Philip Seymour Hoffman: A star of the big screen and theatre stage
Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, 46, has been found dead after suffering an "apparent drug overdose", the New York Police Department said.
He leaves behind his long-standing partner and costume designer Mimi O'Donnell and their two daughters and son.
Born in Fairport, New York, in 1967, Seymour Hoffman got his first acting role in a 1991 episode of long-running police show Law and Order.
He went on to play memorable characters in films such as The Big Lebowski, Boogie Nights and Magnolia.
In 2006, Hoffman's portrayal of the writer Truman Capote, won him the Best Actor Academy Award.
During his acceptance speech, the actor paid tribute to his mother, saying "She brought up four kids alone, and she deserves a congratulations for that".
"She took me to my first play", he added.
Hoffman also received Supporting Actor Oscar nominations for his roles in Charlie Wilson's War and Doubt.
Most recently, Hoffman was seen in the Hunger Games 2: Catching Fire, playing the role of head game maker Plutarch Heavensbee.
A talented stage actor, Hoffman won critical acclaim for his roles in True West, Long Day's Journey into Night and Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman on Broadway.
He was nominated for the Tony Award three times.
Hoffman had admitted to struggling with drug addiction in the past but had reportedly been clean for 23 years before a relapse in May last year when he checked into rehab for heroin use.
In a 2006 interview, he said: "I went to rehab, I got sober when I was 22 years old,"
"You get panicked... and I got panicked for my life", he added.