Gaby Hoffmann

Gabrielle Mary Antonia Hoffmann[2][3] (born January 8, 1982)[4] is an American film and television actress best known for her roles on Sleepless in Seattle, Now and Then, Transparent and Girls,[5] which garnered her nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2015, respectively.[6] Additionally, she is remembered as a child actress from the films Field of Dreams, Uncle Buck, Now and Then, and Volcano.[7]

For the manager for the heavy metal band Accept, see Gaby Hoffmann (manager).

Gaby Hoffmann
Hoffmann in June 2015
Born	Gabrielle Mary Antonia Hoffmann (1982-01-08) January 8, 1982 New York City, New York, U.S.
Education	Buckley School Calabasas High School[1]
Alma mater	Bard College (2004)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1988–present
Children	1
Parent(s)	Viva (mother) Anthony Herrera (father)

Early life

Hoffmann was born in New York City, New York.[8] Her mother, Viva (born Janet Susan Mary Hoffmann),[9] is an actress, writer and former Warhol superstar,[10] and her father, Anthony Herrera,[11] was a soap opera actor best known for his role as James Stenbeck from As the World Turns.[12] Viva and Herrera were estranged shortly after Hoffmann's birth; she was raised by her mother at the Chelsea Hotel in New York. Her father did not have a significant presence in her life.[13][14] Hoffmann's birth is documented in Brigid Berlin's The Andy Warhol Diaries. An entry dated January 10, 1982, two days after Hoffmann was born, says that a friend of Warhol's telephoned Warhol and told him that they were going to the Chelsea Hotel to see Viva and her new baby.

Hoffmann's mother was raised in a devout Catholic family[14] on Long Island, the daughter of an attorney.[15][16] She was previously married to director Michel Auder in 1969. Hoffmann has a half-sister, Alexandra "Alex" Auder, who is 11 years older and teaches yoga in New York City.[2][17] Hoffmann's father was raised in Wiggins, Mississippi by his maternal grandparents.[3] Herrera died in 2011 from cancer.[12]

Hoffmann attended elementary school in Manhattan at P.S. 3 on Hudson Street in the West Village, then another school in Hell's Kitchen. After she moved to Los Angeles in 1994, she attended the Buckley School, before finally graduating from Calabasas High School in 1999.[1]

Life at the Chelsea Hotel

Until July 1993, Hoffmann lived in Manhattan's Chelsea Hotel (now a landmark), which Hoffmann later said she enjoyed. According to Hoffmann, she and her best friend Talya Shomron would roller-skate in the hallways, spy on the drug dealer across the hall, and persuade the bellman to go to the neighborhood delicatessen at night to fetch them ice cream.[13]

Hoffmann recalled, "I grew up in downtown New York in the '80s. I have a friend who grew up with me, and she puts it well. She says, 'If you grew up where we grew up, if you weren't an artist, a drag queen, queer, or a drug addict, then you were the freak.' I grew up in a world where I guess what is considered unusual or abnormal for the rest of America was very much considered the norm."[5] She also reported in an interview that there had been gunfire and a rape at the hotel shortly before they moved out.[14]

Hoffmann and her mother left the Chelsea Hotel after a long-standing dispute with the management that ended in eviction.[14] Regardless, Hoffmann's connection to the hotel resulted in a significant effect on her future. The idea for the 1994 sitcom Someone Like Me originated after Gail Berman (former president of Viacom's Paramount Pictures) read a New York Times article[2] about the hotel which referred to a children's book that Viva and friend Jane Lancellotti wrote, Gaby at the Chelsea (a take on Kay Thompson's 1950s classic Eloise books). Berman became the show's producer.

Adolescence on the West Coast

When Hoffmann was 11 years old, after leaving the Chelsea,[1] Hoffmann and her mother moved to the west coast to a two-bedroom rented house in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, which was badly damaged in the January 17, 1994 Northridge earthquake. While regrouping their living situation, Hoffmann and her mother temporarily lived at The Oceana Suites Hotel in Santa Monica, California.

College and assorted jobs

After she graduated from Calabasas High School in 1999, Hoffmann followed her half-sister Alex's example and entered New York's Bard College to pursue a degree in literature and writing.[14] Around 2001, she temporarily left her acting career to complete her studies and graduated in 2004; her senior thesis was a documentary film.[14]

After college, she spent much of her 20s drifting. She interned with a chef in Italy, and then trained to be a doula after helping deliver Alex's children. For a time, Hoffmann and a boyfriend lived in an old trailer in the Catskill Mountains.[2]

Career

Childhood acting career

Hoffmann began her acting career at the age of four to help pay the family bills by acting in commercials. In 1989, she starred in her first movie, Field of Dreams, with Kevin Costner. 1989's Uncle Buck followed, working beside John Candy and up-and-coming child star Macaulay Culkin. However, she grew tired of the rigors of screen performance and temporarily retired. Nevertheless, upon hearing that Culkin (whom she disliked when they worked together[14]) was making a lot of money in feature films, her "competitive spirit got the best of her", as she later put it, and she re-entered the profession. She went on to star in This Is My Life (1992), Sleepless in Seattle (1993) with Tom Hanks and The Man Without a Face with Mel Gibson (who also directed the film).[18] According to Hoffmann, it was the praise she received for her performance in This is My Life which encouraged her to pursue a full-time acting career in Hollywood as it gave her the confidence she needed to handle major roles.[18]

In 1994, Hoffmann starred in her own sitcom Someone Like Me (on NBC) about a young girl, Gaby, and her dysfunctional family. Although generally well received, the show only lasted six episodes. Publicity work for the show included personal appearances by Hoffmann on late night talk shows like The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Show with David Letterman.

After Someone Like Me, Hoffmann won the lead role opposite Shelley Long in the 1995 TV film Freaky Friday, a remake of the 1976 film of the same name starring Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris. In the same year as Freaky Friday, Hoffmann starred as Young Samantha (the childhood counterpart to Demi Moore's character) in the coming-of-age feature film, Now and Then.

In 1995, Hoffmann played Andrea Eagerton in the CBS TV film Whose Daughter Is She?.

Teen and college years: 1996–2003

Between 1996 and 2001, Hoffmann landed roles in several films including Everyone Says I Love You (1996), Volcano (1997), Snapped (1998), The Hairy Bird (1998), 200 Cigarettes (1999), Coming Soon (1999), Black & White (1999), You Can Count on Me (2000), and Perfume (2001).

Theatre work in New York: 2003–2007

Between 2003 and 2007, Hoffmann largely concentrated on a theatre career in New York. Roles included 24 Hour Plays (as Denise at the American Airlines Theatre), The Sugar Syndrome (Williamstown Theatre Festival – July/August 2005), and Third (Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater/Lincoln Center Theater – September – December 2005). In late 2005, she starred in an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. She also appeared in the Broadway play Suburbia, alongside Kieran Culkin and Jessica Capshaw at the Second Stage Theatre on 43rd Street in New York City, which ran from September to October 2006. Hoffmann then returned to the 24 Hours Plays where she acted alongside Jennifer Aniston.

Return to film work: 2007–present

Since 2007, Hoffmann has made a gradual return to film acting. In 2007, she starred in the film Severed Ways: The Norse Discovery of America. In 2008, she appeared in Guest of Cindy Sherman, a documentary on art-scene commentator Paul Hasegawa-Overacker's relationship with enigmatic photographer Cindy Sherman. Sherman was married to Hoffman's stepfather, Michel Auder, from 1984 to 1999.[19] Later in 2008, Hoffmann appeared in the documentary Chelsea on the Rocks, which is a tribute to the Chelsea Hotel where she grew up. Directed by Abel Ferrara, the documentary highlights the many personalities and artistic voices that have emerged from the legendary residence.

In 2009, Hoffmann had a supporting role in Todd Solondz's Life During Wartime, and the thriller 13 with Mickey Rourke (released in 2010).

More recently, Hoffmann has starred alongside Michael Cera in Crystal Fairy & the Magical Cactus (2013). While shooting the film in Chile, she and Cera took mescaline for her performance in a climactic scene.[20]

Recent guest appearances have been in the television series Louie and Girls in Season 3.[21] Hoffmann also appeared in seasons 4 and 5 of Girls.[5]

Hoffmann (bottom left). She is seen here with fellow cast members of Transparent in 2015

In 2013, she completed work on the lead role of a Web series entitled Lyle, created by Stewart Thorndike and Jill Soloway. It was shot in NYC. She subsequently acquired an apartment in Brooklyn's Fort Greene section.[2] In October 2013, she starred in the 1910s installment of Vanity Fair's The Decades Series, "The First March", directed by Gilly Barnes.[22]

Hoffmann has discussed her full frontal nude scenes in a few of her recent projects including Crystal Fairy, Girls and the Amazon series Transparent.[23] On nudity, Hoffmann said: "People are obsessed with actresses being hairless, fatless Barbie dolls. They can’t imagine that people would want to be anything other than that. When they are, it's looked at as almost a political statement. Look at Lena Dunham. She is a gorgeous woman and people can't stop talking about how brave she is to show herself naked, which I find totally condescending and ridiculous. If Angelina Jolie was naked onscreen no one would say she was brave. The implication is that Lena's brave because she doesn't look the way she's supposed to look. I think that's a shame."[24]

Jill Soloway wrote the role Hoffmann plays in Transparent for her after seeing her performance on Louis C.K.'s third season of Louie.[25]

In 2016 she appeared in video as an onstage "stand-in" during the Nostalgic For the Present concert tour of Australian singer Sia Furler for her song, "Unstoppable."[26]

Personal life

Hoffmann has a daughter,[27] born in 2014, with longtime boyfriend, cinematographer Chris Dapkins (born on November 19, 1980).[28][29][30] She lives in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn.[24]

Hoffmann endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders for President in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[31]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1989	Field of Dreams	Karin Kinsella
1989	Uncle Buck	Maizy Russell
1992	This Is My Life	Opal Ingels
1993	Sleepless in Seattle	Jessica
1993	The Man Without a Face	Megan Norstadt
1995	Now and Then	Samantha "Sam" Albertson
1996	Everyone Says I Love You	Lane Dandridge
1997	Volcano	Kelly Roark
1998	All I Wanna Do	Odette Sinclair
1998	Snapped	Tara
1999	200 Cigarettes	Stephie
1999	Coming Soon	Jenny Simon
1999	Black and White	Raven
2000	You Can Count on Me	Sheila Seidleman
2001	Perfume	Gabrielle Mancini
2007	Severed Ways	Orn's Wife
2009	Life During Wartime	Wanda
2010	13	Clara Ferro
2011	Wolfe with an E	Karen
2011	Confidante	Sam	Short film
2011	The Surrogate Mary	Sally
2012	Nate & Margaret	Darla
2013	Crystal Fairy & the Magical Cactus	Crystal Fairy
2013	All That I Am	Susan
2013	Goodbye World	Laura
2014	Obvious Child	Nellie
2014	Veronica Mars	Ruby Jetson
2014	Wild	Aimee
2014	Lyle	Leah
2015	Manhattan Romance	Emmy
TBA	C'mon C'mon		Post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1994	Someone Like Me	Gaby Stepjak	6 episodes
1995	Freaky Friday	Annabelle Andrews	Television film
1995	Whose Daughter Is She?	Andrea Eagerton	Television film
2005	Law & Order: Criminal Intent	Rachel Burnett	Episode: "The Good Child"
2009	The Eastmans	Dr. Sally Eastman	Pilot
2010	Private Practice	Emily	Episode: "Just Lose It"
2011	The Good Wife	Rhonda Cerone	Episode: "Killer Song"
2011	Homeland	CNN Producer	Episode: "Clean Skin"
2012	Louie	April	Episode: "Something Is Wrong"
2014–2017	Girls	Caroline Sackler	8 episodes
2014–2019	Transparent	Alexandria "Ali" Pfefferman	Series regular; 39 episodes
2016	High Maintenance	Gaby	Episode: "Tick"

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Production	Result
1990	Young Artist Award	Best Young Actress Supporting Role in a Motion Picture	Field of Dreams	Won
1993	Young Artist Award	Best Young Actress Under Ten in a Motion Picture	This Is My Life	Nominated
1994	Young Artist Award	Best Youth Actress Co-Starring in a Motion Picture Drama	The Man Without a Face	Nominated
1995	Young Artist Award	Best Youth Comedienne in a TV Show	Someone Like Me	Nominated
1996	Young Artist Award	Best Performance by a Young Ensemble – Feature Film or Video	Now and Then	Nominated
1997	YoungStar Award	Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Comedy Film	Everyone Says I Love You	Nominated
2014	Independent Spirit Award	Best Female Lead	Crystal Fairy & the Magical Cactus	Nominated
2015	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series	Girls	Nominated
		Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series	Transparent	Nominated
2016	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series		Nominated
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series		Nominated

References

1. Lyons, Tina. "Gaby Hoffmann,1997". Index Magazine. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
2. Brodesser-Akner, Taffy (July 8, 2013). "The Chelsea Hotel Had Its Own Eloise". The New York Times. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
3. Stated on Finding Your Roots, November 21, 2017
4. "UPI Almanac for Monday, Jan. 8, 2018". United Press International. January 8, 2018. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018. Retrieved September 21, 2019. ...actor Gaby Hoffmann in 1982 (age 36)
5. Martin, Denise (September 2, 2014). "Gaby Hoffmann on Girls, Growing Up in '80s New York, and Her Amazon Show Transparent". Vulture. New York Media. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
6. Staff, Variety (July 16, 2015). "Emmy Award Nominations: Full List of 2015 Emmy Nominees". Variety. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
7. Martin, Lara (July 1, 2015). "Do you remember... Gaby Hoffmann?". Reveal.co.uk. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
8. "Gaby Hoffman". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on July 4, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
9. "Viva Auder Auder – United States Public Records, 1970–2009". FamilySearch. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
10. Goldsmith, Barbara L. (April 29, 1968). "La Dolce Viva". New York. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
11. "Anthony Herrera Obituary". San Antonio Express-News. July 3, 2011. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
12. "Anthony Herrera Obituary". Stone County Enterprise. July 28, 2011. Archived from the original on December 13, 2012. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
13. Kennedy, Dana (March 25, 1994). "30 Minutes of Fame". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
14. Caddell, Ian (March 5, 1992). "Child actor Gaby Hoffmann sounds off on directors, costars, and Madonna". Straight.com. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
15. EW Staff (June 11, 2013). "Gaby Hoffmann on child stars and coming back to acting on her own terms". EW.com. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
16. Brock, Chris (July 28, 2014). "Paintings of Viva Hoffmann on exhibit at Thousand Islands Arts Center". Watertown Daily Times. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
17. de Villeneuve, Poppy (August 31, 2010). "Alexandra Auder, Yoga Teacher" (video interview). AnotherMag.com. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
18. Soboroff, Jacob (June 20, 2013). "Gaby Hoffmann Says Mel Gibson Screamed And Made Her Cry As A Child Actor (video)" (video interview). Huffington Post Live. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
19. Patti Greco (January 20, 2014), Gaby Hoffmann on Girls, Dance Parties With Claire Danes, and Waxing for Veronica Mars New York.
20. Julie Miller (July 11, 2013). "Michael Cera and Gaby Hoffmann on Crystal Fairy, Acting on Mescaline, and Trips with Strangers". Vanity Fair. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
21. Fine, Marshall (August 31, 2012). "Gaby Hoffmann: Now playing adults". Hollywood & Fine. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
22. Barnes, Gilly (September 12, 2013). "The Decades Series: The 1910s". Vanity Fair. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
23. Meltzer, Marisa (January 29, 2014). "Below the Bikini Line, a Growing Trend: Brazilian Bikini Wax? In a New Trend in Hair Removal, Women Prefer the Natural Look". The New York Times. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
24. Wright, Jennifer Ashley (July 30, 2013). "Gaby Hoffmann: Warhol Would Have Loved Her". New York Observer. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
25. Katz, Jessie (March 11, 2014). "Pret-a Reporter: Dynamic Duos: Jill Soloway and Gaby Hoffmann are Ready to Inhabit Your Brain". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
26. Matasci, Matt. "Star-Studded Coachella 2016 Sia Set Features Pre-Recorded Cameos By Tig Notaro, Paul Dano and Kristen Wiig". music.mxdwn.com. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
27. Leon, Anya; Jordan, Julie (December 15, 2014). "Gaby Hoffmann Welcomes Daughter Rosemary". People. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
28. Zaman, Farihah (2012). "Chris Dapkins: 25 New Faces of Independent Film (2012)". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
29. Chiu, Melody; Jordan, Julie (June 6, 2014). "Gaby Hoffmann Expecting First Child". People. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
30. Webber, Stephanie (June 7, 2014). "Gaby Hoffmann Is Pregnant, Girls Guest Star Expecting First Child With Boyfriend Chris Dapkins". Us Weekly. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
31. Gaby Hoffman - Feeling The Bern. YouTube.

External links

• Gaby Hoffmann on IMDb
• Gaby Hoffmann at the Internet Broadway Database