Paul Newman 1925-2008

Screen legend Paul Newman, whose career spanned over 50 years, has died at 83. Here we look back at the blue-eyed, Hollywood icon’s most memorable films and lifetime achievements.


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A star is born
1925
Paul Newman was born in Cleveland, Ohio on 26 January 1925. He acted in grade school and high school plays and after being discharged from the navy in 1946 he enrolled at Kenyon College and then went on to Yale Drama School. After graduation Newman headed for New York, and with his blue eyes and good looks TV roles came easily to him. His first film role in The Silver Chalice (1954) was almost his last, as he took out an ad in a trade paper, apologising for it to anyone that might have seen it.

Somebody Up There Likes Me
1956
Newman first drew raves from critics for his performance playing boxer Rocky Graziano in the film Somebody Up There Likes Me, which led him to bigger and better roles.

The Long, Hot Summer
1958
Having just divorced his first wife, Jackie, with whom he had three children, Scott, Susan and Stephanie, Newman starred in The Long, Hot Summer. It was on-set that he met wife-to-be Joanne Woodward. Paul won the Best Actor Prize at Cannes for his role in the film.

Married Life
29th January 1958
Newman and Woodward’s marriage became the stuff of Hollywood legend, and they celebrated their 50th anniversary in January. Once asked by Empire Magazine why he never committed adultery he replied, “Why go out for hamburger when you can have steak at home?”

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
1958
Newman played Brick Pollitt an alcoholic, ex-football player opposite on-screen wife Elizabeth Taylor in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. In the film, Brick reunites with his father, Big Daddy, who’s dying of cancer, jogging memories and revelations for the pair.

The Hustler
1961
In the decade after his second marriage, Paul Newman made some of his most important films of his career. The rebellious characters he played reflected the mood of the 1960s perfectly, and he became a household name for his work in films such as The Hustler, Hud and Cool Hand Luke – films that fans refer to as the ‘H’ movies.

Torn Curtain
1956
Paul Newman and Julie Andrews in Alfred Hitchcock's thriller Torn Curtain

Butch Casside And The Sundance Kid
1969
Perhaps one of Newman’s most famous roles was as Butch Cassidy alongside Robert Redford as The Sundance Kid. Redford and Newman struck up a life-long friendship on set, and Redford has said of his death, “I have lost a real friend. My life - and this country - is better for his being in it.”

The Scott Newman Center
1978
After his only son Scott died of a drug overdose in 1978, Newman started the Scott Newman Center for drug abuse prevention.

Hole In The Wall Gang Camp
Newman was a keen philanthropist, and set up the Newman’s Own Foundation. Aware of the blessings he had had in his own life, Newman wanted to offset the imbalance and became an avid philanthropist. He set up Newman’s Own food company and donated all of the profits and royalties to thousands of charities around the world, a total of which now exceeds $250m. Paul was especially committed to the Hole In The Wall Gang Camps, which took their name from Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid and allowed kids to escape the fear, pain and isolation of terminal conditions, and raise a little hell.

The Color Of Money
1986
Newman won an Oscar (Best Actor) for his role as a middle aged Fast Eddie Felson (who he originally played in The Hustler), in The Color Of Money alongside Tom Cruise and directed by Martin Scorcese. Scorcese has said about the actor in the aftermath of his death, “The history of movies without Paul Newman? It’s unthinkable.”

Racing
1982
If Newman’s craft was acting, then his passion was racing. Newman became co-owner of Newman-Hauss in 1982 and co-owner Carl Haas said of his death, “His pure joy at winning a pole position or winning a race exemplified the spirit he brought to his life and to all those who knew him. We will truly miss him.”

Road To Perdition
2002
Newman’s final on-screen role was as a conflicted mob boss in Road To Perdition, alongside Tom Hanks, a part that he received a Best Actor nomination for.

r.i.p!!!

26 September 2008
After a public appearance in which Newman looked weak and gaunt, family friend AE Hotchner confirmed in June that Newman had a form of cancer, but the actor was “dealing with it nicely”. More recent reports said that the actor decided to end treatment, so he could die peacefully at home. Paul Newman died on 26 September 2008, aged 83. He is survived by his wife Joanne, and five children: Susan, Stephanie, Elinor, Melissa and Clea.