--- title: Dustin Hoffman: Early Photos of an Actor on the Rise description: LIFE.com presents photographs of Dustin Hoffman in 1969, when he was a young man in New York -- and a star quite clearly on the rise. canonical: https://time.com/3711076/dustin-hoffman-early-photos-of-an-actor-on-the-rise/ author: Ben Cosgrove article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2012-08-07T16:07:43.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:05:37.082Z og:title: Dustin Hoffman: Early Photos of an Actor on the Rise og:description: LIFE.com presents photographs of Dustin Hoffman in 1969, when he was a young man in New York -- and a star quite clearly on the rise. og:url: https://time.com/3711076/dustin-hoffman-early-photos-of-an-actor-on-the-rise/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta9e547a29f8909a6/69877f7435ba6f5e2cc07154/150216-dustin-hoffman-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2322 og:image:height: 1306 og:image:alt: Dustin Hoffman, 1969. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Dustin Hoffman: Early Photos of an Actor on the Rise twitter:description: LIFE.com presents photographs of Dustin Hoffman in 1969, when he was a young man in New York -- and a star quite clearly on the rise. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta9e547a29f8909a6/69877f7435ba6f5e2cc07154/150216-dustin-hoffman-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Dustin Hoffman: Early Photos of an Actor on the Rise > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-sub-2026q3/newsletters?i=73fd30a8-dbbb-45c2-9f7c-c4243f5dd127&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) * TIME Subscriptions: [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-sub-2026q3/subscribe?i=73fd30a8-dbbb-45c2-9f7c-c4243f5dd127&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Aug 7, 2012 4:07 PM UTC  Dustin Hoffman, 1969. Dustin Hoffman, 1969. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Aug 7, 2012 4:07 PM UTC If they stick around long enough, great actors — or great American actors, anyway — often seem to go through similar, predictable stages in their careers. Namely, a thrilling, volatile early brilliance, followed by a period of sustained mastery — usually resulting in at least one Oscar. Then, self-parody and near-obsolescence, and finally, resurrection and redemption in later years, in roles that remind everyone why they became stars (and legends) in the first place. DeNiro, Pacino, Brando (of course) — they all fit the bill, as does Dustin Hoffman, whose range and sharpness as an actor has often been obscured by roles in abominable films. (_Sphere_, anyone? _The Messenger_? _Little Fockers_, fer chrissake?) But an objective look at the titles and roles for which Hoffman is best known offers clear proof that, despite his annoying, mumbling public persona, the Los Angeles native is one of the most accomplished screen actors America has ever produced: _The Graduate_. _Midnight Cowboy_. _Little Big Man_. _Kramer vs. Kramer_. _Rain Man_. _Papillon_. _Tootise_. _Lenny_. _All the President’s Men_. _Wag the Dog_. And then, of course there’s his television work — including his role voicing Lisa’s cool, sensitive, thoughtful substitute teacher, Mr. Bergstrom, in one of the greatest episodes of _The Simpsons_. (Contractual snags meant that Hoffman had to perform using a pseudonym, so he’s credited as Sam Etic. _Semitic_. Get it?) Here, LIFE.com offers photographs of Dustin Hoffman — most of which never ran in LIFE — made by John Dominis when the actor was just coming into his own as an artist and a star. (Many of the photos here feature Hoffman with his first wife, Anne Byrne, and her daughter from a previous marriage, Karina.) At the time these pictures were made, _Midnight Cowboy_ and _The Graduate_ were behind him. Many of his greatest, defining roles were still ahead of him. But Hoffman admitted something to the magazine in the July 11, 1969, issue of LIFE — in which a few of these pictures first appeared — that today sounds a bit jarring: “I don’t think at 50 you should be doing what you did when you were 30,” he said, referring to his own plans to become a director as soon as possible. “Acting , especially film acting, seems to me to be more of a female profession. The director, who has all the creative power, really uses the actor. I don’t know many actors who enjoy the work of acting. I like the adulation, the money, the whole gimmick of it, but I don’t think I’m a natural actor.” Then, in a kind of wistful coda, the 31-year-old Hoffman admits, “I don’t see how people who have done 70 movies keep going.” Before he’s through, the man who has inhabited some of the most distinctive characters in film history might look back at that sort of declaration and crack that famous, crooked, knowing smile. _Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter at_ [_@LizabethRonk_](https://twitter.com/LizabethRonk)_._  Dustin Hoffman, 1969. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Dustin Hoffman with his stepdaughter Karina, 1969. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Dustin Hoffman with his stepdaughter Karina, 1969. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Dustin Hoffman with his stepdaughter Karina, 1969. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Dustin Hoffman signs autographs outside the theater where he starred in the play (which he also directed), Jimmy Shine, New York City, 1969. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Dustin Hoffman in his dressing room for the play (which he also directed), Jimmy Shine, New York City, 1969. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Dustin Hoffman in his trailer during the filming of the movie, John and Mary, in which he starred with Mia Farrow, New York City, 1969. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Dustin Hoffman with his wife Anne and daughter Karina, New York, 1969. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Dustin Hoffman and family, New York, 1969. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Dustin Hoffman and family, New York, 1969. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Worn out from shooting bedroom scenes with Mia \[Farrow\], Dustin naps before the next take. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Dustin Hoffman and wife, Anne, and their dog Ratso, New York, 1969. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Dustin Hoffman with his dog Ratso, New York, 1969. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Dustin Hoffman on the way to the theater with his dog, Ratso, New York, 1969. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Dustin Hoffman and Mia Farrow on set of the film, John and Mary, New York, 1969. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Dustin Hoffman plays tennis during filming of the movie, John and Mary, New York, 1969. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Dustin Hoffman asleep on the set of the 1969 movie, John and Mary. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Dustin Hoffman chases after his dog Ratso in New York's Riverside Park, 1969. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Dustin Hoffman during filming of the 1969 movie, John and Mary. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. On a rare day away from work, Dustin Hoffman browsed in Greenwich Village shops with Anne and later kissed her in a taxi (above), New York, 1969. 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