Dustin Hoffman filmography acting with a 1984 performance as Willy Loman in "Death of a Salesman" – Hoffman reprised the role a year later in a television film. 1987 saw the release of originally ill-received comedy "Ishtar", in which he starred with Warren Beatty; its critical support has since grown. He won his second Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the autistic Ray Babbitt in the 1988 film "Rain Man", co-starring Tom Cruise. In 1989, he was nominated for a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for playing Shylock in a stage performance of "The Merchant of Venice". In
Dustin Hoffman Esio Trot". Hoffman was born on August 8, 1937, in Los Angeles, California, the second son of Lillian (née Gold; 1909–82) and Harry Hoffman (1908–87). His father worked as a prop supervisor (set decorator) at Columbia Pictures before becoming a furniture salesman. Hoffman was named after stage and silent screen actor Dustin Farnum. His elder brother, Ronald, is a lawyer and economist. Hoffman is Jewish, from an Ashkenazi Jewish family of immigrants from Kiev, Russian Empire, and Iași, Romania (the family's surname was spelled "Goikhman" in the Russian Empire). His upbringing was nonreligious, and he has said, "I don't have