The photo above was taken the day I met Phillip Seymour Hoffman at the Chateau Marmont back in 1999.  One single negative out of hundreds in storage had found its way into a separate box that was about to go into the trash.  I saw the photo, realized who it was and put it aside.  A few days later he was gone. 

I was styling a photo shoot to promote "The Talented Mr. Ripley" with photographer, Wayne Stambler. I remember Philip introducing himself to everyone at the shoot, including the assistants. From first impressions, you could tell that he was sensitive and considerate. There was no publicist present, just Phillip as he was.  He seemed to truly enjoy being pampered in a way that maybe he wasn’t accustomed to. A rack of carefully chosen designer clothes and a groomer to run a comb through his strawberry blonde hair. We took pictures for a few hours in his room and out on the ricketty fire escape, sharing New York stories.  It was a pleasure to work with him. 

He was a real actor’s actor and an icon of his generation and will be sadly missed.

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1998)

Almost Famous (2000)

Capote (2005)

Philip Seymour Hoffman won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of truman Capote. 

Black and white cover portrait of Philip Seymour Hoffman courtesy of Wayne Stambler