Saturday
Sep272008
Saturday, September 27, 2008 at 8:22AM Paul Newman: 1925 - 2008
Oscar winner, philanthropist, film legend, and the
coolest guy in the world,
Paul Newman,
has passed away at the age of 83,
following a bout with cancer.
Newman, whose career spanned 60 years, earned ten
Academy Award nominations, winning in 1987 for
The Color of Money, a year after picking up the
equivalent of a lifetime achievement award. The Academy also bestowed the Jean
Hersholt Humanitarian Award on Newman for his charitable works.
After years on stage and in
television, Newman broke through as a leading man in film in
Somebody Up There Likes Me from 1956, in which he played
boxer Rocky Graziano. Two years later, his work in the adaptation of Tennesse
Williams'
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof garnered Newman his first
Oscar nomination, at the age of 33.
Newman and Oscar had an interesting relationship;
although he was nominated four times in the 1960s -
The Hustler,
Hud,
Cool Hand Luke, and as a producer for Best
Picture hopeful
Rachel, Rachel - and in consecutive years in
the 1980s (for
Absence of Malice and
The Verdict), it was returning to the role of
Fast Eddie Felson 25 years later in The Color of Money that finally
earned Newman an Academy Award, on his eighth nomination.
In the 20 years since, he was nominated for his work in
Nobody's Fool and
Road to Perdition.
Newman was married twice, most famously to
Joanne
Woodward, to whom he was married for 50 years. Responding to a
question about how the couple maintained their relationship after so many years,
Newman replied, "I don't know...what she puts in my food."
Never a member of the Hollywood set, you won't find Paul
Newman on the Walk of Fame; he refused to allow anyone to contribute the
thousands of dollars in nominating fees for the honor. While you wouldn't see
Newman in Hollywood, you would see him stumping for political causes in the
1960s and 70s, which earned him a spot on Richard Nixon's enemies list. In 1982,
Newman introduced a line of food - at the time just salad dressings but
eventually including everything from chocolate chip cookies to dog food - called
Newman's Own. The goal was to raise money for charities. In its first 25 years,
Newman's Own gave away over $200 million.
He announced his retirement in 2007, claiming he'd lost
confidence in his abilities. But he still maintained his sense of humor. "You
can't be as old as I am without waking up with a surprised look on your face
every morning: 'Holy Christ, whaddya know - I'm still around!' It's absolutely
amazing that I survived all the booze and smoking and the cars and the career."
We'll never see another one like him. So do yourself a favor and watch a handful of Paul Newman movies this weekend: Cool Hand Luke, Butch and Sundance, Absence of Malice, Road to Perdition, Slap Shot, The Sting...just pick a few and watch one of the best, most graceful actors we've ever seen.
Reader Comments (9)
I can't believe there are no comments on this article.. One of the most gifted humans on the planet dies and no responses? I believe "what we have here is a failure to communicate". I can't imagine life without Paul Newman. He's right up there with John Wayne, He will certainly be missed, although he has been out of the spotlight now for a couple of years. He will never be forgotten.
This is a sad day. I have admired Newman for years, and although I had heard he was very ill, it's still hard to hear that he is no longer with us.
The adapation of "Empire Falls" features one of my favorite, scene-stealing Newman performances, and I highly recommend that you check it out.
I always go back to Cool Hand Luke, which I just revisited today, and the scene where he finds out his mother has passed away. He plays that sad song on the banjo and cries one tear. How good an actor are you if you can shed a single tear?
OK I'll comment.
In one word, Paul Newman is one who defines the Yiddish word:
"MENSCH"
In addition to being one of the greatest actors ever,
He was humble, loyal to his family, and put his fame
to unprecidented good use benefiting charity.
And as a consumer of his products their taste & wholesomeness
benefited ME.
A wonderful body of acting work left for us on film,
and a legacy of a life well lived outside of the spotlight.
Here's to you Butch Cassidy !
One of the best ever. He will be known as a great man first, then a great actor. Some of my favorite films of his:
The Sting
Nobody's Fool
The Hudsucker Proxy
And his appearance on David Letterman's first show on CBS where he asked:
"Where the hell are the singing cats?"
Rest in Peace Mr. Newman, you will be missed.
A fantastic actor and, by all accounts, a great human.
Despite his age he seemed both larger than life and eternal.
It is a sad reminder of the human condition; that life is never long enough, not even for the greatest.
Especially not for the greatest.
I have always admired Paul Newman for putting his money to work in such productive ways...
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