Hoffman was born in New York City, New York and raised in Roslyn Heights, New York. He graduated from The Wheatley School in Old Westbury, NY before attending the University of Arizona. After graduating from University of Arizona, Rick moved to Los Angeles to start his acting career. He landed his first role as a security guard in Conspiracy Theory in 1997 and he was so nervous that he messed up his lines. Luckily, his misread got laughs, was included in the final cut, giving him some much-needed attention.[citation needed]

He had some other small roles until he received his breakout role as the Freddie Sacker on the series The $treet in 2000 which allowed him to quit his job waiting tables and move back to New York. Since then he has had several appearances on many TV series.

He has had many cameo appearances in movies, such as The Day After Tomorrow, Hostel, and Cellular to name a few. Variety named Rick as one of their "10 Actors to Watch". As of 2007 he plays Goldman in WWE Films "The Condemned".

Hoffman resides in Los Angeles.

During the production of The Condemned, Hoffman suffered a near-death experience.