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One of Hollywood's most bankable stars, Dustin Hoffman is a rare acting genius and Hollywood legend. From innocent Benjamin Braddock to autistic savant Raymond Babbit, his stellar movie performances have won him numerous awards, ecstatic popular acclaim and worldwide fame.

Well-known celebrity biographer Jeff Lenburg tells the inside-story of this award-winning actor in this fully revised, revealing biography. With great attention to detail, the author examines the man and his work Hoffman's coming of age, his brilliant career, his bravura acting style, his classic films and behind-the-scene stories- as well as the marriages and personal life of this demanding and difficult actor.

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Basic info on Hoffman
This biography is not as much a biography as a review of interviews made to Hoffman and reviews of Hoffman's movies (too bad there isn't one single word from critic-guru Pauline Kael). In fact, I didn't see much research here, the author never gets in one single day in Dustin's life with phrases such as "in 1967 he made this play and this movie and got these reviews". (And this book ends in 1984, with 'Tootsie'.) Certainly, it must be difficult to get into Hoffman's life, friends and relatives but this book doesn't seem to have tried that at all. The resolution of the pictures is like a xerox copy (this book is a reprint).

********Dustin Hoffman*********
On August 8, 1937 a second son was born to Harry and LillianHoffman.A son who would change many peoples lives through his humorand wits.In 1952 Dustin took up classical piano, dreaming aboutmaking it some day as a professional classical pianist.He was alsocalled on to play in school assemblies whenever the scheduled speakersfailed to show, even though he knew only one song, "BumbleBoogie." Besides piano Dustin was very industrious.As a memberof his high school's tennis team and also track team, where he wasspecialized in marathon running.In the book there is a passage, thatHoffman explains: "I was the Bumble Boogie ace in the hole.Atparties, the first thing I did was find the piano.I would sit on theedge of the bench, leaving room for the right girl to sit down next tome, and say, 'Boy, do you have sensitive hands.' She never did."Hoffman also explains his earlier years as: "a kid who was alwaystoo short, wore braces on his teeth, and had one of the worst cases ofacne in Los Angeles." In early 1957, Dustin again had a change ofheart because he came to realize acting was his greatest joy.Lateron while Hoffman got into acting and got some off-broadway roles, healso got some side jobs.His first being a psychiatric attendant in amental hospital.On his first day there, he explained: "I wasscared silly!Charging down the hall was a middle-aged guy.He saidto me, 'I'm getting out next Sunday...my wife's an old Dutchcleanser... you got nice teeth, sonny boy, are they yours?'Ramblingon senselessly, the man, without warning, suddenly started making thenoise of an electric razor, unnerving Hoffman considerably.Thispassage shows Hoffman's great sense of humor...To say more aboutthis book would be too much.Jeff Lenburg includes many of thedetails that you want to know about Dustin Hoffman.I liked this bookbecause you can follow a great comedian through his hardships, andvictories in his life. ... Read more

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A biography of Dustin Hoffman. It traces his life from birth, describing his drift into acting and subsequent move to New York, where he worked in a variety of jobs before his big break came. Other work by the author includes "Beyond the Fringe and Beyond". ... Read more

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This Was Awesome
I LOVE DUSTIN HOFFMAN HE IS SOO CUTE I LOVE THE BOOK!!! ... Read more

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Mass market paperback book from 1974 with a movie tie-in cover. Also has a few pages of photos from the Bob Fosse film throughout. ... Read more

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Includes articles on Anjelica Huston, and writer Paul Bowles. ... Read more

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Single issue magazineAARP March / April 2009Dustin Hoffman - cover10 ways to earn extra money ... Read more

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Chapters: Jack Lemmon, Michael Caine, Al Pacino, Alan Rickman, Dustin Hoffman, Albert Finney, Kevin Bacon, Mickey Rooney, Robert Duvall, Paul Giamatti, James Woods, Geoffrey Rush, James Garner, Raúl Juliá, James Franco, Stacy Keach, Brian Dennehy, Bill Nighy, Gary Sinise, Jim Broadbent, Stanley Tucci, Ted Danson, Randy Quaid, Ving Rhames, Beau Bridges, Richard Chamberlain, Anthony Andrews. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 258. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Robert Selden Duvall (born January 5, 1931) is an American actor and director. He has won an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. He began his career appearing in theatre during the late 1950s, moving into small to supporting television and film roles during the early 1960s in such works as To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) and Captain Newman, M.D. (1963). He started to land much larger roles during the early 1970s with movies like MASH (1970) and THX 1138 (1971). This was followed by a series of critical successes: The Godfather (1972), The Godfather Part II (1974), Network (1976), The Great Santini (1979), Apocalypse Now (1979), and True Confessions (1981). Since then Duvall has remained an important presence in both film and television with such productions as Tender Mercies (1983), The Natural (1984), Colors (1988), Lonesome Dove (1989), Stalin (1992), The Man Who Captured Eichmann (1996), The Apostle (1997), A Civil Action (1998), Gods and Generals (2003) and Broken Trail (2006). Duvall was born in San Diego, California, the son of Mildred Virginia (née Hart), an amateur actress and relative of American Civil War General Robert E. Lee, and William Howard Duvall, a Virginia-born U.S. Navy admiral. Duvall's father was a Methodist and his mother was a Christian Scientist, and Duvall was reared in the Chri...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=161266 ... Read more

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Lee Strasberg (November 17, 1901 ? February 17, 1982) wasan American actor, director and acting teacher.Hecofounded, with director Harold Clurman, the Group Theatrein 1931, which was hailed as "America's first truetheatrical collective".In 1951, he became director of thenon-profit Actors Studio, in New York City, considered "thenation's most prestigious acting school". In 1969,Strasberg founded the Lee Strasberg Theatre and FilmInstitute in New York City and in Hollywood to teach thework he pioneered.He was the chief proponent of "Methodacting" from the 1920s until his death in 1982, andaccording to acting author Mel Gussow, "he revolutionizedthe art of acting and had a profound influence onperformance in American theater and movies".From his basein New York, he trained several generations of theatre andfilm's most illustrious talents, including Anne Bancroft,Dustin Hoffman, Montgomery Clift, James Dean, MarilynMonroe, Julie Harris, Paul Newman, Al Pacino and directorElia Kazan. ... Read more

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The individual bits of this book are from the following places:
Lee Strasberg: STRAIGHT FROM WIKIPEDIA!: Harold Clurman: STRAIGHT FROM WIKIPEDIA!, Hollywood: STRAIGHT FROM WIKIPEDIA!, Los Angeles: STRAIGHT FROM WIKIPEDIA!, California: STRAIGHT FROM WIKIPEDIA!, Method acting: STRAIGHT FROM WIKIPEDIA!, Anne Bancroft: STRAIGHT FROM WIKIPEDIA!: STRAIGHT FROM WIKIPEDIA!, Dustin Hoffman: STRAIGHT FROM WIKIPEDIA!, James Dean: STRAIGHT FROM WIKIPEDIA!, Marilyn Monroe: STRAIGHT FROM WIKIPEDIA!, Paul Newman: STRAIGHT FROM WIKIPEDIA!, Elia Kazan: STRAIGHT FROM WIKIPEDIA! ... Read more