Michael Dorsey, an unsuccessful actor, disguises himself as a woman in order to get a role on a trashy hospital soap.
Director:
Writers:
Stars:
Awards:
- Won 1 Oscar. Another 25 wins & 31 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Dustin Hoffman | ... |
Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels
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| Jessica Lange | ... |
Julie Nichols
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| Teri Garr | ... |
Sandy Lester
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| Dabney Coleman | ... |
Ron Carlisle
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| Charles Durning | ... |
Les Nichols
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| Bill Murray | ... |
Jeff Slater
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| Sydney Pollack | ... |
George Fields
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| George Gaynes | ... |
John Van Horn
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| Geena Davis | ... |
April Page
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| Doris Belack | ... |
Rita Marshall
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| Ellen Foley | ... |
Jacqui
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Peter Gatto | ... |
Rick
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| Lynne Thigpen | ... |
Jo
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| Ronald L. Schwary | ... |
Phil Weintraub
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| Debra Mooney | ... |
Mrs. Mallory
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Amy Lawrence | ... |
Amy
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Kenny Sinclair | ... |
Boy
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| Susan Merson | ... |
Page
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Michael Ryan | ... |
Middle-Aged Man
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Robert D. Wilson | ... |
Stage Hand
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James Carruthers | ... |
Middle-Aged Man
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| Estelle Getty | ... |
Middle-Aged Woman
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| Christine Ebersole | ... |
Linda
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| Bernie Pollack | ... |
Actor #1
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Sam Stoneburner | ... |
Actor #2
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| Marjorie Lovett | ... |
Salesgirl
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Willy Switkes | ... |
Man at Cab
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| Gregory Camillucci | ... |
Maitre d'
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Barbara Spiegel | ... |
Billie
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| Tony Craig | ... |
Joel Spector
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| Walter Cline | ... |
Bartender
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| Suzanne Von Schaack | ... |
Party Girl
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Anne Shropshire | ... |
Mrs. Crawley
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Pamela Lincoln | ... |
Secretary
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| Mary Donnet | ... |
Receptionist
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Bernie Passeltiner | ... |
Mac
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Mallory Millett | ... |
Girl #1
(as Mallory Jones)
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Patti Cohane | ... |
Girl #2
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| Murray Schisgal | ... |
Party Guest
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| Greg Gorman | ... |
Photographer
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Anne Prager | ... |
Acting Student
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| John Carpenter | ... |
First Actor
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Bob Levine | ... |
Second Actor
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Richard Whiting | ... |
Priest
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| Jim Jansen | ... |
Stage Manager #2
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| Susan Egbert | ... |
Diane
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Kas Self | ... |
Acting Student
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| Tom Mardirosian | ... |
Stage Manager
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Richard Wirth | ... |
Mel - Technical Director
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| Gavin Reed | ... |
Director
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| Annie Korzen | ... |
Autograph Hound
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Ibbits Warriner | ... |
Autograph Hound
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| Lois De Banzie | ... |
Autograph Hound
(as Lois de Banzie)
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Stephen Prutting | ... |
Autograph Hound
(as Stephen C. Prutting)
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Carole Holland | ... |
Autograph Hound
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Tobin Bell | ... |
Waiter (uncredited)
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Phillip Borsos | ... |
Film Director at Party (uncredited)
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Cassandra Danz | ... |
Hoffman Look-Alike at TV Audition (uncredited)
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Jim Dratfield | ... |
Acting Student (uncredited)
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Paul E. Guskin | ... |
Pavel - Waiter in Russian Tea Room (uncredited)
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| John Kapelos | ... |
Actor at Party (uncredited)
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Dave Moskin | ... |
Acting Student (uncredited)
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| Marty Napoleon | ... |
(Band) (uncredited)
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| Michael Newman | ... |
Pedestrian (uncredited)
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| Gene Shalit | ... |
Gene Shalit (uncredited)
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| Andy Warhol | ... |
Andy Warhol (uncredited)
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Joyce Worsley | ... |
Shocked Bystander as Dorothy Grabs a Cab (uncredited)
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| Dawn Young | ... |
Student in Acting Class (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Sydney Pollack | ||
Written by
| Don McGuire | ... | (story by) and |
| Larry Gelbart | ... | (story by) |
| Larry Gelbart | ... | (screenplay by) and |
| Murray Schisgal | ... | (screenplay by) |
| Barry Levinson | ... | () (uncredited) |
| Robert Garland | ... | () (uncredited) |
| Robert Kaufman | ... | () (uncredited) |
| Elaine May | ... | () (uncredited) |
Produced by
| Charles Evans | ... | executive producer |
| Sydney Pollack | ... | producer |
| Dick Richards | ... | producer |
| Ronald L. Schwary | ... | producer (uncredited) |
Music by
| Dave Grusin | ||
Cinematography by
| Owen Roizman | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
| Fredric Steinkamp | ||
| William Steinkamp | ||
Editorial Department
| Don Brochu | ... | assistant editor |
| Jill Savitt | ... | assistant editor |
| Nancy Weizer | ... | assistant editor |
| Wayne Fitzgerald | ... | editor: montage (uncredited) |
Casting By
| Lynn Stalmaster | ||
Production Design by
| Peter S. Larkin | ... | (as Peter Larkin) |
Set Decoration by
| Thomas C. Tonery | ... | (as Tom Tonery) |
Costume Design by
| Ruth Morley | ||
Makeup Department
| Joseph Coscia | ... | hair stylist (as Joe Coscia) |
| C. Romania Ford | ... | makeup artist (as C. Romaina Ford) |
| Paul Huntley | ... | wig designer |
| Tony Marrero | ... | hair stylist |
| George Masters | ... | makeup created by: Mr. Hoffman / makeup designed by: Mr. Hoffman |
| Dorothy J. Pearl | ... | makeup artist: Ms Lang (as Dorothy Pearl) / makeup created by: Mr. Hoffman (as Dorothy Pearl) / makeup designed by: Mr. Hoffman (as Dorothy Pearl) |
| Toni-Ann Walker | ... | hair stylist: Ms. Lange (as Toni Walker) |
| Allen Weisinger | ... | makeup: Mr. Hoffman |
Production Management
| Gerald R. Molen | ... | unit production manager |
| Frank Price | ... | executive in charge of production (uncredited) |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Ann Egbert | ... | dga trainee |
| David McGiffert | ... | assistant director |
| Joseph P. Reidy | ... | second assistant director (as Joseph Reidy) |
Art Department
| William Lucek | ... | scenic artist |
| Jimmy Raitt | ... | property master |
Sound Department
| Rick Alexander | ... | re-recording mixer (as Dick Alexander) |
| Les Fresholtz | ... | re-recording mixer |
| Les Lazarowitz | ... | sound mixer |
| Tod A. Maitland | ... | boom man (as Tod Maitland) |
| Tom McCarthy Jr. | ... | sound effects: Effective Sounf Unlimited |
| Arthur Piantadosi | ... | re-recording mixer |
| Don S. Walden | ... | sound effects: Effective Sounf Unlimited (as Don Walden) |
| Philip Rogers | ... | sound recordist (uncredited) |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Michael Green | ... | camera first assistant |
| Brian Hamill | ... | unit still photographer |
| Mike Miller | ... | key grip (as Michael Miller) |
| Richard Quinlan | ... | gaffer (as Dick Quinlan) |
| Scott Rathner | ... | camera second assistant |
| Bob Rose | ... | key grip |
| William H. Steiner | ... | camera operator (as Bill Steiner) |
| Garrett Brown | ... | steadicam operator (uncredited) |
| Craig DiBona | ... | steadicam operator (uncredited) |
| Raymond Fortune | ... | electrician (uncredited) |
| James Halligan | ... | grip (uncredited) |
| Charles Meere III | ... | electrician (uncredited) |
| Andrew D. Schwartz | ... | additional still photographer (uncredited) |
| Steve Stafford | ... | camera operator (uncredited) |
| Kenji Takama | ... | camera intern (uncredited) |
Casting Department
| Sylvia Fay | ... | extras casting |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Jennifer Nichols | ... | costumer: women's |
| Franke Piazza | ... | costumer: men's |
| Bernie Pollack | ... | costume supervisor |
| Susan Gammie | ... | (segment ": "Diabolique") costumes by (uncredited) |
Location Management
| Jonathan Filley | ... | location manager |
| Ezra Swerdlow | ... | location manager |
Music Department
| Else Blangsted | ... | music editor |
| Andy D'Addario | ... | Music Scoring Recordist (uncredited) |
| George Doering | ... | musician (uncredited) |
| Dave Grusin | ... | composer: additional music (uncredited) / conductor (uncredited) / music arranger/orchestrator (uncredited) / music producer (uncredited) / musician: keyboards (uncredited) |
| Ian Underwood | ... | musician: keyboards (uncredited) |
Script and Continuity Department
| Renee Bodner | ... | script supervisor |
Transportation Department
| Harold 'Whitey' McEvoy | ... | transportation captain (as Whitey McEvoy) |
| Patrick Hogan | ... | driver (uncredited) |
Additional Crew
| Carey Bozanich | ... | production assistant |
| Stephanie Brooks | ... | production assistant |
| Tommy Burns | ... | production assistant (as Tom Burns) |
| Crin Connolly | ... | assistant: to Sydney Pollack |
| Justin Cooke | ... | production assistant |
| Lillian Glass | ... | body language expert / voice and speech coach |
| Lee Gottsegen | ... | assistant: to Dustin Hoffman |
| Ann Guerin | ... | unit publicist |
| Harriette Kanew | ... | assistant production office coordinator |
| Tony Lani | ... | production assistant |
| Peter Lombardi | ... | assistant auditor (as Pete Lombardi) |
| Bruce Patterson | ... | production office coordinator |
| Ken Ryan | ... | auditor |
| David Sardi | ... | production assistant |
| Karl F. Steinkamp | ... | production assistant (as Karl Steinkamp) |
| Gary Vermillion | ... | production assistant |
| Sarah M. Brim | ... | production assistant (uncredited) |
| Alan Jacques | ... | projectionist (uncredited) |
| Chip Miller | ... | photography/stills (uncredited) |
| Tom Schurke | ... | video playback engineer (uncredited) |
| Holly Woodlawn | ... | technical advisor (uncredited) |
Production Companies
- Columbia Pictures (presents) (A Sydney Pollack Film)
- Mirage Enterprises
- Punch Productions
- Delphi Films
Distributors
- Columbia Pictures (1982) (United States) (theatrical)
- Columbia-EMI-Warner (1983) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Columbia Films of India (1983) (India) (theatrical)
- Columbia Pictures of Argentina (1983) (Argentina) (theatrical) (through Warner-Columbia Films)
- Fox Columbia Film Distributors (1983) (Australia) (theatrical)
- Sony Pictures Releasing (1983) (India) (theatrical) (as Columbia Films of India)
- Warner Bros. / Columbia Pictures (1983) (Finland) (theatrical)
- Warner Bros. (1983) (Norway) (theatrical)
- Warner-Columbia Film (1983) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Warner-Columbia Films (1983) (Argentina) (theatrical) (through)
- LK-TEL (1984) (Argentina) (VHS)
- RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (1984) (United States) (VHS) (pan and scan)
- American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1985) (United States) (tv)
- Videosonic (1985) (Greece) (VHS)
- British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (1986) (United Kingdom) (tv) (BBC1)
- Radio Télévision Belge Francophone (RTBF) (1987) (Belgium) (tv) (RTBF1) (French speaking region)
- Algemene Vereniging Radio Omroep (AVRO) (1988) (Netherlands) (tv)
- Mainostelevisio (MTV) (1990) (France) (tv)
- RCA/Columbia Pictures International Video (1990) (Germany) (VHS) (laserdisc)
- The Criterion Collection (1992) (United States) (VHS) (laserdisc)
- Columbia TriStar Home Video (1993) (United States) (VHS)
- Columbia TriStar Home Video (1995) (United States) (VHS) (laserdisc)
- Egmont Film (1996) (Sweden) (VHS)
- Nelonen (1998) (Finland) (tv)
- Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1990) (Finland) (tv)
- Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2001) (United States) (VHS)
- Egmont Entertainment (2002) (Finland) (DVD) (1-disc edition)
- Nordisk Film (2002) (Sweden) (DVD)
- Universal Pictures Video (2002) (Sweden) (DVD)
- LK-TEL (2008) (Argentina) (DVD)
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (Finland) (DVD) (2-disc edition)
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (Sweden) (DVD)
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (United States) (DVD)
- Moviemax Family (2010) (Turkey) (tv) (Cable)
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2013) (Germany) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
- The Criterion Collection (2014) (United States) (Blu-ray) (4k restoration)
- The Criterion Collection (2014) (United States) (DVD)
- Iris (2016) (Italy) (tv)
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2016) (Canada) (DVD) (studio classics)
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2016) (United States) (DVD) (studio classics)
- Eén (2017) (Belgium) (tv)
- 7flix (2023) (Australia) (tv)
- Columbia TriStar Film
- Columbia TriStar Home Video (Brazil) (DVD)
- Columbia TriStar Home Video (Brazil) (VHS)
- Columbia TriStar Home Video (Italy) (DVD)
- Esselte Video (Finland) (VHS)
- Frii (2015) (Finland) (tv)
- Nordisk Film Home Entertainment (Finland) (VHS)
- RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (United States) (laserdisc)
- RCA/Columbia-Hoyts Home Video (1980) (Australia) (video)
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2013) (Finland) (Blu-ray)
- TV5 (2012) (Finland) (tv)
- The Criterion Channel (2022) (United States) (tv) (streaming)
- Video Trade (Finland) (VHS)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Ben Kahn Furriers (the producers would like to thank: who have helped make this picture possible, for Dusting Hoffman's furs)
- Dolby Laboratories (sound post-production)
- Effective Sound Unlimited (sound effects)
- Pacific Title (titles and opticals by)
- Panavision (camera equipment provided by)
- The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (the producers would like to thank: who have helped make this picture possible)
- The New York City Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting (the producers would like to thank: who have helped make this picture possible)
- Time (used with permission of: LIFE title and format)
- Toni Howard & Associates (casting by)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
Michael Dorsey is an unemployed actor with an impossible reputation. In order to find work and fund his friend's play he dresses as a woman, Dorothy Michaels, and lands the part in a daytime drama. Dorsey loses himself in this woman role and essentially becomes Dorothy Michaels, captivating women all around the city and inspiring them to break free from the control of men and become more like Dorsey's initial identity. This newfound role, however, lands Dorsey in a hot spot between a female friend/'lover,' a female co-star he falls in love with, that co-star's father who falls in love with him, and a male co-star who yearns for his affection. Written by Bryan Kuniyoshi |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | Little did this desperate, out of work actor know when he secretly auditioned for a female role that he'd become the hottest star on television. Not even the girl he's madly in love with knows that he's Tootsie. See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
| Certification |
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Additional Details
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Box Office
| Budget | $22,000,000 (estimated) |
| Opening Weekend United States | $5,540,470, 19 Dec 1982 |
| Cumulative Worldwide Gross | $38,974,697 |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | The character of Dorothy originally did not speak with a Southern accent, but in doing research, Dustin Hoffman discovered his voice fell more closely into the range of female pitch while doing the accent. See more » |
| Goofs | The airborne panning view of midtown Manhattan (a transition shot after the montage of Dorothy's magazine photo-shoots, filmed above Union Square) is stock footage from the early 1970s or perhaps earlier; at least one skyscraper completed by 1975 is missing (the One UN Plaza towers). See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Tootsie/The Verdict/Sophies Choice/Airplane II (1982). See more » |
| Soundtracks | Tootsie See more » |
| Crazy Credits | Dustin Hoffman is credited twice: Dustin Hoffman .... Michael Dorsey Dustin Hoffman .... Dorothy Michaels See more » |
| Quotes |
Jeff:
That is one *nutty* hospital. See more » |