Hoffman made his film debut in "The Tiger Makes Out" in 1967, alongside Eli Wallach. In 1967, immediately after wrapping up principal filming on "The Tiger Makes Out", Hoffman flew from New York City to Fargo, North Dakota, where he directed productions of William Gibson's "Two for the Seesaw" and William Saroyan's "The Time of Your Life" for the Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre. The $1,000 he received for the eight-week contract was all he had to hold him over until the funds from the movie materialized.