Desert Island Discs Dustin Hoffman on his father
Oct 20, 2025
Dustin Hoffman opens up about his father's dream of being a director and the challenges he faced in Hollywood. He shares a personal anecdote about a birthday moment that reveals the complexity of their relationship. Hoffman's account includes his father's transition from film to furniture sales, highlighting unfulfilled ambitions. The discussion touches on the impact of living with an angry parent and financial struggles, painting a vivid picture of family dynamics against the backdrop of Hoffman's own Hollywood success.
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From Studio Sets To Furniture Sales
- Dustin Hoffman describes his father arriving in LA with little money and working his way up in studio prop and set departments.
- His father later lost those jobs and shifted into selling furniture, showing career volatility during the Depression era.
Thwarted Ambitions And A Willie Loman Shape
- Hoffman paints his father as a driven man with thwarted ambitions who wanted to be a director and admired Frank Capra.
- Those unmet dreams and later failures turned him into a Willie Loman–like salesman, which influenced Hoffman's choice to perform Death of a Salesman.
A Father's Cutting Review
- Dustin recalls being nervous when his father watched his Broadway performance in Death of a Salesman.
- His father's blunt comment — "that guy is some loser" — stayed with him as a painful memory.
