Cooper Hoffman
He stepped from his father's shadow with a magnetic, unpolished charm in his very first film, earning a Golden Globe nod.
Born 2003 (age 23)·American actor·Birthday: March 20·Generation Z
Biography
Cooper Hoffman arrived not with a whisper but with the full, sun-drenched force of Paul Thomas Anderson's 'Licorice Pizza.' Born in 2003, the son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, he grew up around film sets but had no acting ambitions. Anderson, a longtime friend of his father's, saw something in the teenager—a specific, grounded charisma—and cast him as the lead. As Gary Valentine, Hoffman delivered a performance that felt less like a debut and more like the discovery of a natural, his hustling energy and vulnerable earnestness capturing a bygone Los Angeles. He bypassed the usual indie-to-blockbuster path, choosing roles that demand transformation: playing TV executive Dick Ebersol in 'Saturday Night' and leading a dystopian Stephen King adaptation. In 2025, he returned to the raw immediacy of live theater with an Off-Broadway debut, signaling a career built on artistic curiosity rather than celebrity.
Generation Z
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
Cooper was born in 2003, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Cooper Was Born
The biggest hits of 2003
#1 Movie
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Best Picture
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
#1 TV Show
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Cooper's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
2003Born
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2008Started school
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2016Became a teenager
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2019Could drive
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2021Could vote
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2024Turned 21
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
2026Age 23 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his debut film role in 'Licorice Pizza' (2021).
- Made his professional stage debut in an Off-Broadway production of Sam Shepard's 'Curse of the Starving Class' in 2025.
- Played the lead role in 'The Long Walk' (2025), a major film adaptation of a Stephen King novel.
Did You Know?
His godfather is filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, who directed his debut.
He worked as a production assistant on Anderson's film 'Licorice Pizza' before being cast as the lead.
He is an avid fan of the New York Knicks basketball team.
“I never wanted to be an actor; it was just something that happened.”
