Paul Leonard Newman was born on January 26, 1925 in Cleveland, Ohio and he passed away yesterday, September 26, 2008 at his home surrounded by his family in Westport, Connecticut. The world had come to know, love and
respect Paul Newman through his distinguished acting ability, iconic star quality and admirable philanthropic endeavors. The exemplary relationship Newman shared with his widow, Academy Award winning actress Joanne Woodward, will stand forever in time as a testament to all those who would denounce the stability of the Hollywood marriage. Granted Paul Newman was not the average Hollywood actor, neither is Joanne Woodward…but their enduring relationship provides a reflection of the stability that two people can enjoy if they are committed to doing the work it takes to make a powerful two career relationship last. As I woke up this morning and read the headlines that Paul Newman had died I actually felt a sense of sadness. I don’t normally feel personally saddened by the passing of celebrities because I don’t actually know these people. However, Paul Newman was a special case because I am indeed one of his biggest fans; I hold a true respect for his altruistic nature and a deep admiration for his commitment to his marriage…and his acting ability, what can I say that has not already been said about his incomparable acting ability? Nothing one more thing. We all know that Paul Newman was an amazing actor. Here is a small list of some of the work where Paul Newman’s incredible acting ability is succinctly displayed:Cool Hand Luke (1967) Watch Paul Newman’s fourth Academy Award nominated performance here on Netflix now: Cool Hand Luke *Check out this Famous Quote from the film: “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.”The Long Hot Summer (1958)Watch Paul Newman in one of his first starring roles here on Netflix now: The Long, Hot Summer
Paul Newman: May You Rest in Peace
Paul Newman Dead at 83
Nowadays when you hear the name Paul Newman you think of that guy that makes the salad dressings, spaghetti sauce and some other food products. Well, if your over the age of thirty you might also know Paul Newman was an actor. If you liked Robert Redford you should know he and Paul Newman
did several movies together. And any Tom Cruise fan will tell you Paul Newman was in The Color of Money with Cruise.Paul Newman did a lot more movies than with just those two actors. He actually started acting in the 1950s. Paul Newman was nominated for 10 Oscars winning one regular award and two honorary ones. He had major roles in more than 50 motion pictures. He also worked with some of the best directors in the last 50 years.According to Legendary actor Paul Newman dies at age 83 Paul Newman passed away Friday surrounded by his family and close friends at his farmhouse near Westport his publicist Jeff Sanderson reported. Paul Newman was 83 years old. He had a long battle with cancer. In May, Paul Newman cited “unspecified health issues as cause for dropping plans to direct a fall production of “Of Mice and Men”. Paul Newman was married to Joanne Woodward in 1958. They acted together in The Long Hot Summer. He directed her in several films as well. They had three children together. He had three children by a previous marriage and his only son died of an accidental overdose. Paul Newman didn’t like the “Hollywood” life and chose to be private. He wouldn’t sign autographs but yet he was very charitable. His salad dressing company that was started as a joke donates all their profit to charity. As of 2007 records it was close to 175 million dollars. He also set up camps for severely ill children.The 1970s brought change for Newman who became fascinated with racing which he had studied for a 1972 film called “Winning.” In 1977 Newman and his driving team did well in several major races. In the 1977 Daytona race they came in fifth. In 1979 they took second place in Le Mans. Newman was also political and very liberal. He might have been a political activist. Paul Newman joked one of his proudest achievements was to be on President Nixon’s “enemies list”.
Actor Paul Newman Dead at Age 83: A Biography of This Legendary Man
Actor Paul Newman died Friday (09/26/08) at age 83. He succumbed to cancer. Newman had been battling this disease for months. Below is a biography of this legendary man’s life. It shows that he definitely had a lot of heart and desire to live a full life. Early YearsBorn in a suburb of Cleveland (Shaker Heights, Ohio), Paul Newman was the product of two cultures. His mother Theresa was Slovak and a Catholic (later converted to Christian Science) while his father Arthur was Jewish. His parents gave him and his brother (Arthur) a comfortable living because they owned a sporting good store.At a young age, Paul Newman, showed an interest in theater. By age seven, he did his first play at school. He was a court jester in Robin Hood. However, it would not be apparent to the world that Newman was a star until he got into his late 20′s. By then, he’d graduated from Shaker Heights High School, fought in World War II and graduated from Kenyon College. It was at this point that he started to seriously pursue an acting career. Movie CareerIn preparation for a career in acting, Paul Newman studied acting at Yale University under Lee Strasberg. Then, he left New York and moved to Hollywood. His moved paid off. Newman immediately got roles in Broadway plays (Picnic, The Desperate Hours, Sweet Bird of Youth) and debuted in his first movie The Silver Chalice by 1954. This moment would mark the beginning of a lucrative film career. Below is a list a few memorable ones:Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)The Long Hot Summer (1958)The Young Philadelphians (1959)Exodus (1960)Paris Blues (1961)The Hustler (1961)Hud (1963)Harper (1966)Hombre (1967)Cool Hand Luke (1967)Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)The Towering Inferno (1974)After making several movies, Paul Newman returned to the theatre and began doing Pulitzer Prize-winning plays like The Shadow Box and The Glass Menagerie. He also acted in an HBO series Empire Falls. In March of 2007 at age 82, Paul Newman officially retired from acting because he could no longer keep up.Personal Life
A Decade by Decade Look at the Career of Paul Newman – Retiring at 82
Paul Newman announced last week that, at the age of 82, he is retiring from film work after a career spanning over 50 years with 40+ films. He has been nominated 9 times for Academy Awards (8 for acting and
1 for producing) finally winning on his 7th try. He will continue with his auto racing and food product production but felt that film work was too demanding, especially trying to remember his lines. There have long been rumors that Robert Redford had finally found a project for the two of them but apparently a rumor was all it was and movie lovers will be left wondering what if?If Newman does indeed hold to his retirement announcement then his last movie was the animated hit “Cars” from last summer. His last on screen performance was the HBO mini-series “Empire Falls” and his last big screen performance was 2002′s “Road To Perdition.”I can’t imagine a movie world where movie lovers can’t look forward to a new Paul Newman movie but its better he go out while he can and not be forced to due to illness or worse. I wanted to take a look back at his long and storied career with all the highs befitting his immense talent and all the lows befitting an actor working for money or simply choosing poorly.1950′s – Newman’s film debut came in 1954′s “The Silver Chalice,” a film so bad that Newman would later take out a newspaper ad apologizing and advising fans to never watch it. His next film got him his first real notices as boxer Rocky Graciano in “Somebody Up There Likes Me.” His next few films (The Rack; The Helen Morgan Story; Until They Sail) provided Newman with good roles that were little seen. 1958 saw the release of “The Long Hot Summer” and “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof” and the success of both films made Newman a movie star. He finished the decade with the forgettable “Rally Round the Flag, Boys” and the inspired “The Young Philadelphians.”
Paul Newman Donates $10 Million to Kenyon College
Kenyon College announced on Saturday that alumnus and actor Paul Newman has donated $10 million for a scholarship fund. Newman attended Kenyon and graduated in 1949 with a degree in drama and economics. Newman was urged along with his wife Joanne Woodward to make their large donation to Kenyon public to encourage other alumni to give to other scholarship funds. The donation will help in creating a rolling fund to provide partial and full scholarships for 15 to 20 students yearly. The
Paul Newman Donates $10 Million to Kenyon College first of the Newman’s Own scholarships will be handed out in the up coming academic year. According to the Associated Press, after looking back on his career of over 50 years Newman stated, “My days there [Kenyon College] were among the happiest and most formative of my life. I believe strongly that we should be doing whatever we can to make all higher education opportunities available to deserving students. I hope others will support Kenyon in this manner.” In addition to this most recent gift, Newman is also well known for the over $175 million he has contributed to various charities, including his own Hole in the Wall camps for children with cancer and other life-threatening illness. Newman’s Own stands out among other business because it sees no profits after cost and other taxable responsibilities are met. Paul Newman’s career began in early 1950s with small television roles and later grew into movie roles due to his captivating style. In 1958 he met his future wife Joanne Woodward on the set of “The Long, Hot Summer” acting opposite her and Orson Welles. Newman received his first Oscar nomination in 1959 for his portrayal of Brick Pollitt in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” His career continued with 6 more Oscar nominations until his first win in 1987 for Best Actor in a Leading Role for “The Color of Money.” Since then he gone back to his first love of the stage and has helped in many acting studios for young and upcoming actors.
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.”