WI Dustin Hoffman killed in March 1970

PoD: March 6, 1970

Dustin Hoffman is in his apartment on West 11th Street when an explosion (set off accidentally by members of the Weather Underground (1)) next door severely damages his house and kills him.

Effects, anyone?

(1) Or Weathermen, as they were called.
 
Well, apart from not appearing in any of his post-1970 movies...

He would probably become the subject of some pretty severe canonization, in the manner of James Dean, since his two most memorable recent roles will have been youth counterculture classics The Graduate and Midnight Cowboy. His image would appear on a lot of posters in teenagers' bedrooms and school lockers(mostly as Ratso, I think, since that was the "edgier" role). He obviously never has the chance to develop into the more straitlaced, middle-aged dork persona that I think was visible in his roles as early as Marathon Man.

The Weather Underground gets a pretty bad rap among its target demographic, for having killed(even accidentally) such a celebrated symbol of youthful energy and rebellion. Conservatives, on the other hand, have a good chortle about "one goddamed hippie getting himself blown up by some others".
 
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Also, somewhat related to the butterflying away of his later persona, but Hoffman has a considerably less "Jewish" image with the general public.
 
I wonder if the filming of Little Big Man (1970) was done yet. I actually watched it recently.

It might be like Bruce Lee's 'Game of Death', where he dies while it's being made. They might use a Hoffman lookalike to film the rest of the movie.
 

Driftless

Donor
He has had a pretty good run after 1970:

Little Big Man (as mentioned above) 1970
Papillon - 1973
Lenny - 1974
All the Presidents Men - 1976
Marathon Man - 1976
Kramer vs Kramer -1979
Tootsie - 1982
Rainman - 1988
Wag the Dog - 1997
Last Chanc Harvey - 2009

He had a few stinkers in there too(i.e Ishtar), but so do most actors

I joked above about the voice over work as Shifu - but it was a well done comedic/dramatic part of a good kids movie.
 
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Stolengood

Banned
It might be like Bruce Lee's 'Game of Death', where he dies while it's being made. They might use a Hoffman lookalike to film the rest of the movie.
I'm not sure. They did have a fellow playing the younger version of his character who looked remarkably like him, though (this is the only image I could find of him online from the film):

14705.jpg
 
He has had a pretty good run after 1970:

Little Big Man (as mentioned above) 1970
Papillon - 1973
Lenny - 1974
All the Presidents Men - 1976
Marathon Man - 1976
Kramer vs Kramer -1979
Tootsie - 1982
Rainman - 1988
Wag the Dog - 1997
Last Chanc Harvey - 2009

He had a few stinkers in there too(i.e Ishtar), but so do most actors

I joked above about the voice over work as Shifu - but it was a well done comedic/dramatic part of a good kids movie.

You forgot Straw Dogs, as did I when I mentioned the genesis of Hoffman's middle-aged dork character. Good film.
 
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