Michael Hoffman (director)

Michael Lynn Hoffman (born November 30, 1956) is an American film director.[1]

For other people named Michael Hoffman, see Michael Hoffman (disambiguation).
Michael Hoffman
Born
Michael Lynn Hoffman

(1956-11-30) November 30, 1956
Hawaii, United States
Alma materBoise State University
Oriel College, Oxford
Occupation(s)Film director, writer, producer, painter
Years active1982–present
Children3

Early life and education

Hoffman was born in Hawaii: the son of Dorothy (Harper) and Glenn R. Hoffman, who was stationed in the navy in Hawaii at the time.[2] He grew up in Payette, Idaho, played basketball, and attended college at Boise State University.[3] There he was elected as student body president of BSU. He cofounded The Idaho Shakespeare Festival with Doug Copsey and Victoria Holloway in 1977. While at BSU, he served as president of the student body and earned the high honor of Rhodes Scholar in 1979,[4] the first BSU alumnus to achieve this honor.[5] While studying Renaissance literature at Oriel College, Oxford,[6] he extended his interest in drama by founding the Oxford University Film Foundation and by making a student film Privileged, which starred a young Hugh Grant.[7]

Career

Befriended by John Schlesinger, who provided the funding, Hoffman's next film was Restless Natives, a humorous look at young Scottish boys who hold up tour buses. His other credits include Some Girls, starring a young Patrick Dempsey, Restoration with Robert Downey, Jr., One Fine Day with Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney, Soapdish with Sally Field and Kevin Kline, A Midsummer Night's Dream, for which he also wrote the screenplay based on the work by Shakespeare, and The Emperor's Club (starring Kline and Emile Hirsch). Hoffman has, as of 2023, made three films with Kline, including the aforementioned A Midsummer Night's Dream.

His film Promised Land (1987) was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Restoration (1995) was entered into the 46th Berlin International Film Festival.[8]

Hoffman wrote and directed The Last Station (2009), based on the final years of Leo Tolstoy's life, starring Christopher Plummer, Helen Mirren, James McAvoy and Paul Giamatti. He also directed Gambit (2012) and The Best of Me (2014).[9]

In addition, Hoffman directed and co-wrote a film for Netflix, a Gore Vidal biopic, simply titled Gore. Based on the biography Empire of Self: A Life of Gore Vidal by Jay Parini (who also co-wrote), it stars Kevin Spacey as Vidal.[10] The film was shot in 2017 and intended for release in 2018 but was canceled in November 2017 after Spacey's sexual misconduct was revealed in late October.[11] Several other projects involving Spacey at the time were also cancelled or had him replaced.

Filmography
Year Title Director Writer Notes
1982 Privileged Yes Yes Role: Alan
1985 Restless Natives Yes No
1987 Promised Land Yes Yes
1988 Some Girls Yes No
1991 Soapdish Yes No
1995 Restoration Yes No
1996 One Fine Day Yes No
1999 A Midsummer Night's Dream Yes Yes Also producer
2002 The Emperor's Club Yes No
MDs Yes No
2005 Game 6 Yes No
2007 Out of the Blue: A Film About Life and Football Yes No
2009 The Last Station Yes Yes
2012 Gambit Yes No
2014 The Best of Me Yes No
2017 Gore Yes Yes Unreleased

Executive producer

Awards
Year Award Category Nominated work Result
1987 Deauville Film Festival Critics Award Promised Land Nominated
1988 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize Nominated
Vancouver International Film Festival Most Popular Film Some Girls Won
1996 Berlin International Film Festival Golden Berlin Bear Restoration Nominated
2009 Rome Film Festival Golden Marc'Aurelio Award The Last Station Nominated
Hessian Film Award Best International Literature Adaptation Won
2010 Independent Spirit Awards Best Director Nominated
Best Screenplay Nominated

References
  1. "Michael Hoffman". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  2. "Glenn Hoffman Obituary (1932 - 2015) - Payette, ID - Idaho Statesman". Legacy.com.
  3. Johnson, Allen (January 31, 2010). "Michael Hoffman, director of 'The Last Station'". SFGate.com. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  4. Schaeper, Thomas J.; Schaeper, Kathleen (2010). Rhodes Scholars, Oxford, and the Creation of an American Elite. Berghahn Books. p. 385. ISBN 978-1845457211.
  5. "BOISE STATE GRANTS FILM RIGHTS ON FIESTA BOWL SEASON TO IRON CIRCLE PICTURES". Boise State Broncos. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  6. James, Ken (2002). ""THE EMPEROR'S CLUB" interviews with Director Michael Hoffman and Producer Marc Abraham". Christian Answers. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  7. Canby, Vincent (April 8, 1993). "Privileged (1982)". New York Times. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  8. "Berlinale: 1996 Programme". berlinale.de. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
  9. Oland, Dana (October 10, 2014). "Idaho's Michael Hoffman will premiere his new film in Boise". Idaho Statesman. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  10. Lee, Ashley (September 14, 2017). "Michael Stuhlbarg Joins Kevin Spacey in Netflix's Gore Vidal Biopic". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  11. Stanhope, Kate; McClintock, Pamela (November 3, 2017). "Netflix Severs Ties With Kevin Spacey, Drops 'Gore' Movie". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
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