Autopsy set for Philip Seymour Hoffman

Philip Seymour Hoffman appears in 2013's "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire." Hoffman played the role of Plutarch, the head game maker in the film. He was expected to also appear in the following films of the very successful franchise. He was found dead in his Manhattan apartment Sunday of an apparent drug overdose. Click through for more highlights from his career:

Hoffman appears in 2012's "A Late Quartet." He reportedly learned how to play the violin during his role as a member of a string quartet. He told the Huffington Post that "I really got into the violin thing, because it's not acting, and I got off on that."

Hoffman appears with Joaquin Phoenix in "The Master" (2012). He received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations in the supporting actor category for his work in the film.

Hoffman plays manager Art Howe in the 2011 hit "Moneyball." The real Art Howe was reportedly not pleased with how he was portrayed in the film but told TMZ Sports he didn't blame Hoffman. "He was just playing the part he was given," Howe said.

Hoffman plays a DJ known as The Count in 2009's "Pirate Radio."

In 2008's "Doubt," Hoffman plays Father Brendan Flynn, a Catholic priest accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a male student. This was yet another film that got Hoffman supporting actor nominations for the Oscars and the Golden Globes.

Hoffman plays Owen Davian in 2006's "Mission: Impossible III." The actor told AOL at the time that while an action film was not usually his type of role, "it was just one of those things where all the ingredients seemed right."

Hoffman plays the title role in 2005's "Capote." He won the Oscar for best actor in a leading role for his performance as Truman Capote, who wrote "In Cold Blood." Hoffman also won a Golden Globe for the role.

Hoffman plays a phone sex-line supervisor and mattress store owner in 2002's "Punch-Drunk Love."

Hoffman plays Lester Bangs in 2000's "Almost Famous." He delivers one of the film's most memorable scenes when he advises Patrick Fugit's character, William Miller, that "the only true currency in this bankrupt world is what we share with someone else when we're uncool."

Hoffman appears with Rebecca Pidgeon in 2000's "State and Main." He plays a screenwriter suffering from writer's block.

Jude Law and Hoffman share a scene in 1999's "The Talented Mr. Ripley." Hoffman was hailed as a scene stealer in the psychological thriller set in Italy.

Hoffman in 1998's comedy-drama "Happiness."

Hoffman plays Brandt, Mr. Lebowski's personal assistant, in the 1998 cult comedy hit "The Big Lebowski."

Hoffman played the slightly creepy production assistant Scotty in 1997's "Boogie Nights," with Mark Wahlberg and John C. Reilly.

Hoffman plays George Willis Jr. in 1992's "Scent of a Woman." He is credited as Philip S. Hoffman in the movie.

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• Police are investigating the scene; an autopsy is scheduled for Monday


• Hoffman described his struggles with addiction in 2011 "60 Minutes" interview


• Law enforcement sources tell CNN a needle was found in Hoffman's arm


• Hoffman won an Oscar for best actor for the 2005 biopic "Capote"

(CNN) -- The New York medical examiner's office will conduct an autopsy Monday on the body of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was found dead of an apparent drug overdose, law enforcement sources said.

Hoffman, 46, was found on his bathroom floor with a syringe in his left arm and two bags of what is believed to be heroin inside the apartment, according to law enforcement sources.

Philip Seymour Hoffman arrives for the Los Angeles premiere of 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' at the Nokia Theatre LA Live in Los Angeles, California, on November 18.

Philip Seymour Hoffman in his own words

Philip Seymour Hoffman in his own words

Philip Seymour Hoffman in his own words

Philip Seymour Hoffman in his own words

Philip Seymour Hoffman in his own words

Philip Seymour Hoffman in his own words

Philip Seymour Hoffman in his own words

Philip Seymour Hoffman in his own words

Click through to see people who passed away in 2014.

Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman died of an apparent drug overdose in his Manhattan apartment, law enforcement sources said on February 2.

Maximilian Schell died in a Austrian hospital with his wife by his side, his agent Patricia Baumbauer said. He was 83. Schell was nominated for an Oscar three times. He won in 1962 for "Judgment at Nuremberg."

Legendary folk singer Pete Seeger, known for classics such as "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" and "If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)," died of natural causes in New York, his grandson told CNN. He was 94.

Ruth Robinson Duccini, who played one of the Munchkins in the 1939 classic "The Wizard of Oz," died on January 16. She was 95.

Former Playboy centerfold Cassandra Lynn Hensley was found dead at a friend's home in Los Angeles, the coroner there said on January 17. Hensley was 34. Her cause of death was not immediately known.

Hiroo Onoda, center, salutes after handing over his military sword on Lubang Island in the Philippines in March 1974. Onoda, a former intelligence officer in the Japanese army, had remained on the island for nearly 30 years, refusing to believe his country had surrendered in World War II. He died at a Tokyo hospital on January 16. He was 91.

Russell Johnson, center, stands with Alan Hale Jr., left, and Bob Denver in an episode of "Gilligan's Island" in 1966. Johnson, who played "the professor" Roy Hinkley in the hit television show, passed away January 16 at his home in Washington state, according to his agent, Mike Eisenstadt. Johnson was 89.

Ariel Sharon, whose half century as a military and political leader in Israel was marked with victories and controversies, died on January 11 after eight years in a coma, Israeli Army Radio reported. Sharon was 85.

Franklin McCain, seen center wearing glasses, one of the "Greensboro Four," who made history for their 1960 sit-in at a Greensboro Woolworth's lunch counter, died on January 10 after a brief illness, according to his alma mater, North Carolina A&T State University.

Larry Speakes, who served as President Ronald Reagan's press secretary, died January 10 at his home in Cleveland, Mississippi, following a lengthy illness, according to Bolivar County Coroner Nate Brown. He was 74.

Poet Amiri Baraka, who lost his post as New Jersey's poet laureate because of a controversial poem about the 9/11 terror attacks, died January 9, his agent said. Baraka was 79.

Sir Run Run Shaw, the media tycoon who helped bring Chinese martial arts films to an international audience, died at his home in Hong Kong on January 7 at age 106, the television station he founded said.

Stage, TV and film actress Carmen Zapata, who founded the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts as a means of of introducing "the rich and eloquent history of the diverse Hispanic culture to English-speaking audiences," died on January 5 at her Los Angeles home. She was 86.

Portugal football legend Eusebio, who was top scorer at the 1966 World Cup, died from a heart attack on January 5 at age 71, said his former club, Benfica.

Alicia Rhett, who had been one of the oldest surviving cast members of the classic film "Gone With the Wind," died on January 3 in her longtime hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, a retirement community spokeswoman said. She was 98.

Singer Phil Everly, left -- one half of the groundbreaking, smooth-sounding, record-setting duo the Everly Brothers -- died on January 3, a hospital spokeswoman said. He was 74.

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Photos: People we lost in 2014

"We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Phil and appreciate the outpouring of love and support we have received from everyone," Hoffman's family said in a statement. "This is a tragic and sudden loss and we ask that you respect our privacy during this time of grieving."

The Oscar-winning actor was last seen alive at 8 p.m. Saturday, a law enforcement official said.

He was expected to get his children on Sunday, but didn't show up, the official said. Playwright David Katz and another person went to the apartment and found him dead, the official said.

A needle was in the actor's left arm, and eight empty glassine-type bags that usually contain heroin were found in the apartment, law enforcement sources told CNN.

The bags were stamped with "Ace of Hearts" and "Ace of Spades" -- street names for heroin, the sources said.

Hoffman loved 'deep, dense characters'

Hoffman won an Academy Award for best actor for the 2005 biopic "Capote" and drew critical acclaim for his roles in a wide variety of films.

He was a beefy 5-foot-10-inch man, but was convincing as the slight, 5-foot-3-inch Truman Capote. He had a booming voice like a deity's but often played shlubby, conflicted characters.

"He just loved those deep, dense characters. That's where I think he found his true calling," said Bradley Jacobs, a senior editor of Us Weekly.

Hoffman's big break in Hollywood came with a small role as Chris O'Donnell's classmate in the 1992 film "Scent of a Woman."

For years, Hoffman was the kind of anonymous character actor who earned critical raves but was often unnoticed by the general public. He used his abilities to take chances with such directors as a then-unknown Paul Thomas Anderson, with whom he worked in "Hard Eight" (and several ensuing films) and Todd Solondz ("Happiness").

"I think about that a lot," he told Esquire in 2012 of his anonymity. "I feel it cracking lately, the older I'm getting. I think I'm less anonymous than I was."

As an actor, Hoffman could be heartfelt and giving, as with his male nurse in "Magnolia" or rock critic in "Almost Famous," or creepily Machiavellian, like the gamemaster in the latest "Hunger Games" movie or a "Mission: Impossible" movie villain.

He also appeared in "Charlie Wilson's War," "Doubt" and "The Master," for which he was nominated as best supporting actor.

He appeared last month at the Sundance Film Festival, where a movie he starred in, "God's Pocket," premiered.

"He seemed really in good spirits, and it's just so shocking," said CNN Entertainment Commentator Krista Smith, who interviewed Hoffman at the festival. "Because, just looking at his body of work and knowing how many actors revered him and how they look up to him. ... The one thing that was so special about him is that he crossed all platforms ... Every genre, he managed to fit in and just be brilliant at whatever he was doing."

Beloved resident of New York neighborhood

But despite his love of performance, Hoffman was a private person who rarely spoke about his family, Jacobs said.

In New York's Greenwich Village neighborhood where he lived, it was common to see the actor riding a bicycle and walking his children to the public school they attended.

"He'd go quietly about his business with his children. I still remember the day he won the Oscar, him walking his kids to school, not long after. And people were giving him high fives," said CNN's Rose Arce, whose daughter attended school with Hoffman's children.

After his Oscar win at the Academy Awards in 2006, Hoffman thanked his mother for taking him to his first play.

"She brought up four kids alone and she deserves a congratulations for that. ... And she took me to my first play and she stayed up with me and watched the NCAA Final Four, and my passions, her passions became my passions. And, you know, be proud, Mom, because I'm proud of you and we're here tonight and it's so good," he said in his acceptance speech.

Hoffman's father was a salesman and his mother was a family court judge, a biography on the Turner Classic Movies website says. He landed his first professional stage role before graduating from high school and went on to study acting at New York University.

Hoffman stayed active on stage even as his star rose in Hollywood. He starred in a Broadway production of "Death of a Salesman" in 2012 and was co-artistic director of the Labyrinth Theater Company in New York.

He is survived by three children and his longtime partner, Mimi O'Donnell.

Battling addiction

Last year Hoffman revealed that he had entered rehab to deal with a drug problem, telling TMZ that he'd kicked a substance abuse habit for 23 years but recently relapsed.

In a 2011 interview with "60 Minutes," he discussed his past struggles with drug and alcohol addiction.

"Anything I could get my hands on, I liked it all," he said.

Asked why he decided to sober up, he replied, "You get panicked. ... I was 22 and I got panicked for my life, it really was, it was just that. And I always think, 'God, I have so much empathy for these young actors that are 19 and all of a sudden are beautiful and famous and rich.' I'm like, 'Oh my God. I'd be dead.'"

According to TMZ, Hoffman said last year that he'd fallen off the wagon, started taking prescription pills and slipped into snorting heroin.

The actor's public comments about his battle with substance abuse illustrate the struggles many addicts face, according to HLN's Dr. Drew Pinsky, an addiction specialist.

"Someone with opiate addiction, they are doing pushups their whole lives. And they must work on it all the time. And even working on it, there's a high probability of relapse. And God willing, they get adequate treatment, and they re-engage in treatment, and things go well," Pinsky said. "But often, it's a frequently fatal condition. We just simply have to continually remind ourselves of that. And now it has taken a glorious, glorious talent from us."

After he returned from rehab, Hoffman rented the apartment where his body was found Sunday, two neighbors said. The rest of his family lived elsewhere in the neighborhood.

'He was a giant talent'

Word of Hoffman's death sparked a flood of reactions from actors, directors, studio heads and fans.

"This is a horrible day for those who worked with Philip," actor Tom Hanks said in a statement. "He was a giant talent. Our hearts are open for his family."

Lionsgate, the studio behind "The Hunger Games" movies, described Hoffman as "a singular talent and one of the most gifted actors of our generation."

Robert DeNiro, who starred opposite Hoffman in the 1999 movie "Flawless," said he was "very, very saddened" by Hoffman's death.

"This is one of those time where you say 'this just shouldn't be. He was so young and gifted and had so much going, so much to live for.'"

For Mike Nichols, who directed Hoffman in his Oscar-nominated turn in "Charlie Wilson's War," there were no words, just grief.

"No words for this. He was too great and we're too shattered," he said in an e-mailed statement.

Police investigating

As fans and neighbors gathered outside the apartment building, police were combing his apartment for evidence Sunday. As part of the investigation, authorities are looking into whether anyone was with the actor when he died, law enforcement officials said.

Law enforcement sources told CNN that detectives will track Hoffman's recent activities to see where he purchased what appears to be heroin.

Working on the theory that Hoffman's death was a drug overdose, they'll now try to seek exactly where he bought it, the sources said.

This will involve searching his phone and trying to track some of his movements, the sources told CNN.

Heroin use on the rise, authorities warn

Authorities have warned that heroin addiction is soaring and noted an uptick in the availability of the drug.

Last week, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced a heroin mill bust in the Bronx, New York, after they seized $8 million worth of the drug.

The DEA has warned that people who are addicted to opioid prescription pills are now finding highly pure heroin easier and cheaper to obtain.

It produces a similar, if more dangerous, high because unlike the pills, there is no way to regulate the dosage of heroin, given the undetermined purity.

People we lost in 2014

CNN's Jennifer Henderson, Chelsea J. Carter, Susan Candiotti, Todd Leopold, Carolyn Sung, Matthew Carey and Evan Perez contributed to this report.