Editing Dustin Hoffman (section)

==Early life and education ==
Dustin Lee Hoffman was born on August 8, 1937, in Los Angeles, California, the younger of two sons of Harry Hoffman (1902–1990) and Lillian (née Gold; 1907–1982).<ref name="cabi">{{cite web |title=Dustin Lee Hoffman, born 08/08/1937 |url=http://www.californiabirthindex.org/birth/dustin_lee_hoffman_born_1937_1929184 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129080653/http://www.californiabirthindex.org/birth/dustin_lee_hoffman_born_1937_1929184 |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |access-date=August 14, 2014 |publisher=[[California Birth Index]]}}</ref> His father worked as a prop supervisor ([[set decorator]]) at [[Columbia Pictures]] before becoming a furniture salesman.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/82/Dustin-Hoffman.html |title=Film Reference.com biography |publisher=Filmreference.com |access-date=March 2, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100203104332/http://www.filmreference.com/film/82/Dustin-Hoffman.html |archive-date=February 3, 2010}}</ref>

Hoffman was named after stage and silent screen actor [[Dustin Farnum]].<ref name="interview2"/> He has an elder brother Ronald, who is a lawyer and economist. Hoffman is [[Jews|Jewish]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Pearson |first=Michael |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/10/entertainment/dustin-hoffman-finding-your-roots-feat/index.html |title=Dustin Hoffman chokes up after discovering remarkable family story |publisher=[[CNN]] |date=March 10, 2016 |access-date=May 19, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Vicki |last=Reid |title=Dustin Hoffman interview: Last Chance Harvey |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/5387229/Dustin-Hoffman-interview-Last-Chance-Harvey.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/5387229/Dustin-Hoffman-interview-Last-Chance-Harvey.html |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Telegraph |date=May 26, 2009 |access-date=May 19, 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> from an [[Ashkenazi Jewish]] family of immigrants from [[Kyiv]], [[Ukraine]] (then a part of the Russian Empire), and [[Iași]], Romania. The family's surname was spelled Гойхман (''Goikhman'') in the [[Russian Empire]].<ref name="interview2">{{cite AV media |title='Quartet': Dustin Hoffman, Behind The Camera |first=Terry |last=Gross |author-link=Terry Gross |publisher=[[NPR|National Public Radio]] (NPR) |date=January 16, 2013 |access-date=June 24, 2014 |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=168799912 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150215030123/http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=168799912 |archive-date=February 15, 2015 |type=Radio broadcast}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://jewishjournal.com/mobile_20111212/175744/|title=Dustin Hoffman says it's a great era for television, the worst ever for film |work=[[The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles]] |date=July 8, 2015|access-date=May 19, 2018}}</ref><ref name="interview">{{cite news |last=Schleier |first=Curt |title=Hollywood Legend Talks Films and Faith |url=http://forward.com/articles/168448/dustin-hoffmans-directorial-debut/?p=all |work=Forward.com |date=January 3, 2013 |access-date=April 15, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502014935/http://forward.com/articles/168448/dustin-hoffmans-directorial-debut/?p=all |archive-date=May 2, 2013 }}</ref><ref name="bookref1">{{cite book |last=Pogrebin |first=Abigail |author-link=Abigail Pogrebin |title=Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk About Being Jewish |title-link=Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk About Being Jewish |publisher=Broadway Books |date=October 2005 |isbn=0-7679-1612-3}}</ref><ref name="fdrts">''[[Finding Your Roots]]'', March 8, 2016, PBS</ref>

His upbringing was [[irreligion|nonreligious]], and he has said, "I don't have any memory of celebrating [[Jewish holidays|holidays]] growing up that were Jewish", and that he had "realized" he was Jewish at around the age of 10.<ref name="nov07">{{cite news|last=Bernard|first=Sarah|title=The Tortoise and the Whoopee Cushion|work=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|date=November 18, 2007|url=https://nymag.com/guides/holidays/gifts/2007/40990/|access-date=November 22, 2007|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071121173710/http://nymag.com/guides/holidays/gifts/2007/40990/|archive-date=November 21, 2007}}</ref><ref>[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3329905,00.html ''Hoffman's Jewish return''.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513151617/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3329905,00.html |date=May 13, 2011}} Ynet.com. November 19, 2006.</ref><ref name=Pogrebin/>

Hoffman graduated from [[Los Angeles High School]] in 1955 and enrolled at [[Santa Monica College]] with the intention of studying medicine. But he decided to become an actor, and left in the following year to join the Pasadena Playhouse,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Moonchild and the Fifth Beatle|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,838938,00.html|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=February 7, 1969|access-date=April 4, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211070441/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,838938,00.html|archive-date=February 11, 2009}}</ref> although when he told his family about his career goal, his Aunt Pearl warned him, "You can't be an actor. You are not good-looking enough."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01p314n|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131065744/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01p314n|url-status=dead|title=BBC Radio 4 – Desert Island Discs, Dustin Hoffman|archive-date=January 31, 2017|publisher=BBC}}</ref><ref name="life19671124"/> He also studied with [[Lee Strasberg]] and has stated that he did not study with either [[Sanford Meisner]] or [[Stella Adler]].<ref>{{citation|last=Kleann6160|title=Dustin Hoffman/Interview|date=December 27, 2020|url=https://vimeo.com/495094466|access-date=March 21, 2021}}</ref>

Hoffman initially hoped to become a [[Piano|classical pianist]], having studied piano during much of his youth and in college. While at Santa Monica College, he also took an acting class, which he assumed would be easy, and "caught the acting bug". He recalls: "I just was not gifted in music. I did not have an ear."<ref name=AARP/> Now an aspiring actor, he spent the next 10 years doing odd jobs, being unemployed, and struggling to get any available acting roles, a lifestyle he was later to portray in the comedy film ''[[Tootsie (film)|Tootsie]]''. Hoffman composed a song called "Shooting the Breeze", alongside [[Bette Midler]] who wrote the words.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://parade.com/105811/parade/dustin-hoffman/ |title=Dustin Hoffman: 'I Wanted to Be a Jazz Pianist' |magazine=Parade |access-date=September 13, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107060100/https://parade.com/105811/parade/dustin-hoffman/ |archive-date=November 7, 2017|date=February 5, 2012}}</ref>