Philip Seymour Hoffman Found Dead, Won Oscar For Portrayal Of Truman Capote

UPDATE: People has confirmed through a police source that Philip Seymour Hoffman was found with a syringe in his arm and “that a clear envelope of what appeared to be heroin was found nearby.”

Earlier we reported:

Acclaimed actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who won an Academy Award as best actor for his performance in 2005’s Capote, has been found dead in his Manhattan apartment, reports Wall Street Journal.

He was 46 and the cause of death has not yet been determined, although the New York Post reports the actor, who had battled drug addiction, was found in the bathroom with a hypodermic needle still in his arm.

Hoffman was one of the most versatile and in-demand actors of his generation. He first came to the attention of many moviegoers as Scotty, the gay member of a porn crew who is smitten with Mark Wahlberg’s Dirk Diggler, in 1997’s Boogie Nights. In the 1999 comedy Flawless, Hoffman vividly portrayed a drag queen who helped rehabilitate Robert DeNiro’s cop character after he suffered a stroke. Watch a clip in which his character reads a group of gay Republicans:

Despite there being no physical resemblance between the two men, Hoffman won numerous awards for his unforgettable performance as gay writer Truman Capote in the 2005 film, beating Heath Ledger’s searing turn as the closeted cowboy in Brokeback Mountain for many honors.

Last year TMZ reported that the actor had checked himself into a detox center for help with a prescription drug problem that had escalated to him snorting heroin. Ironically, news of Hoffman’s death comes just one day after his representatives issued a statement to deny he was dead after an internet hoax claimed the star had passed away on Saturday.