Hoffman was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Lillian, a jazz pianist, and Harry Hoffman, who worked as a prop supervisor/set decorator at Columbia Pictures before becoming a furniture salesman. His brother, Ronald, is a lawyer and economist. Hoffman's family was Jewish, although he did not have a religious upbringing. Graduated from Los Angeles High School in 1955.

Hoffman began acting at the Pasadena Playhouse with fellow actor Gene Hackman. After two years at the playhouse, Hackman headed for New York City and Hoffman soon followed. He worked a series of odd jobs, including coat checking at restaurants, working in the typing department of the city Yellow Pages directory, and stringing Hawaiian leis, while getting the occasional bit television role. To support himself, he left acting briefly to teach. He worked as a professional fragrance tester for Maxwell House. He also did the occasional television commercial. An oft-replayed segment on programs that explore actors' early work is a clip showing Hoffman touting the Volkswagen Fastback.

In 1960, Hoffman landed a role in an off-Broadway production and followed with a walk-on role in a Broadway production in 1961. Hoffman then studied at the famed Actors Studio and became a dedicated method actor.

Through the early and mid-1960s, Hoffman made appearances in television shows and movies, including Naked City, The Defenders and Hallmark Hall of Fame. Hoffman made his theatrical film debut in The Tiger Makes Out in 1967, alongside Eli Wallach.

Between acting jobs, Hoffman also made ends meet by teaching acting at a community college night school, and by directing off-broadway and community theater productions. 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 a production of William Saroyan's "The Time of Your Life" for the Emma Herbst 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.

Hoffman married Anne Byrne in May 1969. The couple had two children, Karina and Jenna. They divorced in 1980. His second marriage to attorney Lisa Gottsegen in October 1980, produced four more children, Jacob, Maxwell, Rebecca and Alexandra. Hoffman also has two grandchildren. In an interview, he said that all of his children have had bar or bat mitzvahs and that he is more observant now than when he was younger, but also lamented that he does not have fluent Hebrew-language skills.

A political liberal, Hoffman has long supported the Democratic Party and Ralph Nader.

Robert Duvall was a roommate of Hoffman during their struggling actor years in New York City. Duvall and Hoffman tease each other on the matter of acting training, as Duvall was trained by Sanford Meisner whereas Hoffman was brought up on Lee Strasberg's method acting. Hoffman is good friends with actor Gene Hackman, who was also friends with Duvall during their years as starving actors.

Hoffman on a talk show once stated that the Oscars were "obscene, dirty and no better than a beauty contest." When presenting an award at the 1974 Oscar ceremonies, Frank Sinatra responded strongly: "And contrary to what Mr. Hoffman thinks, it is not an obscene evening. It is not garish and it is not embarrassing".

Dustin Hoffman's Photos

His current height is five foot two (and three-quarters).