Basil Hoffman

Basil Harry Hoffman is an American actor. He has had a film and TV career spanning five decades mostly in supporting roles. He has starred in films with many awardwinning directors, including Alan Pakula and Robert Redford. He has also authored two books about acting, including Acting and How to Be Good at It.

Hoffman was born in Houston, Texas, the son of Beulah and David Hoffman, an antique dealer. He graduated from Tulane University with a B.B.A. in economics and he spent two years at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, receiving a scholarship for the second, graduating year. His thirteen years of work in New York included many plays, some roles in episodic television, a recurring character on One Life to Live on ABC, hundreds of commercials and a film role in Lady Liberty with Sophia Loren, directed by Mario Monicelli.

Source: Wikipedia