‘I Hope He Waits For Me’ — Lisa, Dustin Hoffman’s Wife, Was 10 Years Old When She Dreamt Of Marrying Him

Feb 04, 2022

Dustin Hoffman is a notable actor and filmmaker. He is most known for his versatile performances and anti-heroes, as well as taking on many roles as emotionally vulnerable characters. He has a trustworthy appearance and heartbreaking acting abilities, making him one of Hollywood’s finest stars.

Born on Aug. 8, 1937, Hoffman grew up in Los Angeles, California. From a young age, he knew that he wanted to pursue a career in the arts. Hoffman first had a love for music and studied at the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music, before later embarking on a career change into acting. This sparked him to take acting classes at the Pasadena Playhouse in Los Angeles. 

It wasn’t long before Hoffman began landing a few minor roles on the stage before finally making his breakthrough into mainstream cinema with his role as Benjamin Braddock in the 1967 film “The Graduate.” The role earned him his first ever Academy Award nomination and led to a great career trajectory. Some of Hoffman’s other notable films include “Tootsie,” “Rain Man” and “Midnight Cowboy.”

Hoffman is continuing to stay busy with some of his more recent projects being “Medici” in 2016, “The Meyerowitz Stories” in 2017 and “Into the Labyrinth” in 2019. When he’s not working, Hoffman enjoys spending time with his wife Lisa. Their love story is heartwarming, as Lisa knew that she wanted to marry the actor when she was only 10 years old. Read on to find out more about how Hoffman and his wife fell in love and what their relationship is like today.

While Hoffman has spent a great deal of his life in the spotlight, his wife has a bit of a different story. Born on Sept. 1, 1954, Lisa grew up in Los Angeles and has a degree in psychology from University of Colorado at Boulder. Nowadays, she is a businesswoman and works as the founder and president of her own skincare company called Lisa Hoffman Beauty.

Hoffman and Lisa’s story is a beautiful one that feels like it was plucked from a romance book. According to the Daily Mail, Lisa and Hoffman were both born and raised in Los Angeles, where Hoffman’s mother and Lisa’s grandmother were friends and even lived in the same apartment complex.

“Dustin was studying to be a classical pianist before he became an actor, and when he was 16 he was the pianist at my parents’ wedding, when my mother was pregnant with me,” Lisa explained. Hoffman eventually left California to go study drama in New York, but Lisa still saw him about every year or so when he would come back home to visit his family.

Lisa recalled a particular moment when she realized that she wanted to marry Hoffman. It was a fleeting dream that later became reality. Hoffman, who was 27 at the time, came back home to visit his family and was feeling down as he wasn’t making much progress in the acting world. “He felt embarrassed about being around the adults at the party, so he hung out with us instead,” Lisa said, explaining that “us” meant herself at age 10 and her 8-year-old brother.

Lisa continued, “Dustin was telling us jokes, playing the piano and encouraging me to dance around the living room. After we got together, my grandmother reminded me that later that day I had said, ‘I hope he waits for me because I want to marry him.’”

According to the Daily Mail, Lisa waited about 12 years to finally get with the love of her life. She was 22 at the time and Hoffman was 38 and in the process of divorcing his first wife, actress Anne Byrne. Lisa and Hoffman knew from their first date that they were going to get married.

Nowadays, the couple is enjoying their happily ever after and have a beautiful family together. They married in Roxbury, Connecticut, in October 1980, and have since had four children together. Hoffman also has one stepdaughter and a daughter from his first marriage.

Back in 2007, Lisa told the Daily Mail that the family had no plans of slowing down anytime soon, and it seems like she and Hoffman are staying busy. The businesswoman has her skincare line, as well as a fragrance and jewelry line. “If I can help make women’s lives that little bit easier without having to sacrifice what’s important, then I’ll be happy,” she said. “I’m just going to take it one step, one ampoule, at a time.”

Hoffman has also stayed busy in the acting department. According to IMDB, he has a few films still in the production stages. On top of that, he and his wife are enjoying their time together, celebrating more than 40 years of marriage.

What do you think about Dustin and Lisa Hoffman’s beautiful love story? Let us know, and feel free to pass this along to your family and friends, too.