Drawn to acting from an early age, Philip Seymour Hoffman began his acting career shortly after graduating from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in the early 1990s. Over the years, Hoffman became well-known for his strength as a supporting actor in many movies from the 1990s and early 2000s.
More recently, you'll find Hoffman's face amongst the star-studded cast of the popular "Hunger Games" series of movies. Not content to focus on only the big screen, Hoffman's talents also drew him to the live stage as an accomplished theatre director and actor. Sadly, the drug addictions that haunted him as a young adult resurfaced in his later years. Relapsing in 2013 after many years of sobriety, Hoffman was found passed away in his Manhattan apartment on February 2, 2014. His legacy is that of a life well lived and dedicated to the mastery of his craft. Fellow actors in both film and theatre regard him as one of the most amazing acting talents of his generation.
Chefs made their way into celebrity land a while ago. But how many celebrities that weren’t trained as professional cooks are actually whizzes in the kitchen? Here are several that come to mind.
Actress Julia Roberts is confident about her cooking skills. “I’m quite a good cook,” she told E! News. “I’m like a closet home ec teacher…I can really cook anything.” Roberts has said she often cooks fish for herself and her kids. And speaking of her three children, “They think that I’m a good cook,” Roberts told People. “They actually told me that I should open a restaurant.” She also relishes cooking for the holidays, particularly shredded Brussel sprouts. Roberts hasn’t published a cookbook, but we did find recipes attributed to her for peach crisp and banana hemp muffins. Or you can make the same summer salad the actress supposedly eats.
Chrissy Teigen started off as a supermodel. Then her love of cooking filtered into her professional life too. At this point, she’s created recipes for a limited Blue Apron release and also just launched her own home and cooking line at Target named “Cravings,” after the two cookbooks she’s released. Teigen describes cooking as “a time of peace” for herself. So maybe peace out to her tuna melt sandwich or the fried chicken wings that are a favorite of her husband, John Legend.
Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, comes from a cooking Italian family. Her father started his own restaurant in New York and also published a cookbook. And apparently, Lady Gaga has inherited the family’s cooking genes. Her Instagram account occasionally features photos of her culinary activities. Sure, sometimes it’s topless cooking. But other times it’s more poignant like in the post she shared about her bringing food to the family of her dear friend who passed away. Want to try a Gaga/Germanotta family favorite? Check out her recipe for whole wheat pasta with a sweet fennel sauce.