An autopsy on the body of Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman will take place in New York, a day after he was found dead in his Manhattan apartment of a suspected heroin overdose.

The sudden death of the 46-year-old, hailed as the finest character actor of his generation, has shocked Hollywood. He was discovered with a syringe lodged in his arm and surrounded by envelopes of what appears to have been heroin.

The alarm was reportedly raised when Hoffman failed to turn up on Sunday to collect his three children from their mother, who called a friend to go and check on him.

Police say his death seems to have been the result of an overdose but refused to release further details until the New York medical examiner’s office conducts the autopsy on Monday.

Hoffman mesmerised film-goers with his portrayal of some of the most repellent and yet electrifying characters of the silver screen.

He won an Oscar for his performance as Truman Capote in the 2005 film Capote and was nominated for three further Academy Awards as a supporting actor in 2008, 2009 and 2013.

But for all his success, Hoffman struggled in the limelight and with addiction. He spoke less than a year ago about a recent heroin relapse, having been sober for two decades.