No stranger to disguise, Dustin Hoffman—who famously dressed in drag for the movie Tootsie 30 years ago—cloaked himself in secrecy to hide an unforgiving disease that nearly claimed his life.
In 2013, the Rain Man actor, then 75, revealed he had secretly undergone treatment for throat cancer, which was “surgically cured.” Despite this revelation, Hoffman never spoke of it again.
Keep reading to learn more about the Oscar-winning actor’s journey with cancer.
Early Career and Rise to Fame
In 1967, a 30-year-old Dustin Hoffman had his breakthrough role in the romantic comedy The Graduate, earning his first Oscar nomination. Over the following years, Hoffman appeared in classic films like All the President’s Men (1976) and Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), where he won the Academy Award for Best Actor.
In 1983, Hoffman starred in Tootsie, playing a struggling actor who dresses as a woman to land a role on a soap opera. The hit film, where he was called a “nottie” instead of a “hottie” in drag, brought him to tears. Hoffman recalled in an interview:
“If I was going to be a woman, I would want to be as beautiful as possible, and they said to me, ‘That’s as good as it gets.’ Uh, that’s as beautiful as we can get you,” Hoffman recalled in an interview.
Hearing that he wasn’t very pretty led to an epiphany, forever changing how he treated women.
“I went home and started crying,” Hoffman said. “I think I’m an interesting woman when I look at myself on-screen, and I know that if I met myself at a party, I would never talk to that character because she doesn’t fulfill the physical demands that we’re brought up to think women have to have in order for us to ask them out.”
Though Tootsie was the second highest-grossing film of the year—behind E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial—Hoffman didn’t find it funny.
“…that was never a comedy for me,” he added.
Continuing Success and Cancer Diagnosis
Hoffman’s career flourished, earning him a second Oscar for the 1988 film Rain Man and a collection of six Golden Globes and one Primetime Emmy. However, in 2013, Hoffman—who was very active in his career—suddenly fell quiet.
A few months after his directorial debut with the British comedy Quartet (2012) and shortly after wrapping production on Chef (2014), where he co-starred with Jon Favreau and Sofia Vergara, his representative revealed the reason for his absence. Publicist Jodi Gottlieb told People (through ABC News) that Hoffman had been successfully treated for cancer, which he had kept private.
“It was detected early, and he has been surgically cured,” Gottlieb said. “Dustin is feeling great and is in good health.”
Reports suggested that Hoffman had throat cancer and would continue preventative treatments to minimize the chance of recurrence.
Resilience and Recent Activities
Despite the devastating news, Hoffman did not slow down. He continued to lend his voice to Master Shifu in two more installments of the Kung Fu Panda franchise (2008 to 2024) and co-starred in several films, including Sam and Kate in 2022 and the 2024 sci-fi drama Megalopolis.
In early March 2024, Hello! reported that Hoffman and his wife, Lisa Gottsegen—whom he married in 1980—were spotted strolling through London, sharing sweet public displays of affection. Hoffman and Gottsegen have four children together, adding to the two from his previous marriage to Anne Byrne.
“The Hollywood legend looked years younger than 86 as he smiled and waved at the cameras. He was tanned and carefree as he strolled through the city and ducked into boutiques with his wife of 43 years,” the outlet wrote.
Though Hoffman has never publicly discussed his battle with cancer, it appears he is doing very well.
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