“How should I play that one, Bert? Play it safe? That’s the way you always told me to play it: safe… play the percentage. Well, here we go: fast and loose. One ball, corner pocket. Yeah, percentage players die broke, too, don’t they, Bert? How can I lose?” Fast Eddie Felson (the late
Paul Newman) stated in 1961′s The Hustler. That statement symbolized Newman’s life and career until he died on September 26th. Newman once described his motivations for choosing a film script based on a sensory reaction to the material. “Every time I get a script it’s a matter of trying to know what I could do with it. I see colors, imagery. It has to have a smell. It’s like falling in love. You can’t give a reason why.” No matter what film or subject matter, Newman’s interest in his work never left the screen. His infamous blue eyes sparkled regardless of the type of trouble any of his characters were in such as being chased by the law in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. He played a mixture of moral and amoral characters with the same zeal no matter what. Let’s take a look back on the career of a prolific and talented actor who lived as if everyday was an adventure. Here are listing of twelve of Newman’s most memorable film roles and three additional films worth mentioning based on Newman’s performance. Take some time to watch each one of these films and enjoy some samples from Newman’s illustrious career.
Paul Newman: A Lifetime of Unforgettable Films
Actor Debate – Steve McQueen Vs. Paul Newman – Part One
Big Screen Giants, but There Can Be Only OneAs two of the finest American actors of all-time, Steve McQueen and Paul Newman dominated the often underrated classic films of the 1960’s and eventually starred together in the 1974 disaster picture The Tower Inferno. After the Inferno, McQueen who battled cancer, only made a few
more films, with Tom Horn his final role before his 1980 death. Although Newman is still alive and kicking, his glory days seemed to end when the 1980’s hit and although he has starred in many films none of them have come close to his performances in the prime of his career.So this brings us to our first in a series debates pitting actors versus actors, McQueen versus Newman, with a focus on what we consider the prime of their careers, 1958 (the year Newman broke out in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) to 1974 (when the two shared the screen in The Towering Inferno). Co-writer Pat Harrington will be taking the side of Newman, while I (Guy Stuller) will be defending McQueen on the matter. In the timeframe we are debating, who made the better films and how much influence did each actor have in making those films great? PH – I would argue that Newman made better films in the aforementioned timeframe based on the titles that still stand head and shoulders above most films made in the era. Cat On a Hot Tin Roof was only the beginning of a brilliant 16-year span that included such classic films as “The Long, Hot Summer,” “The Hustler,” “Hud,” “Hombre,” “Cool Hand Luke,” “The Sting” and “The Towering Inferno.”