Bern Hoffman

Benjamin Bernard Hoffman, known professionally as Bern Hoffman, was born on February 17, 1913, in Maryland, the son of Rose Hoffman. He grew up alongside a brother and a sister. Hoffman pursued higher education at two institutions, studying medicine at Johns Hopkins University and explosives engineering at Loyola College, before leaving college to support his family financially.

Hoffman began his professional career in film in 1937, appearing in two productions that year, Meet the Missus and Forty Naughty Girls, in the uncredited role of Orchestra Leader in both. His theatre career commenced in 1944 with his Broadway debut in Catherine Was Great. Over the following nearly two decades, Hoffman maintained an active presence on Broadway through 1962, accumulating credits that included Guys and Dolls, in which he originated the role of Joey Biltmore, the musical Li'l Abner, Annie Get Your Gun, in which he played Pawnee Bill, the farce The Hot Corner, and Do Re Mi, among other productions.

Hoffman became particularly associated with the role of Earthquake McGoon in Li'l Abner, a character he portrayed both on Broadway and in the 1959 film adaptation. His screen work extended across a range of film and television productions, including On the Town, Somebody Up There Likes Me, The Man Who Understood Women, and The Outfit. His television appearances included roles on Bonanza, Rawhide, Ironside, Death Valley Days, The Phil Silvers Show, Tombstone Territory, and The Streets of San Francisco. In 1965, he appeared as Marcus in The Jarbo Pierce Story, the twenty-sixth episode of the eighth season of Wagon Train.

Hoffman relocated with his family to North Hollywood, California. He died on December 15, 1979, at Sherman Oaks Hospital in Sherman Oaks, California, at the age of 66, and was buried at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery.