1.8M 2017
No Score Yet 78% The Pineville Heist Principal Parker (Character) - 2016
8% 16% Rio, I Love You James (Character) - 2014
No Score Yet 12% Throwdown Judge Eller (Character) - 2014
No Score Yet 23% 3 Geezers! Victor (Character) - 2013
95% 87% The Artist Auctioneer (Character) $44.7M 2011
No Score Yet No Score Yet When Life Gives You Lemons Calvin Adams (Character) - 2010
42% 24% The Box Don Poates (Character) $15.0M 2009
No Score Yet No Score Yet Hefner: Unauthorized Lawyer (Character) - 1999
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Ice Runner J.C. Kruck (Character) - 1993
No Score Yet 13% The Double O Kid Trout (Character) - 1992
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Double 0 Kid Trout (Character) - 1992
29% 44% Switch Higgins (Character) $14.2M 1991
No Score Yet 42% Lambada Supt. Leland (Character) $3.5M 1990
46% 46% Communion Dr. Friedman (Character) $1.9M 1989
97% 84% My Favorite Year Herb Lee (Character) - 1982
93% 63% Night Shift Drollhauser (Character) - 1982
No Score Yet No Score Yet Scout's Honor Alexander (Character) - 1980
62% 57% The Electric Horseman Toland (Character) - 1979
70% 55% Love at First Bite Hotel Manager (uncredited) (Character) - 1979
67% 54% Comes a Horseman George Bascomb (Character) - 1978
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Moneychangers Stanley Inchbeck (Character) - 1976
No Score Yet No Score Yet Too Many Suspects Fingerprint Expert (Character) - 1975
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Great Ice Rip-Off Richards (Character) - 1974

TV

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Courage, New Hampshire Unknown (Character) 2012
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Practice Unknown (Guest Star) 2002
No Score Yet No Score Yet Citizen Baines Unknown (Guest Star) 2001
89% 92% Seinfeld Salesman (Guest Star) 1995
No Score Yet 89% Murder, She Wrote Milton Overguard (Guest Star) 1989
No Score Yet No Score Yet Matlock Unknown (Guest Star) 1988
No Score Yet 86% Beauty and the Beast Trask (Guest Star) 1987
No Score Yet No Score Yet 227 Unknown (Guest Star) 1987
No Score Yet No Score Yet Hogan Family Unknown (Guest Star) 1987
No Score Yet No Score Yet It's a Living Dr. Bickley (Guest Star) 1986
97% 85% Hill Street Blues Ed Greenglass (Guest Star) 1985
No Score Yet No Score Yet Alfred Hitchcock Presents Unknown (Character) 1985
No Score Yet No Score Yet Dynasty Judge Drew Mayfield (Guest Star) 1984
No Score Yet No Score Yet Gimme a Break Unknown (Guest Star) 1984
81% No Score Yet Square Pegs Principal Dingleman (Character) 1982-1983
No Score Yet No Score Yet CHiPs Unknown (Guest Star) 1980
No Score Yet 87% M*A*S*H Major Pfiefer (Guest Star) 1974 1979
No Score Yet No Score Yet Barney Miller Allen Korbel (Guest Star) 1978
No Score Yet 80% Columbo Jason Danziger (Guest Star) 1977
No Score Yet No Score Yet Sanford and Son Unknown (Guest Star) 1974 1977
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Waltons Unknown (Guest Star) 1975
No Score Yet 100% Kung Fu Unknown (Guest Star) 1974