Inside Philip Seymour Hoffman's Final Will: Oscar Winner Didn't Want Children to Be "Trust Fund" Kids

Actor told his former accountant he didn't want his children to be "trust fund" kids, according to his will

By Natalie Finn Jul 21, 2014 9:06 PMTags
Mimi O'Donnell, Philip Seymour HoffmanStephen Lovekin/Getty Images

Philip Seymour Hoffman had amassed quite the estate after 25 years in the business and when he died tragically on Feb. 2 of a heroin overdose, he had his estate in order per his exact wishes.

According to probate documents filed in New York City and obtained Monday by E! News, Hoffman had told his former accountant that he "did not want his children to be considered 'trust fund' kids," and therefore left the entirety of his reported $35 million estate to his partner Mimi O'Donnell.

David Friedman, who had advised Hoffman in financial matters, told attorney James H. Hill that the Capote star had told him as recently as one year before his death that his wishes had not changed as far as leaving all the money to Mimi, knowing she'd be raising their children with that money.

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Per the documents, Friedman said that Hoffman treated O'Donnell as if she were his wife but "simply did not believe in marriage," and that "did not affect his affinity or relationship" with her.

An initial will signed in 2004 when his eldest son, Cooper, was just 1 year old and daughters Tallulah and Willa had yet to be born, had Hoffman stating that he wanted his son to "be raised in a city with art and culture" and he included certain locations that fit the bill. None of them were Los Angeles.

The 46-year-old had multiple projects in the works when he died, including the final two films in The Hunger Games series, Mockingjay Part 1 and Part 2, and the spy thriller A Most Wanted Man, which hits theaters on Friday.

—Reporting by Claudia Rosenbaum and Beth Sobol