Basil Hoffman

Basil Hoffman was an American actor with a film and television career spanning five decades.

He had more than 200 acting credits across film, television and stage. He appeared as Sloan in Ordinary People (1980) and as an auctioneer in The Artist (2011). Both dramas won best picture at the Oscars. Hoffman also had roles in the films My Favorite Year (1982), The Last Word (2017), All the President's Men (1976), and Rio, I Love You (2014). Some of his television credits include recurring roles on the 1980s series Hill Street Blues and Square Pegs.

In between playing characters on screen, Hoffman worked as a coach and acting teacher. He wrote three books titled Cold Reading and How to Be Good at It, Acting and How to Be Good at It and Acting and How to Be Good at It: The Second Edition.

Hoffman died September 17, 2021. He was 83.